How long do your FX pillows last before replacement?

I have a Swift FX. I have heard various claims on how long the pillows last. My insurance pays for two each month. Is there a reason for that? Should I be replacing them that often? I clean them daily with Johnson's baby shampoo and some warm water.

How do you know if they are going bad? Do they leak more? Is there a general time frame where they should be replaced? I have two that I have been rotating and am have been using them about a month now.

I'm just curious as to how long you all are getting out of them.

Thanks in advance.

My understanding is that "they don't make 'em like they used to". People used to get many, many months, even years out of a set of nasal pillows, but that is rarely the case any more.

FX and LT pillows seem to wear out quickly with continuous use. The reports (on this board) are variable but generally run between 3 and 6 weeks. Some people find they last much longer.

As to how do you know:
1. They start to feel kind of soft and "mushy".
2. The inner pillow layers have a hard time staying upright to support the pillows in your nose.
3. Leak rates go up significantly.

The changes seem to come about pretty suddenly, so it's a good idea to have a "spare" on hand at all times.

If you check out the lab rat fixes, you can see that there is a fix involving using a rubber "O" ring to support the neck of each pillow so that the inner layer cannot invert, but that's a temporary fix since the rubber of the ring will cause deterioration of the silicone pillow over time.

I learned the hard way to treat them very gently in washing and drying to help prolong their lifespan. I shake the water out and let them air dry.

Thanks for the info. Gee - 3-6 weeks seems a bit short and is quite disappointing. I wonder why they wouldn't make them last longer than that - but then again, they are pretty delicate in nature.

I have noticed that mine are starting to leak more now since I have about a month on them. Maybe it's time for a replacement. I guess if my insurance will replace them every month I should just get in the habit of doing that. It just seems like a waste to me to throw them out so quickly. Next year I have a deductible for the first time. I guess I need to find out if those are part of the deductible or not. If they are - I will be paying for them out of pocket for a while.

I am going on 8 months with mine. The still are working fine. I have a spare should it suddenly die, but so far so good.

I've been getting two at a time from the DME and swap out every day so that one can be washed and air dried. I've gotten about 1 1/2 months out of the pair doing this. (and I get a nice clean one every night)