New Swift LT mask expierence so far

feeling_better wrote:I cannot tell if the small diameter hose is simply slipped on to the elbow or it is glued on. Mine in too new ( only a couple of days) to try this, dont want to break it yet If it can be slipped off easily, I am hoping to use a little longer hose to get beyond the clip at the top. If somebody has already removed it, I can try it with more confidence

I really don't like that connector and my big hose so close there. I use a memory foam sleeping pillow (to reduce neck problems) which is a bit wider behind by head and higher at the back; the big hose end gets in the way there

The clip on top is also Origianally designed to accomodate the air tubing from the machine, that is how I have mine routed, you can get as much slack as you need doing this...

And I add the following between the LT tube and my hose:

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/Resmed ... berty.html

I gave up on my Swift LT a few weeks after getting it. Then I got the trial Padacheek design and had to use it to comply with Padacheek's wishes for the trial. I decided I can't route any hose over my head because I can't get it adjusted enough for comfort. I route the hose down.

I also pull my hair up to put it between the two straps so that my hair falls over the back head strap. This allows stability of the head gear without having to actually put my hair in a pony tail and get a headache. If I get up in the night, I just disconnect the mask's hose from the main hose so I don't have to do too much to get myself situated when I get back in bed. I still get up once a night to pee. I guess that's part of being 40 something.

I usually wear a small size nasal pillows, but I had to move up to a medium with the Swift LT to eliminate whistling and leaks. I still get occasional leaks (more than with my Optilife), but the comfort of the Swift LT is sooo worth it. I can usually adjust the nasal pillow quite easily to get rid of the leak.

I'm lazy and I only wash my whole mask every week or two. But I do pull off the nasal pillows and wash them every night. Then I take a Q-Tip to dry the inner parts of the pillows and in between the two sets.

I went back to my Optilife for a night just to see how it compared, and it was a lot less comfortable than the Swift LT. I think the Swift LT may be my dream mask.

I saw this mod and decided to give it a test. I took my Large Pillow with me to the local Lowes and in their plumbing seciton they had an assortment of o-rings.
after a few seconds of looking I found that my large pillows required the #11 size.
I haved put one on each pillow and sure enough it works like a charm!
Now I have two working pillow options for my mask!
Every once in a while I get an irritation from my Breeze Mod pillows (viewtopic.php?p=433248#p433248), and need a change this is PERFECT.

In my opinion the #10 should work for the Medium and the #9 should work for the small, but you should try them to be sure.

Thanks so much for this helpful post. This may be my next mask.

DaveL

Goolac (and other's),

Can you explain how the O ring helps??? What is it doing mechanically?

I use the small pillows (LT for Her), but the left one tends to leak a bit (the right nostril seems OK with any size--weird!). Because of the leaks on the left, I have the headgear probably a bit tighter than it should be, and I noticed in the past few days the tip of my nose is getting increasingly more sore.

I tried the medium and they fit perfectly for my right nostril, but could not get a seal on the left at all. Lanisoh or Ayr gel made the leaking worse too--seemed to allow the pillow to slip away from my left nostril even more.

I was thinking that left pillow needed to be "propped" a bit, and actually tried with some silicone putty (Mack's ear plugs), but THAT didn't work because the putty was almost in my nose. This fix looks like it just may work.

So I'm eager to try this fix. I have many sizes of O-rings (purchased as rubber ring markers for knitting in pretty colors!) so I don't even have to hit the hardware store ;o)

goolac wrote:I saw this mod and decided to give it a test. I took my Large Pillow with me to the local Lowes and in their plumbing seciton they had an assortment of o-rings.
after a few seconds of looking I found that my large pillows required the #11 size.
I haved put one on each pillow and sure enough it works like a charm!
Now I have two working pillow options for my mask!
Every once in a while I get an irritation from my Breeze Mod pillows (viewtopic.php?p=433248#p433248), and need a change this is PERFECT.

In my opinion the #10 should work for the Medium and the #9 should work for the small, but you should try them to be sure.

Goolac, I like the looks of the idea. Would try out soon, easy to try BTW, it would be helpful if you can reduce the pic size to fit smaller browsers... Thanks.

Janknitz wrote:Goolac (and other's),

Can you explain how the O ring helps??? What is it doing mechanically?

I use the small pillows (LT for Her), but the left one tends to leak a bit (the right nostril seems OK with any size--weird!). Because of the leaks on the left, I have the headgear probably a bit tighter than it should be, and I noticed in the past few days the tip of my nose is getting increasingly more sore.

I tried the medium and they fit perfectly for my right nostril, but could not get a seal on the left at all. Lanisoh or Ayr gel made the leaking worse too--seemed to allow the pillow to slip away from my left nostril even more.

I was thinking that left pillow needed to be "propped" a bit, and actually tried with some silicone putty (Mack's ear plugs), but THAT didn't work because the putty was almost in my nose. This fix looks like it just may work.

So I'm eager to try this fix. I have many sizes of O-rings (purchased as rubber ring markers for knitting in pretty colors!) so I don't even have to hit the hardware store ;o)

The O-Ring is providing resistance to collapsing of the collar of the pillow by having the ring around the collar it allows more pressure to be applied without smashing the pillow down against the support. For around $2.00 this has got to be one of the most profound adjustments I have made to my original Swift LT.
I have also used 2 rings per pillow and that seems to make it too stiff for my comfort, but if you need that extra pressure than you might try two of them per side. Best practice is to try different things to suit your own fit. Heck someone on here posted they have a crooked nose and used just one on one side and that made all the difference for them!

I love this mask. I have been using it since it came out. Before this mask I used the swift and swift II. I did try the newest swift mask (can't remember the two letter designation) but didn't like it--too floppy. So, I'll gladly keep using the swift LT. I've gotten really good life out of the headgear and pillows--everything easily lasting twice the recommended length of time which has saved me lots of money and hassle. I don't really give mask choice much thought any more, which speaks volumes for how well this mask works for me! Just wash the pillows each morning, set them to dry and off I go!

Hey, just wanted to say thanks. I had a fairly thick rubber O-ring just the right size for my small pillows and put it on the left one, which is the one that gives me all the trouble. The pillow popped right into place in my nose for once and was easily repositioned if needed. It didn't slip when I moved around. I had a great, almost leak-free night! I loosened the straps just a bit and my nose is not sore this morning.

I still think there is this tiny little leak caused by the left pillow onto the spetum of my nares, but it's so small I can't feel it beyond that cold feeling right in that little spot. Nothing (no surprise there) shows up as a large leak on my patient menu screen of the machine, and nothing is going in my eyes or otherwise bothering me, so I can live with it.

My 90% pressures were down to 11.6 and AHI's were 0.6. And I woke up with that lovely calm feeling I'm becoming addicted to with CPAP.

Yay, and thanks to all who have come before me in this awesome thread.