Making my hybrid into a mouth only mask (like an oracle)

[Guest]

I really dont know how to go about doing this, but I thought it was a great idea cause i sleep with my mouth open and dont want to nose breathe. well I at least want to try this. But i have NO idea how to go about doing it...I need to somehow block my nose, and also somehow block the air going into the nasal pillows. so if I leave the pillows in there it will serve to block both my nose and the air going into it. Ah this is so hard to try and explain... I need a lot of instruction here, or anything you think would work, including what material i would use to block the holes into the nasal pillow. and nothing you say will sound crazy!

[Linda3032]

Well, at least this is an original post. . So, if you are serious, here's what I envision (keep in mind that I don't have a hybrid).

Can you take small balls of clay or silly putty, wrap it in saran wrap, and stuff it inside the pillows? Just make sure the ball is alot bigger than the mask hole so it doesn't come out and blow up your nose.

Wouldn't that puzzle the emergency room doctor? ..

I'm not condoning your plan, just making a suggestion.

[SleepySandy]

Just make sure the ball is alot bigger than the mask hole so it doesn't come out and blow up your nose.

I'm sorry. That's just too funny.


In all seriousness - there's an added requirement to Linda's idea. Nose plugs! If you block the air from going into the nasal pillows, you should probably also close your nose so you definitely don't breathe through your nose.

I don't have a Hybrid either, but I'm wondering if there's a way to pinch off the nose pillows to keep air out of them.

[wolftracker]

taking them out totally and blocking with guess what??

RIGHT DUCK TAPE

why would that not work ...


wolf

[WearyOne]

You could just tape up the holes in the oral cushion where the pillows attach, unless you needed the pillows in the nose, but not actually being used, so as to help support the rest of mask and help keep it in place. If you did this, you would need nose plugs to make sure not to breathe through your nose.

If you want to keep the pillows attached, you'd really need to stuff the pillows tight with something, like Linda said, so nothing gets blown up your nose. Or you could possibly tie a string around each pillow really tight to keep the air out, but you might still get a little leak that way.

Don't think this is a bad idea. Actually, I'd like to see the Hybrid people make a similar mask, but rather than pillows, have something that attaches to the nose and into the oral cushion like the Respironics Simplicity nasal mask. The Simplicty attaches around the tip of the nose rather than all of the nose--it's not a pillow or prong system.

The Hybrid 2---Simplicity-type attachment instead of pillows!

Just a crazy thought.

Pam

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[krousseau]

Wonder if low temp glue gun is low enough temp not to melt the pillows-refrigerate them before you start-filling in the pillow would seem to assure keeping the plugs in place.

[birdshell]

If you taped the holes on the Hybrid successfully, as suggested by WearyOne:

Doesn't the Oracle have some kind of clip or adapted clothespin that is used to close the nostrils? Maybe you wouldn't have to re-invent the wheel if those work for you. I know that others haven't liked the ones that came with the Oracle.

There are other kinds of devices to close the nostrils, such as those nose clips used by swimmers or for stress-tests (usually done on treadmills). Best of luck and you are certainly industrious.

[bdp522]

Take the pillows out of the mask. Place saran wrap over the holes in the mouth piece. Put the pillows back in, keeping the saran wrap over the openings. If any leaks happen use the plumbers teflon tape to seal them off.
I have the hybrid and this is all I could come up with, that could be easily reversed.
I think you will most likely end up with a severely dry mouth or a mask filled with drool.

Brenda

[ltd123]

My DME gave me an old Oracle mask that had been sitting in a box for ?? (years?). We were discussing something else and she gave it to me (free) to try because no one had ever liked them in her experience. I hated it BUT inside the box there were little nose plugs that would do a fine job of stopping up your nostrils. Since they were made for this purpose, I think they would be safe and effective. For the 5 minutes I wore them they felt comfortable... You might try asking your supplier about them; maybe they have some old samples too. Then, you could use the saran wrap idea - or others - to block the air escaping the hybrid mask.
good luck!
Laura