[Equipment] Nuance headgear

[PaulaO2]

I think I just ruined my headgear.

I have washed the pillows several times of course but not the headgear. Today I was wearing my glasses and had the blinds up when I took off the pillows so I noticed the headgear was getting rather grungy. I tossed it into the bowl with everything else, just like I have all the other headgear I've ever had.

After the wash and rinse, I notice the back strap, the one that is so grossly squishy, is now all wrinkly white and has a few pieces missing. Not many, not a little here and there. If I press it with a finger, it almost goes back to its original color.

I wrung it out in a towel and it feels dry. But...crap, did I kill it?

[MAPnea]

Hey, PaulaO2,

Is your headgear "dead" or "alive" this morning? Just wondering because I want to try a new nasal pillow mask (haven't decided which one, yet) since my Swift FX seems to be loosing strength (the headgear part, that is). Hope your headgear is alive and well. And you are, too!

[PaulaO2]

It's alive but looks awful. The back strap is made of a totally different material. It's really squishy. The rest of the headgear came out looking clean but the inside of that back section looks nasty! And if I rub it hard with my finger, bits of it come up.

I have extremely oily hair and skin. It is quite possible it was on its way out and my washing of it tipped the scale. I have no idea.

Then this morning, I had to get up early for some reason (the sun wasn't even up!) and then went back to bed later. But the nose piece felt weird. I took it back off and felt tacky stuff on one of them. One of the pillows was leaking gel.

That does it. Never going to wash my gear again!

Despite all this, I love this mask. Probably even beats the Breeze in terms of usability, quiet, and comfort.

[LordVader]

I am curious about the life of the nuance pro headgear. In general, how long can a person expect the nuance pro headgear to last? I know that my insurance will replace it every 6 months. However, I have had it only 3 and I am not sure that it will last 3 more months. The weird squishy part is what I'm most concerned about. It is hard to keep clean and looks like it's starting to deteriorate.

[PaulaO2]

My Nuance Pro headgear lasted the entire 6 months without any issues until I washed it and it went to heck. But I was due for a new one at that point.

Now I have the Nuance non-Pro. I've not washed the headgear yet and don't plan to. I may wash the other parts but keep that back strap out of the water. I have no clue why it reacted that way.

[brianps]

I've had the same experience as PaulaO2 with the back strap. I use the non-Pro version of the Nuance, and I'm just about due for a replacement. (Insurance pays for two/year.) No other issues with the mask or other parts, other than the strap. I do feel the Velcro could hold a bit better though.

If Respironics monitors this board, maybe somebody from there has an answer or a fix?

[PaulaO2]

I thought the velcro on the Pro was wimpy as heck but this non-Pro is a little better. Maybe they are making improvements to that but not yet to the back strap.