Swift Questions

roztom · Post by **roztom** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 10:45 am

Well, I guess there's only one way to find out.

I'll just try it and see what happens and if there's still rainout then I'll cover the connector tube.

I understand the Aura has the most rainout of the pillow group so maybe I'll get lucky with the Swift.

All these different masks I can see how one can acquire quite a collection.

Thanks,

Tom

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:00 am

roztom wrote:Which Power Supply did you get?

The Radio Shack 12 VDC, 1000 ma adapter, 273-1776.

Regards,
Bill

roztom · Post by **roztom** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:14 am

Thanks Bill:

Did you need an adaptor plug also?

I'm going to buy my PS and adaptor plug today from Radio Shack.

Tom

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:51 am

roztom wrote:Did you need an adaptor plug also?

Yes, but I haven't a clue as to what the number of the adapter is. And there are about 20 different adapters to choose from. What I did was took my heated hose with me to Radio Shack and they matched it up. Without the hose, or the adapter number, it's a real krapshoot. I'd recommend waiting until you have the heated hose and then going to Radio Shack.

Regards,
Bill

roztom · Post by **roztom** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 11:53 am

I've got the number. They emailed it to me.

How do you clean it?

Tom

snork1 · Post by **snork1** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 2:25 pm

I don't wrap the short lead-in tube on my Swift (or Activa), but I run my humidifier low, sleep in a cold damp room (Hey, its the Northwest), and double insulate my Aussie heated hose. My rainout is minimal if any.

I plug my hose right into my 420E, and wish I could find a smaller power supply than that monster sized brick when I use it with my Remstar Auto.
Piggybacking on the 420E seems to work once I bent the internal pin in the connector to make better contact.

I was counting on the 420E for travel but now its developed a whistle that only shows up after a couple of hours, so who knows which I will use.

And yes this means I have TWO aussie hoses, one with sensor line, and one without.

Cleaning the Aussie hose.....Why? Only filtered air goes into it. It doesn't get the exhaust backwash, it stays dry, and I plug it in the morning with some breathable material to keep bugs from crawling into it or dust from drifting in.

roztom · Post by **roztom** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 2:32 pm

SO you keep it plugged in day & NIght?

Tom

snork1 · Post by **snork1** » Wed Mar 22, 2006 2:50 pm

roztom wrote:SO you keep it plugged in day & NIght?

Tom

Everything plugs into a power bar which gets shut down every morning. But I also unplug the hose completely, and remove the humidifier tank(and slosh and empty it) to let everything dry out and "air out". But I stick some air filter media into the hose ends so its NOT air tight, but it is bug tight while hanging during the day. To get into details, I hang it over a heater register and actually let it hang for a few minutes in the morning before I put in the breathable plugs into the hose, so its VERY dry when I "plug" it.

Bella · Post by **Bella** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 6:25 am

Snork 1: Dumb question about the power bar. I got one with a surge protector switch on it, but my machine went nuts and started beeping when I shut it down through the power bar. Did I get too "fancy" of one? I really would like to shut things off that way, because I don't like the always-on aspect. I don't know how much electricity it draws, but whatever, I'm cheap!

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 7:19 am

Bella,
Look at the instructions - (chapter 5). I think the Synchrony considers loss of power while providing therapy, alaming, and that's why it's protesting. It's not your power bar that's fancy, it's your machine, which can function as a passive ventilator for people who can't breathe on their own at all.

Red Alarm Indicator:
• When flashing indicates a high priority alarm.
• When on continuously indicates a loss of power or a
silenced high priority alarm.

(My emphsis) source: Synchorny patient instruction manual

You'll have to use the off button on your machine, and then the power bar.
O.

_________________

CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): Power

Bella · Post by **Bella** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:32 pm

Thanks Ozij for checking that out for me. Even without reading the manual, what you've written sounds perfectly reasonable. (But I will go read it now). It was my first night home with the Synchrony that I tried it, and I was too tired at that stage to research the problem. I thought that all of the machine alarms were shut off, but I guess that one remains! While I was waiting for the Synchrony I had a rental Harmony S/T from the DME and they had locked all of the features, but regrettably for me had not shut down the alarms. So when I had apnea events, the alarms woke me thoroughly, disturbing any sleep that I was hoping for.

I think I'll try and go the route that you have suggested. Yesterday for the first time since I've been on BiPap (November), I left the humidifier on all day. Thank goodness that it doesn't evaporate much while it's not being actively used. It was running for 16 hours.

Brent Hutto · Post by **Brent Hutto** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:43 pm

I'm almost positive that I'll end up preferring a mask to any sort of nasal pillows/plugs. However, since that's the sort of thing you can't know without trying it out I'm going to test-sleep a Swift tonight.

I have a pressure sore on the bridge of my nose that has healed enough not to need a bandaid last night but it's still real sensitive. I'm also having a leakage problem with my Ultra Mirage II at higher pressures that I've asked my DME to help sort out (I think I may need a "Standard" instead of "Large"). In the mean while I think it would be good to always have a non-mask interface for when my nose bridge hurts as well as a mask interface for when my nostrils are sore so I grabbed a Swift from CPAP.COM which arrived today.

So let's see if I have the drill:

1) try the "Large" pillow first and then work my way down,

2) go to the drugstore and get "Ayr Gel" to slather around the nares before using the Swift,

3) try it every other night for a while until my nose gets accomodated to it and

4) expect the exhaust port to be noisier than my Ultra Mirage II but check the end-cap thread for leakage and if so use teflon plumbers tape to seal it.

Did I miss anything major? I can see already that if the darned thing can seal up and assuming I can tolerate the pillow, sleeping on my side will be a breeze (pun intended) compared to a mask. I think the sound is going to be my make-or-break issue. I don't want to end up wearing earplugs.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 12:46 pm

Your welcome, Bella.

Bella wrote:While I was waiting for the Synchrony I had a rental Harmony S/T from the DME and they had locked all of the features, but regrettably for me had not shut down the alarms. So when I had apnea events, the alarms woke me thoroughly, disturbing any sleep that I was hoping for.

Unbelievable!

Actually, I wish it was unbelievable....
O.

roztom · Post by **roztom** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 1:15 pm

GO slow with the SWift.

Try wearing it while you're watching TV or reading.

Initially feel free to wear it for a few hours only, then switch off to your other mask.

Everyone is different, if your nose feels tender during the night, change masks, don't force it.

Using the Swift is kind of like learning to ride a bike - you might fall off a few times

Best,

Tom

Bella · Post by **Bella** » Thu Mar 23, 2006 1:21 pm

Ozij: The DME's response was "oh, I thought I shut them all off!" I'm lucky, my involvement with them is pretty minimal. I'm in Ontario, Canada, and because I need an S/T, a provincial program lends it to me without charge. The DME got rental money for the Harmony, and two mask purchases. No big $$ for the bipap s/t.

Brent: My first mask was a ComfortFull ff. It leaked like heck, so I switched to the Swift. Now I happen to be a back sleeper, so there is that difference, but I adjusted to it with no problem. I don't use any gel. Plus I don't find it noisy now. I think it may depend on your machine too. I had a Harmony S/T with pressures 14/4. The Swift was noisy with it. When I switched to the Synchrony S/T, the Swift became a lot quieter. Perhaps the newer technology.

Good luck - hope you enjoy it!

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