Allow me to gripe for a minute...

[qmx]

Sorry you are having trouble. I have had great luck with the Mirage Quattro Full Face Mask. Stay with it because when things come together, the rewards are amazing!! DEAN

[JO'M]

I will definitely TRY to do without the chin strap. It may take a while to train myself to keep my pie hole shut, but it might be worth it. I am a heavy mouth breather, or at least I have been.
Thank you all for your wonderful, insightful comments. This is such a great forum.
I think I can, I think I can, I think I can....

I was a big mouth breaher too. I did not want to tape my mouth shut nor did I want to use a chin strap.
I've trained myself to keep my tongue behind my front teeth and to make sure I keep my mouth shut. I have a small pillow that I tuck (ok jam) up under my chin and then I wrap my arms around it.

[BlackSpinner]

[quote="CPAPhope"
I've trained myself to keep my tongue behind my front teeth and to make sure I keep my mouth shut. I have a small pillow that I tuck (ok jam) up under my chin and then I wrap my arms around it.

My lips don't close without some tension, even when my jaw is clenched. This is why I love my hybrid. The shape of the mouth piece with chin flap keeps my jaw closed and it pushes slightly on my lips to seal my mouth. I don't mouth breathe with it unless I end up on my back and gravity overwhelms the chin flap.

[CPAPhope]

Well, thanks to Hanes' suggestion about trying to sleep w/o the chinstrap, I have slept better the last couple of nights. I taped my mouth shut at first, but last night I removed the tape sometime in the middle of the night, and continued to sleep just fine until the alarm went off. My attitude is much better now, too. I think I just had a meltdown there for a day or two.
You guys have been talking a lot about "think of people in worse shape than you are", and I truly sympathize with some of your predicaments (I also had a mother with dementia). But I don't need to think about others' woes. I am grateful (99.9% of the time) for modern medicine and the fact that I can control my own health-diabetes, hypertension, thyroid insufficiency, etc.,etc.-by following (relatively) simple guidelines. My issues do seem to be piling up, but that just gives me more reasons to be grateful, right? I once had a friend who had OSA, and all the doctor could tell her was "lose weight or die". That was years ago. Now look what we are able to do! Rather than dwell on how unfortunate others are, I'd just as soon cultivate my own attitude of gratitude.

[BlackSpinner]

Well, thanks to Hanes' suggestion about trying to sleep w/o the chinstrap, I have slept better the last couple of nights. I taped my mouth shut at first, but last night I removed the tape sometime in the middle of the night, and continued to sleep just fine until the alarm went off. My attitude is much better now, too. I think I just had a meltdown there for a day or two.
You guys have been talking a lot about "think of people in worse shape than you are", and I truly sympathize with some of your predicaments (I also had a mother with dementia). But I don't need to think about others' woes. I am grateful (99.9% of the time) for modern medicine and the fact that I can control my own health-diabetes, hypertension, thyroid insufficiency, etc.,etc.-by following (relatively) simple guidelines. My issues do seem to be piling up, but that just gives me more reasons to be grateful, right? I once had a friend who had OSA, and all the doctor could tell her was "lose weight or die". That was years ago. Now look what we are able to do! Rather than dwell on how unfortunate others are, I'd just as soon cultivate my own attitude of gratitude.

I have to say that I wasn't thinking about you when I posted that, but the person who wanted to throw the cpap off a bridge. I am sorry that I upset you.