Got a new mask and I love it, this is the one for me!

[b360155]

But B36 made an interesting comment, and since Houston has far more humidity that much of Texas, I may try his setup as well. Let us know if this works for you.

JumpStart: I didn't notice you lived in Houston...my condolences. I lived there for 8 of the longest years of my life before heading north to the DFW area. Not nearly as humid up here. I would think you'd be fine without a humidifier in Houston...unless you're running the AC big time and sucking all of the humidity out of the air. Give it a shot without and let me know how that turns out.

[b360155]

I'm sorry the Mirage Liberty didn't work out for you. I guess it's the shape of your face that determines if you will get a good mask fit or not. I've tried just about every full face mask on the market. The vast majority didn't work for me at all. Up until now I've had the best luck with the Mirage Quattro but I had to cinch it up pretty tight so I didn't get any air leaks and it was very uncomfortable on the bridge of my nose and on my cheeks. I would have a red indentation on my nose and cheeks for 2 hours after I took it off in the morning. I didn't like the bulkiness or the forehead rest either.

I guess the lesson here is just keep trying until you find the one that works best for you.

No need to be sorry as actually I'm very happy with the Quattro FX. I guess I'm just always wondering if there is an even better mask out there. The concept of the hybrid is great IMO, it just doesn't seem to work for me. I do also have a Mirage Quattro and agree with your assessment of that mask. I get a good seal with it but I also get a red mark on the bridge of my nose as well and I'm not real wild about the forehead support bar either. I've got a custom made Padacheek liner on the way for that mask that combines the medium Nose Bridge Protector (a little extra padding) with the standard mask liner.

[JumpStart]

But B36 made an interesting comment, and since Houston has far more humidity that much of Texas, I may try his setup as well. Let us know if this works for you.

Not nearly as humid up here. I would think you'd be fine without a humidifier in Houston...unless you're running the AC big time and sucking all of the humidity out of the air. Give it a shot without and let me know how that turns out.

Well, based on the size of my electricity bill, I suspect my indoor humidity is somewhere around 12%!!! However, my wife has been suggesting that I cool it somewhat less, so, based on past experience in my married life, that means my humidity will be rising. I will definitely let all know the results, although I am not jumping into that tonight!

[greatunclebill]

But B36 made an interesting comment, and since Houston has far more humidity that much of Texas, I may try his setup as well. Let us know if this works for you.

JumpStart: I didn't notice you lived in Houston...my condolences. I lived there for 8 of the longest years of my life before heading north to the DFW area. Not nearly as humid up here. I would think you'd be fine without a humidifier in Houston...unless you're running the AC big time and sucking all of the humidity out of the air. Give it a shot without and let me know how that turns out.

back in 1972 i travelled to houston to see my gram that lived in a housing project. it was a pretty rough place north of downtown maybe named allentown village or something like that.

i spent 5 years in lubbock before retiring from the usaf in 1990. texas has some long lonely roads. i drove down to del rio for temporary duty. that stretch from sonora at I-10 down to del rio was i think 90 miles and had 7 houses on it.

[JumpStart]

But B36 made an interesting comment, and since Houston has far more humidity that much of Texas, I may try his setup as well. Let us know if this works for you.

JumpStart: I didn't notice you lived in Houston...my condolences. I lived there for 8 of the longest years of my life before heading north to the DFW area. Not nearly as humid up here. I would think you'd be fine without a humidifier in Houston...unless you're running the AC big time and sucking all of the humidity out of the air. Give it a shot without and let me know how that turns out.

back in 1972 i travelled to houston to see my gram that lived in a housing project. it was a pretty rough place north of downtown maybe named allentown village or something like that.

i spent 5 years in lubbock before retiring from the usaf in 1990. texas has some long lonely roads. i drove down to del rio for temporary duty. that stretch from sonora at I-10 down to del rio was i think 90 miles and had 7 houses on it.

I was born and reared in Texas (although not Houston). It does still have some very long roads, with little population, at least in the western portions. We even have speed limits of 80 (and I think rising to 85) in some of those western reaches. Nowadays, however, the Rio Grande valley is full, Houston, Dallas/Ft Worth, San Antonio, and Austin are all spilling over, and I spend hours driving to places where I can find the peace and comfort I once found easily as a boy. While I can find anything I want or need in Houston, and the best medical care in the world, crowded is not my favorite state of affairs. Too many people coming here - long held Texas beliefs are being eroded by the newcomers with different (and some say no) value sets. :grin: Arrgh!

[shutterbug sue]

When I turned the humidity on 4.5 and the temperature on 80 I didn't have any rainout. I like as much humidity as possible so I turned it up to 6.0 last night (as high as it would go) and got rainout so I'll have to turn it back down. We did break down and turn the heat on last night because it's been so cold here. Does that make a difference? How does the temperature inside the room affect the heat and humidity you're getting from the machine settings?

Last night, for the first time, I had an AHI of 0.0! In SleepyHead in the daily details screen there is a big flashing 0.0! for a few seconds and then a big yellow happy face. I hope to see many more of those in the future. I'm still loving my new hybrid full face mask.

Now the only thing left to do is find a cpap pillow. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm a side sleeper and like to sleep on my right side. My right shoulder hurts from being all bunched up with a pillow that's not thick enough. Right now I'm doubling my pillow on one end and sleeping with my face hanging off the end so the pillow doesn't push on the mask and cause leaks. The pillow doesn't stay doubled over and I keep having to fix it.

[greatunclebill]

When I turned the humidity on 4.5 and the temperature on 80 I didn't have any rainout. I like as much humidity as possible so I turned it up to 6.0 last night (as high as it would go) and got rainout so I'll have to turn it back down. We did break down and turn the heat on last night because it's been so cold here. Does that make a difference? How does the temperature inside the room affect the heat and humidity you're getting from the machine settings?

Last night, for the first time, I had an AHI of 0.0! In SleepyHead in the daily details screen there is a big flashing 0.0! for a few seconds and then a big yellow happy face. I hope to see many more of those in the future. I'm still loving my new hybrid full face mask.

Now the only thing left to do is find a cpap pillow. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm a side sleeper and like to sleep on my right side. My right shoulder hurts from being all bunched up with a pillow that's not thick enough. Right now I'm doubling my pillow on one end and sleeping with my face hanging off the end so the pillow doesn't push on the mask and cause leaks. The pillow doesn't stay doubled over and I keep having to fix it.

you would love guam if you love humidity. never below 70 and never above 95. it varies 10 degrees season to season, night to day. rainy season 75-85, not so rainy season 85-95. it rains at least a little every day. if you don't wear a raincoat you get soaked from rain. if you do wear a raincoat you get soaked from humidity and perspiration. was there 5 yrs and loved it.

[PaulaO2]

Rainout is condensation, like on the outside of a soda can.

The colder the can, the warmer the room, the more condensation.

A can at room temperature won't condensate.

So, the closer the bedroom temp is to the temp of the moist air coming from your humidifier, the less rainout. This is why heated hoses work. They keep the "room" of the hose warm so the condensation is less or not at all.

As for the pillow, we got me a down pillow. A good one, not one from Kmart. I can make it as fluffy or flat as I need it to be. I sleep predominantly on my left side. I used to sleep with my face right on the edge so the mask hung off, basically, but that wasn't always comfortable for me. With the down, I can push it down and make a little dip where the mask is. My head and neck are still aligned and the mask isn't being pushed. But then I use nasal pillows (Breeze) and there's not much to push against.

The reviews here of the CPAP pillows on the market have not been favorable.
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...-old-forum

[b360155]

I use a Sobakawa Cloud Pillow. It's got little microbeads inside that you can shape. If you're a back sleeper, it conforms around your head and neck. If you're a side sleeper, the edges are fairly firm so that the mask hangs freely without hitting the pillow. It's only $19.99 and I got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond with a 20% off coupon. I've had neck stiffness in the past and used to use a Tempurpedic contoured pillow. The Sobakawa pillow has eliminated my neck stiffness and is much cheaper to boot!

[shutterbug sue]

When I turned the humidity on 4.5 and the temperature on 80 I didn't have any rainout. I like as much humidity as possible so I turned it up to 6.0 last night (as high as it would go) and got rainout so I'll have to turn it back down. We did break down and turn the heat on last night because it's been so cold here. Does that make a difference? How does the temperature inside the room affect the heat and humidity you're getting from the machine settings?

Last night, for the first time, I had an AHI of 0.0! In SleepyHead in the daily details screen there is a big flashing 0.0! for a few seconds and then a big yellow happy face. I hope to see many more of those in the future. I'm still loving my new hybrid full face mask.

Now the only thing left to do is find a cpap pillow. Does anyone have any suggestions? I'm a side sleeper and like to sleep on my right side. My right shoulder hurts from being all bunched up with a pillow that's not thick enough. Right now I'm doubling my pillow on one end and sleeping with my face hanging off the end so the pillow doesn't push on the mask and cause leaks. The pillow doesn't stay doubled over and I keep having to fix it.

you would love guam if you love humidity. never below 70 and never above 95. it varies 10 degrees season to season, night to day. rainy season 75-85, not so rainy season 85-95. it rains at least a little every day. if you don't wear a raincoat you get soaked from rain. if you do wear a raincoat you get soaked from humidity and perspiration. was there 5 yrs and loved it.

LOL, I don't think I would like Guam, too humid for me! I was born and raised in Northern California where the humidity is low. For the past 22 yrs I've lived in Missouri. The humidity is high here in the summer and with my hot flashes I just can't stand being outside. I stay indoors where it's air conditioned all summer with the a/c on 72 or 73. I freeze my poor husband. I tell him he can always put on more clothes, but I can't take mine off!

If I don't have the humidity on high I get a dry mouth because I'm a mouth breather. Also, the high humidity helps me breath through my nose easier because it gets stuffy. It's just like when you take a hot shower and the steam clears out your sinuses to open your nasal passages back up again.