Hybrid Mask Reveiw - First Blush (Long)

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 8:18 am

I know one night is not a fair or comprehensive evaluation of a mask, but these are the observations I have drawn from my first night...or should I say, first three hours with the Hybrid.

If you read my previous posts from yesterday about trying to prepare for the night with the new acquisition, I was concerned about the clips pressing into my cheeks, which, as you can see from my avatar, are not overly chunky. I do have somewhat prominent cheekbones, though, and that might have something to do with it. However, I put my PadACheeks, double padded for Swift, on them last night and before bed, they felt much better. I also decided to coat the mask seal and the nasal pillows in my benzoin tincture to ensure less leakage, just as a precautionary measure. This is what occurred.

I went to bed and for once used the heated humidifier which, from what I had read, sounded like a smart thing to do. It didn't take long to fall asleep and the mask wasn't leaking to any degree that I could tell. I woke up the first time about an hour and a half later noticing a lot of pressure on the area between the top lip and my nose. Also, it felt far more cumbersome than what I'm used to, my Aura, where nothing but the pillows touch your face. But on I went, hoping I would fall asleep again and not wake up for some time.

I woke up again 45 mins. later to the same feelings only a bit more intense at this point. I was also having trouble, from the start, I failed to mention, with the hose. Very restricted because it just rotates in a circular motion and was hard to position acceptibly. Should have been made with a 360 degree postioning, IMHO. And the noise the exhaust makes almost constantly causes one to reposition the blankets and hose to quiet it down. Other than that, I found the Hybrid relatively quiet, no more noisy than other masks and perhaps less noisy. It's just that darn exhaust/hose combo.

Woke up again 45-60 mins. later again, same thing, a bit more intense now.

Fell asleep again only to wake up, once again, an hour later; at which time, I was tired of seeing the clock with every initial digit in order. At that point, I couldn't stand it anymore and took the mask off, used the facilities and put on my Aura. All I can say after I did that is, "Ah!" I was free. I should mention, also, that when I was in the bathroom, I noticed not only did I have clip marks on my cheeks WITH the PACs, but the lower straps must have been too tight, also, because I had lower straps marks along my jawline, although lighter than the clip marks.

I do NOT want to discourage anyone else from trying this mask. These are just my own FIRST NIGHT...first three hours experiences with it. I am NOT used to, nor am I usually comfortable with, full face masks of any kind so this kind of falls into that category. And I realize, as usual, and as suspected, I am probably the minority with my opinion so far of the Hybrid.

I do want to give it another chance to see if maybe tonight could be an improvement. I might even remove the headgear entirely and position the necessary pantyhose or headbands where it's comfortable and see if that works for me. Hell, many have done that with the Aura and found it the best mask they've ever used (right, Linda???). Maybe that will work for the Hybrid and me.

I do not think it's a bad mask at all. I think it has a lot of potential, especially for those who are used to ff masks or that haven't found one that they can tolerate yet. You're hearing from a diehard Aura fan, and the Aura being a mask that is so unobtrusive and easy to tolerate, so I may be way harder on this mask than others will be.

Like I said yesterday, I'm not going down without a fight, so I will probably give it another go tonight and then perhaps one more without the headgear, unless I rip it apart today and try it without. Then maybe it will be a headgear-less night's try tonight.

Don't let me scare anyone off. Like I said, it's not a bad mask. I just haven't had much luck YET. But I'll keep trying.

mousetater · Post by **mousetater** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 9:01 am

Lori,

You are correct. This mask takes some adjustment over several nights. I just finished night #3. First night I wore it for 20 minutes - too much leakage. Second night i used a different matching of cushion size and pillow size, and was able to sleep straight through for 3 hours, but then went back to my Active. Last night - night #3 - I was able to use it for 8.5 hours. The only problem I still have is that my AHI was higher than usual, but I think that is because I had to sleep on my back (I'm generally a side-sleeper) to prevent a leak in the cushion on the lower part of my right cheek. I remember the sleep lab asked me to try to stay on my back for my sleep study because more apneas occur in that position. So, I will work on avoiding the leak (only happens in that one place on the mask) so I can go back to sleeping on my side, and I think this will be my mask-of-choice. I do think I need to order some Pad-a-Cheeks, though, to increase comfort. I have never felt the need for them before.

On to night #4.

Issac · Post by **Issac** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 9:12 am

Lori,
My wife , who is spoiled on her Nasal-Aire II, when I showed her a picture of the new Hybrid, said "yuk, I don't want anything touching my face".
She would never wear a FF mask, even something his cute and small.
Why, if you are happy with your little pillow aura, are you trying to force yourself to use what in reality is more of a FF mask? Do you mouth breathe?

If I tried to make you wear my Resmed FF you would cry. Just because everyone else is giving such a positive experience does not mean this mask is for you.

I, on the other hand, am suffering every night with a mask that leaks in my eyes. I have a sore on the bridge of my nose as I speak. And a rash.

If this does not work out, please do not feel bad. Even if you get it to work comfortably, it's more touching your face than you are use to.
You will have no problem reselling your Hybrid with the demand, I'm sure.

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 9:43 am

Isaac,
I so badly want to have a mask that I can trade off with every now and then, when I need a change from the Aura. I can't find that mask. I do like the Breeze, but the plenum eventually hurts my nose, even leaving it as loose as I can, and I end up taking it off halfway through the night. And I would really like to find a nasal or ff mask as an alternate.

I just read mousetater's post and she agrees it sometimes takes a few nights to get the hang of something new. I am not giving up yet. Also, it's nice to have something for those nights when allergies or stuffiness kicks in and you need to breathe through your mouth. I can't do that with the Aura.

Yes, you're right, I consider myself blessed to be happy with at least one mask. I don't take that lightly. But it would be nice to have something to switch to on those nights.

Mousetater,
TRY THE BENZOIN TINCTURE!!! I can't vouge for how long you can use it without it ruining a seal, although I've been using it all the time since I got it on my Aura and Breeze with no recourse. It will seal that pocket at the lower right of your seal that leaks. I can almost guarantee it. If that's the only thing causing your a problem with the Hybrid for you, you're doing great. That or the Marine Mask Seal should fix that right up for you.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 9:58 am

Sleepless on LI wrote:I know one night is not a fair or comprehensive evaluation of a mask, but these are the observations I have drawn from my first night...or should I say, first three hours with the Hybrid.

I like reading these reviews but it would make a lot of sense if the reviews could get written up after the mask has been used for at least a week because then we could get one complete idea of the over all review from each person. Thanks to everyone for telling your reviews of this mask.

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 10:02 am

Anonymous wrote:
Sleepless on LI wrote:I know one night is not a fair or comprehensive evaluation of a mask, but these are the observations I have drawn from my first night...or should I say, first three hours with the Hybrid.
I like reading these reviews but it would make a lot of sense if the reviews could get written up after the mask has been used for at least a week because then we could get one complete idea of the over all review from each person. Thanks to everyone for telling your reviews of this mask.

Guest,

My main reason for posting it (and I agree with you) is so people know what to expect at first. There has been a lot of incredibly positive reviews on the mask after extended use, so knowing that it may not be perfect right out of the box for some of us could also be beneficial to hear. And I did preface it, as you know, by saying it is not a fair evaluation after three hours use. I didn't mean to insinuate anything otherwise.

birdiebaby · Post by **birdiebaby** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:16 am

Lori --

What size mouth gasket are you using? I ended up switching eveyrthing last night while I was in bed. I found that the large mouth gasket provided the least pressure above my lip. It almost felt like there was nothing there. Now granted, I'm coming from the UMII and am used to the feeling of pressure there, but the gasket change really helped. It also got the mask clips away from my face. In fact had no marks or soreness from the straps or clips at all this morning. I *always* have marks in the a.m., so I'm very happy about that.

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 11:43 am

Birdie,

Large mouth seal and large piillows...what's a person to do?

I did remove the headgear before and am experimenting with ways to keep the interface in place without clips. I'll let you know if I can come up with something secure. I'm sure it's just a question of proper placement, hopefully...

mousetater · Post by **mousetater** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:07 pm

Lori,

Thanks for the suggestion of BENZOIN TINCTURE. I'll give that a try!

mousetater

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:23 pm

Lori,
Thank you so much for for your honest appraisal of your first night. I haven't started treatment yet, but knowing more experienced cpapers(?) have to take the time to iron out the wrinkles makes me a little less stressful about starting.
I was diagnosed in April and still haven't heard from the DME yet as to when I'll get set up. I'm trying to get the hybrid mask(more fighting with the DME) and it's so nice to hear from others who are using it and the tricks that help make it work.
Brenda

GoofyUT · Post by **GoofyUT** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 12:41 pm

Diagnosed in April, and therapy hasn't started yet??????

Is there a good malpractice attorney on the board who's reading this??

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 1:00 pm

Chuck (GoofyUT),

Stop starting trouble!!!

Brenda,

Glad to be of help in any way. I think it's safe to say that this is one condition where you never have "enough" experience and there's always room to learn more. That's what this site is all about, people helping people no matter if you're just starting out or have a few years or more under your belt...or should I say, mask.

I would try to light a fire under your DME, or whoever it is that's dropping the ball with your therapy getting started, as this is a long time to wait between diagnosis and treatment. Proactive is your best bet.

Best of luck and keep posting.

roztom · Post by **roztom** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 2:29 pm

Lori:

Can't you see Lori, in her basement, stroking her beard, with a blowtorch modifing her Hybrid?

It's like customizing a car

Lori, I'm betting on you.

Thanks for giving us your reports. It brings us all back to the reality of what it takes to make a mask our own.

Best,

Tom

PS. MY mask is on order. Please figure this out for us.

Sleepless on LI · Post by **Sleepless on LI** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 3:58 pm

Tom,

This is a lot of pressure to place on one bearded and moustached woman. I'll try not to let you down, though!

I might go the deconstructed route tonight, but it's not a positive yet. I will give it another shot either way and report back. Thanks for the vote of confidence. You think shaving my facial hair might help???

Sleepy-in-AL · Post by **Sleepy-in-AL** » Sat Jul 08, 2006 7:48 pm

LoRi,

The love the mustache and it grew so fast!

Thanks for the updates. I had an ok night with the hybrid. I was travelling all day, so I haven't looked at the data from last night but I don't think there were any lare leaks. Still having some issues with the sore upper lip.

Mask

Additional Comments: Pressure MinE 11 MaxI 17.5