nasal pillow trouble - any recomendations on masks?

I'm a newbie (2 weeks) using the Swift nasal pillows. I wake up every hour whenever I turn over and find they have fallen out of one or both of my nostils. I readjust and it takes awhile to get back to sleep, (if at all). I've turned the exhale holes up/then down trying to get a good fit, but I wake up feeling like my nostrils have been stretched and sneezing all day. The hard plastic buckle for the strap in the back is also very uncomfortable to lie on. Any suggestions on a mask with comfortable headgear that I won't have to constantly readjust all night? Since this would be my 2nd mask after only 2 weeks, I can't spend alot (insurance won't cover it), but want something that will let me sleep.
Also - should there be any air leakage out of the nasal pillows? When I just "pillow" them comfortably, they leak and fall out more often when I turn over. The tech and sleep lab both used the small size for me.

Hi jluddy01. I would not give up on the Swift just yet, it is a great mask and is extremely lightweight. I recommed that you do a search on this site for a fix that maskes the mask a little more tolerable for side sleepers. The fix involves routing the small hose that comes out of one side of the mask up over the head (it attaches to the buckle on the top strap). This particular fix makes the mask lots easier to deal with.

As for other masks, you might give the ComfortLite II a try.

Steve

Sounds like what happened to me when using the wrong sized pillows. I am now using the large. I thought, "No way I need LARGE!!".... but .... I do.
The object of a nasal pillow system is NOT to have them stuffed up your nose, but to have them resting against your nares and maybe just a LITTLE of the pillow goes into your nares. Best adjusted with air pressure on as the pillows "inflate" when positioned correctly.

As far as the buckle goes, just ask Padacheek (here on the forums) for some of her Swift buckle pads. They work GREAT and your hair won't get stuck in the buckles either.

I love my Swift. With pressure on, first LOOSEN the straps so it's leaking air around the pillows. Then slowly alternating between top and back, tighten each lust a little until it stops leaking. Now give each strap just a LITTLE tug. I'm talking real small increments here. Took a little fiddling and I wasn't sure I could get it right but after a week or 2 of messing around I have the Swift working so well it's the only mask I can sleep straight through the night in.

I've struggled with the Swift also, but after a month I think I've got most of my issues with it ironed out.

They recommended the medium pillows for me, but I found the large size worked MUCH better. They sat comfortably on the outside of my nose instead of feeling like they were trying to wiggle inside it.

I had trouble with leaks around my nostrils, I found a light smear of petroleum jelly on the outside of my nostrils right before plugging myself in helps make a better seal.

The back buckle was a pain for me too. I first tried replacing it with some adhesive-backed velcro on the overlapped strap pieces (using a couple staples with the points facing AWAY from my head to hold the velcro in place), but that made it too thick to lie on comfortably. My current solution is some industrial-strength double-stick tape stuck between the overlapping straps pieces. It's not exactly adjustable, so you have to get the placement exactly right for your head, but it's thin enough to be comfortable - better than that annoying buckle for me, anyway.

I still have to do a little finicking with the pillows when I roll onto either side, but I found making the top strap just a little tighter lessens this. Strangely enough I have less trouble sleeping on the side the mask tube comes out of than the side without the tube.

As for other masks, you might give the ComfortLite II a try.

I like the CL2 also. It is a bit easier to adjust up and down than the Swift.
Furthermore, it can be purchased in the nasal pillow plus a
nasal cover (Simple Cushion) included. However, I would plan on "fixing" it
using the tried and true modifications found on this forum.

I visited the pad-a-cheek site and ordered some swift buckle pads. Thanks for the tip. Maybe I should be using the medium size pillows, I will give that a try. It's funny, but I do sleep better when on the side where the tubing comes out than the other. I don't like it positioned upwards like a snorkle though - too hard on the side of my face. I just bought a memory form pillow so maybe that will also help. Guess I'll try to fiddle with it for a few more nights, but if I still can't sleep, I think I'll have to try a different mask.
Does anyone know, should the horizontal tube with the exhale holes be laying right on the area between your nose and upper lip? It feels heavy on it. The way their instructions sounded it should be tilted up, which is more comfortable on my upper lip, but.... makes my nostrils feel stretched out.

So I take it that there shouldn't be any air leaking around the pillows?

Yes, you need to rotate the barrel to adjust the angle it makes with your nostrils ... correct, you should have no leaks from around the pillows. Yes the Swift and most other pillow type interface may make your nostrils feel stretched out ... however, you should aim to seat the pillows with just enough pressure so that they don't leak when you toss your head about.

Best of luck!

- r

I just posted some ideas on this thread:

Click Here for a Link to the Too Good to be True? Thread

You may also wish to search for more fixes! There ARE quite a few for the Swift.

I am a great fan of the Swift as well. I started out with the Swift and then cycled through far more interfaces that I am willing to confess to finally settling on the Swift since it has worked the best for me.

It does take fiddling to get right.

First - larger pillows are better than smaller. As several have said they should just lightly rest up against the bottom of the nose and they will inflate and seal.

Second - head gear should not be as tight as you think at first. The pillows seem to flex to keep their seal so if they are too squished against the nose they won't flex.

Third - nose, upper lip/cheek and barrel should be squeaky clean to get a good seal. As I said in an earlier note today, when all is clean and fresh the pillows feel s lightly tacky against the nose.

Fourth - barrel rotation is based on your comfort and what gives a good seal. I tend to rotate the pillows down towards the lip, not up to the tip of the nose but it probably varies person by person.

Fifth - there should be no air leaking from around the pillows at all. You want it all going up your nose. Sometimes I "pop" the pillows by pinching and releasing them or pulling down on the edge and letting them snap up if the seal is troublesome (this has been less and less necessary over the months of use).

Once you get it really dependeable you might want to mark your headgear for buckle positions. I have not done this because I have a pretty good feel for what works.

I get into trouble with leaking if nose and barrel are not "squeaky" clean and if the headgear has loosened and then I make it too tight.

I have had no trouble sleeping on my side with the Swift but I will echo what others say - I have less trouble with leaks on the hose attachment side. I think on the other side I can dig into the pillow too much as I get comfortable. I do route the hose on a hook over the headboard and leave enough slack to toss and turn - something I am real good at.

Good Luck

David

David and others... thanks for all your tips. I did up to the medium size pillows last night and it seemed to work better. Also on the memory foam pillow - I couldn't feel the plastic buckle with the new pillow.

Still got some air leakage from the bottom part of the nasal pillows, but my nose doesn't feel stretched out this morning and i made it though the entire night with it on. Unfortunately my husband is a blanket puller and every time he did it, the hose jumped and it knocked the seal off the nasal pillows which woke me and I had to readjust the headgear. I'm sleeping with the hose down, rather than the snorkle look.

Maybe I'll try snorkling it tonight and feeding the hose throught the brass headboard. I did try that early in the evening when I was retrying the headgear and new size pillows but it seemed to tug on the hose rather than sliding nicely, also even with the memory foam pillow sleeping on that short hose on the side of my face isn't too comfy. anyway, I'll keep at it, even with waking up every hour when I moved or the blankets/hose did, I feel like I got more sleep than usual. And a bonus of no bathroom breaks!

In case it helps...

With the Swift I do not hang the hose. My machine sits on a shelf about even with the bottom of my mattress. Hose just comes up onto the bed. Important that teh swivels turn freely, but I just drape teh hose wherever it wants to go and I have no problems. My wife is a blanket puller as well.

Based on the recommendations I found here I "snorkled" the Swift's mask tube and duct-taped a hair scrunchie above my head on the headboard, I route the hose from the machine through that. Works great. The scrunchie provides enough stretch so that I can roll over onto either side without the hose tugging the mask loose, and the hose is all up above my head and never gets in the way.

My wife is a blanket puller also, but we solved that problem years ago. Separate blankets!