[I'm adding this on 11/12 because I originally used the term "Hurt-Free Tape" which was incorrect . I looked it up online and found that name. But there are both "hurt free tape" and "hurt free wrap" which I didn't find online. What I use is the Hurt Free Wrap. It's a material that is more like a slightly stretchy fabric or an ace bandage, but no latex. This does not stick to your lips or stick your lips together. It holds your cheeks in so there is no puffer-fish effect, and it exerts a slight pressure on your lips that might help to keep them closed. The pressure is mechanical, not adhesive. ]
With this I could open my mouth (and did so to cough). But with the puffer cheeks/blowfish taken care of, there were no puffs leaking out. The chinstrap kept my jaw from dropping.
I did this because I have a cold or maybe the flu. I started the night with the Liberty, but that was making my throat dry and triggering coughing spells. Because the nasal congestion seemed not too bad I decided to go back to the Headrest, my usual mask. However, I knew that the mouth taping or poligrip strips were not going to work with the coughing. So I tried the above process. Necessity is the mother of invention!
I'm pretty happy with my results. My AHI was 0.5 and the leak line had a few "zipper" areas in it, but was nice and level.
I'm going to try and post some photos when I get the time.
Here's the printout of the night from Encore Pro.
Edited to add pictures on Nov 23rd:
Here are some photos of it. The first one is just the "mouth wrap." It's white, so I put a red marker line around the edges so it would show up for the photo, it doesn't normally have a squiqqly red line . The second two show the topaz chinstrap over the mouth wrap. The fourth one shows how I tie it to the Headrest Mask to make a second strap to secure the Headrest. This is very stable. It's ok just to tie the mouth wrap at the back of your neck as shown, too. I would add the Topaz either before or after the Headrest.
