Hello, I hope someone can please help me. I love my cpap machine, but I am having trouble with the mask. I have a full face and it has to be so tight to avoid leaks. I wake up with it hurting and still leaking sometimes. I have lines in my face for half the next day and I have to deal with the public like that. I would like to go to less of a mask. I am considering the nasal pillows, but I have read where people didn't exactly like them. Then I see the pictures of the hybrid online. I don't know which way to go now.

I used to be a mouth breather, but that is before I got my cpap, because I was fighting to breath. Now with my cpap and mask I usually just breath through my nose. I am wondering if I do just get the nasal pillows and my mouth happens to open, does that interfere in getting air from the mask? That's why I thought a hybrid would be good. But I'm afraid if I get a hybrid, then it will hurt and leak the way my full face does now.

Thank you for ANY suggestions!

Linda

Hi Linda!

You need to know that you are keeping your mouth shut while you are asleep to confidently switch from using a FF mask.   I though I was, but a sleep study proved differently.  There are several FF masks on the market?  Have you tried others?  Which mask are you using now?  I use a FF mask to and know that with FF masks, it seems expecially hard to find one that works.  But the one I'm using works very well for me.  Whether a hybrid would work for you is completely individual and the only way to tell is to try it.  Do you have a DME that would let you try different mask?  When you try on masks, be sure to adjust them laying down and turn the CPAP on (while laying down) to check for leaks.

Vicki


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That which does not kill you makes you stronger-Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich must of had apnea.

Hi Linda,

I have used both masks (the Mirage Swift and the Hybrid) and both work very well. I am presently using the Hybrid because I didn't like having to use a chin strap. If my mouth  didn't open, I'd definately be using the Swift, but as it is, I'm still very happy with the Hybrid. They only time I get leaks is when I move the mask. The 5 way adjustments are easy to manipulate. I highly recommend it.


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I use the Swift and like it other than the straps.  It has buckles but you get used to them.  I also agree that before using the Swift you need to make sure you don't open your mouth although I understand there is a chin strap that could be used. (More strapes and I know you were wanting to get away from those)  I think you should try both if you can.  I know I want to try the hybrid, but I'm afraid with a low gag factor I would just slobber over everything.

Linda, I had the exact same problems as you with other full face masks -- if I kept the straps loose like suggested, the mask leaked. If I tightened them down enough to stop the leaks, they tore up my face (especially my nose). For me the hybrid mask has been near perfect. I've had it 3 weeks now, and I don't have any of the problems with facial soreness or marks.

The only "issue" I've had is that I have to be more diligent about cleaning the mask than with previous FF masks. I start getting little zits popping up at the base on the inside of my nostrils if I don't keep the nasal pillows portion cleaned at least every other day. But that's just a hygiene issue, not a mask problem. After having that happen once I have been keeping my mask washed, and haven't had that problem reoccur. But, when it did happen it caused me to not be able to wear my mask for a couple of days while they healed up.

Other than that, no complaints from me about the hybrid mask. Some people have to make modifications to theirs to get them to work, but the only thing I had to do was clip apart the nasal pillows. They come attached to each other, and I couldn't rotate them far enough to get a good seal while they were attached together. After clipping them apart they were fine.


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Will, the Hybrid is made by Respcare, a sister company to Innomed Technologies (the company who makes the Nasal-Aire line)
I'm going on my 3ed month with the Hybrid and It's working out well with one exception:
I'm waiting for Respcare to introduce the new headgear they were the sending free samples of. They said before the end of the year everyone would have it and it's quite an upgrade from what I hear. I use the Pad-a -cheeks for now with my Hybrid.

Ahhh, sure enough (manufacturer). Must have flown by it in a hurry when I first looked. Fixed it in my signature :)

I'm just looking forward to getting back on CPAP. I've been sick the last few days and unable to tolerate CPAP with sinus drainage and coughing and hacking all night.


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<--Will-->
http://www.inside-corner.com
http://www.willwillis.us

I didn't think I was mouth breathing but found out differently when I tried a nasal mask! I use the hybrid. The nares do get a bit tender in the very beginning, but ayr gel helps tremendously. I do clean my mask everyday,but it only takes a few minutes. I LOVE my hybrid mask and have no leak issues with it. Some people find that the curve of the hard shell doesn't conform to the shape of their face and have lot's of leak issues. The trouble is you don't know until you try it.

If you don't have mouth breathing problems or can solve them with a chin strap I'd go with nasal pillows.

I have the Swift and the Hybrid but I use the Swift with a chin strap and if a chin strap didn't work I'd be taping. The Hybrid doesn't seem to fit against my narrow chin bone structure (heart shaped face).  It leaked like a sieve when I moved the littlest bit. However, I'm glad I have it around for when I have a cold. I'll be miserable anyway. The Hybrid's smallest pillows are just a hair bigger than the Swift's (I can only tell when I put them in my nose) and that size difference is all the difference to me. I move all over the place in the Swift and the pillows do not come out of my nose. I twitch wrong in the Hybrid and they pop out (and my nose gets sore). It may be the angle in the hybrid that doesn't match up.

I also have a small chin. The RT said the hybrid would not work for me, but it does. As for the angles of the nasal pillows...I place a rubberband around one of the top posts on the mask, loop it over the shell-across the pillows, and hook it onto the other top post. This holds the pillows closer to my face and a bit closer together.

...keeping the mask, pillows, etc, and your face absolutely clean without any oils, creams, etc. The material the masks are made of seems to adhere to clean skin and slide on oily skin. I have made an issue of daily mask cleaning and washing my face before going to bed. I no longer have any leaks, and I sleep on my stomach.


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As a Christian, you may be the only bible someone ever reads.

I sure don't have any information on which interface is more popular, but I love my "nasal pillow" interfaces.  I was using the Swift, which is a wonderful mask, but am trying out the Aura/Twilight/whatever it is called now, because I like to sleep on my side/face.  (This is all within a 1 week time span that I have been using CPAP).
I tried the ful face mask and the nasal mask during my sleep study, and with both of them I couldn't stand the air blowing into my eyes.  I have read about the hybrid, it sounds like a great mask, but I'm going with the "less is more" philosophy first.
I think everyone is different and you should try out a few before you decide.
Good luck with your decision.


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~~Laurie

[quote="BarberGirl"]Hello, I hope someone can please help me. I love my cpap machine, but I am having trouble with the mask. I have a full face and it has to be so tight to avoid leaks. I wake up with it hurting and still leaking sometimes. I have lines in my face for half the next day and I have to deal with the public like that. I would like to go to less of a mask. I am considering the nasal pillows, but I have read where people didn't exactly like them. Then I see the pictures of the hybrid online. I don't know which way to go now.

I used to be a mouth breather, but that is before I got my cpap, because I was fighting to breath. Now with my cpap and mask I usually just breath through my nose. I am wondering if I do just get the nasal pillows and my mouth happens to open, does that interfere in getting air from the mask? That's why I thought a hybrid would be good. But I'm afraid if I get a hybrid, then it will hurt and leak the way my full face does now.

Thank you for ANY suggestions!

Linda[/quote]

Hi Linda,

I hated the Hybrid Mask (you can read my rant about it in another thread), but I love the ResMed Ultra Mirage nasal mask. It has some very important features which I think ought to be incorporated into every mask design:

1) The exhaust port is not only silent, but it directs the air around the elbow and back in the direction if the supply hose. By simply moving the hose, you can adjust it so the air is not hitting you or your bed partner.

2) The seal is made of a very thin flexible silicone that inflates to make a perfect seal with the contours of your face. The headgear can be worn very loosely and you'll still get no leakage because the thin silicone balloon keeps adjusting as your face moves..

3) There's a "quick disconnect" connector, that lets you instantly pop the supply hose off and on.

4) The headgear also quickly and easily disconnects. By just disconnecting one clip, you can instantly remove the entire mask. It does not easily tangle and there's only one way the clips re-attach to the mask which is also quick and easy to do.

5) The mask's internal air flow is such that excess supply air does not blow across your nose (or mouth) before going out the exhaust.


I have used the Ultra Mirage for many years and like it a lot, but noticed I was sometimes mouth breathing. I eliminated the problem by getting a new Respironics C-PAP machine and activating it's C-Flex feature. It works by reducing the pressure when you exhale, which for me, stopped my mouth from blowing open.

Elmer

Mickie513,
Have you tried cutting off the chin flap from your Hybrid mask? Take one of the mouth cushions that is not your favorite size first and cut off the chin flap. I'll bet the mask fits like a dream if you do. oh, and cut the pillows apart!

Regarding the Hybrid...

Okay, I'm gonna try cutting the pillows apart, because that's where I have the most problems with leaks, and maybe it's as simple as my nostrils don't match.  

The chin thing I'm okay with, maybe being a little "fleshy" under there helps.

The straps get tangled all the time and I usually need help getting the thing onto my head, but I've read the posts about new Hybrid Headgear and that may help that as well.

I'm just not good at having something up my nose.  It hurts, or I feel like I can't get enough air.  It's still the best mask I can use with all my requirements, being a mouth breather and all.  The full-face I tried felt like I was wearing full scuba gear.  The nasal mask was great but I was tired of the residue each morning from taping my mouth shut and chin straps never worked.  I kinda wish there was a way to make a combo mask that was nasal mask plus mouth mask, kinda like a two-piece full face mask, instead of having nasal pillows... I don't know, for now, the hybrid seems to be the best choice for me.

In February it'll be a year since my Sleep Study so I'll get to do another one and see if there's any new options on the horizon.

Oh, BTW, if any of you remember me, I finally got a new laptop (my hubby got it for me as my Chanukah present) so now I can finally be back online!


Glad to still be here,

Oggie  


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I always tell my kids....
Just because you CAN, doesn't mean you SHOULD.