Help for wifey

[caffeinatedcfo]

So my wife has recently started CPAP.

She's using the same machine and mask as me, but 7cm pressure with EPR 3. She has the Swift FX for her w/medium pillows. She switched to this due to nasal irritation from the Opus 360. Her nostrils are very sore just inside and Lansinoh oil is not helping.

Does anyone have any suggestions other than switching masks? I tried looking for a sizing guide to check if medium is right but, can not find one.

[SleepyToo2]

If you have a scuba dive shop nearby, check and see if they stock a silicone mask sealer. I bought mine from an online store (Diverightinscuba dot com), but you might want it sooner than they can deliver. It works wonders for me when I have a cold or a sore nose. Helps with the sealing, too, for an added bonus. You only use a tiny amount, so get the smallest quantity you can.

[Kitatonic]

Welcome another PAP couple like my husband & me!
The first year, I struggled with nasal irritation so I had to rotate off the pillows to a nasal mask every 4 days, gradually building up to a week, then weeks over the first six months. Now that we have the Nano, maybe you could buy the Nano to fit on the FX gear to easily rotate. If she is within the first 30 days, she should be able to obtain second mask. In addition to the dab of lanolin (initially I used during the day too), I found that the Pad-a-Check pillow cozy prevented the pillow from riding up into the nostril and stabilized the fit. Try different pillow sizes, for me it's the XS.

[kaiasgram]

To help soothe some of the irritation during the day, 99% or 100% pure aloe vera gel can be helpful. It's not sticky, greasy, or even visible.

[sleeplessinaz]

I have a tube of Ayr gel - works great!
Carrie

[jdr999]

Honestly? I've also tried the ideas suggested here but for one reason or another pillows make my nostrils burn. I don't have that problem with nasal masks. I can wear my Activa LT loosely, toss and turn and the only leaks I see are at REM transitions.

I'd prefer a smaller, less invasive mask -- especially when I need to scratch my nose and don't want a massive leak to throw off my SleepyHead graph! Maybe I can slowly transition into it like the previous poster did.. But for now everything's working so why rock the boat?

Perhaps a nasal mask would work better right now?

[robysue]

What's wifey's humidity setting? She may need more humidity. If she's using a heated hose, she may need to control the heat and the humidity separately.

[caffeinatedcfo]

What's wifey's humidity setting? She may need more humidity. If she's using a heated hose, she may need to control the heat and the humidity separately.

She upped it to 3.5 four days ago (from 2.5).

Does anyone know how to determine the proper pillow size other than just testing each size? Resmed seems to have sizing guides for other mask types but not nasal pillows.

[kaiasgram]

Hi caff, you've probably spotted these resources already, but just in case..

ResMed's video on fitting the SFX: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gut4Kbbc-iM

Janknitz's guide to fitting it: http://maskarrayed.wordpress.com/swift- ... ing-guide/

You said you weren't looking for different masks but FWIW, all silicone is not created equal. I started out with the SFX and had a lot of irritation. Switched to the Aloha and no irritation at all.

[Issac1]

So I thought the reason I never had any irritation with the Aloha was because it doesn't have to press hard against my nose to seal. I have to use the Ayr the first week or so for the other pillows, but they press against my nose a lot more. Never considered it was the quality silicone.

[Starlette]

Good morning caffeinatedcfo,

I know exactly what you mean by an irritated nose. My Mirage SoftGel has pretty much irritated the side of my nose for a very long time. It will usually leave a little patch of red where the skin is irritated. I don't remember where I learned this from, but you can find this at Walmart in the foot isle. It is called Moleskin Plus Padding. What I have done is just cut small strips the length and width of the irritated nose. placed that on the mask where the irritation is. This will act as a buffer between the mask and your wife. It is very very smooth and can hardly be noticed, I never have. Which for me over the years has done an awesome job. Cutting it into small strips, one package has lasted me for several years.

Starlette

[caffeinatedcfo]

UPDATE: The DME swapped the Swift FX for the Wisp and my wife took to it like a duck to water ... no leaks, lots of zzz's, and no irritation. I think she has found her mask! Whew!

Now I can focus on why I'm waking 2-3 times a night lately.