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+--- Thread: [Equipment] P10 Nasal pillows/sore nose. (/Thread-Equipment-P10-Nasal-pillows-sore-nose)
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P10 Nasal pillows/sore nose. - Cuppa - 04-11-2017
Although a user of just two weeks I'm posting this in the hope it may assist others in a similar position.
As those familiar with the Resmed P10 nasal pillow mask would be aware, one of the attractions of the mask is it's minimal headgear, just a single, but split, narrow fabric strap.
I consider that I'm lucky that this was the first (& to date, only) mask I've tried. (With a beard & moustache other options are limited).
However I have had trouble with it making my nose very tender. I also had a problem waking with a headache, & some early morning spectacular farting
associated with a pressurised gut, which also resulted in back pain every morning. The reason I mention those symptoms, each of which were fairly significant problems, (apart from the farting which was both a relief & amusing - even though my wife complained that it competed with my pre-CPAP snoring in terms of volume!) is that one small adjustment of the mask has resolved ALL of these issues.
Hard to believe eh? But it's true
I had been placing the head strap on my head incorrectly, the two split parts of the strap toward the top of my head & only an inch or two apart. As a result it was pulling my nose upward, making it sore by morning & taking most of the day for the tenderness to subside. Changing pillow sizes had not helped. I began to not look forward to putting it on again the next night, but persisted. I found too that if I laid on my side my head on the pillow frequently moved the strap, either increasing nose discomfort or allowing the seal to be broken. Lanolin based ointment helped with the seal, but I found that I laid on my back most of the night & tended to keep my head rigid to compensate for the easily moved strap. This resulted in morning headaches.
In my defence I had no instructions on how to use the mask. It's part of the hire arrangement.
When I worked out that ensuring the two split parts of the head strap were wide apart, with half on the top of my head & half at the back of my head was the way to go, it was a moment of epiphany! It may be obvious to others but it hadn't been to me. I had thought that the further apart I pulled the split strap, the tighter it would pull on my nose. Of course the opposite is true.
I can now lay on my side with my head comfortably on the pillow. No more headaches. No more sore nose. And it seems that not laying on my back all night has reduced the aerophagia & thus the abdominal discomfort & associated back pain. The farts are greatly reduced & miserable little things in comparison.
Who'd a thunk that such a small change could have had such wide ranging results. Now I understand the oft heard advice that it takes a bit of time to find out what is comfortable.
Oh, in addition I also have an overhead 'gantry' for the supply hose made from some plastic conduit I had laying around. This was quick & easy to make & is a huge improvement over laying with the hose. I find that having it at a height which allows the short hose part of the mask to kink down from my nose to just below my chin allows me to roll over from side to side without needing to pay heed of the hose position as the 'gantry' also swings from side to side.
[attachment=3358]
RE: P10 Nasal pillows/sore nose. - Cranberry Ray - 04-11-2017
Cuppa, thanks for sharing your journey with the P10. When I first started 5 months ago I guess I assumed you were suppose to separate the two bands and did that right off the bat. Seemed to work great so I stuck with it. I will try to remember to advise new users to give that a try if they are experiencing problems.
I'll also keep in mind the "gantry" idea. Here is a photo of mine I threw together about a month ago and it has worked perfect. No more dealing with the hose flopping around.
![[Image: 3xokTocm.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/3xokTocm.jpg)
Thanks again for taking the time to share you experience. That's what make this board work.
RE: P10 Nasal pillows/sore nose. - OpalRose - 04-11-2017
There is usually a booklet that comes with the mask that shows you how to separate the straps. I was just lucky as my DME did show me how to wear it.
There are also many You Tube videos that show how to place and separate the straps.
Keep in mind, there are many different size head shapes. The distance between the straps may have to be placed a little different for each person.
For me, what works best is to place the front strap at the crown of my head and pull the bottom strap down toward the occipital area.
RE: P10 Nasal pillows/sore nose. - Hydrangea - 04-12-2017
Good advice. I have been trying the P10 for 3 nights, and the 3rd night I cranked the straps open as far as they could go... to some success! So I will continue in that endeavor.
RE: P10 Nasal pillows/sore nose. - trish6hundred - 04-13-2017
Hi Cuppa,
Thank you for sharing your
AirFit P10 how-to, great job.
Keep up the good work.
RE: P10 Nasal pillows/sore nose. - lab rat - 04-13-2017
I've used the P10 since it was released and the latest pillows I find to be made of a harder latex which is rubbing on my nostrils.
I eagerly await the P20 if it's ever released.
RE: P10 Nasal pillows/sore nose. - Hydrangea - 04-14-2017
(04-13-2017, 08:59 PM)lab rat Wrote: I've used the P10 since it was released and the latest pillows I find to be made of a harder latex which is rubbing on my nostrils.
I eagerly await the P20 if it's ever released.
Wooooow, wait.... what? P10 is made of latex?
Oh, dang. I'll just throw mine away, then. I didn't realize that. Darn. I'm allergic to latex.
RE: P10 Nasal pillows/sore nose. - Melman - 04-14-2017
(04-14-2017, 12:43 AM)Hydrangea Wrote: wooooow, wait.... what? P10 is made of latex?
Oh, dang. I'll just throw mine away, then. I didn't realize that. Darn. I'm allergic to latex.
You may want to confirm that. The P10 user guide says the product does not contain natural rubber latex.
RE: P10 Nasal pillows/sore nose. - Hydrangea - 04-14-2017
(04-14-2017, 09:48 AM)Melman Wrote:(04-14-2017, 12:43 AM)Hydrangea Wrote: wooooow, wait.... what? P10 is made of latex?
Oh, dang. I'll just throw mine away, then. I didn't realize that. Darn. I'm allergic to latex.
You may want to confirm that. The P10 user guide says the product does not contain natural rubber latex.
I did notice that in their user guide. I googled, and couldn't find anything besides the "not natural rubber latex". That does make me suspicious that perhaps there is "unnatural" some sort of latex.
I'll make some phone calls.
RE: P10 Nasal pillows/sore nose. - Hydrangea - 04-14-2017
Okay, a quick phone call to a popular online DME yielded just the info that comes in the booklet with the P10. "No natural rubber latex". They had several ideas for how to help prevent the pain & redness I get from the P10, all of which have been stated throughout this board (different size pillow, lube, liner).
45 minutes on hold with ResMed yielded this info:
The pillow pad/cushion is made of "Compression molded silicone rubber".
I said since it's not a natural rubber latex, could it be synthetic rubber? He said yes.
He said for more details, I needed to check further with my provider, so they could contact ResMed directly. I told him I'd already tried and they were unwilling. I said I have a latex allergy, so this is important for me to know.
So he dug further for me, and came back with an official statement that ResMed uses no latex, neither synthetic nor natural, in any of their machinery, masks, hoses, etc.
He said to see that same info online, I could go to their website and search "device safety".