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Will a Swift FX mask work with higher pressures?
#1
Will a Swift FX mask work with higher pressures?
In my seemingly never-ending search for a full face mask that works for me, the RRT at my sleep doc's office tells me that if I get a Swift FX nasal pillow mask and a Ruby Red chinstrap all my mask troubles will evaporate and I'll live happily ever after. She says that my pressure of 17/13 doesn't matter. Well, everything I read seems to indicate otherwise.

So, before I drop another hundred bucks plus, what say you folks? Not only is it counterintuitive, but after a lifetime of mouth breathing it'd have to be a magical chinstrap to keep my mouth from flying open.
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#2
RE: Will a Swift FX mask work with higher pressures?
Hi old dude,
From what I've read, nasal pillows don't work over 15, but since mine is not the only opinion, hang tight for more responses to your post.
trish6hundred
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#3
RE: Will a Swift FX mask work with higher pressures?
Yeah, the RT may be right - and a unicorn might slide down a rainbow and kiss your forehead making the apnea go away entirely. She probably didn't tell you that though, because unicorns work for free.

Seriously though, assuming the chin strap keeps your mouth closed, how does she suggest you keep your lips closed? Some can, some can't. There are tongue positioning tricks that work for some and fail miserably for others. I can keep my jaw closed just fine, but after trying everything extensively for a long time I never figured out how to keep my lips closed or cheeks from puffing out very uncomfortably at a pressure greater than 16.

By all means, you should give a nasal interface a shot - it might work for you. You don't necessarily have to try the one your RT enchanted and can probably find a cheaper one to try just to see if pressure escaping will be an issue or not. There is a chance you'll take right to it - but also a pretty good chance you'll have to work at it and might not be able to make it work at all.

Sure sounds to me like you got another one of the many Respiratory Therapists who don't know any more about PAP than what some sales rep told them.

Just my two cents.
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#4
RE: Will a Swift FX mask work with higher pressures?
My top pressure is 16.5 and my nasal pillows don't leak at that level, but it probably depends on a lot of factors, including fit and form of the nose, etc.
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#5
RE: Will a Swift FX mask work with higher pressures?
(07-30-2013, 05:40 PM)jgjones1972 Wrote: Yeah, the RT may be right - and a unicorn might slide down a rainbow and kiss your forehead making the apnea go away entirely. She probably didn't tell you that though, because unicorns work for free.

Seriously though, assuming the chin strap keeps your mouth closed, how does she suggest you keep your lips closed? Some can, some can't. There are tongue positioning tricks that work for some and fail miserably for others. I can keep my jaw closed just fine, but after trying everything extensively for a long time I never figured out how to keep my lips closed or cheeks from puffing out very uncomfortably at a pressure greater than 16.

By all means, you should give a nasal interface a shot - it might work for you. You don't necessarily have to try the one your RT enchanted and can probably find a cheaper one to try just to see if pressure escaping will be an issue or not. There is a chance you'll take right to it - but also a pretty good chance you'll have to work at it and might not be able to make it work at all.

Sure sounds to me like you got another one of the many Respiratory Therapists who don't know any more about PAP than what some sales rep told them.

Just my two cents.

Interestingly the lips opening while the jaw does not is precisely what I asked her about, because it happens to me wearing an FF mask. She said it shouldn't be a problem, which I doubted and therefore am here asking real world users.
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#6
RE: Will a Swift FX mask work with higher pressures?
With a full face mask, the pressure outside the mouth is the same as the airway pressure, so there should be no "extra" pressure trying to open the lips and/or jaw. Now, it may be that you also open your lips with your jaw closed without the CPAP pressure. However, once again, with a full face mask, this does not constitute a leak, because you are still in the same pressure envelope.

Umm, nasal pillows are _not_ going to magically solve that, nor would a nasal mask. In fact, they will cause it to be a problem, as the open lips now become a leak.

But I agree that it would be worthwhile to try out pretty much any kind of mask. Any worthwhile DME will have masks that they can lend out for trial. Try it out for a week. If it works, wonderful. Buy your own. If it doesn't, no harm done. But don't buy just on the tech's say so, at least not without a full money-back guarantee.
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#7
RE: Will a Swift FX mask work with higher pressures?
My Swift LT handles pressures up to 19 so far. The leaks I do have are not during those times.

My Breeze was better for staying in place because it had a solid headgear.
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#8
RE: Will a Swift FX mask work with higher pressures?
The ruby red is the best I have found. Other smash your ears and are uncomfortable or the single strap ones simply don't stay put all night. The ruby red worked wonders for me. I did not know how bad my slight mouth opening was until I started with the chin strap. 100% recommend!
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#9
RE: Will a Swift FX mask work with higher pressures?
(07-30-2013, 11:01 PM)Mark Risley Wrote: The ruby red is the best I have found. Other smash your ears and are uncomfortable or the single strap ones simply don't stay put all night. The ruby red worked wonders for me. I did not know how bad my slight mouth opening was until I started with the chin strap. 100% recommend!

Is the "Ruby Red" chinstrap the same as the "Ruby Style" from [Commercial DME link removed per Apnea Board Rules] I'd prefer to get the real thing, whatever that is, but can't find anything specifically for Ruby Red".





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#10
RE: Will a Swift FX mask work with higher pressures?
I was running at 8 when I first started and I had a number of nightly leaks and my average AHI was just under 5. They dropped my pressure to 6 and my AHI with the Swift FX dropped below 1 on average and leaks almost disappeared. I'm a side sleeper and move around in bed a lot at night.
"Sometimes the magic works . . . and sometimes it doesn't" -- Chief Dan George in the movie Little Big Man
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