Poll for women using FFM's and Hybrids

Thank you my friends voting, and special thanks to those who added a verbal reply.

This is beginnig to show a definite trend - at least as of now 9 of 19 votes are for the the two types of Hybrid masks.

For me, the ZZZ (yes, Slinky, Pro-Basics and PMI are the same) seals somehow when I'm on my back, but leaks impossibly when I'm on my side.

The UMFF on the other hand is impossible on my back -- but seem to drive me there because of the discomfort it causes when I'm on my side.... I've woken up snorting/choking on my back -- something that never happend with the the nasal pillows.

O.

Sorry that I didn't vote, but I never succeeded 100% with any of them. I haven't tried the Ultra Mirage, and I do want to try that one. I also intend to go back to the Hybrid to see if I can tolerate it better with the S9, as my main issue with it was just that I woke up a lot (maybe that was my machine). I wasn't crazy about all the scrunchies, Christmas lights hooks, etc. that I had to add to make the pillows stay in, but at least it didn't hurt the bridge of my nose! If it hadn't been for the bridge of my nose, I thought the Forma had hope. I liked that it had that wire thing in the front that allowed it to shift a little without breaking a seal, and I did like the under the chin part, as it added some stability.

I love my opus 360 head gear and f and p nasal pillows, but have issues with mouth breathing, and taping (coughing)
The dme, after numerous go around with masks, said we were going to the end of the line no matter how many
I tried due to my cheekbones/nasal bridge...

so fitlife! I really liked it, but you have to turn the pressure up to at least eight or you suffocate.

I have leaks around my temples, have tried the silcone ear plug trick, but the smell nauseates me terribly..


so today, I thought, when I try the fitlife again.. silly puddy? Heck, couldnt hurt to try it?

might try sports tape there too, but I have a lot of hair there..

elena88 wrote: have tried the silcone ear plug trick, but the smell nauseates me terribly..

I bought the Walgreens version of the silicone ear plugs and I didn't notice a smell at all - and I'm usually very sensitive to smells. Perhaps a different brand?
I rolled one out over the bridge of my nose and put my mask on and Hallelujah! no pain and no leaks. I had been about to give up so this is great news for me, though I do still want to try the Hybrid and FitLife masks.

SleepingUgly wrote:Sorry that I didn't vote, but I never succeeded 100% with any of them. I haven't tried the Ultra Mirage, and I do want to try that one. I also intend to go back to the Hybrid to see if I can tolerate it better with the S9, as my main issue with it was just that I woke up a lot (maybe that was my machine). I wasn't crazy about all the scrunchies, Christmas lights hooks, etc. that I had to add to make the pillows stay in, but at least it didn't hurt the bridge of my nose! If it hadn't been for the bridge of my nose, I thought the Forma had hope. I liked that it had that wire thing in the front that allowed it to shift a little without breaking a seal, and I did like the under the chin part, as it added some stability.

The UMFF tried to do a nose bridge job on me as well, but I quelled that pretty quickly by:

• Not using it all night in the beginning -- 3 hours and the I switched back to the nasal pillows
• Taking a full night's break from the FFM and using the nasal pillows
• Putting a strip of 3M's Micropore tape lengthwise from a bit above the bridge to somewhere on the middle of my nose.

elena88 wrote: have tried the silicone ear plug trick, but the smell nauseates me terribly..

My Mac's Silicone ear plugs are quite old (unused...)-- but I don't remember them having a smell.

O.

hi there,
thanks for the tips on the walgreens ear plugs.. Im still searching for silly putty...

I just fished out the brand I bought which made me so nauseated..

Its MACKS PILLOW SOFT EARPLUGS

the original silicone putty..

I can even smell them thru the plastic case, Im very, weirdly sensitive I think

I know if I can get that fitlife to work, things are going to change and things will get better..

They brought my FitLife today. I'm looking forward to trying it out tonight, but I know I'll have to do something about the leaking at the forehead, I tried it on this afternoon and it just blew out the top!

okay, fitlife tips needed!


Im planning on trying some strap covers on the back, cuz you have to get those a bit snug, I think the top one someone told me
helps the side leaks..

I got it snug enough to stop the forehead leaks, but not the temple leaks where all my hair is.

Its a very comfy mask on the face, I think it sets nicely.. but wish it set higher on the forehead.

Let me know how you do!

Im going to wear mine tonight again, and see what happens.. last night was another disaster with the nose pillows, mouth breathing,
and tape coming off my mouth..

Since we're talking about the FitLife- I really think they need a medium. The large fits, but leaks without the silicone, with the silicone, no leaks. The small is too small, but if I keep the bottom lip out of my mouth and wear it tight I can get 0 leaks. This is the only mask I have ever used where I canactually get 0.0 on leaks

I didn't get leaks last night, I got LEAKS!
157 minutes in large leaks. 37.2% of the night in large leak. Average leak 73.9.
I couldn't stop them unless I physically held the top of the mask against the forehead, straps didn't work well enough - the silicone mask just blew right up. (silicone plugs as well!)
I really want to be able to wear this mask, but I think my pressure of 14 is too much for it. Add in a narrow forehead, and I've got big problems!

Bump.

Well I tightened the straps even more and did better last night with the FitLife. The straps are much tighter than recommended, but not painful. There is pressure on the outside edge of my cheekbones, but otherwise okay. Average % Night in Large Leak 1.0%
Average Large Leak 6 mins.
Anybody else with the FitLife, do you take the whole mask off if you get up in the night for the bathroom? With the ComfortGel Full I could leave the mask on and just disconnect easily from the tubing.

Today I added my vote for the Hybrid.

Shortly after I read the responses - I ordered a Hybrid and an F&P Forma from cpap.com - together because overseas delivery for 2 masks cost me more or less the same as the delivery for one -- $104 (yep, that's 104 dollars).

The Forma had a faulty non-rebreathing valve which cpap.com replaced promptly - my choice to have a friend deliver it to me meant I have only recieved it recently.

I was overjoyed to receive the valve,installed it, tried the mask with the new valve in the afternoon -- and kept on sleeping with the Hybrid at night - I haven't even felt like trying the Forma for a night's sleep.

It has been said before by others, and I'm adding my voice to the chorus:

• Read the Hybrid's fitting instructions carefully
• watch the fitting video - all parts of it - and do it more than once
• correct fitting of the top strap is critical for having the pillows fit in your nostrils

Tips
For those with low pressure:
If the mask isn't perfectly sealed from the get go, the non-rebreathing valve won't snap shut. My solution is to set the seal, and then put my thumb on the non-rebreathig valve's outlet for a few seconds. When I let go, it snaps perfectly shut with a "pffut".

For those who route the hose from above:
The sound of the vented air hitting the hose is easily confused with the sound of a leak. Make sure the hose it out of the way of the air stream before you start attempting to seal a leak - youi may find out it's not a leak at all.

I find the Hybrid very silent - except when the vented air hits the hose. Being a person who prefers hose routing from above means this posed a challenge. My solution is a "Hozer", set up so that it dangles the hose at about shoulder height, and a Resmed InletTube-Swivel-Assembly- for the Aciva. The inlet tube is very flexible so that when it's properly set up, the hose has a kind of J shape when approaching my face, and is kept clear of the vented air. The additional swivel (connected to the main hose) helps a lot too.

Between February and now I have tried (and paid for...)
The Ultra Mirage FFM
The Pro-Basics Zzz
The F&P Forma
The Hybrid.

The Hybrid is the best for me.
Once again, my heartfelt thanks to all who took time to respond.
O.

I've used the UM FF for years because as a tummy sleeper, I need a mask that does not vent at the mask/hose 45 degree angle as most do, because the vent would be blocked by bedding - it's higher up on the mask in the UM FF, plus that mask also has an odd size (small shallow) that works for me, though I suspect not a lot of others.

I'm a bit late I see but will add my two cents anyway.

I normally use the Activa but with tape due to mouth leaks. So I still prefer a good FFM.

I tried and failed with the Liberty (sm & lg), the sm UMFF, and the sm Quattro. The liberty kept making my mouth blow out, which is weird because that hasn't happened with other ffm's. The other two I believe just didn't fit my facial structure because I got leaks everywhere and no amount of tweaking, adjusting, or Mack's helped.

Recently I ordered and tried the Respironics ComfortGel full (small) and the Respironics ComfortFull 2 (small).

Well I'm loving the comfortGel in terms of leaks, nearly none! It fits my face very well. The comfort full not so much but will give it a spin again. It took me about a week to get comfortable with the comfort gel. I believe I actually need a medium because I get some annoying sores on my nose bridge and it slides up over my mouth towards my nose sometimes, but until I have the budget and means for a new one, I'm happier with the small comfort gel versus the active and tape.

Two annoying points with the comfort gel- the vent goes straight out rather than up and it annoys my partner if I sleep on my right side and I'm a side sleeper. Second, after about 2 months it's seems like the seal is getting looser and there are some small leaks at the seal interface (still need to check here if there are fixes for that). Otherwise I'm pretty happy with it, I sleep much better at night now (I think the nasal mask + tape creates a vacuum in my mouth making the reflux worse). I need to clean it daily, and _not_ wash my face before bed, to get a good seal.

If anyone from Resmed is listening, WHEN are you going to make a full face mask out of the Activa?!?!

Glad the Hybrid is working for you Ozij!!