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New Dreamwear Gel Pillows Mask
#31
RE: New Dreamwear Gel Pillows Mask
(05-15-2017, 01:00 PM)Solipsiste Wrote: Dan,

I could not use the P10 long term because of the burning sensation in my nostrils. Is the new DW cushion getting inside the nostrils like the P10's prongs?

Hi,

It is not really a new "cushion" (that would be the regular DW), it is more like they took the Nuance pillows and adapted them to fit the DW as an option.   So now a DW user can choose between the regular cushion and the pillows (and yes the pillows intrude a bit into the nostrils, similar to the P10).

If the P10 pillows didn't work for you then the new DW pillows will probably not work for you either.
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#32
RE: New Dreamwear Gel Pillows Mask
There is a product called Lansinoh, it is a HPA 100% lanolin. I used it with the P10 as have many members on the forum for similar problems that you are having. It helps sooth irritation, etc that is caused by the pillows. It has worked well for countless numbers using nasal masks. If you like the P10 and want to continue, try the lanolin. Note that Vaseline or other petroleum products will attack the silicone in the pillows and should not be used.
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#33
RE: New Dreamwear Gel Pillows Mask
I'm using the Gel pillows and have had a 100% seal every night.
No issues for me. I fall asleep easily and the sound is soothing.
And side sleeping is not only possible, but still a perfect seal for me.
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#34
RE: New Dreamwear Gel Pillows Mask
I have been using it too, for a few months now, but I still use the older type of cushion most of the time.
The seal is better, actually the best seal I have seen from any pillows mask (since it really becomes a pillows mask with this).
The prongs are not too uncomfortable and are less disruptive of sleep, for me, compared to some other masks I've tried, like the P10 (I have sensitive nostrils).

Still, since I am a back sleeper, there is no reason for me, usually, to trade comfort for seal. I get no leak with the older cushion on my back and no prongs at all will always be more comfortable than prongs... I will use the new cushion when I want to sleep on the side.

Question: anyone knows what the intentions of Philips are concerning the older cushions? Are the new one meant to replace them entirely? That would be dramatic for me...
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#35
RE: New Dreamwear Gel Pillows Mask
BTW, Amazon sell the additional Dreamwear pillows for less than $30. I only found out after ordering at $42 one from a different merchant in Amazon.
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#36
RE: New Dreamwear Gel Pillows Mask
I used the Dreamwear without the Nasal Pillows initially but it was a nightmare with lots of leaks. Hopefully the new pillows I ordered will solve this. On Nuance Pro now and its good.
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#37
RE: New Dreamwear Gel Pillows Mask
(05-11-2017, 06:49 AM)silversnore Wrote: The one thing that I have continuously heard (no pun intended) is that the Dreamwear Mask is somewhat noisey.  With having the air supply route running in areas so close to the ears and surround bone masses would be susceptible to pick up noise from vibrations and the movement of air flow.  This would be a deal breaker for me.  Could someone elaborate on the noise issue?  Thanks

Hi, I also found the original Dreamwear (I got in March of this year) a bit noisy and worse when on my side.  Mostly the sound of my own breathing amplified by the design.  However, this mask still worked best for me despite trying several others.  I just got a replacement Dreamweaver from my DME. Although I have seen nothing about any change, they have slightly changed the design.  If you have the old one, you will notice immediately that the quick connect on the old one does not fit the new one and that the elbow at the connection point is a little shorter.  

Most importantly, though, is that the two side tubes appear to be a little bit thicker and it seemed much quieter, back and particularly side.  The side tubes are a little less flexible, which might affect comfort for some side sleepers, but I didn't notice any problems with this myself.  When on my side I tend to sleep with my hand between pillow and tube, so that may be why (note, that also seems to help a bit with leaks when I turn on my side).

I have no idea how to insure which version you will get when you order.  I will try to check the model number on the packaging and see if it is different from what I got before. -John
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#38
RE: New Dreamwear Gel Pillows Mask
I ordered the gel pillow fit pack from amazon (for folks in Australia, there is only one seller that ships to Australia. I found this to be the cheapest way to get a pack from the US including a shipping fee). I tried the medium sized gel pillow mask as I use a medium sized nasal cushion from the old dreamwear setup. It woke me up in the night due to pain in my nostrils. The nostrils were bulging up, so to say. I tried the Small mask and still felt a bit of irritation in the nostrils in the morning. How do folks switching over from nasal cushions to gel cushions go about their sizing ? I so hope to get this right as I am a side sleeper. Luckily, both the masks were a 100% fit and I had no leaks during the night.

I also ordered a Large sized headgear as the Medium was a bit too small for me. The large is a bit too large. I am strapping in for a few nights of trial and error.
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#39
RE: New Dreamwear Gel Pillows Mask
(07-10-2017, 09:01 PM)BHappy Wrote: I ordered the gel pillow fit pack from amazon (for folks in Australia, there is only one seller that ships to Australia. I found this to be the cheapest way to get a pack from the US including a shipping fee). I tried the medium sized gel pillow mask as I use a medium sized nasal cushion from the old dreamwear setup. It woke me up in the night due to pain in my nostrils. The nostrils were  bulging up, so to say. I tried the Small mask and still felt a bit of irritation in the nostrils in the morning. How do folks switching over from nasal cushions to gel cushions go about their sizing ? I so hope to get this right as I am a side sleeper. Luckily, both the masks were a 100% fit and I had no leaks during the night.

I also ordered a Large sized headgear as the Medium was a bit too small for me. The large is a bit too large. I am strapping in for a few nights of trial and error.

Sorry, there are multiple sellers who ship to Australia - just one with reasonable rates  Bigwink
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#40
RE: New Dreamwear Gel Pillows Mask
Some impressions & grouchy opinions after the first night with a Dreamwear GP.  This is on a Resmed A10 with heated humidifier and heated hose, comfort settings on "Auto".

I'm one of the side-sleepers who had no luck with the DW nose-cushion (too many leaks) and had to switch to the same basic mask with the gel pillows instead.

As has been reported, the Dreamwear is noisy with one's breathing, yes.  Possibly good if you find that soothing and conducive to sleep.  Not so good otherwise.  My Dreamwear came with two fabric-with-velcro wraps to cover the side pieces/air-tubes of the frame, and I assume it would be even more noisy without those installed.  I suspect that those are a later addition in recent versions of the mask implementation.  If so, that's good and Philips has been trying to work out the bugs.

A few people have mentioned the tiny air vents in the plastic of the hose connector at the top, and I'll hazard a guess that there could be much more leakage in that neighborhood if you're not using a Philips Respironics hose with its particular kind of mate-and-lock connector.  (If a user of the Dreamwear with a PR machine & hose could please either confirm or deny this, that would be good, thank you.)  I use a Resmed hose with a different kind of mate-and-lock, seems to be a pin & socket sort of doohickey for Resmed mask connectors, in addition to the rubbery silicone seal surrounding it, so it won't mate with the PR connector and I have to rely on the sealing of the silicone shroud all by itself.  So with the Dreamwear, if I don't connect carefully and maybe fiddle with that connection a little bit, I get more (and louder) leakage there.

There are three frame sizes, and the retail package of the complete mask is available only with the size-M frame as far as I know (someone correct me if that's a wrong assumption), and if you're not sure that you have a size-M head then it's important to look at the illustrations on the card included in the package and see whether you are in danger of being either the small-headed person or the large-headed person illustrated there, wearing a size-M frame and suffering various indignities because of it (including looking like a twit, like the people whom one sees walking around with their stereo headphones on backward).  Someone posted a scan of that card in a thread here, and thank you for that, but I can't find it now to include a link to it.  If you need an S or an L frame instead, that's an additional expense, but if you already own the mask then why not go ahead and do it.  I had to switch from M frame to L in addition to replacing the cushion with the gel-pillows nosepiece, but now I'm somewhat happy with the mask.  The seal is good (no major leaks), so no continual re-adjustment is necessary.

I still prefer the F&P Brevida, though, partly because the Dreamwear is so noisy and partly because the Brevida's pillows are less obtrusive & uncomfortable for me.  I'm also not sure yet (after only a few weeks of using any CPAP mask) whether I want the hose connector in front or on top.  I can see the advantages of each, and I guess it depends partly on whether one has a headboard on the bed and/or a hose-hanging gizmo.

The Dreamwear's back strap kept riding up on my head and causing the mask to become loose, because I have smooth hair with no texture for the strap to grab.  I kept having to push the strap all the way back down occasionally.  I guess I'll need to wear a head rag (babushka?) with the Dreamwear.  The obvious remedy is to tighten the strap, but I'm always reluctant to do that because too much of that gives me headaches.

The main objection that I have about the Dreamwear gel-pillows nosepiece is the vent.  There's no diffuser.  It's true that this isn't news, but I foolishly hadn't given it any thought beforehand, and now I'm slightly annoyed.  I'd be much more annoyed if I didn't sleep on the other side of a closed door from my cat.  (He's too playful; he would want to pounce on the air hose and bite it, or try to pull the headgear off my head, or something.  Every object is potentially a toy.)

And at this point in our saga, all of the cat-haters out there are politely asked to stop reading this post and to continue their regular programming elsewhere; thank you.

Because of not having a diffuser, the Dreamwear hisses, continuously and loudly.  Therefore it's one of the least appropriate masks for someone who has a cat, assuming that the cat isn't locked out of the room whenever the human is using the CPAP machine.  For the benefit of the persistent cat-haters/dog-lovers who haven't gone away as instructed:  No, this isn't a joke or an exaggeration or my paranoia; it's a real problem.  If you have a dog who sleeps in your bedroom at night, then imagine what it would be like if your mask emitted a low, continuous, threatening, back-of-throat, Hound-of-the-Baskervilles grrrrrrowl, the kind that makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up when you first hear it, the kind that says "I hate you, I want to kill you, and I'm about to lunge at you and try to rip your throat out."  How would your cuddly wimpy widdle puppy-dog react to that?  Would it be comfortable sleeping next to that all night, especially when the sound seems to be coming from your mouth?  Well, that's sort of what a continuous loud hiss is like to a cat.  (It's a snake-sound, which is why it's scary.)

There are some other masks that don't have diffusers but don't have that problem as such: even though they vent loudly, the sound is much more of a whoosh than a hiss.  For instance, I have a Mirage FX nasal, full nose coverage, that does that, more or less.  It's the small size of the vent holes in the nasal-pillows and nasal-cushion masks that makes this a problem.

So a cat-lover should think carefully when considering any of the masks with small vents.  Definitely go for one that has a diffuser, and thereby prevent some hassles.
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