newbie! help with mirage liberty full face! please

I'm back. I wish Blackberry would let us know how he is doing.

I took some time off from the board because for the past six days I have had a 101 plus fever. Numerous tests being done..stay tuned..

Anyway, after mixed success with remedies suggested on here, (and I have decided not to buy the pillow yet), the sleep rep at the hospital gave me larger sized nose pillows, and the leaking stopped. I don't like the fact that I have gone from small to medium pillows though, what happens when I outgrow the large...? Yuck. Anyway, I still have a fever, I'm still sick...bye for now.

So Blackberry, hope you're still reading this.

Fellow cpapers,
I am doing okay with my mirage liberty. I have taken the standard headgear for my liberty and taken the top straps and folded it onto the other side of the headgear and then took a safety pin to stabilize the upper straps. This give the nasal pillows a more compression and helps them to seal. My leak rates have been under 0.4 l/s that my resmed machine can compensate for. But although I can't see to get my AHI below 5. Most nights my AI index is at 0.0 or below 5.0. So mostly my AHI is made up of HI index not AI index. I just want to see my AHI below 5.0 all the time. I know other people that use resmed machines and there AHI is below 5.0 with any full face or liberty or hybrid. My titrated pressure is 12.0cmh2o. If anyone has any ideas for me to lower my AHI with my s8 autoset, I would really appreciate it. The answer is not to buy an resmed s9 autoset, for you jokers out there. Look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
Chad aka
Blackberry37

Just bumping it up.....bump!!

Hope to hear from my fellow cpapers!!!

Sincerely,
Chad

I gave up the Mirage Liberty and anything with nasal pillows.

I'm using a Mirage Quattro along with a dental appliance to prevent my jaw from sliding back and a chin strap to keep my mouth closed. This is with tremendous success.

My Mirage Liberty caused me (and my bed partner) more hardship than I can possibly describe with words.

Here's my advice:

1. Scrub those nasal pillows with soap every single day. Do it early in the day so they have plenty of time to dry out.

2. Keep your humidifier on the lowest setting possible to keep the nasal pillows as dry as possible. Moisture is their enemy.

3. Do not use any kind of lubrication to ease irritation. If they're irritating you, use a mask without nasal pillows. The nasal pillows are intentionally made of a tacky material so they will adhere better to the inside of your nostrils and prevent leaks.

4. Change your nasal pillows often. Keep a search for nasal pillows in your My eBay profile. I bought a bunch of them once for almost nothing.

5. A lot of people overlook this, but you can cut that little rubber strip between the two pillows and use a different size for each nostril.

6. Look at the shape of your nostrils in a mirror. If they're not very close to round, you're really not suited for nasal pillows.

7. The higher your pressure, the less suited you are for a Mirage Liberty.

Your success with CPAP therapy depends very heavily on getting the right mask. If the Mirage Liberty isn't working out for you, try something different. The Mirage LIberty made me give up CPAP therapy for a year. Now, I love my CPAP and can't imagine sleeping without it. I won't even lay down for a 15-minute nap or read in bed without it. If Apria is your DME, they have a 30-day return policy, so you can try any mask and, if you don't like it, you can switch to another. If you're using a different DME, ask them about their return policy.

If money is an issue and/or you don't want to or can't get a Mirage Quattro, a lower cost alternative that would work very well at pressure settings below about 11 or so is the Fisher & Paykel Forma. Once that mask seals up on you, you practically have to yank it off in the morning. And it's so comfortable you don't even want to take it off. I use the Forma as a back-up mask when I just feel like doing something different that night, but I can't really sleep on my back with it at my pressure setting (14.5). Plus, you look like a fighter pilot when you wear a Forma, so you'll really be a hit with your sleeping partner.

-- Charlie Greer