DreamFit: 1st Night's Results

TXKajun · Post by **TXKajun** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 6:00 pm

Hi, everyone. As promised, here's what I experienced my first night using the PB DreamFit mask with my PB 420e and HH.

I got the mask put together and hooked to the hose earlier in the evening, lay down and it felt pretty good. So, about 10:30 PM (please note this is about 3 hours later than I was able to stay up pre-cpap!), I lay down, put a chin strap around my head kinda sorta tightly, strapped myself into the DreamFit and fired that sucker up. I picked up a book and actually read with the mask in place!! That's something I'd never been able to do with my UltraMirage FF mask. About 10:50, I turned off the light and tried to get to sleep thinking "Well, I'm a mouth-breather and will probably have to change masks in the middle of the night, but I'm going to give this thing a good try." What a relief it was having a mask with a very tiny profile on my face instead of one covering from bottom of eyes to chin!

I fell asleep quickly, but woke at about 11:30 with pain on my forehead. The forehead piece is not very soft and does not distribute the pressure over a very wide area. I loosened the straps on the forehead unit, rolled over and went back to sleep. About 12:30, I woke again to pain directly under my nose over my upper teeth. I thought "Oh no. This will never work." I got up, went outside on the patio, smoked a ciggie (I know, I know), went back to bed and looked things over. I tried putting on the mask again after putting on the chin strap, but the velcro from the mask headgear kept getting tangled with the chinstrap. I took off the chinstrap figuring I'd wake with my mouth popping open. I also unhooked the air supply hose from the thingie on the top strap of the mask and let it dangle free. Next thing I know, it's 6:30 AM! WOWZERS! I got up, walked around, did the bathroom trip, then back to bed thinking that I had to be up at about 8 AM to fix a bbq we had planned today. The next thing I know, it's 10 AM!! I slept like a baby and don't think I had any mouth leaks at all.

So, I get up, do the coffee, newspaper, bbq, watch a bit of tv with our guests and now it's time to do my little report. I hooked up the 420e to the computer and did a download to see if the DreamFit worked as good as I thought. My AHI is usually somewhere between .8 and 3.5. I almost fell off my chair when I saw my AHI for last night was 0.4 !!! YEEHAWW.

So, first night went extremely well with only minor tweaking (sorry, rested gal, no need to lab rat the interface so far! LOL).

I'll keep reporting on a semi-regular basis on how things are going, but so far, the DreamFit is a keeper!

This therapy WORKS!!!

WAFlowers · Post by **WAFlowers** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 6:09 pm

Fantastic! So I guess you could say the DreamFit works like a dream?

I'll be very interested to follow your results as you fine tune the straps, etc.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 7:21 pm

So, first night went extremely well with only minor tweaking

Excellent!!

(sorry, rested gal, no need to lab rat the interface so far! LOL).

Darn!

OldSeaRock · Post by **OldSeaRock** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 7:24 pm

That's great news, TXK!

These contraptions they call "masks" all take a certain degree of fiddling with in order to get them to work. The degree of fiddling is an individual thing and hopefully you've found your mask "nirvana zone" sooner than later.

I hope that it works well for you again tonight! Keep us posted.

capt · Post by **capt** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 8:29 pm

Congratulations, as what you reported would make many of us jealous!

seagull · Post by **seagull** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 8:35 pm

I haven't heard of the Dream Seal. Who makes it??

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 8:48 pm

seagull, Kajun is using Puritan Bennett's new DreamFit, not to be confused with Puritan Bennett's old DreamSeal.

The old one (Dreamseal) is a triangular nasal "mask" that can be used instead of the Breeze's nasal pillows shell. Both those (DreamSeal and nasal pillows) are used with the usual Breeze headgear - the plastic and metal spine that goes over the top of the head.

Breeze nasal pillows and Breeze Dreamseal have both been around for many years.

But the DreamFit (also made by Puritan Bennett) is a new nasal mask with new headgear. The DreamFit is not worn with the traditional Breeze headgear.

Confusing names, I know!!

snork1 · Post by **snork1** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 9:48 pm

Interesting...I hadn't even heard mention of the DreamFIT before tonight!
I am surpised there hasn't been more chatter on this one since they seem to be trying to compete with the Activa ....

From the DreamFIT description"It also features a soft "bellows" chamber between the mask and interface that swivels to accommodate patient movement and help prevent leaks..."

How long has this one been out? I musta been asleep or something to have missed this one....

TXKajun · Post by **TXKajun** » Sat Aug 20, 2005 10:19 pm

snork1 wrote: *snip*

From the DreamFIT description"It also features a soft "bellows" chamber between the mask and interface that swivels to accommodate patient movement and help prevent leaks..."
*snip*

snork, that soft bellows chamber is one of the main things that sold me on the mask. It most definitely allows movement of the nasal part independently of the air hose. It looks kind of funky, but I am a side sleeper......BOTH sides!.... and I turn over quite a few times each night. The nose piece seems to stay attached with no problem. It doesn't exactly swivel, more like it stretches and flexes.

I do think this is a new mask. I hadn't heard of it either until Friday at my DME. I'll keep posting with my experiences next week.

This therapy WORKS!!!

Sleepyman · Post by **Sleepyman** » Sun Aug 21, 2005 4:48 am

I have used the Dreamfit and next to Swift it is my favorite. Good luck, I hope you found the "one", (mask) for you.