Dreamwear Full Face Mask!!!

[ChicagoGranny]

First Night

[ChicagoGranny]

Second Night

[ChicagoGranny]

Third Night

[ChicagoGranny]

Wow!

[ChicagoGranny]

After three nights, the Dreamwear Full Face Mask feels like a big winner for me. Comments after three nights:

1. Very comfortable
2. Does not have to be adjusted tightly
3. Marks on face are minimal
4. Look at the zero leak!
5. Look at the near-zero AHI!
6. Hose connection on top of head was a little disconcerting at first, but it's going to be good not to worry about bed covers interfering with hose. In the long run, this is a big advantage.
7. Small footprint for a FFM
8. Simple to adjust/good headgear
9. Quick release hose connection is nice.
10. Pressure hit 16 for short periods on each of the first two nights. No leak at that pressure.

On the third night, I slept 6 hours and was suddenly awakened by a major leak under the nostrils. I can see a five-second leak on Sleepyhead. I had to tighten the top strap so the nostril piece fit snugly. How did this work without leaks for 6 hours and then suddenly need tightening. Did the new headgear stretch out during the night? Did the velcro slip? Did I move in the bed and jerk something the wrong way? The answer is unknown. It's something to watch for future occurrences.

Gosh, I can only pray my first three nights experience (without this morning's sudden leak) continue!

[mesenteria]

I'm happy for you...you sound excited and maybe more than a little relieved. If this ends up a long-term condition for you, who could complain?

[AirMech74]

I'm glad to hear that it worked good for you...wish I had that same outcome. I had to tighten mine pretty good to prevent it from leaking around my nose and when it did hit pressures over 15, it would leak around the sides. I really liked that the hose is on the top. I really wanted to like this one and I'd like to try mine again but I need a replacement head gear for it, I gave mine away with the small sized set up that I had....secondwind is currently on back order.

[ChicagoGranny]

I had to tighten mine pretty good to prevent it from leaking around my nose and when it did hit pressures over 15, it would leak around the sides.

When I first looked at the mask, I expected it would leak on the nose and sides. It was quite surprising that I slept without leaks all night the first night.

The size I chose fits right on the corners of my mouth. It's counter intuitive that this would work. I would expect it would need to be out a bit on the cheeks. But, whatever works.

[Pugsy]

Still interested in the pillows for it?
I haven't got mine back yet to give it a try and see if I could get it done.
I am kinda intrigued by the idea myself.
It might help that very minor stability issue I was having with the frame size still not quite snugging up enough to suit me.
The under the nose thing was where I was having the bulk of the leaks that annoyed me. Too many years with nasal pillows helping me cheat a bit with the fit/seal.

And yeah...the hose on the top of the head can take just a bit of getting used to especially for someone with years of experience with the hose on the front of the face...but it doesn't take long to adjust to the new hose placement and actually get to like it.
Part of the reason I tried the gel pillow version for so long...I liked having the hose up over my head because that's sort of where it runs with any of the other masks I have used anyway....around the bed pillow and down over the top of my head to my face.

Now if I could have nasal pillows with the diffused venting of the P10 (and the silence) with the headgear of the P10 because it's nothing and the hose be at the top of my head...might be a pretty sweet mask.

[ChicagoGranny]

Still interested in the pillows for it?

After three nights, I feel like I have hit a home run with the standard setup. But, I am still interested in the nasal pillows. I've had seven years of such good experience with the nasal pillows on my Innomed Hybrid. I'm still surprised the DW FFM doesn't leak around the nostrils. Just holding it in my hand and looking at it, it seems like it would leak like crazy.

I liked having the hose up over my head because that's sort of where it runs with any of the other masks I have used anyway....around the bed pillow and down over the top of my head to my face.

Let me see if I understand how you manage the hose by explaining what I have done so far. Starting out on my back, the machine is to my left not far from my head. The hose runs from the machine, behind my head, over to the left and then loops back to the fitting on top of my head. I sleep part of the night on my right side, and it is easy to get on my right side without disturbing the hose. (I have an aversion to hose hangers.)

The first time I got into bed, I tried running the hose direct from the machine to the fitting on the top of my head. Since my head was two to three feet from the machine, three to four feet of hose was left to dangle between the nightstand and the bed - not a way to go.

[Pugsy]

Sounds like your setup is similar to mine but for me my machine is on my right if I am on my back.
Like you I don't care for hose hangers...my headboard is old antique wrought iron with scrolls so I have a built in hose hanger routing system if I wanted to but I found it annoyed me more than helped me.

My machine is just about next to the horizontal level where my bed pillow is and the hose comes out of the machine and goes backwards just a little and lays on the mattress and I loop it upward to the top area of my bed pillow and then it comes down to my face.

I have never liked running the hose under the bed covers. The few times I have done that I end up dreaming about a snake in the bed or strangling myself with the hose. I don't want to touch the hose...even with a hose cozy on it.

My usual routine is to start on my left side with my back to my machine. My face and head sort of on the end/side of the buckwheat hull pillow and I make just a little nest for the mask to rest. My neck doesn't like it if I don't have the buckwheat hull support and if I get too close to the edge of the bed pillow I lose the support my neck needs.
When I was trying the DreamWear FFM...nothing really changed except the hose didn't come down to my nose.

My only real issue in general with this FFM is the frame (and I have the small) being a tiny bit too large for my head and this lets the nose cushion part move a bit and leak. That's just peculiar to my own head and I was able to limit the movement somewhat with some fleece covers but not totally. More work on that when I get the mask back. Now it will never be my primary mask...that will always be a nasal pillow mask but if for some reason I just had to use a full face mask I could make the DreamWear FFM be a fairly comfortable option and sleep halfway decently. I imagine if I was having to use a full face mask for some reason I probably would be ill and would have other sleep issues too. Like if my nose is totally blocked I just can't sleep all that great...doesn't matter that I could mouth breathe...I don't/won't mouth breathe easily. The congestion itself causes wake ups. Thank goodness those allergy shots I took some 40 years ago keep me from having much in allergy symptoms. I would be in a world of hurt otherwise.

[John1409]

... Starting out on my back, the machine is to my left not far from my head. The hose runs from the machine, behind my head, over to the left and then loops back to the fitting on top of my head. I sleep part of the night on my right side, and it is easy to get on my right side without disturbing the hose. (I have an aversion to hose hangers.)

The first time I got into bed, I tried running the hose direct from the machine to the fitting on the top of my head. Since my head was two to three feet from the machine, three to four feet of hose was left to dangle between the nightstand and the bed - not a way to go.

I also don't like hose hangers, but the loose hanging Dreamwear hose didn't work for me either. It left too much weight hanging in the air, but a hose clip above my head to the sheet fixed that.
The Dreamwear FFM leaks a little for me (sides mostly) but well within allowables, and I have the mask very loose.

[jilliansue]

Hi, Chicago Granny,

I am happy to hear that the Dreamwear Full Face Mask is working so well for you!! I use the P10 mask and I love it, but recently my leak rate has been way up there. I just can't seem to get my tongue in the right position against the roof of my mouth in order to prevent this. I used to be able to! My leaks used to be very low, and now, it is very rare for them to be low. I may just have to try the Dreamwear full face mask. Thank you for your review of it.

Jill

[dreamingofdreaming]

Yeah, sounds like a success. I order mine this week. I use the dream wear nasal mask now. My mask usually starts to slide around in the middle of the night. Either sweat and or oily skin makes it slide and leak a bit. I'm hopeful there will be a pad for the full face version.

[tuzacat]

I have been playing with the DreamWear full face mask for a little while. I have the same issue as you, Pugsy - the frame is a little too big. Like you I added some padding which also helped. The past couple of nights after I put the mask on I put 2 little hair clasps right in front of the frame and it has helped immensely with the slippage.

Chicago Granny, so happy for your success! It is a very comfortable mask for me although I still have to cinch tighter than I think I should in order to eliminate leaks but I have been able to do without the chin strap at present and only use an inch square of tape to keep my mouth from totally drying out.