Aloha Nasal Pillow Mask @ 6months

Its offical my Aloha Nasal Pillow Mask will be 6 months old this weekend I just got the order reminder from cpap.com.
Its been in constant use, it still has the orginal pillows and has even been through the washing machine twice aswell as having several hand washes.
I've cleaned the pillows every few days with the wipes and used control III disinfectant once or twice a month.
I'm still getting a good seal with only an occasional leak.
Well done Respcare or however it its that actually makes the mask. No more of my dollars are going to Resmed for bad Swift pillows

It would be interesting to see how others are doing with their Aloha, I know a few of us purchased one when it first came out.

~UB

Hey, Uncle Bob! I, too use the Aloha, but lately I've been having trouble with leaks. I have new mask/pillows and didn't seem to have as many problems with my old Aloha. The leaks seem to come after a few hours of sleep. I might have to go back to the old mask! It's frustrating to be awakened by leaks at 4:30 am! Yet, I still like the Aloha, and to me it's more comfortable than the Swift LT.

I think I'm at 4 months now. Original pillows seem to be getting a little stiff, but I'm still really pleased.

For whatever reason of my anatomy, I couldn't get comfortable with the Swift FX Nasal Pillow. I also couldn't get what felt like adequate airflow for my nose structure.

I used several over the nose nasal masks, which worked well for me, but I had some discomfort from humidity on my face.

The Aloha seems to work and let's me use a pillow mask for the first time. Yay!

I also roll around a fair amount and although I wake up sometimes and adjust the pillows, I seem to have a reasonable fit from the mask most of the night.

The big thing for me was using the headgear "loop" on top and routing my hose up and over my head. That seems to help keep things in place for me. The floppy hose didn't work with my semi-active sleep style.

I imagine the other nasal pillow masks that allow the hose to be secured to the headgear might provide a similar benefit for me.

My Aloha is going on 4 months of use and I still love it. I bought an extra pillow and when the one I'm using starts getting leaky, which seems to be at about 2 weeks, I swap it out with the one that has been resting. Wash, rinse, rest, easy peasy, and it's good as new! I recently switched to the Climateline hose and the extra weight was giving me fits so went back to the regular hose. Guess I'm going to need to invest in a hose management system before Winter sets in, or learn how to breathe water!

Suz

I've had my Aloha for going on 3 months and using the same size large pillows for 2 months. My question: When the pillows wear out, does it happen gradually? After using the pillows for two months with virtually no leaking unless I knock them out of place, last night I was struggling all night with the pillows leaking. Not horrific leaks but enough to keep me waking up and fussing all night. Seems like they went from near-perfect to problematic in one day. Since I'm new to cpap I haven't yet encountered pillows wearing out -- is this sometimes how it happens or can it deteriorate almost overnight? Or did Pugsy's alien friends decide to visit the west coast last night? My AHI jumped last night too. Is two months a pretty reasonable life span for the pillows?

I was just changed to a nasal pillow yesterday, and I had the most miserable night since I started using a cpap machine! I am a side sleeper and was doing okay with the nasal mask I was given to begin with, but it seemed to be a little too large for my face, either coming down almost into my mouth or going up into my eyes, so I went in to be fitted for a smaller mask. The technician recommended trying the nasal pillows and said they would be better for a side sleeper. My experience last night was so bad that I'm ready to give up on it already! I am hoping to get some advice and encouragement from some of you who are using nasal pillows. I do like having less head gear, but the hose seems too heavy and pulls, creating leaks. With my nasal mask, I just put the hose up over my head and never thought about it. Last night, every time I moved, I had to bring the hose along, put it under the covers or loop it around so the nasal pillows wouldn't leak. I was never able to get my neck in a comfortable position (I have arthritis in my neck so this is very important) without causing a leak, and frankly, I don't like the rubbery strap grabbing my hair. Any suggestions?

Machine: S9 AutoSet™ CPAP Machine with H5i™ Heated Humidifier
Mask: ResMed Swift ™ FX Nasal Pillow Mask
Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control

kohlweiler wrote:I was just changed to a nasal pillow yesterday, and I had the most miserable night since I started using a cpap machine! I am a side sleeper and was doing okay with the nasal mask I was given to begin with, but it seemed to be a little too large for my face, either coming down almost into my mouth or going up into my eyes, so I went in to be fitted for a smaller mask. The technician recommended trying the nasal pillows and said they would be better for a side sleeper. My experience last night was so bad that I'm ready to give up on it already! I am hoping to get some advice and encouragement from some of you who are using nasal pillows. I do like having less head gear, but the hose seems too heavy and pulls, creating leaks. With my nasal mask, I just put the hose up over my head and never thought about it. Last night, every time I moved, I had to bring the hose along, put it under the covers or loop it around so the nasal pillows wouldn't leak. I was never able to get my neck in a comfortable position (I have arthritis in my neck so this is very important) without causing a leak, and frankly, I don't like the rubbery strap grabbing my hair. Any suggestions?

Do you have a regular hose? I found that the weight of the Climateline hose created a very disrupted night but when I changed back to the regular hose, piece of cake. I route the hose over the top of my head and can imagine having to tend the hose all night if it were free to droop off the side of the bed. I know I will need the Climateline hose this winter so I see a hose management system in my future. As for the straps pulling on your hair, I've seen posts about nice, lightweight caps that would help. If I can get a minute this morning, I'll spend some time looking up a link for them. I think they were on ebay. Also, you could look up pap-cap at cpap.com which might also be a good alternative.

One of the things that I liked about the Aloha from the beginning was that it let me sleep on my side, so I am wondering if you need a larger nasal pillow. What size are you currently using?

Suz

kaiasgram wrote:I've had my Aloha for going on 3 months and using the same size large pillows for 2 months. My question: When the pillows wear out, does it happen gradually? After using the pillows for two months with virtually no leaking unless I knock them out of place, last night I was struggling all night with the pillows leaking. Not horrific leaks but enough to keep me waking up and fussing all night. Seems like they went from near-perfect to problematic in one day. Since I'm new to cpap I haven't yet encountered pillows wearing out -- is this sometimes how it happens or can it deteriorate almost overnight? Or did Pugsy's alien friends decide to visit the west coast last night? My AHI jumped last night too. Is two months a pretty reasonable life span for the pillows?

Yeah, I get that over-night good to awful too. I don't think they can wear out in a couple of months exactly but as I said earlier they seem to benefit from resting for a couple of weeks. I haven't tried boiling them yet but this might also be worth considering if you don't have a spare pillow.

Suz

kaiasgram wrote:Seems like they went from near-perfect to problematic in one day. Since I'm new to cpap I haven't yet encountered pillows wearing out -- is this sometimes how it happens or can it deteriorate almost overnight? Or did Pugsy's alien friends decide to visit the west coast last night? My AHI jumped last night too. Is two months a pretty reasonable life span for the pillows?

It could be that the aliens paid you a visit. I have had this happen with brand new nasal pillows that I know are in good shape. I have also had it happen when the pillows have some age on them.
Have you been using the same nasal pillow for the entire 2 months or rotating between a couple?
When I have it happen I change to a fresh nasal pillow and set the used one aside after a good cleaning. I let it take a 2 week rest...then I revisit it. If it continues to be leaky then it gets tossed. I don't know why or how the rest time helps but for me it does. Most often I can rotate 2 or 3 pillows for 6 months or more and don't have any real problem with leaks. Now this is with the Swift FX nasal pillows. I only used the Aloha for about 5 weeks this past spring so didn't use it along enough to really have a problem. I used the same nasal pillow the entire 5 weeks.

There are people like me who can get months of use out of a nasal pillow and some people barely get 2 weeks.
I suspect body oils and washing schedule will impact things. I only wash the nasal pillows once a week or so.
I don't need the Lansinoh ointment anymore so there really isn't anything much other than my own skin oils to impact things. My skin at my age...fairly dry now.

Suzjohnson wrote:

kohlweiler wrote:I was just changed to a nasal pillow yesterday, and I had the most miserable night since I started using a cpap machine! I am a side sleeper and was doing okay with the nasal mask I was given to begin with, but it seemed to be a little too large for my face, either coming down almost into my mouth or going up into my eyes, so I went in to be fitted for a smaller mask. The technician recommended trying the nasal pillows and said they would be better for a side sleeper. My experience last night was so bad that I'm ready to give up on it already! I am hoping to get some advice and encouragement from some of you who are using nasal pillows. I do like having less head gear, but the hose seems too heavy and pulls, creating leaks. With my nasal mask, I just put the hose up over my head and never thought about it. Last night, every time I moved, I had to bring the hose along, put it under the covers or loop it around so the nasal pillows wouldn't leak. I was never able to get my neck in a comfortable position (I have arthritis in my neck so this is very important) without causing a leak, and frankly, I don't like the rubbery strap grabbing my hair. Any suggestions?

Do you have a regular hose? I found that the weight of the Climateline hose created a very disrupted night but when I changed back to the regular hose, piece of cake. I route the hose over the top of my head and can imagine having to tend the hose all night if it were free to droop off the side of the bed. I know I will need the Climateline hose this winter so I see a hose management system in my future. As for the straps pulling on your hair, I've seen posts about nice, lightweight caps that would help. If I can get a minute this morning, I'll spend some time looking up a link for them. I think they were on ebay. Also, you could look up pap-cap at cpap.com which might also be a good alternative.

One of the things that I liked about the Aloha from the beginning was that it let me sleep on my side, so I am wondering if you need a larger nasal pillow. What size are you currently using?

Suz

Thanks, Suz. I will try the regular hose. I didn't because I thought it would dry me out too much without the humidifier running. I was fitted with an extra small nasal pillow, but this morning I tried both while looking in the bathroom mirror, and I decided the small may fit a little better without as much leaking. I'll give it a try tonight, and I'll look into the cap. Does your insurance pay for replacement nasal pillows? What if you just decide to try a different brand? There's an awful lot of detail to overcome in learning to use this machine! I really appreciate your help.

Kim

kohlweiler wrote: I will try the regular hose. I didn't because I thought it would dry me out too much without the humidifier running.

Using the regular hose doesn't mean that you won't have the humidifier running. It only means that you can't control the temperature of the air coming through the hose. The added moisture actually is a function of the water in the tank and the humidifier tank plate heating. The heated hose itself doesn't effect how much water is added to the air, instead it effects how much water the air can hold before it condenses. Warmer air holds more water.
You can still get loads of moisture added to the air if you want with a regular non heated hose. We used this method of adding moisture for years. The heated hose feature on the S9 machine is new to the S9 model. Prior models used regular hose and heat only at humidifier level to add moisture.

Insurance should pay for replacement pillows per whatever schedule they go by. Medicare is 2 per month.
You can get which ever you want. It may confuse the DME but just make sure that you tell them exactly what you want. I bought my Aloha myself and didn't use my insurance. I get my Swift FX from my DME. I can go to my DME and get a replacement pillow for the Aloha if I want. I just have to make sure to tell them that they won't have a record of my Aloha purchase but I want Aloha replacement pillow this time instead of the Swift FX. For insurance billing the codes are all the same.

[quote="kohlweiler"]I was just changed to a nasal pillow yesterday, and I had the most miserable night since I started using a cpap machine! I am a side sleeper and was doing okay with the nasal mask I was given to begin with, but it seemed to be a little too large for my face, either coming down almost into my mouth or going up into my eyes, so I went in to be fitted for a smaller mask. The technician recommended trying the nasal pillows and said they would be better for a side sleeper. My experience last night was so bad that I'm ready to give up on it already! I am hoping to get some advice and encouragement from some of you who are using nasal pillows. I do like having less head gear, but the hose seems too heavy and pulls, creating leaks. With my nasal mask, I just put the hose up over my head and never thought about it. Last night, every time I moved, I had to bring the hose along, put it under the covers or loop it around so the nasal pillows wouldn't leak. I was never able to get my neck in a comfortable position (I have arthritis in my neck so this is very important) without causing a leak, and frankly, I don't like the rubbery strap grabbing my hair. Any suggestions?

kohlweller, I heartily suggest you try the Alohoa -- many who use the Swift FX nasal pillows can also successfully use the Aloha -- less so with the other way around it seems. The Aloha is light and also stable, I've been able to turn on my side without the pillows dislodging. Another nice feature (and big selling point for me) is that unlike the Swift FX mask, the Aloha has a loop on the top head strap which you can use to hold the hose up -- I am able to use my climate line hose with it, no problem, and I don't use any hose management system, just drap the hose over my headboard and tuck it slightly behind my pillow. That loop makes a world of difference, even more than a hose hanger because the hose is really stabilized close to your head.

Second suggestion: I started out with Medium pillows based on the fitting instructions, and had too many leaks for my comfort. I switched to the Large size pillows and they've worked beautifully. Regardless whether you're using the FX or the Aloha, try going up one size just to see if it fills out the inside of your nostrils a little better and thus holds a better seal.

Pugsy wrote: Have you been using the same nasal pillow for the entire 2 months or rotating between a couple?

Same pillow. I'll try the 2-week rest period. Someone also suggested the boiling technique. I've never tried that, but next time I'm hard boiling eggs I'll toss my pillows in the pot!

I am going to give the Alohoa a try. I ordered the starter kit one and it should be here next week with all 3 pillow sizes. I am pretty sucessful with my Swift LT for Her but was intrigued by that Alohoa since you can adjust the angle of the nasal pillows and stuff. I wanted to give it a try. I tried the Swift FX and I really wanted it to work but it is a little too flimsy and when I roll from side to side it seems to leak too much. I still may give it a try at another time but I LOVE my sleep! LOL!

thanks for all the good reviews on the Alohoa --seems like a great mask and my Pad A Cheek strap covers from mySwift LT will probably work on the Alohoa as well.

Carrie

sleeplessinaz wrote:I am going to give the Alohoa a try. I ordered the starter kit one and it should be here next week with all 3 pillow sizes. I am pretty sucessful with my Swift LT for Her but was intrigued by that Alohoa since you can adjust the angle of the nasal pillows and stuff. I wanted to give it a try. I tried the Swift FX and I really wanted it to work but it is a little too flimsy and when I roll from side to side it seems to leak too much. I still may give it a try at another time but I LOVE my sleep! LOL!

thanks for all the good reviews on the Alohoa --seems like a great mask and my Pad A Cheek strap covers from mySwift LT will probably work on the Alohoa as well.

Carrie

The Aloha comes with strap covers.