New Hybrid Mask

Hi all,, I got a new Hybrid mask on Friday. Watched the video, practice with it at the DMA, and tried it that night. I had been using the Fischer & Paykel Nasal Cushion with a chin strap, and the chin strap wasn't working consistently. So the night with the Hybrid, the nasal pillows were comfortable, but the mouthpiece blew cold air down my throat, despite the humidifier being set on 3. I read somewhere on the forum that the hybrid will blow cold air through the mouth... I guess that's true, does anyone know? I woke up really tired, and coughing (I have asthma and really need to breathe warm air). Last night I went back to the nasal cushion with chin strap, slept great, woke up feeling much better and rested, and I'm thinking I might just need to use those consistenty and condition my mouth to stay closed with the help of the chin strap.

Do you think a higher humidity setting with the Hybrid might bring warmer air into the mouth?
Pat

sleepyprm wrote:...Do you think a higher humidity setting with the Hybrid might bring warmer air into the mouth?

Hmm, I have a heated humidifier. Last Winter when I was wearing my beloved OptiLife pillows, I kept my HH at the 3/4 quarter setting (nice warm air), then set it lower come Spring and lower in Summer. With the Hybrid, which I started wearing last July, I did not need any additional humidity and went to passover...the air is coolish but a night or two and I ceased to notice. Lately had some postnasal drip that was irritating my throat; I turned my heat setting to '2' and that's taken care of the irritation from the discharge. I did notice more moisture collecting in the pillows...I may have to go the stuffing a bit of string in the pillows lab-rat fix...tho I seem to recall I was gonna try to make a cozie for the pillows

So, yes, if you have a HH, setting it higher will make the air warmer, but might also increase rainout. Maybe a hose cozie (snuggy? I made one out of some poly fleece) or a heated hose might help.

Thank you Muse. I feel best with the humidifier set at 2 or 3 and I have been challenged with rainout. I do use a snuggy and it works. Keeping the room temperature a little warmer also helps a lot. I have been looking at the heated hose, and I sent the company an e-mail on their website with a question. They didn't respond. I'll need to follow up. The Hybrid is really much more comfortable for me than the Liberty, and I'd like to make it work. Thanks again!

The heated hose will give you nice warm air all the time. I have no rainout issues but use the heated hose because I hated the cold air coming thru the hose. Mine is 3 years old and still works fine. Great investment for me!

Brenda

sleepyprm wrote: ........ I read somewhere on the forum that the hybrid will blow cold air through the mouth... I guess that's true, does anyone know? ........
........

No, what you read is not true. CPAP does not "blow air through the mouth". CPAP only maintains an air pressure on the nostrils and the mouth (if it is open). Air flow is not increased as compared to normal breathing.

Did you have dry mouth after using the Hybrid? Did you have dry mouth when using the nasal cushion?

I am scheduled for a fitting with the Hybrid Mask on October the 8th. I am currently ising the swift II Nasal Pillows but due to fighting congestion in the winter months I have decided to try the Hybrid Mask. I am determined to be successful with the Hybrid as I was with the Swift II in the beginning of Therapy. I will see how the Hybrid goes after the Fitting.

DannyPh wrote: ..... I am determined to be successful with the Hybrid .......

That's the way to do it!

Too many people "try" masks (and often fail).

Rooster, I did have dry mouth with the cushion, because of the mouth-breathing. A chin strap didn't work consistently, i.e., I would wake on my back with my lips flapping. I like the Hybrid, but I need to adjust the fit. Here are some of my numbers for the first night I used the Hybrid:

Hybrid:
AHI 23.9
VS 59.6
Avg. Leak 35

Last night, with the cushion:
AHI 2.6
VS 0.2
Avg. Leak 31

Will continue to work with the Hybrid, but wondering if you could help interpret why these AHI and VS numbers could be so different? Thanks much again for any guidance.
Pat

Strange. What was the pressure each night?

Are you getting the numbers from the LCD or an Encore report?

sleepyprm wrote:...Hybrid:
AHI 23.9
VS 59.6
Avg. Leak 35

Last night, with the cushion:
AHI 2.6
VS 0.2
Avg. Leak 31

Snoring? Sleeping on back?

Pressure 6.0...yes, sleeping on back some and snoring. what a difference, though, with the two masks. Could it be possible that the hybrid doesn't work quite a well with a low pressure? I have reverted to my comfort custion. I need to get well - I have been ill since Aug. 12, with asthma and bronchitis/pneumonia/flu - and maybe continue with the cushion until well, then try the hybrid again. I don't think disrupting the sleep is a good idea while my immune system is building up again. And I'm traveling to South Korea in a couple of weeks, where they screen everyone before getting off the plane, for coughs and fever. I know, the timing is never perfect and if we want to make it work, we need to jump in. but I don't want to be quarantined for 10 days in another country............................................

Are you getting the numbers from the LCD or the software?

sleepyprm wrote:....ill since Aug. 12, with asthma and bronchitis/pneumonia/flu...

Not sure if you already know this...things that might help. Asthma is a disease of massive inflammation thus anything that reduces inflammation is good: ginger, garlic, curry (for the tumeric which contains curcumin, curcumin also comes in pills, don't handle it as it will stain your skin yellow, it's why curry is yellow), onions, fish oils, DHA. My mom has asthma, so she's on 1000 IU vit D3, 2 packages of Coromega fish oils, all those fooods, extra vit C. Oh, and magnesium, the citrate form...it relaxes smooth muscle tissue that lines the lungs. I take 600 mg/day and she takes 400 mg/day; studies show that asthmatics typically have low levels of magnesium.

I had an infection in my jaw that was resistent to anything we threw at it over 18 months, so I went back to pre-antibiotics herbals for a possible cure. In addition to C, tocotrienols (all 8 forms of vit E) and a slew of other stuff including no junk food and no fast food, I tried olive leak extract which helped some. Then I added Beta Glucans and shazam, it worked...it's expensive for the good stuff but it worked for me. Good luck on getting well.

Hi and thanks. Managing the asthma has been challenging, and for a couple of years I was really good with minimal respiratory distress. Illness this year has set me back, but I know what I have to do. I love my CPAP with humidifier, it provides relief during the night and that relief lingers for a few hours in the morning. Next step is a nebulizer which I will use twice a day. I take 5000 or 10,000 mg D3 and Magnesium Asporotate every day. I love ginger in any form, and haven't tried some of the other supplments you mention.

Appreciate the support.