Mirage Liberty FF Mask w/nasal pillows HELP!!!!

skjansen · Post by **skjansen** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 9:29 am

Okay, I used my Resmed Liberty FF Mask with nasal pillows for the first time last night. I really liked the fact that no part of the mask is near my eye area. I started off with the large nasal pillows but found them to be uncomfortable. I changed to the medium pillows in the middle of the night. I checked my leak rates both times and found them to be 0.10L/s. According to my user manual the leak rate should not be above 0.45L/s.

So, what is my problem you ask? Well, my forehead literally feels like it could POP this morning. This is the first time I have ever used nasal pillows and I am wondering if anyone using nasal pillows have ever experienced this before? It feels like my sinus passages in my forehead are filled with air. It seems that this could occur because so much air is going up into my nose.

Please share your thoughts. I really LOVE that this mask and straps touch very little of my face. I really want this mask to work!

brothertony · Post by **brothertony** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 10:29 am

Okay

I understand your pain issue and I will pray for you on that. I have no advice but want to ask questions. I am concidering the liberty and want to know how it fit for you. my DME ask if I have ever been suba diving, when I ask their opinion. give me all your opinions about this mask

TDog · Post by **TDog** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 12:20 pm

I have no solution for you, other than to say that I have had similar feelings. Mine is more in my ears, sometimes they feel like they really need to pop, but it's gotten better as time has gone by. My advice, for what it's worth, would be to give it a few nights and see if you adjust. Let's face it, God didn't intend for us to breath this way, with air being FORCED into our airway, but he did design a body that's pretty adaptive.

Brothertony:
I don't get your DME's scuba question. Sounds to me like he/she has something against the liberty for some reason. I would think they would realize what a personal and subjective thing this whole mask business is. Just because they don't like a mask doesn't mean it won't work great for you.

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skjansen · Post by **skjansen** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 12:43 pm

Brothertony:

The Resmed Mirage Liberty FF Mask appears to be available in small and large sizes only. If you go to myresmed.com you can find a sizing guide template that will help you determine what size you need to order. I have an oval face and normally wear a medium in full face masks. I ordered the large (based on the template) and it appears to be perfect. It also comes with three sizes of nasal pillows for you to experiment with. I ended up using the medium pillows.

I actually love this mask. The strap and headgear do not lay across the delicate tissues around my eyes and I noticed for the first time in a long time I did not wake up with blood shot eyes (from air blowing in my eyes) and extremely dark circles under my eyes from where the mask sat on my face. I also did not have marks from the straps and I did not have an indention like I used to where FF masks normally sit on the face.

Again, my only problem was with my head feeling like it was going to pop. I felt a little bit this way yesterday so I am hoping that maybe my sinuses are alittle messed up right now and the head pressure is not a result of the nasal pillows!

Please keep your fingers crossed and say a little prayer. I really want this mask to work.

TDog...I bet the DME asked about scuba diving because the mask kind of reminds me of a scuba mask. That was just my take on what brothertony said!

tony22 · Post by **tony22** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 6:09 pm

I'm waiting for my Liberty and this has me scratching me head. I wonder what the difference is between xx cm of air getting breathed up your nose via a FF mask vs. via nasal pillow inserts?

larbabe · Post by **larbabe** » Tue Jun 03, 2008 11:40 pm

I think the smaller the hole in the pillow the more concentrated the air stream. When I first used the small size, the air seemed to shoot up into my sinuses. Maybe that's what you're experiencing. Play with the sizes and the humidifier setting. After a few nights you should find a comfort zone.

skjansen · Post by **skjansen** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 8:12 am

Alright...my search for a mask that is perfect is apparently futile. So, I went to bed last night and I used the medium size nasal pillows as that is what I had changed to the night before. The large pillows felt very uncomfortable. I woke up about 1:00 and the leakage and mask noise was out of control. I laid there thinking my goodness this is a loud mask. So, I got up again, changed to the large nasal pillows and noticed immediately that the leakage/noise dropped off significantly. What baffles me is that my leakage rate on my machine only dropped slightly (0.98L/s to 0.96 L/s...keep in my the leakage rate should be around 0.45L/s) even after I changed the pillows. I really did not hear nor did I feel any leakage for the second half of the night. Mt AHI for the night was 3.1.

I really want this mask to work, but at this point I am baffled. I will try it again tonight to see if the large pillows will work all night.

By the way, yesterday I was complaining about excessive pressure in my forehead after using this mask the first time. It must have been a fluke because I did not have any of that this morning.

I will keep you all updates since I know some of you are considering this mask. Personally I am thinking about the Oracle if this one does not work.

TDog · Post by **TDog** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 11:04 am

try squeezing your nostrils a little and see if the leaks stops. Just a little, not all the way shut or anything. I've found getting the nasal pillows to really seal is problematical and requires some "aftermarket engineering" (ie, taping your nose etc). Do a search on the liberty and you'll see some of the solutions people use. And I agree, I think for all but a very fortunate few, sadly, there is no perfect mask. It's seems they all have some shortcoming that must be accepted or worked around.

BTW, an AHI of 3.1 is nothing to sneeze at. According to medical guidelines, that is considered "normal"

chipbutty · Post by **chipbutty** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 11:16 am

Yes, taping with medical tape is very effective in keeping the pillows secure. It doesn't look elegant but it's almost impossible for the pillows to leak. I use them on my Hybrid. I can get them to seal ok without tape, but I just like the peace of mind securing the pillows with tape gives me.

I know some people use a rubber band or shoe lace running across the top of the mask to keep the pillows secure.

I use the Nexcare tape. Well worth getting hold of.

neverbetter · Post by **neverbetter** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 2:20 pm

For the future:
The Hybrid comes with all 3 size cushions for the mouth as well as 6 pillows for sizing. The six pillows have two hights and you can choose chin flap or no chin flap.
It's sort of a no brainer
and it's less expensive.
I absolutely love this mask.

skjansen · Post by **skjansen** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 9:05 am

Okay, I think after three tries I finally got this Liberty mask right. I have the large size mask and large nasal pillows. I turned my PaPillow the opposite direction you are supposed to use it and it works better that way.

My leak rate last night was 0.16 L/s. That is well under the 0.45 L/s that the manual stated. My AHI is 3.6.

I am now happy with this mask!!!

Mask

Additional Comments: basic Chin Strap