Just switched from fullface (quattro mirage) to swift lt for her (i.e. nasal pillows). It's a relief to not have the terrible skin problems the fullface mask was causing, but I am having serious trouble just trying to breathe normally through the nasal pillows. I haven't been able to keep it on more than 2 hours per night. Any advice??

sleepyloo wrote:

Just switched from fullface (quattro mirage) to swift lt for her (i.e. nasal pillows). It's a relief to not have the terrible skin problems the fullface mask was causing, but I am having serious trouble just trying to breathe normally through the nasal pillows. I haven't been able to keep it on more than 2 hours per night. Any advice??

If you were using a full face mask......I suspect you are a mouth breather ??
Nasal pillows are unsuitable for mouth breathers, as the air will come out your mouth once it's open, negating the positive effects of XPAP. It will also cause you discomfort.

Daniel.


_________________
The untreated Sleep Apnoea sufferer died quietly in his sleep.......
Unlike his three passengers who died screaming !!!!!!

(Anon)

the problem isn't with opening my mouth, it's that it feels like it takes a huge amount of effort just to get enough air through my nose into my lungs and back out again when using the nasal pillows.

sleepyloo wrote:

the problem isn't with opening my mouth, it's that it feels like it takes a huge amount of effort just to get enough air through my nose into my lungs and back out again when using the nasal pillows.

With the full face mask you were breathing through your nose and mouth........now just through your nose. If you were breathing through your nose and mouth, you really can't just change overnight to breathing solely through your nose.

Do you have any blockages in your nose ? (Congestion, Deviated septum, nasal polyps etc).

In the bad old days when we didn't have full face masks, we had to learn to breathe through our noses..........it took me a considerable length of time to master it.

Daniel.


_________________
The untreated Sleep Apnoea sufferer died quietly in his sleep.......
Unlike his three passengers who died screaming !!!!!!

(Anon)

I tried all of the various types of masks last week when I got my machine. The pillows were quickly ruled out when I tried them. Are you using the ramp feature of your machine? It may help to build gradually to full pressure. You may also want to look into the nasal cushion type mask. I am trying to use the Optilife cradle cushion. I find it a bit easier to breathe with that that with the nasal pillows. Due to its design the air isn't being directly injected into your nose the way the pillows do. You may also be able to find a different nasal pillow type with different exhale port in the headgear.

Daniel wrote:

sleepyloo wrote:

the problem isn't with opening my mouth, it's that it feels like it takes a huge amount of effort just to get enough air through my nose into my lungs and back out again when using the nasal pillows.

With the full face mask you were breathing through your nose and mouth........now just through your nose. If you were breathing through your nose and mouth, you really can't just change overnight to breathing solely through your nose.

Do you have any blockages in your nose ? (Congestion, Deviated septum, nasal polyps etc).

In the bad old days when we didn't have full face masks, we had to learn to breathe through our noses..........it took me a considerable length of time to master it.

Daniel.

Again, not a problem about breathing through my mouth. I am just trying to figure out whether there is an issue with how the nasal pillows are positioned, or something different about the pressure with this mask compared to the old one, that would somehow make it harder to breathe through it.

Hello!  I experienced a similar issue during my sleep study.  I used the nose pillow for the CPAP/2nd test and my initial impression was that it was -very- difficult to exhale.  The tech on hand adjusted the pressure upwards and surprisingly that seemed to help.

It still felt a little labored, but by the end of the night when I woke up I really had no sensation of strain.

However; I just recently went to get my machine itself and when I went there I tried out the same nose pillow, assuming it would feel comfortable.  Same exhalation problem.  So I tried out a mask (a Zest Plus) and there was a world of difference.  This is not a full face mask.  Just covers the nose.  Significantly easier to breath all around.  So I went with that.  My medical supply place has a 30 day trial thing where I can go in and swap it out for something else if it's not working out.  So we'll see how it goes.

As a side note : one of the things I was concerned about with the mask was that it would make it more difficult to sleep on my side, but it was quite the contrary.  I had way fewer problems getting into my standard sleeping position than I did when I used the pillow during the test.  Part of this seemed to be the extra snugness of the mask.

Anyway, my $0.02.   Huge caveat : I am a HUGE BEGINNER to all of this.

thanks, cowbell--i can see how the pressure adjustment might work.

and lo and behold, i figured out my problem last night: the mask was too tight. i was so used to having to wear it v tight with the fullface mask that i assume it had to feel that way, but when i loosened it i was suddenly breathing normally. and it felt SO MUCH BETTER looser. will up the pressure tonight (it's been at 6 but supposed to be at 8).

Have you tried the Hybrid oral/pillow mask by the Respcare/Innomed companies?
The Hybrid has pillows like the swift but it's for mouth breathers. I've used one off and on (mostly on) for 3 years and I love it.
It's great in teaching you to use pillows and still breathe with your mouth when you absolutely have to.

My problem with the nasal pillows was solved by NOT having a ramp.

I love the pillows but I cannot have a ramp with them. If the pressure isn't high enough, I feel like I'm suffocating.

My provider set the ramp to 15 minutes when I got the nasal mask and that was okay, even if I didn't need it that long.

With the nasal pillows, if I don't turn off the ramp, I can't stand it.

Don't know if this helps anyone...


_________________
Diagnosed September 2009
cpap machine: resmed compact S8
pressure: 9
sleep study results: AHI 4.2 (nl=<5); REM AHI 9.4 (nl=<5); REM 15.7% (nl=25-35%)

respironics comfort fusion nasal - leaks drove me crazy
LT Swift nasal pillows - works great

I am new to CPAP as of last Friday. The mask I got was the nasal pillow type. Mine has swappable small, medium or large nasal pillows. I had trouble falling asleep and staying asleep and had some nostril / nose irritation the first couple nights so I had the medical supply company swap the mask for one that covers my nose with a gel insert. I had used that style for the sleep study and it seemed more comfortable. I'm still getting used to using either mask but I think I like the new one that covers my nose. I can breathe more normally.