Hybrid Masks

Crickette wrote: ......... I will say the only bad thing is that I woke up around 6 this morning and the skin between my nostrils was very sore. I read somewhere on one of the threads here that someone cut that little piece in between the pillows to prevent that. ........

I recommend against cutting the pillows connector because it does provide some stability.

As far as the soreness, there are two possibilities.

-The mask and headgear are not adjusted properly - see viewtopic.php?t=14422&highlight=

-Or you are not using the ladies' tights fix and when you are moving in bed the pillows are rubbing. The ladies' tights fix holds the pillows steady when you move in bed. No movement of the pillows equals no irritation.

I will try the ladies tights tonight and see if that works.

rooster wrote:

Crickette wrote: ......... I will say the only bad thing is that I woke up around 6 this morning and the skin between my nostrils was very sore. I read somewhere on one of the threads here that someone cut that little piece in between the pillows to prevent that. ........

I recommend against cutting the pillows connector because it does provide some stability.

As far as the soreness, there are two possibilities.

-The mask and headgear are not adjusted properly - see viewtopic.php?t=14422&highlight=

-Or you are not using the ladies' tights fix and when you are moving in bed the pillows are rubbing. The ladies' tights fix holds the pillows steady when you move in bed. No movement of the pillows equals no irritation.

As you know, you currently have questions about your new Hybrid in three separate threads. Try to consolidate them all in one.

Will do...I think I was still in sleep mode when I posted them..lol

rooster wrote:As you know, you currently have questions about your new Hybrid in three separate threads. Try to consolidate them all in one.

Crickette wrote:I will say the only bad thing is that I woke up around 6 this morning and the skin between my nostrils was very sore. I read somewhere on one of the threads here that someone cut that little piece in between the pillows to prevent that.

Make sure the connecting tab between the pillows is on the far side (away from your face) rather than the near side (next to your face). Put another way, the lettering on the connecting tab for the pillow size and on the top of the cushion for the cushion size should both be right-side-up for someone facing you.

briank - Yes, I forgot that! The connecting tab for the pillows should be away from you face. Then it will be the right way in and shouldn't rub your face at all. The pillows should fit your nares better as well!

Good you caught that!

Crikette, as Hawthorne suggests you can cut the piece between the nasal pillows. One of my nostrils is larger than the other, so I tried to mix medium with small and it had no effect on leakage rate. I'm at 24 l/min which is at the maxium allowable. So I'll keep working the straps to get it to fit better.

As far as nasal soreness, suggest you try the Ayr nasal gel. This helps me somewhat and has helped others. I bought it at CVS, but its available at Amazon.

GaryG wrote: ............
As far as nasal soreness, suggest you try the Ayr nasal gel. This helps me somewhat and has helped others. I bought it at CVS, but its available at Amazon.

Wow, that is outrageouse pricing at Amazon. I paid under $8 at Walgreen b&m which is still high for half ounce.

rooster wrote:

GaryG wrote: ............
As far as nasal soreness, suggest you try the Ayr nasal gel. This helps me somewhat and has helped others. I bought it at CVS, but its available at Amazon.

Wow, that is outrageouse pricing at Amazon. I paid under $8 at Walgreen b&m which is still high for half ounce.

whoa, 4 pack @ $18, comes to $4.5 per 0.5 oz. Note please don't consider it as advertising. It's a good product. Buyer caveat emptor when it comes to the price.

Well, I have used the Liberty for the past two nights, and am a little discouraged. The nasal pillow portion seems to be too far above my mouth, causing my nose to be smooshed upward. And my lower jaw drops back when I'm sleeping on my back. For the last two nights, my AHI has gone from 2+ to about 7, and my OA has gone from 2 to about 8, as far as I can read on my card reader. I am wearing small nasal pillows and a small mouth piece. My pressure is 6. I'm new at interpreting all this data and adjusting my machine, but I'm wondering if bumping my pressure to 7 or 8 might help. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all.

Crickette wrote: Also, I did have to put of wearing the oxometer last night because on the paper I got with the instructions it says you are suppose to do that test breathing room air. I don't want to go without my mask so I'm going to wait until Monday when I talk to my DME to do that.

No you want to know how your machine is doing so you wear it WITH the mask otherwise it is kind of useless. Your sleep study already measured the problem now you want to know if the solution is working.

sleepyprm wrote:...nasal pillow portion seems to be too far above my mouth, causing my nose to be smooshed upward...

Have you tried the short position for the pillows? Alternatively, you might try loosening the top of the head strap a tiny bit.

Hmm, no. I didn't know there was a short position. That would help immensely.... how do I do that?? I have a book, but no video came with it.....

sleepyprm wrote:Hmm, no. I didn't know there was a short position. That would help immensely.... how do I do that?? I have a book, but no video came with it.....

I think Muse misunderstood you're using the Liberty, not the Hybrid. There's no height adjustment for the pillows with the Liberty.

Thanks. My mistake for not changing or starting a new thread.