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Wow what a disheartening thread.. I wish i had read it 3-4 weeks ago before I got my LT for her.
Which so far has been doing well but now i wonder if this might have been a mistake.

I Have the small pillows and so far so good. somedays the end of my nose is a bit sore and it took a couple weeks to get used to the difference in feel of the headgear. But its sounding like this is not going to be a good LONG term mask solution. And my DME didnt say I could get new pillows monthly so I'm gonna call and ask.

When I first posted this thread on 5/8/09, I was asking all Swift LT users who actually had pillows that were at least a year old, to compare those with new pillows. At this point I believe that there are probably few or none of the "good ones" left to compare for the poll--so I have put a termination date on the Poll section of this thread.

This has been a pretty sad saga. ResMed--a company that could have scored Huge in the way of integrity & quality when they first feigned to address this issue. But ResMed instead went the way of ignoring customer service response to those who are intelligent and conscientious about their cpap therapy, to scoring continuous replacements of shabby product through DME's who will greedily drink up profits along with them. Pillows that collapse after a month or two. Just charge it to the insurance company or Medicaid/Medicare...No problem, right?

It turns out the pillows I was getting WERE the good ones! I received my replacement pillows a few weeks ago and boy am I disappointed. I let my DME know straight away, and even he admitted he notices a big difference (he does not have apnea). I don't know what type of connection my DME rep has with ResMed, but he takes my complaints very seriously and always says he puts them on his reports to ResMed. What ResMed does with those is beyond me (probably the round file).

The new pillows are much flimsier and collapse after short use. Now, I can see the difference in the color between the milky and clear. Luckily, I'm still able to get good numbers most nights, but there is a definite difference, and I do have to crank the pillows tighter to get a good seal! I'm sorry I through away my old ones. DAMN!

Let's hope someone at ResMed cares. Probably not. I'm thinking about getting an Opus 360 or some other nasal pillow/prong mask next time. I'm so, so disappointed because I absolutely love my Swift LT!

tattooyu wrote:...The new pillows are much flimsier and collapse after short use. Now, I can see the difference in the color between the milky and clear. Luckily, I'm still able to get good numbers most nights, but there is a definite difference, and I do have to crank the pillows tighter to get a good seal! I'm sorry I through away my old ones. DAMN!

Let's hope someone at ResMed cares. Probably not. I'm thinking about getting an Opus 360 or some other nasal pillow/prong mask next time. I'm so, so disappointed because I absolutely love my Swift LT!

Yes---So unfortunately you are another of us who "gets it" now, tattooyu. Thanks for posting about it. I would never have belabored this incessant thread if I did not feel equally passionately about this incredible mask and its horrible degradation upon being apparently farmed out to asian countries for cheap and sleazy production. ResMed and the DME's all make lots more money by replacing pillows every month, don't they?!

tattooyu wrote:or some other nasal pillow/prong mask next time.

I'd recommend trying my favorite -- the Headrest nasal pillows mask by Aeiomed. I've been using the same nasal pillows with it for over a year now.

And if it doesn't suit you, I'd buy it from you for a slight discount.

(Like a vulture here! )

rested gal wrote:

tattooyu wrote:or some other nasal pillow/prong mask next time.

I'd recommend trying my favorite -- the Headrest nasal pillows mask by Aeiomed. I've been using the same nasal pillows with it for over a year now.

And if it doesn't suit you, I'd buy it from you for a slight discount.

(Like a vulture here! )

Haha--No, I think I'd call you an opportunist of sorts here, RG!! You go, girl!

Has anyone thought about trading their unused pillows?

For example I use the medium size, I will never open the small or large.

There has to be people out there with the older pillows that have never been opened.
Simply trade the older ones assuming they were never used.

Stupid idea?

Best,
Phil

peppi wrote:Has anyone thought about trading their unused pillows?

For example I use the medium size, I will never open the small or large.

There has to be people out there with the older pillows that have never been opened.
Simply trade the older ones assuming they were never used.

Stupid idea?

Best,
Phil

Stupid idea? Of course not! Boston started an ongoing tread about a year ago called The Great Pillow Exchange, (viewtopic.php?f=1&t=36070&p=419548&hili ... ge#p419548)--- more or less as a result of my having been trying to get a response to my request to exchange pillows for a different mask, and being irritated that trading seemed such a great solution to waste and overuse of insurance for new pillows that others threw away, but having gotten few or no responses to my thread. I think that "old" pool of good pillows has long since disappeared...but could be wrong. The magic tiny number was "6" on my best old pillow (attained in early 9/08). Give it a whirl. But be clear that you are not wanting a pillow attained by anyone less than a year ago, I would think.

Thanks so much!
I'm not really worried about the new versus the old.
I never experienced the old so I wouldn't know the difference.
And I'm glad I don't since I wont miss anything!

Got my mask today and I'll get my machine tomorrow.
I'm quite happy, I got two masks, a Resmed S8 Autoset II machine with 4i humidifier all for under $400.00!

Ive been reading up on the clinicians manual and all around this forum to make certain I can adjust everything properly.
Wish me luck!

peppi wrote:Thanks so much!
I'm not really worried about the new versus the old.
I never experienced the old so I wouldn't know the difference.
And I'm glad I don't since I wont miss anything!
Wish me luck!

Ah--Well good for you! This thread is specifically about the quality issue of the Swift LT. So then definitely go to The Great Pillow Exchange, and all the best to you! I've had some excellent experiences there, and only one negative one. It all balanced out, I think.

plr66 wrote:The magic tiny number was "6" on my best old pillow (attained in early 9/08). Give it a whirl. But be clear that you are not wanting a pillow attained by anyone less than a year ago, I would think.

plr, I have looked through all the pages of this thread and couldn't find where to look for the "magic" number. Is it actually on the pillow itself or on the packaging? Do you need a microscope to see it?

The Swift II pillows aren't as fragile as the LT. I switched back to the Swift II,and have had the current pillow in there for months, and it is just fine. Got some replacements recently, and they're the same texture and thickness of the material, so they should stand up better.

tattooyu wrote:

plr66 wrote:The magic tiny number was "6" on my best old pillow (attained in early 9/08). Give it a whirl. But be clear that you are not wanting a pillow attained by anyone less than a year ago, I would think.

plr, I have looked through all the pages of this thread and couldn't find where to look for the "magic" number. Is it actually on the pillow itself or on the packaging? Do you need a microscope to see it?

Tattooyu, the "magic" number is at the base of the bulb where it fits into the mask frame on the side closest to your face. That is, hold the pillow as if you were going to put the inserts into your nose. Now turn the pillow forward, and you'll see a tiny number at the bottom just above the ridge that goes into the mask frame. I have 2, 4, 5, 6 and 8 pillows. The 6 is the firm, "good" pillow. All the others are definitely substandard, but the 5 and 8 are much better than the 2 and 4. I make a point of checking the pillow number in the morning after I remove it from the mask, so I can compare to my ResScan numbers and get an idea of how each pillow behaves. A bit OCD, yes, but if ResMed resumed producing quality pillows, I wouldn't be checking them at all!

As far as being able to "see" the numbers on the pillows, well.... I've been wearing progressive lenses for the past six years or so. To see the number, I have to remove my glasses, turn on an overhead light and look very carefully. Kind of reminds me when I was a kid, and my mom would have me thread needles for her....

Hope this helps!

Kenny - I need a magnifying glass to see that small number on the back (face side ) of the Swift LT cushion.

The manufacturers can't win for losing if they respond or take part in any thread on these forums.

A local manufacturer rep (and the local reps are WAY down the corporate ladder) makes a careless comment and that is jumped on and the manufacturer further condemned.

Resmed has moved their corporate headquarters to the USA. The USA is deeply in debt to China. And so our companies and manufacturers are encouraged by our government and their own bottom line and keep doing business w/China despite shoddy, unsafe products.

Our companies are encouraged by our government and their own bottom line to build production facilities in China or to invest in facilities already established there - and then run into the headache of desperate, unethical, and outright crooked local managers, supervisors and local owners.

It would be interesting to know WHERE that mold line # 6 is located!!!

And as one further aside: I have an old (October 2006) original Swift. I HATED it due to the asinine side hose attachment. I also have a Swift LT for Her from May 2009. A MUCH better mask w/a MUCH smarter hose attachment. I'm not particularly a fan of nasal pillows masks to begin with. I liked the Swift LT for Her but didn't use it long as I preferred my trusty ole Simplicity simple nasal cushion. HOWEVER, in looking at the pillows from the original and the LT, the nasal pillows on the LT are "milkier", more opaque, than the pillows on the original which are "clearer w/less "color". I can not see a number on the LT and I don't own a magnifying glass.