nasal air II

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 9:23 pm

I like the idea of this mask because of its simplicity and its not obstuctive just plain and simple,but I know there are good points and bad points with every mask. What are the bad with this particular mask?

momadams · Post by **momadams** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:11 am

I've been using mine 2 whole days so far.

Much easier to sleep in my side than with the Swift.
The only place I feel anything is on my upper lip.

The headgear is cheaply made - some of my velcro stitching came apart the first day. BUT you don't need it, especially if you use a chinstrap. As you adapt your own attachment variations, remember that your local Radio Shack has 2-sided velcro cord wraps which work very nicely.

My nares are a bit sore, but I trust the folk who say they'll toughen up. Meanwhile, neosporin and Lanisoh help. Golly, I wish I'd had Lanisoh 25 years ago- twins, ouch.

Shari

MartiniLover · Post by **MartiniLover** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:17 am

It is one of my favorite masks.

The negative side, is getting used to something up your nose. Chances are that the prongs are going to distort your nares somewhat, and it takes a while to get over it.

I believe that the number one reason for giving up on a mask, and even XPAP, is the discomfort. It takes some determination to make it work.

I just recently got my 3rd NA II, and have been on XPAP for almost 3 years.

sharon1965 · Post by **sharon1965** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 9:22 am

i checked out the video provided on another thread and it looks pretty comfy and as you said, light, simple, unobstructive, but i just can't get how you can sleep on your side--aren't those hoses running around the sides of your head?

martinilover, this might be a dumb question but when you say the pillows distort your nares, you do mean temporarily don't you? after my septoplasty my nose looked like the business end of a double barrel shotgun ...don't want to relive those days! i'm hoping you don't mean that they stretch the tissue over time

i'm certainly open to trying this one, just wondering about those points

thanks

sharon

Issac · Post by **Issac** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 9:24 am

My wife wears the nasal aire II. She has worn it off and on for about 4 years. I have bought her at least 7 new masks over the past 3 years, but she keeps going back to her nasal aire II, so she must love it -a lot!

momadams · Post by **momadams** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:00 am

People say that lying on the tubes causes no problem against a pillow.
I've covered mine with a soft fabric and run them through velcro quickwrap loops stuck to my chinstrap at the temples. The tubes curve just past the outer corners of my eyes.

I'd be glad to supply a drawing if someone will PM me about how to insert a picture.

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:45 am

Are any of you running the short hoses up over your head instead of down your chest?

Babette · Post by **Babette** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:49 am

momadams wrote:I've been using mine 2 whole days so far.

Much easier to sleep in my side than with the Swift.
The only place I feel anything is on my upper lip.

The headgear is cheaply made - some of my velcro stitching came apart the first day. BUT you don't need it, especially if you use a chinstrap. As you adapt your own attachment variations, remember that your local Radio Shack has 2-sided velcro cord wraps which work very nicely.

My nares are a bit sore, but I trust the folk who say they'll toughen up. Meanwhile, neosporin and Lanisoh help. Golly, I wish I'd had Lanisoh 25 years ago- twins, ouch.

Shari

Shari, try AyrGel instead of Neosporin before you insert the prongs. Don't use too much - when I do that, I get little leaks.

Available at Walgreens.

Cheers,
Barbara

Babette · Post by **Babette** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 11:56 am

Look at this model:

http://www.mergenetsolutions.com/innome ... adgear.pdf

Scroll to "Ponytail Method". That's basically how I wear mine.

EXCEPT, I took it off the headgear, and attached it to my chinstrap. It goes up over my head, and meets the machine tube, which runs behind my pillow and along the crack between the mattress and headboard, and up to the machine.

The "distortion of the nares" is TEMPORARY, and with me, negligble. It mainly spreads my nostrils just a bit. It "fills" the nostrils, more than anything else. There is no permanent distortion.

Ayrgel is a necessity. Do not use too much, or you will get leakage. You have to find the perfect amount for you to ensure easy insertion, but no leakage.

I don't feel the tubes. I lay on them, and they are very soft, and they don't bother me at all.

To compare - the Bravo I just got has some hard pieces right at the sides of the "cannula" which I CAN feel, though they are not particularly bothersome, and I slept all night with it last night. I don't feel the tubes of the NAII at all.

It can be sorta noisy, since the vent goes down, and will blow into the sheets and pillows. I don't mind that. The Bravo vent goes straight out, so it's quieter, but can irritate your partner.

The NAII is the most customizable mask I've ever worn. There are so many ways you can tweak it to suit you, with just some velcro. I bought a big roll of Velcro one-wrap (hook on one side, loop on the other) and have made several little straps for mine, and attached it to my chinstrap in the way it suits my head best.

If anyone has used NAII's they'd be willing to send to some folks who'd like to test-drive before buying, please PM me. I've got three gals on this forum who've told me they are interested in testing this out.

Cheers,
Barbara

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:11 pm

Wow, NasalAire has come a Long Way Baby, since the original one. I see they adopted my over-the-top of the head strap to help hold the tubing up over the ears. I had designed my own out of elastic and sent them a picture, lol.

Years ago, they didn't have all the pictures of different ways to wear it either. Guess I used the figure 8 design -- in fact I crossed the straps completely behind my head to keep the hoses in place (instead of using the Bolo).

Too bad they couldn't redesign the vents -- but where else can they go. But I hated not being able to snuggle down under the covers without getting vent noise.

momadams · Post by **momadams** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 12:25 pm

"Shari, try AyrGel instead of Neosporin before you insert the prongs. Don't use too much - when I do that, I get little leaks. "

Oops. Sorry for the confusion. The neosporin was for irritation which remained during the day.
Simply Saline gel is working great for "prong ease".

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 5:40 pm

How comfortable is the interface all together when compared to the swift that has nasal pillows?

momadams · Post by **momadams** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:46 pm

For me, it's a trade-off.

NAII - much easier to side sleep comfortably. No headgear to adjust. But I developed a couple of small pimples at the bottom of my nares (both) which hurt when I used the mask for my nap today.

Swift - Switched to Swift for the rest of nap. Delightfully pimple-pressure free.
But side sleeping is trickier (I actually have to think about it).

I'm glad to have both, to suit my mood and preferences.

Babette · Post by **Babette** » Sun Jun 24, 2007 6:56 pm

Huh! I've been remarkably pimple-free through this whole cpap experience. Which is ABNORMAL for me. I usually am broken out around my nose all the time. Without any mask causing it.

My body is so weird....
B.

neverbetter · Post by **neverbetter** » Mon Jun 25, 2007 10:00 am

Linda, you hit the nail on the head. And my pressure is 12/18. Could never pull the sheet up over my head without hearing myself breathe.
Can't deny it's one heck of a comfortable little mask.
Back when we first tried them ,you had to guess your size and NA1 was different than NA2. Now they've made it so much easier, it's hard to miss.

Humidifier

Additional Comments: Pressure 16 cm H2O at altitude 6550ft