My doc also thinks I have sleep apnea. They were supposed to try nasal pillows on me when I was hospitalized with Sepsis, but they didn't have the right size nasal pillows for my nostrils and it took too long for an order to come in.

Nasal pillows are allot like the oxigen tube they put across your face when in the hospital, except the nasal part is bigger and is supposed to fit snuggly in your nostrils.

My doc wanted me to try this because I refuse to wear the mask.

Has anyone tried this or know of anyone who has? Thanks.

Hi

I use nasal pillows and they are working out for me, I was given a couple of sizes try after being diagnosed with SA, so i could get good fit. Have you had your sleep study yet? 

I was in the hospital for 2 1/2 months from severe Sepsis. I am finally home recovering from it. They tested my oxigen levels while I slept and said it goes down while I sleep. I was sent home with an oxigen tank and one of those small nasal tubes that go infront of your face and a little in your nose. I only use it at bed time.

I think I still need an actual study to determine sleep apnea, but the hospital already thinks I have it. Thank you for the info.

I just had a sleep study to determine the level of airflow for the CPAP and it was horrible! I felt like I was drowning on air! A horrible horrible feeling. They used the full face mask and when I said I wanted the nasal pillows they said the doctor will only allow the face mask because that's what the testing was done with. I really don't think I will use the full face one. It cause me so much anxiety and I woke the next morning with a splitting headache that lasted almost all day long. 

Does anyone know if there's any hope that I can use the nasal pillows? Any suggestions on how to proceed? I just had the study Saturday night and now I'm waiting for the home health company to call and make appointment to get me set up. I feel like this is some sort of nightmare I am in - I never saw this coming! I don't feel like I have any of the symptoms of sleep apnea.

Anyway, sorry to ride along on your post, Miss Kitty. I'm looking forward to responses to your question.

Sheryl

I know what you mean about drowning on air. I was recently hospitalized for Sepsis. In the ambulance, they tried putting a huge heavy mask on my face that pushed air in as well as sucked it back out. One minute I was drowning in air and the next minute it is being sucked out of my lungs and I felt like I was suffocating. I was litterally fighting the doctor's hands off my arms so I could pull the mask off my face. They eventually had to sedate me.

Have you tried talking to your doctor about the nasal pillows? Some people talk about nasal pillows further down on this board, and they say the nasal pillows can irritate the nostrils. I think I would rather have that than the mask. I think the mask would just bring horrible flash backs of me fighting the doc, plus I just can't stand the mask and absolutely refuse to wear it!

I hope things work out well for you. If you do test positive for sleep apnea, keep diligent on the nasal pillows. That's what I am going to do. Good luck.  

When i first started using the nasal pillows, a couple of things bothered me.  1st my nose got so cold all the time and sinus was irritated.  Sleep doc changed the hose to a heated hose and told me to up the humidity, that did the trick and helped a lot.  also, my nose got a bit raw on outside, but some lotion helped that.  Recently i found about about bella loops, its loops that attach to the nasal pillow and wrap around your ears instead of the typical head gear.  they working ok for me.

Hi Sheryl

i found this site cpaptalk.com it was very informative about what to expect after a diagnosis SA and cpap equipment and the various head gear.  i had to wait a few weeks after my study to see sleep doc and pick up cpap.  but got a lot of info that helped when selecting a machine.

When i had my sleep study they only used the mask and it was awful, i don't think i even slept that night.  I was later told I had sever SA.  i had a lot of the symptoms, daytime sleepiness, no energy headaches,snoring, my oxygen was also very low.  After less then a month using CPAP, my oxygen was normal, headaches were gone, my bp was lower and had a lot more energy.  i was able to begin a fitness regiment prior to my WLS. 

I am still on CPAP and as i lose weight my SA has improved, hoping i will some day not need the cpap, but i cannot deny how much it has helped my health.

Yeah I hear you.  I woke the next morning with a panic attack after being tested with the full mask.  It was the worst panic attack I ever had!  I just got my Cpap last night.  I got the nasal pillows a little better than the mask but I'm not sure my size.  Small seems to small and medium to big.  Medium is definitely more comfortble but I'm not sure about leaks if it's a little too big.

Thanks for the information and encouragement Jean and Miss Kitty! I am so grateful I found this forum! I had no idea it existed.

I hope I will hear from someone tomorrow, either the doctor or the medical equipment company to let me know which mask they will be giving me. There's so much waiting before surgery ... I just really want to be on the other side of this! 

 I snored and was a mouth breather. My hospital test was done with nasal pillows, but I woke up a few times when I opened my mouth and air escaped out of my mouth (In through the nose, and out of the mouth).

I started on full face mask with the Resmed Quattro FX. This was the recommendation of the tech at the Dr's office. Seemed good for a few days, but it would ride up the bridge of the nose and develop leaks, usually blowing air into my eyes. I woke up with sore eyes more than once. I have an APap, so as a leak developed, the machine would compensate by increasing pressure, making this worse. I never slept more than 2 hours at a time with this.

Chatted with an Online DME, and they said many people complained about the Swift FX, and recommended the Resmed Mirage Quattro. I got this next, but it always leaked severly. Not around the eyes though due to the headpiece, but around the mouth area. Still never slept more than 2 hours at a time. Had wake up, reset machine, go back to sleep.

Finally paid out of pocket for nasal pillows, Resmed Swift FX nasal. It comes with small, medium, and large pillows.  It has been a god send and I can finally sleep a full night, and wake up the machine at almost the same setting as when I went to bed. No leaks. 

I do have the climate control heated line, and I did have to paly around with the temperature and humidity settings to find the perfect setting. No congestion anymore.  Iritation where the mask contacts the skin can be solved with Lanolin Cream (Used to treat sore nipples when breastfeeding, available in any supermarket)

What I have learned from all this: You may need to try several setups until you find the right one. Don't blindly follow the "opinion" advice of your sleep tech. Some DME's are horrible to work with. 

Good Luck.

I always had terrible problems with leaks when I used masks, probably because I'm a side sleeper.  Those things would migrate all over my face at night or else would be so tightly adjusted that they were too uncomfortable.  Horrible.

ResMed Swift FX for Her has been the answer for me.

I also seem to have fewer problems with rainout with the pillows for some reason.

I use the nasal pillows and I love them over the mask. I was given a size small and had to go to an extra small. I went through my cpap provider to arrange to have the pillows. A mask came with my machine but I only will use it in an absolute emergency. (if my nasal pillow is damaged). I also purchased the tubing cover for 25.00. My cat loved the tubing and I caught him just before he took a bite out of it. Yikes. I am hoping my tubing will last longer with the protective cover.

 they move when your sleeping and they leaked  i didnt really like them so i use a mask

This has been my experience, illykatrina. I don't like my nasal pillows at all and am contemplating requesting a more traditional mask. 

I received my dx of sleep apnea early in 2009.  Started out with a mask which I fought every night because I'm a side sleeper.  The next mask failed miserably as well.

Then I tried nasal pillows and have stuck with that ever since, though it did take some adjustment.  I use the ResMed Swift FX for Her nasal pillow set.  It's very comfortable and stays in place pretty well, either sitting over my very long hair or with my hair pulled through it as one would pull her hair through the back of a baseball cap.  My best pillow size ended up being the medium, FWIW.

Another thing to play around with is the length of the air tubing.  Since my machine is very close to my head when I sleep I can get away with about 28" of tubing and not that six-foot monster trying to wrap around me all night. 

I'm told to bring the CPAP to the hospital when I have my surgery.  Looking forward to the night when I have lost enough weight that I can kiss that thing goodbye forever, but for now at least I've found a comfortable fit which lets me sleep fairly restfully.

Hope this helps!

Thank you for that information. I will definately be asking for nasal pillows because I cannot stand a mask over my face. Good luck with your surgery.