Having a new problem with Liberty Hybrid mask

[breakfast]

Hi everyone,

I've been using the Liberty Hybrid mask with my S9 for several years with great success-- 100% compliant, no AHI, can't imagine life without it.

I've had a new problem lately, though. I sleep on my left side (my back is toast and this is the position that works best for me if I'm actually going to sleep). During the night, the pillow on the left side of my face comes dislodged-- I can feel it slowly pop out of my nostril, and it blows air everywhere. This has also caused a small "notch" to form in my nostril, which I think is only making the problem worse.

I have tried every possible strap adjustment (too loose? too tight?), different pillow sizes (large painfully stretches my nostrils, small becomes lodged deeply in my nostril and is painful to extract so it sounds like medium is the only thing that fits), tried sleeping in different positions (ouch), rearranging my tubing to make sure it doesn't pull or snag, applying a small amount of lanolin in the hopes it will make it stick (it just provided lubrication so that it would fly out faster)...

I fear I am going to have to resort to duct-taping the edge of the pillow to the edge of my nose to keep it from slipping out.

I do also have an FX For Her full face mask, but it sounds like a jet engine no matter what I do, pinches at the bridge of my nose making me feel congested, and it leaks around the eyes (as I have chronic dry eye, this is definitely not something I want)-- I don't even know why I still have this mask, honestly.

I am seeing my respiratory therapist this week. I am also having brain surgery this week and I don't really want to be messing around with a new mask.

Does anyone have any non-duct-tape suggestions?

[ChicagoGranny]

Does anyone have any non-duct-tape suggestions?

Find the ladies tights fix on this page - wiki/index.php/Hybrid_Mask_Modifications

There is also an illustration.

I have used this fix on my Innomed Hybrid every night for about five years. Works well.

Make sure you don't cover the exhaust vents with the tights.

[Sir NoddinOff]

I didn't have a lot of luck with the mask you're using due to leakage, so no specific mask suggestions. I didn't see where you mentioned the reason for going with a hybrid. Anyway, I just wanted to say good luck with the outcome of your upcoming brain surgery

Skip the duct tape, way overkill. I like this stuff, just be sure to really clean your skin and don't use soap with oily lotions in it. Get some plain Ivory or something like that. I finish up with a quick swipe of alcohol but some don't like that on their face:
http://www.nexcare.com/wps/portal/3M/en ... 563&rt=rud

[breakfast]

Does anyone have any non-duct-tape suggestions?

Find the ladies tights fix on this page - wiki/index.php/Hybrid_Mask_Modifications

There is also an illustration.

I have used this fix on my Innomed Hybrid every night for about five years. Works well.

Make sure you don't cover the exhaust vents with the tights.

This is PERFECT. Thank you. I just put a run in a brand new pair of tights. Now they are still useful!

[breakfast]

I didn't have a lot of luck with the mask you're using due to leakage, so no specific mask suggestions. I didn't see where you mentioned the reason for going with a hybrid. Anyway, I just wanted to say good luck with the outcome of your upcoming brain surgery

Skip the duct tape, way overkill. I like this stuff, just be sure to really clean your skin and don't use soap with oily lotions in it. Get some plain Ivory or something like that. I finish up with a quick swipe of alcohol but some don't like that on their face:
http://www.nexcare.com/wps/portal/3M/en ... 563&rt=rud

I'm allergic to a lot of medical tape, but if the tights don't work, I'll try some Tegaderm to hold it in. Also, thank you for the good vibes!

I use a hybrid because I'm a mouth-breather whose jaw cannot be tamed with chin straps or anything short of serious tape, but I end up with friction blisters across the bridge of my nose, or massive eye-area leaks, with most of the full face masks I've tried. It was tough to find something that works, but now that I have something that works (or did for a very long time...) I'm reluctant to change.

[ChicagoGranny]

I use a hybrid because I'm a mouth-breather whose jaw cannot be tamed with chin straps or anything short of serious tape, but I end up with friction blisters across the bridge of my nose, or massive eye-area leaks, with most of the full face masks I've tried. It was tough to find something that works, but now that I have something that works (or did for a very long time...) I'm reluctant to change.

It's a great mask with so many advantages over traditional full face masks. It has a smaller footprint than any FFM I know of. And like you mentioned, nothing touches the bridge of your nose.

I find it simple to get the mouthpiece adjusted so it doesn't leak. The additions of tights to the nasal pillows was the one trick that made the mask work perfectly. Most nights my leak statistic is zero, and that is with 95% pressures that run in the range of 16 to 18. Some nights the pressure hits 20, and still no leaks.

Let us know if the tights fix works for you.

[CaptainRaven40]

I don't have any suggestions but I am really interested in the Hybrid masks. I am a nasal pillow guy (P10). I got a Simplus ffm and if is so out of my comfort zone. I feel like the hybrid would be much easier for me when my allergies are so so bad. I am not sure though.

[SleepyStar]

Just an FYI, the Amara View is a FFM released fall 2015 and it doesn't go over the bridge of your nose. Since it is new, thought I would let you know it exists. It is the only one that fits my face and doesn't set off claustrophobia so far out of FFM. And it plays nicely with my TMJ bite guard.

Might be worth looking into.

[CaptainRaven40]

Just an FYI, the Amara View is a FFM released fall 2015 and it doesn't go over the bridge of your nose. Since it is new, thought I would let you know it exists. It is the only one that fits my face and doesn't set off claustrophobia so far out of FFM. And it plays nicely with my TMJ bite guard.

Might be worth looking into.

I have heard a lot of good news on this mask. It just would not work with my face at all. Everyone is different and I am glad it is out there for people!

[breakfast]

Just an FYI, the Amara View is a FFM released fall 2015 and it doesn't go over the bridge of your nose. Since it is new, thought I would let you know it exists. It is the only one that fits my face and doesn't set off claustrophobia so far out of FFM. And it plays nicely with my TMJ bite guard.

Might be worth looking into.

This was one my RT suggested today. We are going to try replacing the cushions on my mask (and the tights trick), but the Amara View looks promising! I do wonder if it'll work with my overbite, but I figure that if it doesn't work for me, I'll still have my Liberty and my tights.

CaptainRaven-- give the Liberty a shot. The worst outcome is that it just isn't for you and you've got to try something else. If you're already having good success with a pillows mask, you might really like it.

[ChicagoGranny]

It just would not work with my face at all.

How do you know that?

[CaptainRaven40]

It just would not work with my face at all.

How do you know that?

Oh I am sorry I should have explained better. I have tried the mask and it didn't work with my face. No matter what I did it leaked like crazy. I tried different sizes and it just didn't work for me. It seemed like my nose size and shape just didn't do well with this mask. Just my experience with it.

[chunkyfrog]

My nose is too small. It slips right through the notch.
That is with their smallest size.
I wish they made it in an extra small.

[breakfast]

So, a little update on this one. I held off on replacing the cushions. I am now bald, and the straps fit my head better than they ever did. I guess my hair was part of the problem in tightening the straps and the mask really was slipping off my head while I slept, just enough to blow the pillow out of my nose.

Anyway, no hair, no problems, sleeping like a heavily sedated baby for as many hours a day as I can tolerate. Life is good again. I take back every nasty thing I said about my Liberty that one time at 4am.