Hybrid Test-Drive Continues

mellabella wrote: ....... though I've had to use the panty hose trick I've read about here (a loop of panty hose to loosely hold the base of the nasal pillows securely to the face).

I use a leg out of a pair of lady's tights. It is very easy to use, lightweight and cool. You can hardly feel it and it really does stabilize the nasal pillows as MellaBella says.

rooster wrote:

mellabella wrote: ....... though I've had to use the panty hose trick I've read about here (a loop of panty hose to loosely hold the base of the nasal pillows securely to the face).

I use a leg out of a pair of lady's tights. It is very easy to use, lightweight and cool. You can hardly feel it and it really does stabilize the nasal pillows as MellaBella says.

...and you know, I'm pretty sure I learned this trick from cpaptalk.com threads written by...Rooster! Let me take this time to thank you (and RestedGal, who made the archives so accessible) for making that mask work for me...because it doesn't, without the panty hose.

rooster wrote:I use a leg out of a pair of lady's tights. It is very easy to use, lightweight and cool. You can hardly feel it and it really does stabilize the nasal pillows as MellaBella says.

I've recently purchased a Hybrid, but haven't yet tried it (I liked how it felt when I tried a bunch at my sleep study, though it wasn't the one I used there). Rooster & Mellabella, I'm trying to understand why this one would need the tights strap, as it seems so well anchored to the face with the headgear straps. And where exactly are you placing the tights on the mask?

plr66 wrote:..... And where exactly are you placing the tights on the mask?

As Rested Gal taught us, first tie the tights leg into a loop. For the Hybrid mask, I pull the tights loop over my head and place it so that it covers the front of the nasal pillows and a little way up onto my nose. The loop is positioned under my ears with the knot on the back of my head. Be careful that the exhaust ports are not blocked.

In my hunting club there are so many of us that use cpap that no one in the bunkhouse laughs at this modification.

Maybe carrying guns also has a tendency to stifle laughter.

Thanks, I'm really anxious and curious about this mask. And I have plenty of pantyhose to use if I need it!

stacia123 wrote:........ And I have plenty of pantyhose to use if I need it!

Note that we are using ladies' tights. I am guessing that pantyhose are not as comfortable.

rooster wrote:

stacia123 wrote:........ And I have plenty of pantyhose to use if I need it!

Note that we are using ladies' tights. I am guessing that pantyhose are not as comfortable.

Your tights don't sag as much and are probably stronger, Rooster, for repeated wear, but I prefer pantyhose.

Oh, are you talking about for CPAP use?

[I use panty hose with my Hybrid, but either would work...see above for why some may prefer tights instead]

mellabella wrote: Oh, are you talking about for CPAP use?

[I use panty hose with my Hybrid, but either would work...see above for why some may prefer tights instead]

Ha! I see what you're saying now. Around here though a lot of people say "tights" when they mean "hose", so I have gotten used to the term being interchangeable when it really isn't. (And don't even get me started on the difference between "soda" and "pop" and "coke" )

PM sent...

I'm very interested in trying the hybrid, though was not sure how to get on the list. This is my first time veiwing the forum and i haven't figured it out yet. I also had numerous other questions on fit and which mask to get which i'll try to post in a separate thread but will post here as well in case i don't figure it out.

I only started using CPAP a few weeks ago and am having a horrendous time getting dialed in. As a matter of fact the titration study was one of the worst sleep nights of my life as I would wake up at each and every change of pressure.

I now have an M series respironics REMstar auto with humidifier and i reset it from the prescribed to the lowest setting so i can get used to it. Now muy problem is finding the right mask. The script was for user choice but I have no clue what my choice is having never used this before.

I originally thought the nasal pillow might be a good choice but the apria rep (apparently some on this site are not fond of apria) suggested i try the mirage micro nasal mask by resmed. I got a cold within a few days of use and that made me think perhaps nasal masks and/or pillows are not for me as i have chronic sinusitis anyway (despite being a nose breather) and even at the lowest pressure, with my clogged nasal passages it just did not work. Would a pillow system work better? I have no clue.

So my second mask is the fisher and paykel flexifit 432 in medium. Am i really a medium? I don't know but the apria rep seemed to think so. Initially the seal on the chin was poor and i tried with and without the foam cushion insert. I finally realized the best fit came by cutting the foam insert so only the nose bridge piece remained. That allowed the more pliable gel piece to seal against by chin but there is still a little leak on my cheeks that prevents any sleep. I went to apri today and a different rep told me as i am thin with thin face that most masks won't fit as they are designed for wider faces. She recommened a resmed mirage quattro as first choice as she said it was the narrowest. The next choice by her was a respironics comfort gel full, then a hybrid or finding a specialty mask as a third choice.

At this point insurance will no longer pay as i've had two masks in 3 weeks, but i still need to try as i have had no sleep improvement. I'm at a loss as to how to figure this out. I may try buying the quattro and splurging for the insurance i see on this site but boy it's gonna get expensive really quick if that does not work. Hell it already has been expensive. Also i noticed some talk of problms with the straps leaving marks or digging in to peoples faces. I guess due to my narrow face that has not been an issue for me but what has is the lower strap sits at the juncture of the base of my skull and the top of my neck. I need to tighten it soooo much for a good seal that as i write this at 8pm, I can still feel the neck strain from last night's tight strap. I see a softcap headgear that does not use straps and seems like it would even out that pressure and i think i'll try that.

So all this boils down to several questions;
1) Anyone with a more narrow face have any thoughts on the best mask for a narrow face? I realize all faces are different but i'm trying to narrow my choices as much as possible to a few likely candidates.

2)Anyone with chronic sinusitis or allergic rhinitis have any thoughts on nasal pillow vs nasal mask vs full mask vs hybrid mask vs??

3)What are reasons why people don't like Apria? (i've had a few problems already) Any other thoughts on DME providers in the san francisco bay area?

4)Anyone have similar issues with headgear and stress on the neck? Any advice on solutions? Does the softcap seem like a viable approach?

5)I briefly saw something about using some sort of gel or lube to create a better seal but haven't heard of this before. Can anyone offer thoughts or ideas on this or anything for a better seal?

Any and all advice, thoughts or comments are appreciated. Also if and when i find a mask that works, I'd be wiling to set up the ones that don't work for me as test drives as well or do some other thing of similar use with them if folks have other ideas. I know i've been pretty frustrated with the process so far and the lack of help from the testing center and the DME in finding the right mask and appropriate pressure so i'd certainly like to limit the pain for others if i can. thanks agin for all advice.
cheers,
gregg )
ofarchesandants@yahoo.com

Gregg,

Too many questions to answer here. For now, I've sent your email addy via PM to PJWalman, the lady who runs the Hybrid Test Drive.

Figure out how to register for the forum, and we'll help you all we can!!!

Welcome!
Babette

Hello, yhpm. Hoping that this is still active!

sleepainteasy wrote:Hello, yhpm. Hoping that this is still active!

Hi there! You need to send a Private Message (PM) to the original poster (PJWALMAN) in order to get on this list.

Good luck!
B.