Hybrid Over the Head Set Up

[mikemoran]

One annoying thing about the Hybrid for me was having to manage the hose from a front set up. I have become spoiled by my scrunchy on the wall and the freedom of movement when actively sleeping. With the hose running down the front it gets caught in my blankets or under my arms. Nothing major just an annoyance. So I set out to conquer the problem.

With the Hybrid if you route the swivel upward it goes in front of the exhaust ports and the noise level increases tremendously. My first experiment was to find a way to turn the mask upside down so the ports were at the bottom of the mask instead of above the elbow. So I took my small mouth piece which barely fits me and did some surgery. Removing the chin flap so that it could seal better, then trimming part of the mask rim so I could reverse it on the hard plastic piece. This was the tricky part, had to take off just enough so the mask would fit into the plastic without leaking but not to much so the mask was too close to the plastic. There was just enough tolerance for it to work.

After doing this, getting the mask to fit on my face right was a struggle. Reversing the plastic changes some of the angles on the mask and the straps had to be tightened differently. I finally got it to seal but it just felt wrong and I wasn't sure the pillows would stay sealed when actually sleeping. Turned out it didn't matter. In this configuration the exhaust ports actually face a little downward and blow air into your arms and even under the blanket. So no need for anyone else to do this type of surgery. The seal did blow out on the pillows and I even got mouth leaks with the straps tight.

So the modification method was a failure but I didn't stop there. I looked at my set up and figured out that all I needed was enough slack in the hose from where it attached to the wall. Pulling as much hose as I had this allowed me to run it from my head and still keep the elbow pointing downwards out of the air flow. No noise and no hose running across my bed. Simple solutions work best sometimes. The elbow doesn't have to point upwards to route it over your head. The hose ran to one side and I could easily turn from side to side with no hose tugging.

Slept fine last night with no noise or hose problems at all. The scrunchy is back in my life and I could move as easily as I have with any other mask running the hose over my head. Give it a try.

.

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): hose, seal

[rested gal]

I looked at my set up and figured out that all I needed was enough slack in the hose from where it attached to the wall. Pulling as much hose as I had this allowed me to run it from my head and still keep the elbow pointing downwards out of the air flow. No noise and no hose running across my bed. Simple solutions work best sometimes. The elbow doesn't have to point upwards to route it over your head. The hose ran to one side and I could easily turn from side to side with no hose tugging.

Slept fine last night with no noise or hose problems at all. The scrunchy is back in my life and I could move as easily as I have with any other mask running the hose over my head. Give it a try.

You are one heck of a lab rat, Mike! Good suggestion, and yes, that will work ok. It's one of the many things I tried during my week of trying to tame the Hybrid. Like you, I could then keep the hose out farther away from that unruly exhaust.

But too many times during the night, when I'd turn to the other side, the hose would still get in the way of the exhaust. Not every time, but enough to be loud and annoying. I even tried adding another connector hose to give more slack.

I'm glad you were able to go back to the overhead scrunchie. That routing (my favorite!) would probably work for many other Hybrid users, too. Perhaps I just toss and turn more.

Dangling the hose from the ceiling may be the way to go. If I'd ever been able to stop the leaks, I'd have dragged out the step ladder to put the finishing touch in place, the way cktan and bellcrest did theirs.

LINKS to Hose hangers and methods of managing the air hose

[mikemoran]

RG,

Guess it does depend on how much slack you can muster too. Have you tried doing the chin flapectomy yet? Would love to get some feed back from some of the females on the board to see if this solves some of their leak problems. With the flap gone the mask is way more flexible and can be shaped around any mouth. I actually found that I could use the small and medium this way. Sort of allows you to mush the mask upward to improve pillow seal too.

It might even work with Lori's beard LOL

.

[GoofyUT]

Thanks for the tip on hose routing Mike, and RG. As a note, I tied a large carabiner to the top rail of my headboard and route my hose through it. It works like a charm and my hose has become "self-adjusting" as I sleep. It sort of pays out and then recoils depending on my movement.

I've just gotten my Hybrid, though I'm not rushing to use it or try it. I still have to complete and report a one week CPAP trial with my Swift, and I've been spared the need for a full-face. But when I do get around to it, I'll relish your surgical preceptorship and take full advantage of it.

Thanks!

Chuck

[Snoozin' Bluezzz]

I'm gonna try surgery on the medium this weekend, if not tonight. I hesitate to mess with the large until I can order a replacement.

David

[sidesleeper1]

Mike, your the King!
Good thing they give us 3 cushions to play with.
Sounds like your having a blast.

[Sleepless on LI]

It might even work with Lori's beard LOL

And to think I was going to shave it off in the hope of making this darn thing work. Thanks for the idea, Mike. I might be able to stay fuzzy now!

Also, on your other thread about the "flapectomy," (love it!), I mentioned one would have nothing to lose if you could replace the mouth seals separately IF you ruined one and really wanted to replace it. Well, thanks to Wolftracker, he posted the link to cpap.com's selling of individual Hybrid parts; ie, the headgear, mouth seals and nasal pillows. viewtopic.php?t=11166

So cut away, all you brave lab-ratters!!!