Just had my first follow-up, please help

[digitalepiphany]

Also, do you know the hybrid would work as far as breathing mainly through the nose?
This mask might actually work for me if I can breathe through my nose like normal, but force air in when my lips open. Or does it not work that way?

[digitalepiphany]

I guess I shouldn't have said that my face was buried. I have a buckwheat pillow, so that would be impossible, but the side of my face does lay directly against the pillow. I can't afford a cpap pillow, but I'll check with the VA to see if I can get a pillow along with a hybrid mask. It's worth at least trying.

[Pugsy]

The Hybrid might work...never hurts to try.
Send me your mailing address and I will get it out to you.
I used a buckwheat pillow for years myself. It will let you make a little nest for the mask.
No need to spend big bucks on a fancy cpap pillow with all the cut outs just to try it. If you can go to Walmart and get one of their cheap memory foam pillows you can make your own cut outs...often that is enough. $20 I think I have seen them for.

Using the nasal pillows with the Hybrid..they work just like your current nasal pillows in terms of air flow. Quite comfortable really. Fitting the part over the mouth to get it just right is a real bitch though. I tried it and it had me in tears for over an hour till I figured out how to put it together..and yes, I watched the video. This was way back when I was first starting therapy and thought I just HAD to have a FFM...found out that for me it was way more trouble than it was worth but I do see the value for others.

This might help also.
wiki/index.php/Hybrid_Mask_Modifications

[digitalepiphany]

I do have a memory foam pillow that I haven't used since I got the buckwheat pillow. If I go the FFM/Hybrid route, I'll just cut the pillow.

I'm gonna get in contact with my guy at the VA regarding the hybrid mask. If he thinks it's a good fit, he'll just send me one. None of this costs me any money, so it'd probably be best if you kept the mask in case someone else comes along that can't afford one. Of course, if he tells me no, then I may just take you up on your offer. What do you think shipping will cost? Thanks for the offer, btw.

[M'ohms]

I have fallen in love with the Hybrid after using the Quattro FX and the Liberty. I am a side sleeper, and find that the mask stays in place better than the rest I have used (6 others in all). Also, the aIr vents don't bother me--they don't blow into my eyes or make noise against my bedding.

[Pugsy]

What do you think shipping will cost?

Not much...$5 or $6 ...depends on the box size and if I do USPS Priority mail which I normally do so that I get a tracking number and a bit of free insurance and it normally isn't any more than standard shipping.
If you need it and can't afford shipping...that's okay. You could pay me later when/if you get a little extra sometime in the future.

But if you can get one from the VA that would be great. It's always nice to start with new when we can especially when it comes to the cushions.
I have no idea which one of the cushions was used or for how long. I doubt if very long...the headgear looks too good.
Sometimes I get donated stuff and the headgear is obviously way past its prime.

If you change your mind and want it...let me know before the 20th as I will be leaving for the holidays and will be gone for a week so I wouldn't be able to ship it until I got back if you wait past Thursday.

[digitalepiphany]

The guy from the VA called me back, and he's going to put in an order for the Liberty. Last time it only took about 3 days to get my Swift FX, so I'm hoping to have it by Thursday.

I did confirm with him that he is indeed setting me up for a BiPAP ASV. He said it'd look just like the ResMed S9 AutoSet that I currently have. He didn't give me any other specifics about the exact model. He did say that it would be set up for a minimum of 10 breaths (I'm assuming per minute?), but didn't mention anything about pressures.

As far as the split study is concerned, he said he wants to wait to see how I fare on the new machine/mask combo before scheduling that.

So, things are in motion, but as you all know, with sleep apnea they never arrive soon enough.

Unfortunately, I have to give him back my current machine, but I'm gonna see if he'll let me keep it as a backup.

[digitalepiphany]

At this point, I don't think anything is going to help until I get my new mask, new machine, or both. Regardless, I think posting my results from my little experiments might be able to help someone. With that said, here's what happened last night.

Last night, I taped. I used blue painters tape, with nothing else except my machine and mask. The results are even worse than just the polygrip. Tonight, I'm going to try using the polygrip and the tape, and I'll post the results tomorrow. I had 2 wake-ups last night (that I actually can recall). The first was around 5AM, where I woke up still on my back (this is unusual for me, but may bode well for the new mask). Regardless, it was another horrible night's sleep, filled with massive leaks.

[Pugsy]

Damn, I was so hoping the good night wasn't a fluke.

While waiting for the new mask and machine stuff to happen.... Wonder if we could maybe take a back door approach...limit the chance that the increase in pressures is maybe feeding the leak monster as well as maybe feeding the central monster. How about limiting max to 9 cm and see what happens?

[robysue]

Just want to put my two cents in here:

I agree with Pugsy. It may be worthwhile to set max pressure to 9cm to see if that reduces both the leaking and the number of CAs. It's hard to tell without zooming in on some of the pressure increases, but one of the patterns that seems to be apparent is that the OAs (together with snoring or flow limitations, which are missing) are triggering some pretty rapid and significant pressure increases even in the presence of the CAs. Since the OAI + HI = 3.3, it may be worth letting a few more obstructive events happen if it reduces the CAI.

[digitalepiphany]

I'm willing to try anything once (CPAP-wise ;D). If I reduce max to 9, should I not tape?

Also, I went ahead and zoomed in on an area with the largest leaks, so you could get a better idea of pressure. I also added a screenshot of flow limitation, although I'm not sure what that actually shows.

It looks as though the CAs occured at lower pressure, and with less leaks.

[Pugsy]

How was the seal from the tape and polygrip last night??? When you woke up was there a good seal? or was it loose?
If it was still tight...those aren't mouth breathing leaks last night.

I think your should still try tape or polygrip or whatever ...if nothing else to limit the leaks making evaluation of the data more difficult.
That way if we see big leaks and you tell me "hey, the tape was still in place nice and tight..nothing could leak through" then we know any leaks we see aren't from the mouth.

[digitalepiphany]

I didn't use polygrip last night, just the tape. I think the tape was a bit loose at the corners, which is why I'm going to try the tape and polygrip tonight.

[Pugsy]

Do your best to get a complete seal...and keep it until the morning or at least long enough where we have a couple of hours without significant leaks so we can trust the data we see during that time. Not striving for perfection all night long at this point.
Work on keeping that tongue plastered in the roof of your mouth too. It's something that I do all the time now. If my mouth isn't moving...the tongue is parked in its position to keep the door closed.

[digitalepiphany]

I always try to keep my tongue in that position. I'll post results of the polygrip/tape tomorrow.