Trying the Mirage Liberty FF mask

I have been given the Mirage Liberty full face mask to try out. have had it for about a week and tried it the first night but was too tired to spend the time on it, so I just put my regular mask on.

Last night I spent a little time to put it on and got it to seal in only a few mintues. I got in bed and fell right to sleep. I woke up about three hours later, not exactly sure but I think it was leaking a little on the left nostril. I tried a quick adjustment and switched to the full face when that didn't work and back to sleep I went.

The pillows seem big as they stick out way past the outside of my nostrils but they did seal for a while. I also think I had it too tight as it was uncomfortable on my upper lip. This is where I am not sure if I really took it off because of the pillow leaking or it bothering my upper lip. I also had a headache when I woke up and switched masks and still have it. It's in the area of a sinus headache, so not sure if it is just a sinus headache or from the mask.I tried this mask about a year ago, but my pressure was way too high. Now that my pressure is down I want to try some other masks.

I did notice when I used it that I was breathing through my nose much more than normal and that my sinuses had opened up.

I am hoping that some liberty users chime in here with their experience and can tell me what's going on, if I don't hav it adjusted correctly, wrong size or maybe this mask isn't for me.

Gerry

I always recommend the original Hybrid mask over the Liberty. The Hybrid comes with three sizes of nasal pillows, three sizes of mouth cushions (Liberty comes with one) and a chin flap (Liberty doesn't have one) which can easily be removed if you find you prefer not to use it. So the Hybrid is a more flexible option.

Here are some tips on using the Hybrid, many of which also work for the Liberty - viewtopic.php?t=14422&highlight=

Note that the ladies' tight fix works very well.

I have been using the Hybrid for over three years and rarely have leaks. I sleep on my tummy and sides and the mask is often pressing into the pillow or mattress and it still doesn't leak.

Hi Gerry
Living in Canada, I do not have easy access to the Hybrid which seems to fit more easily according to various posts I read, including Rooster's. The Liberty mask was readily available here, so I decided to try it. Originally I had the small size and while it sealed well, I would wake up with pain around my lower teeth. So I switched it in for the large size and had a lot of trouble to get it leak-free. I was just about to return it and decided to try it for a last time. I loosened the straps right up, changed the pillow size and to my surprise, it worked! I even had a 0.0 leak rate one night. I find after I wash it though, that on the first night it does not seem to seal as well. Not sure why??? My sinuses are always slightly congested, so I like the feel of the air blowing through my nostrils...seems to open them right up.
Anyway, the key is to keep the mask fairly loose and let it kinda float on your face the way the Quattro does.

When I was in the dme yesterday, someone was very vocally complaining about the Liberty mask. When back in the cpap mask room with the tech, I inquired about full face masks--she showed me the Liberty stating that she personally hadn't had much success with it among her customers. On the other hand, she showed me favorites that her customer do really like--and the names corresponded with what I read here.....Quattro, Mirage Activa, etc

OT----I have found a gem of a dme provider in the Mpls-St Paul area. I have several masks at home, and am regularly encouraged to try others.......and my insurance has only been billed for one (granted the price for that one is about the value of all five...but we won't go there). The tech is wonderful and a wealth of information.....

If anyone else is searching for an excellent dme in the MSP area, PM me.

Thanks for the input. I did look into the original hybrid but they didn't carry it. I think that one would fit me much better and would probably work for me. I went in today to discuss the mask and the fit and all with it and they looked at it and said that they would rather try something else, because they don't think I will be happy with it or it won't work well for me.

I may just buy one of the original hybrids unless I can talk them into getting one.
But for now I have a new nasal mask to try out that is even new to them, which I posted about in another thread.

Gerry

Even though I can use the Swift LT very successfully, I really struggled with the Liberty. I couldn't get any of the pillows to seal. They would just slide back and forth. Too bad because the mouth portion sealed very well. I even tried the Hybrid but found that it massacred my nose. Oh well...I currently cycle between the Swift LT and the SoftGel.

mdintx wrote:...tried the Hybrid but found that it massacred my nose...

Massacred??? How???

scrapper wrote:I have several masks at home, and am regularly encouraged to try others.......and my insurance has only been billed for one (granted the price for that one is about the value of all five...but we won't go there). The tech is wonderful and a wealth of information.....

Wow! Perhaps you could just accumulate masks and send them to the rest of us whose DMEs have a paucity of both masks and knowledge?

My DME carries TWO full-face masks, the Quattro and the FlexFit 432 (the latter he discourages people from taking because he does not have good luck with) and ONE hybrid, the Liberty. He says it's not cost effective for them to have more for people to try because they order them in bulk to get a good price.

Muse-Inc wrote:

mdintx wrote:...tried the Hybrid but found that it massacred my nose...

Massacred??? How???

Oh man, it reddened my nares like crazy! No matter what I tried!

Wow, did the Liberty pillows do that too? If not, then I suspect it was leftovers of the mfg process. If you try the Hybrid again, soak the pillows (and oral cushion) for 45-60 minutes in soapy water to loosen any residues. I spray all mine with white vinegar (and let sit 1-2 mins) just before my final rinse to ensure all soap residues are gone...but I have esp touchy skin.

I am embarrassed to say that as obvious as it seems now, I wasn't anticipating this, so thought I would mention it FWIW. Following the demise of my favorite and most effective mask, (the Resmed Mirage Swift LT)--due to ResMed's production of inferior & uncorrected pillows over the past year and a half--I have been doing some extended trials of other masks. (Yes, here's the link yet again: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=41729&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... lity+Issue)

I needed a FFM or hybrid I can alternate with nasal mask & mouth-taping. Among the many FFM's that I have tried in order to try to get my AHI back to my former average of about 1.0 or less...I landed on the Liberty hybrid. I recently borrowed one that was not brand new, from my initial sleep lab. Worked really well and no problem with leaks. AHI still not great at about 1.5 to 3.0, but the best of any FFM's I've tried. BUT.

Ordered a new Liberty mask to keep, and lo & behold, the nasal pillows were the same thinner, flimsy, leaking garbage-quality silicone as the Swift LT has been reduced to. Unreal. And deja vu. ResMed has clearly decided to stick with reduced quality which will increase replacement frequency (read: increased bucks for DME's and ResMed) at the expense of therapy effectiveness. This has been exceedingly clear with the Swift LT....and should have been absolutely predictable to me with the Liberty nasal pillows. Same company, same engineering, same choice by ResMed to produce inferior quality pillows.

I use the Mirage Liberty and like it enough to have stuck with it for almost a year. It sounds to me like you should try the smaller size pillows. They come in small, medium, and large, and the right size should fit comfortably inside your nares, just resting there enough for the outer layer to seal. It also shouldn't be too tight across your upper lip. If you work with it, you may be able to find a good adjustment. Of the four or five masks I've had, it's the one that's the least obtrusive, keeps the best seal for me, and doesn't have to be so very tight to work well.

Good luck!

Paula

Beulah wrote:I use the Mirage Liberty and like it enough to have stuck with it for almost a year. It sounds to me like you should try the smaller size pillows. They come in small, medium, and large, and the right size should fit comfortably inside your nares, just resting there enough for the outer layer to seal. It also shouldn't be too tight across your upper lip. Paula

The Liberty actually only offers Small or Large mouth cushion sizes. The Small fits me perfectly with minimal leaking. The nasal pillow size differences are not subtle. The Medium is the only choice for me and worked well with an older set. I am addressing the extreme difference in the sturdiness of the older nasal pillows as compared with the newer and flimsier ones that create more leaking regardless of the size.

I get a second hand Mirage Liberty and I haven't been able to stop that thing leaking around the mouth at the corners. I tighten it to the mouth and still it leaks, I put the small and then the medium nasal pillows and I really don't find the way to set all that.

I don't have insurances so no mask replacement by a DME or the kind. I'm interested in making that works if possible, maybe I'm not adjusting it the proper way.

Thanks for suggestions.

The biggest problem I had was with the thing popping out of my nares. Yes, I thougth they were flimsy too. Does anyone know if the other similar hybrid that's on the market has the same problems? I am going to be trying a few different things and hopefully with the surgery for the deviated septum this spring I well be able to really breath through my nose.

I like the idea of the hybrid but had problems with the nares popping out and the material seemed flimsy.

Gerry