RE: Nasal Pillow users
Think of 4-20 as trying to herd cats in a large room. The bigger the room, the harder it will be. You get them settled into a general direction then something happens and you have to chase them again. Once the crisis passes, you have to re-settle that general direction again. Since you have such a big room, that takes time and you can't always respond to the crisis as quickly as you should. They have more hiding places, you have to do more running, etc.
When the room is made smaller, it becomes easier. You can respond to crisis faster because the room is smaller. You can settle back into the routine because the room isn't as big.
Same with pressure. You watch your data and you look for your typical minimum. It may vary because of the wide setting so just pick one and start that as your minimum. For you maximum, go with not the highest you've ever hit, but one you seem to hit a lot. Then go a half point above it.
Let that run for a while. Two weeks or more. Watch the data. Adjust if necessary. With the room smaller, the cats are easier to control. And the machine can work with less effort.
PaulaO
Take a deep breath and count to zen.
01-04-2016, 04:33 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-04-2016, 04:35 PM by Terry.)
RE: Nasal Pillow users
> When I use the pillows, should they be whisper quiet?
The pillows themselves (the transition from the pillow ot your nose) should be silent. If you hear noise from there, you have a leak. The vent does make noise, but not a lot.
> How 'tight' should they be on your nose?
Very little pressure should be necessary. In fact, if it needs to be tight, it's the wrong size/alignment/something else.
> Mine seem to rotate down with the weight of the hose, is this normal?
It's normal but not desirable anything that pulls on the pillow housing will make it not seal correctly.
> How do you stop them from leaking air?
The outer edge of the pillows need to be slightly larger than your nostril opening and the sealing face needs to be parallel to your nostrils. Part of this is how you wear it, but part is also how the plastic is molded. It's possible the mask isn't the exact right shape for your nose.
The hose can be run through a small loop on the headgear, which will keep it from pulling on your nose when you move.
If this mask doesn't work for you, try the Resmed P10, it's quieter and has a slightly different geometry, so if one doesn't work, the other might.
RE: Nasal Pillow users
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Dude
ps. The reasons you may get a machine set at the "wide open" 4/20 setting; your Doctor or therapist may be ignorant, they may not have time to spend on you and lastly, some of them just don't care beyond getting their money. You would be wise to tailor your therapy using the software available. Nobody cares about you as much as you.
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Thanks so much for this detailed explanation. I would have responded sooner but the notification went to spam. I really appreciate your taking the time to explain this.
RE: Nasal Pillow users
You're welcome sallym. I received a lot of good advice from this group and I'm always glad to give back whenever possible. If you have any further questions, start a new thread and you'll get help right away. You should update your profile info with mask make & model and also give your actual pressure settings. The more info you can put in the profile, the better you can be served.
Dude