Dreamware mask questions

[jpek]

Hello, everyone. I've been wanting to try the DreamWear mask, and I have two questions about it.

1) I just found out that it comes in both nasal and pillow versions. I'd only seen the nasal before. Which one is better? I've been using a nasal mask (the Wisp) for about a year now and like that it doesn't chafe my nose and also is attached more securely. But of course that's a different construction.

2) I've heard that with the DreamWear it's very important to get the proper fit of frame and nasal piece. There are three sizes of frame and four sizes of nasal pieces and I've been told that you have to spend time experimenting -- mixing and matching these -- to see which combination provides the right fit. However, both CPAP.com and my provider only provide the kit with the medium frame (and all four sizes of the nasal pieces). So, how do I know if the medium size frame is the right one for me? Or, if it's not how do I obtain the small or large size?

[Holden4th]

I'm a Dreamwear fan and have used both the nasal pillows and the nasal mask. The medium frame fitted me well and unless you have a quite large or quite small head then the medium should be fine for you as well.

When I got my DW, the nasal pillows had not been developed so I used the mask. This causes minimal to no chafing. It's cons are that it can be a bit noisy (which didn't bother me) and that it can direct air up towards your eyes which can dry them out. (This was an issue for me)

I now use the pillows which solve that issue but they can chafe on first use. You can get around this by using either vaseline or some other similar product. I use Vicks Vaporub at times which also has the benefit of helping to reduce congestion in the nasal passages.

The nasal piece should come with a fitting guide.

[LoBattery]

I've been using Dreamwear for over a year and just recently got the pillows. I've been switching back and fourth depending on what kind of night I'm having. This has been complicated by my doing a chemical peel for the last three weeks for sun damage and my face is on fire. The pillows seem to solve the random leak problem since conditions required me to loosen straps. At times I feel I can barely breath with the pillows. I swear the pillows have a little nose guide which can fold in and partially block the passages. Initial placement should be done with no air pressure. t seems much harder adjusting once it has pressure. I just may cut out those silicone flaps. Regardless which one you choose there will be strange days. Amazon has the pillow only for $24, worth a try.

[FrederickRose]

I have a big head and prefer the large frame, but the medium one works on my head as well. The large one is easier to slide past my chin strap which rests on top of my head.

As far as nasal cushion vs pillows, I bought both and find the cushion much more comfortable and only slightly worse at sealing. I have to make it pretty snug with the strap for it to not leak with all my usual tossing and turning.

It took some experimentation to prove to myself that the small size cushion was best for my nose, which is what the paper guide showed as well.

[Grace~~~]

I've not tried the pillows as I am afraid of the chafing and a tiny bit afraid of sticking things in my nostrils in general.

I have read many times about folks having the drying of eyes and I had thought perhaps they weren't positioning the cushion at an angle to prevent it. I know little to none about other masks. The dreamware is really flexible and I wear mine at a pretty funky tilt ... but I have a thick wad of hair that I can use to support and position the hose to stay pretty much anywhere I want on the crown of my head. Sometimes I get a little air towards my eyes but with my eyes closed it's not really an issue.

...or so I thought ...

Just in the last few days I turned off my fan that I blow on my face at night to help me fantasize and slip in to great dreams. I had turned off my room air conditioner (which I use in addition to the central air) because I thought it was getting cool enough. I had turned the extra little fan off without giving it much thought. I noticed immediately how much I missed the "white noise" but I didn't notice the slight eye issue for two or three days.

Then I realized that even with my eyes shut there was enough of a ...leakage? .. that went up and pushed on my eyelashes just enough that I had a kinda dry eye feel? Albeit ...very slight. (But at least I thought "Oh, this must be what Holden4th and others have mentioned! Which is what is so cool about sharing here. I mean how else could you figure this out? I have had the worst ever experience from the medical professionals with regard to this cpap. Though they do have their hands full with me... but that's another ramble ... lol)

I guess the fan blowing right at my face had been PREVENTING the dry eyes? (which I love the feel of anyway so I am lucky) ... it seems that the air from the fan blowing at that angle totally blows away the air escaping from the mask ... like dispersing it before it can blow into my eyelashes from below.

I have NO IDEA if that will help anyone else, but I thought I'd share with my dreamware mates.

By the way, I use the large frame to get my exaggerated tilt. I did see an advertisement or something on the web that showed a girl wearing a mask too big for her with a big red "X" over her picture. I am not sure if that meant the mask wont work good if you wear it back too far or if they were just suggesting comfort? I like as much of my face and cheeks exposed as possible. I am always drawing imaginary lines on my face and creating what would be my ideal curve / shape for the dreamware. But the freedom of no hose hanging off your nose in the middle of your body is definitely something I couldn't give up.

[jpek]

How did those of you who use a large frame get the large frame or try on different frame sizes to know which one was right for you (since the mask normally only comes with the medium frame)?

[Pugsy]

The frames are sold separately...available widely on the internet.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/pr-dre ... frame.html
You just choose the size. The medium is the only one that I know of that is packaged with the rest of the mask gear.

You make an educated guess on size

Length of the Small Frame: 19 in

Length of the Medium Frame: 20 in

Length of the Large Frame: 22 in

I got the fit pack with the Medium frame and it was okay but I felt it wanted to slide around a bit too much to suit me so I got the small size and it does work a lot better for me.

[Grace~~~]

I got the medium frame first. It fit fine. Then I read a post by a girl sharing this larger frame smaller nose piece idea.

...which is weird because I read LOTS going the other way ... girls going smaller, but there was something about keeping more face free that intrigued me.

So when it was time to get my next mask (I forget how often that is?) ... I looked carefully at my dreamware and I knew that the mask itself was in fine shape. The cushions can loose their seal after long enough but I bet the mask itself could last a long time unless a puppy chewed it up or something.

So I decided to ask for the large. (Which I remember being mildly ashamed about ... ha ha ... like I didn't want them to think I had a pumpkin head.) I knew from the first "fit pack" that I was definitely a small in the nose cushion. That is a definite for me. Other sizes are useless even for backup.

So I figured I could always make the medium work until the next go round if I needed to ... but it turns out I like the loose wide open feel of the large.

[Hopeful50]

. Which one is better?

That's a bit like asking which ice cream flavor is better - it's all personal preference. You would need to try both and see which you like.

That said, I can share my own experience. As a newbie in Feb 2016, I was given a Mirage FX, which was OK. As soon as I was eligible for a new mask, I asked for a Dreamwear, and never looked back.

I used the original Dreamwear with nasal cushions for about a year and loved it. As a side sleeper, my only difficulty was the cushion sometimes getting dislodged when I turned from one side to the other. That was easily fixed when I learned to simply put a finger or two against the cushion to support it as I laid my head down on the pillow.

When the gel nasal pillow version was introduced this year, I wanted to try it for comparison, and that's what I've used for the past 5-6 months. It only took about 3 nights to get used to the feel of the nasal pillows, and it does stay in place a little better.

The main differences I've noticed between the two:
- The pillows touch only the nostrils, but with the nasal cushion the entire piece rests on the skin just above the upper lip.
- When they added pillows to the original cushion, that changed the angle of both the cushion and the vent downward; the pillows vent straight out, and the nasal cushion vents very slightly upward.
- In case of occasional leaks, I find the pillows easier to re-seal; simply pull them slightly away from the nose, let them reinflate, and gently bring them to rest again against the nostrils; with the original nasal cushion, there can be a bit more fussing with placement to regain the seal.

I also read the earlier advice from the gal who found the larger frame to be more comfortable. I tried it, but found it slipped around too much for me.

With either style of Dreamwear mask, beware of tightening the headgear. This mask needs to fit fairly loosely to maintain a good seal.

Good luck!

[Holden4th]

I've been using Dreamwear for over a year and just recently got the pillows. At times I feel I can barely breath with the pillows. I swear the pillows have a little nose guide which can fold in and partially block the passages. Initial placement should be done with no air pressure. t seems much harder adjusting once it has pressure. I just may cut out those silicone flaps. Regardless which one you choose there will be strange days. Amazon has the pillow only for $24, worth a try.

I have this issue at times as well but a quick readjustment as you suggested makes the difference.

I just may cut out those silicone flaps. Not sure quite what you're referring to here.

[AirPump]

I've used the DreamWear for nearly a year and I like it very much. I had your concerns about fitting the right size, so I enlisted a CPAP DME to help, and was able to try both medium and large frame size. I have a 7 5/8 inch hat size (large head) but the medium frame is the best fit for me. I use the cushion as I found with experimentation that the Dreamwear pillows are like other pillows - they chafe my nostrils and become uncomfortable after a few nights continuous wear. The beauty of the DW mask for me is that I get the "direct delivery" of the air without the nostril intrusions that cause chafing.

I am a side sleeper and the DW works especially well due to the hose connection at the top of my head, the the delivery of air through the side of the mask that I'm not laying on. As another poster here noted, if the cushion gets displaced as I turn onto my side, the whoosh of air signals that I must scoot my face a tiny bit forward on the pillow to reseal it.

If you have access to a DME to help fit the mask, then use them. If not, then get the fit-kit with the medium frame as a starting point.
I was a die-hard ResMed Swift FX nasal mask user for years, but the Dreamwear won me over in a very short time. Good Luck!

[Sheepish]

I've used the DreamWear for nearly a year and I like it very much. I had your concerns about fitting the right size, so I enlisted a CPAP DME to help, and was able to try both medium and large frame size. I have a 7 5/8 inch hat size (large head) but the medium frame is the best fit for me. I use the cushion as I found with experimentation that the Dreamwear pillows are like other pillows - they chafe my nostrils and become uncomfortable after a few nights continuous wear. The beauty of the DW mask for me is that I get the "direct delivery" of the air without the nostril intrusions that cause chafing.

I am a side sleeper and the DW works especially well due to the hose connection at the top of my head, the the delivery of air through the side of the mask that I'm not laying on. As another poster here noted, if the cushion gets displaced as I turn onto my side, the whoosh of air signals that I must scoot my face a tiny bit forward on the pillow to reseal it.

If you have access to a DME to help fit the mask, then use them. If not, then get the fit-kit with the medium frame as a starting point.
I was a die-hard ResMed Swift FX nasal mask user for years, but the Dreamwear won me over in a very short time. Good Luck!

This is a perfect description of why I also like the Dreamwear nasal cushion mask. The only problem is the air stream shooting out of the front disturbs my wife to the point of waking her and keeping her awake. So I either have to sleep on only one side all night, facing away from her (so no spooning ), which I can't do anyway since I need to shift from one side to the other during the night, or I have to wear my P10, which has nasal diffusers that create a soft air exhaust that you barely feel beyond one to two inches in front of the mask. But then after a few days, you feel it on your nostrils.

Philips Respironics needs to put a P10 style air diffuser in the nasal cushion of the Dreamwear, and then we'd have the closest thing to a perfect mask, in my book. PR R&D, are you listening?

[luvsbluberries]

The tubing is supposed to sit equidistant between your ears and your eyes. If it is closer to your eyes, then the sizing is too small; closer to your ears means it is too large. There is either a sizing chart or video somewhere that shows/tells this.

[Grace~~~]

The tubing is supposed to sit equidistant between your ears and your eyes. If it is closer to your eyes, then the sizing is too small; closer to your ears means it is too large. There is either a sizing chart or video somewhere that shows/tells this.

I wonder if wearing the wrong size makes any difference on performance as long as you get a good seal?

I know I wear mine way too loose. It's ridiculous if I am sitting up, but I am always laying down when I put it on. After participating in this thread I really paid attention. I like the feel of the mask being so wide open and loose but I could probably put a softball on the top of my head and secure it under the top of the mask. Actually my hair in a "messy bun" is about softball size again now and I know that wad of hair is a real 'stabilizer' particularly with my loose fit preference.

I am able to put the top hose way back on my crown which pulls everything off my face. It "feels" comfortable being so loose and open like this ... but I know it's "wrong" and wonder if it is making the mask less effective than if I was all strapped in? In fairness, *I DID* follow the fit rules in the beginning (as I always do start off everything following the rules) ... but then just experimented.

I am able to get the nose cushion fitted/sealed at my nose even at this different angle? And it does change the direction of the vent a tiny bit? My sleepyhead numbers and leak numbers are very much the same with the medium or the large? I'm pretty consistent. AHI Just under 1 for the year.

I often wonder about what criteria went in to the design of the dreamwear. I hope those guys are still tweaking!

[LoBattery]

My sleep study told me to use a MW nose piece. I did that for three months until one day the fitting chart fell out of the package. That said I was a medium. You can learn to live with about anything.