Yay! Got my Hybrid today :)

I'm totally psyched! My sleep center let me try a Hybrid and I loved it! It has solved my problems of not wanting to wear the mask!!!!! You all know how important that is. So now I'm back to wearing the mask nightly after a 3 week hiatus. Part of the problem though was a hyper sensitivity to smells and I couldn't stand the smell from my CPAP. Found out that was being caused by a bad reaction to Mirapex for RLS so I had to cut that out . Not good because now my legs are killing me. But at least I can hose up. The doc doesn't want to prescribe Requip or anything else yet since the reaction to Mirapex. It not only caused the hypersensitive smell and taste but also created quite a nasty rash all over my body!!! -- Geez, I'm just a mess -- itchy, spotty, holding my nose and nauseous mess -- what a pixture. Oh yeah, I forgot about the swollen painful joints in my fingers! I thought I had very suddenly developed arthritis in my fingers. Nope - Mirapex strikes again. Sigh. But one of these days the docs will get it right.

Unfortunately I'm back on a medication I don't like because it caused no reactions before. Problem is it makes me a zombie. Last 2 days I didn't hear any of the 4 alarm clocks I have set at various points around the room (all set to the loudest setting). Yesterday was OK because my babysitter woke me up when she came in, but my kids went with their father last night to San Francisco so I had no backup this morning. Slept through until 11:30!!!!! I know I'm in a boatload of trouble at work. Totally unacceptable not calling in before 8:30 a.m. They're already fed up with me because of the problems OSA have caused and I was on probation before due to falling asleep at work and declining productivity.

Wow - this didn't start out to be a rant - I was celebrating my new mask . And I'm definitely going to check Rooster's magnificent instructions again and watch the video again and again as he suggests.

My other choices would have been a Quattro or a Liberty, but I'm happy with the Hybrid. I figure it's been almost 2 weeks and it's the most comfortable mask I've tried yet. Too bad I have to be a really determined mouth breather or I'd have more choices

Happy Hosin' all.....

Linda

The cool thing about the Hybrid too, not just the design, is how tweakable it is. I've used the Hybrid for about a year, and a Liberty for about a month now (insurance paid for it, so I thought I'd give it a try since there are a couple of things I don't like about the Hybrid). I think I'm going back to the Hybrid when my 3 month mask replacement comes back up.

So Will,

Why do you like the Hybrid better? I just got this one under the wire for last year's deductible (new year started today) so if I want to try any other masks it will be on my dime until I meet the $500 deductible.

And what were the couple things you didn't like about the hybrid?

Thanks,

Linda

I've been meaning to write up an in depth review/comparison of these two masks, just haven't done it yet.

As far as Hybrid dislikes, I've got the original headgear (all black) for the Hybrid, and it tangles easily. Fairly difficult to untangle and get on in the dark. My understanding is that the newer headgear (gray/black) is sturdier, but I haven't tried it myself. The Liberty headgear doesn't have this problem. Also, the elbow connector on my seems wobbles a bit. I route the hose down my body rather than overhead because the venting is very loud with the hose overhead. When I sleep on my side sometimes the elbow connector gets pushed in a bit by my pillow, which doesn't seem to generate any leaks but creates an annoying air noise that often wakes me up. It has done this since I first got it, so it isn't an issue where I have just wore it out.

Because the headgear is a pain, if I need to get up at night it is best to leave the mask on and disconnect the hose from the elbow connector. That's not nearly as convenient as the Liberty's quick disconnect elbow (which is a brilliant design, my single favorite feature of the Liberty).

As far as Liberty dislikes, I don't like how the headgear attaches to the mask. The top left and right headgear attachments kind of hook in and rely on the tension of the headgear on your head to hold in place. They pop off frequently when the mask is taken off (no tension to hold them in place), and if that happens it is a bit of a pain to get back on if you're having to do it in the dark. With the bottom connectors, which do latch into place, they're very flimsy and not all that difficult to disconnect when in use. A good firm tug on the headgear strap will pop them out even without pushing down the clips that is supposed to keep them locked in place.

The Hybrid has a big advantage when it comes to the nasal pillows in two respects. First is being able to adjust the height. You have a couple of height positions on the Hybrid, you get what you get on the Liberty. Second is the positioning. The Hybrid's pillows turn very nicely when you cut the little silicon flap that holds them to each other. For me that was an essential tweak to get proper positioning and a never fail seal. The Liberty doesn't give you that option by the way it is designed. The silicon tab holding the pillows together is on the underside of the mouthpiece portion (unlike the Hybrid), and even if you cut them the Liberty mouthpiece has little notches that you have to line the pillows up with not to get leaks. I don't have mouthpiece leaks with either mask, but I struggle with pillow leaks on the Liberty.

The last element is a matter of personal preference - the chin flap. Depending on your facial size and shape, the Hybrid's chin flap works great or is a hindrance to getting a good positioning/seal with the mouthpiece. For me, the chin flap is a blessing rather than a curse. It really helps stabilize the mask overall. Others have the opposite experience and have gone so far as to cut the chin flap off the Hybrid. For people like that, the Liberty's lack of a chin flap is a big "pro" rather than a "con."

All in all there is no perfect mask that everyone will agree on, but even with the deficiencies I like the Hybrid (at least as far as having to sleep with a mask on goes!). If I didn't have to fight the Liberty's nasal pillows so much I'd like it better, but I get tend to get pillow leaks with it throughout the night that wake me up.

Wyl wrote:................

Because the headgear is a pain, if I need to get up at night it is best to leave the mask on and disconnect the hose from the elbow connector.

.............

Like you, I don't take the mask off for quick trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night. I have a hard plastic connector on the hose and it attaches to the humidifier. I disconnect the hose from the humidifier and wrap it twice around my neck.

I would not want to breathe like this for twenty minutes because I may be rebreathing some co2 but for a quick trip it is not a problem.

I would not use the hard plastic connector on the end of the hose connected to the mask because it disconnects too easily when you are rolling over in your sleep.

Will - Great summation of the qualities/disadvantages of both masks!!! Thanks. It looks like I made the better choice (for me) with the Hybrid. Especially since it comes with all three mouthpieces and 3 nasal pillow sizes. I've been playing with it all night tonight and watched all the videos on the accompanying CD as well as visited the website. I too like that you can adjust the height of the pillows as well as the position. My nostrils are at two different angles and it sounds like the Liberty has a fixed position on it. I haven't had any more of a leak rate with the Hybrid than I've had with other masks and in fact, I've had no large leaks at all. With my UMFF I was getting several lasting 20 minutes or more. But that was probably due to the smell thing. I was waking up with the mask on my cheek - lot of good it did there - or completely off.

Thanks so much again for your evaluation! It makes me feel easier that I made a good decision. I'm one of those that always likes to get the latest/greatest and thought since the Liberty was new it might be better technology.

As for the headgear, I've got the newer one - grey/black. I read the reviews on the old headgear on cpap.com and the first one talked about the differences between the old and new. It might be worth it to get the new headgear! The videos shows the old one and I don't like how it velcros at the top of the head. The new one has the two "wing" velcro straps like most other ones I've tried. It also seems to be the same quality as the rest of the masks I've used - UMFF and FP431. Thicker cushion and strong velcro.

Sleep well,

Linda

Yeah, in October I'll get a "new" Hybrid with the updated headgear. I got the Liberty because I was getting a new machine at the same time (replaced my 7 year old Resmed S6 with the Respironics M Series Pro I have now), and I'm one of those that tends to like the latest and greatest too I figured ResMed would have improved on the Hybrid design, and in some ways they did ... but in other ways it is obviously a step back. Something I didn't mention in my last post that you touched on - the Hybrid comes with 3 sizes of mouth pieces and nasal pillows. With the Liberty you get one mouthpiece (small or large depending on which mask you buy) and 3 sizes of nasal pillows. Since I'm more of a "medium," the large mask is a bit of a compromise even though I don't get leaks from it.

Anyway, prior to the Hybrid I also had the UMFF. I never could get that mask to work for me. In fact, I was very non-compliant with CPAP because the UMFF and other full face masks I had went through before that always tore up the bridge of my nose and I just couldn't deal with it for more than a few weeks at a time. The Hybrid was the first mask I could stay compliant on, 6 years after I first started CPAP.

That's interesting what you said about your nostrils. I never noticed anything unusual with mine, but when I started using the Hybrid one of the reasons I had to cut the flap/tab and separate the pillows was because of the angle issue. With the pillows attached together, I could get a good seal in one nostril but not both. After separating them I was able to accomodate the differences in my nostrils and get a good seal in both

Yep, had the same problem with the nose bridge with my UMFF. Also with the FP431. That and zits

On my second day of FFM use I had the skin torn off my nose! Granted it was probably due to my straps being too tight, but that was trying to keep the mask from leaking.

Had the same compliance problems with my FFM's too - I'd wake up with them on my cheek, forehead, and trying to scratch my nose!!!!!! Why is it that every night about an hour into sleep my nose would itch? It would wake me up every time trying to sneak under the seal to scratch! No problems with that now

The UMFF scarred the bridge of my nose, but so has every other FF mask to some degree.
You can't beat this Hybrid. It gets better and better as time goes by. I cannot believe how long I've been wearing it. Over a year now. A few breaks to try the Quattro and the Liberty but thet just made me love the Hybrid more. I would like to see Teleflex make more products foe sleep. Seems they have the best inventors, and they listen to the people wearing the masks and tweek to fit. You've got to love that. The big R's never do that.

About 2-3 months back, my DME let me test drive the Liberty to get feedback on whether the Hybrid or Liberty is better. I got the new lower vent flow version of the Hybrid end of March 2007. Since I used the Liberty for only a week but the Hybrid for almost a full year, I can't say that it is an entirely fair comparison but I'll do it anyways.

I find the new vent flow version of Hybrid (with grey/black headstraps) to be superior. The Hybrid pillows are so soft and I like the ability to adjust the height of the pillows. I don't know if the trampoline action causes it but the Liberty pillows really pushed hard against my nares and they were sore even after using Ayr gel. My mouth feels a lot more dry with the Liberty compared to the Hybrid and I think it is because the Hybrid chin cup keeps my mouth shut atleast part of the night. The one thing I do like about the Liberty is the quick disconnect but that doesn't make up for the other deficiencies. The lower vent flow Hybrid is much quieter than the earlier Hybrid version and comparable to the Liberty in quietness.

Cheers!

Pat

[quote="patbringer"]About 2-3 months back, my DME let me test drive the Liberty to get feedback on whether the Hybrid or Liberty is better. I got the new lower vent flow version of the Hybrid end of March 2007. Since I used the Liberty for only a week but the Hybrid for almost a full year, I can't say that it is an entirely fair comparison but I'll do it anyways.

I find the new vent flow version of Hybrid (with grey/black headstraps) to be superior. The Hybrid pillows are so soft and I like the ability to adjust the height of the pillows. I don't know if the trampoline action causes it but the Liberty pillows really pushed hard against my nares and they were sore even after using Ayr gel. My mouth feels a lot more dry with the Liberty compared to the Hybrid and I think it is because the Hybrid chin cup keeps my mouth shut atleast part of the night. The one thing I do like about the Liberty is the quick disconnect but that doesn't make up for the other deficiencies. The lower vent flow Hybrid is much quieter than the earlier Hybrid version and comparable to the Liberty in quietness.

Cheers!

Pat

I'm using a M Series Auto C-Flex CPAP, Heated Humidifier. The range I use is 7 to 16.

Cheers!

Pat

I've been on BiPAP therapy since August 3. I got my Hybrid just a few days ago, so I've only "test driven" it a few nights now. I was using the Fisher & Paykel FlexiFit 432 full face mask which worked well, at the expense of irritation and broken skin on the bridge of my nose.

For the Hybrid, someone suggested cutting the little silicon piece that joins the pillows. Good idea. The Hybrid manual only suggests this for mixing two different pillow sizes, but there's no reason you can't do this with the same size pillows. The pillows (at least when they're new) kind of have an oblong shape, not perfectly round. I thought they would round out after a few days, but not the case. So positioning in the nostrils would be important, hence cutting the joining piece. I believe most people do NOT have round nostrils. Mine are dodecahedron shaped. (Just kidding.)

One concern I have is the chin piece on the Hybrid is quite rigid, and I can't open my mouth when I'm wearing the mask. This is OK for the most part, but I suffer some nasal congestion sometimes, due to allergies, colds, etc. Mouth breathing would then be difficult with the Hybrid mask.

Before I got the Hybrid mask, I had heard that nasal pillows often cause irritation to the nostrils due to the direct forcing of air. So far, I have not been bothered by this.

My BiPAP pressures are somewhat high: 18 on inhalation, 15 on exhalation. With the Hybrid mask compared to the FlexiFit 432, it seems that the Hybrid is "blasting" me with more pressure, especially in the nostrils, but I admit this is probably psychological and not fact at all.

Since beginning BiPAP therapy a few weeks ago, the snoring is gone (my wife extends her sincerest thanks to Respironics et al) and the sleeping is better. I am optimistic that the Hybrid mask will be the one that I stick with.

Jeff

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