Help--I need recommendation for Breeze Replacement

[felineperson3]

I love my Breeze mask & have been using it since I first discovered it in early 2005. Was ready to quit sleeping with masks as they all hurt my face & I slept poorly @ night because of all the ensuing problems trying to wear the masks. I came to this forum & was rescued by the suggestion of trying the Breeze mask & it was perfect for me. I have had no additional problems & will forever be indebted to this forum for being so helpful to the newbies. Now they tell me the Breeze mask has been discontinued & I have tried the Nuance, & the Dreamwear all of which run the straps over my cheeks & leave marks for most of the day. The Nuance does a number on the nares of my nose & the Dreamwear irritates my nose @ the bottom leaving a red streak where it has rested all night. It also is very bad to leak & blow air everywhere even up into my eyes. Do any of you know of a mask being made that has the features more similar to the Breeze? If so please let me know as I hate to become a non-user after being compliant for almost 13 years. Praying someone out there can help me. They have switched my older Remstar Auto machine to the Dream Station with heated humidifier. I will be watching for answers from you. Thanking you in advance for any help.

[Pugsy]

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/purita ... llows.html

It's still available from cpap.com.

Who told you it was being discontinued? The DME? Maybe they just don't want to order it anymore. Wouldn't be the first time they told a bit of a story to a patient.

Now it has been around for a long time and the manufacturer might be discontinuing it but I would verify with the manufacturer first.
If it is being manufactured...buy up all you can find.

Look at the Tap Pap nasal pillow mask. No headgear but it does use a mouth guard to hold the pillows.
https://www.cpap.com/productpage/tap-pa ... roved.html

Also..those marks on our cheeks...there are some strap covers from Padacheek that pretty much will stop the strap marks.

[LSAT]

You didn't look very hard...

http://www.directhomemedical.com/breeze ... wAodUsQBWw

http://www.cpapxchange.com/about-cpapxchange.html

http://www.directhomemedical.com/breeze ... aQoduGIJ9Q

[Pugsy]

When you have time don't forget to update your equipment to reflect the new DreamStation machine.
BTW if you find the Tap Pap interesting I did use it for probably over a year so I have some personal experience I can share.

There's also the Swift FX Bella Loops but they involve small side straps but again...Padacheek makes some strap covers for them.

[Pugsy]

I have sent cpap.com a note asking them to check to see if the Breeze has really been discontinued by Puritan Bennett.
I couldn't find anyway to contact PB. When I hear back I will let you know.

Often DMEs will blame the old "discontinued" story for their simply not wanting to stock or order a certain mask.
That may be what happened in your case.
Since they pushed the DreamWear and Nuance at you...I bet they are stocking mostly Respironics masks because they got a bulk wholesale price that was real attractive.
Sometimes special ordering a mask is just too much trouble (they think) or they think it doesn't let them have enough profit margin.
The thing is...they could order it from cpap.com and then sell it and still make some good money on it with what most insurance will pay for a nasal pillow mask.

At any rate...you can get find it and for now we don't know for sure it has been discontinued by the manufacturer.

[felineperson3]

Thanks, Pugsy, for your help. I did contact CPap.com & they say that Puritan Bennett have discontinued making the Breeze, but they purchased 400 of them as they were such good sellers. I'm sure my DME could have gone out of their way to order me one, but just like you said, "Since they pushed the DreamWear and Nuance at you...I bet they are stocking mostly Respironics masks because they got a bulk wholesale price that was real attractive. Sometimes special ordering a mask is just too much trouble (they think) or they think it doesn't let them have enough profit margin." Since it's the only one I'm comfortable with I'm going to pay for one for myself even though I shouldn't have to. I also had to go & get a copy of my prescription for C-Pap to send to them for having to order myself. It will cost me $89.00 and I just have to hope they don't sell out of them too quickly so I can get another one soon. Again, thanks for all your help & I will go in & try to update my equipment later, too. My Encore software doesn't work with this Dreamstation, unfortunately, although the little card that comes with it gives some info, but not nearly as detailed as the Encore Pro. Praying God's blessings on all of you that had to learn a different sleeping style with a new bedtime partner, but if you can find the one that works for you it's not so bad as it does soon become your friend. It's only when you learn like me, you are about to lose it because they quit making it, that you are sad to see it go. Just as my tag line says," if God has brought me to it, He will bring me through it" thanks to good people like Pugsy sharing info.

[Pugsy]

You will need the latest version of Encore Pro to get the data off the SD card. Prior versions of Encore won't work with the DreamStation but the latest version does.
Send me a PM if you want it.
You can also use SleepyHead if you wish. It's not nearly as big and bulky as Pro.

And yes, sometimes the DMEs simply won't order something even if it is still available. I had that happen with the TapPap when I was using it. My DME just told me that they wouldn't do it because of the profit margin...at least they were honest about why they wouldn't.

[Pugsy]

I heard from Carolyn about the status of the Breeze.
Apparently Puritan Bennett themselves are winding down operations so if there are other PB masks out there they will also be discontinued. I don't remember off hand if there are other PB masks being used other than the Breeze.

Brick and mortar DMEs who typically just order one mask on an as needed basis won't be able to do that any more.
PB is only selling to buyers who place large quantity orders and most DMEs won't want to stock a large inventory of the Breeze.

So you Breeze lovers...online is likely going to be your only choice and once that shelf inventory is used up...no more.
Stock up now if you can or be prepared to move on to a newer model nasal pillow mask and there's really not many out there with the headgear like the Breeze.

Sad for those that love the Breeze but it is the life of a mask...eventually it dies because for some reason or other the manufacturer decides it is no longer profitable to continue making a mask that doesn't maybe sell as good as it used to years ago.

[DreamStalker]

I started off on the breeze back before white boyz became politically incorrect and gender identity was still relatively straight forward -- how the times have changed in just a decade ... but the space aliens in Antarctica will be setting everything straight again later this year. Uhhh, but yeah -- The Breeze, is (wuz) a good mask -- but there are lots of lighter and less obtrusive nasal pillow masks out there. I ended up with the ResMed Swift LT after trialing a dozen or so different flavors ... but there are several of equal quality and functionality ... not despair, you'll have other things for that later this year.

[Breeze Parts]

Looking for Breeze Parts...

https://www.shapeways.com/shops/breeze-parts

[MsBizwiz2]

Breeze has been discontinued. Now what? At pressure 7, it worked perfectly fine for me (though I understand why it may not have worked for higher pressure setting.) I can't have straps crossing my cheeks, as they leave marks the entire day!
What's a girl to do?

[Pugsy]

Breeze has been discontinued. Now what? At pressure 7, it worked perfectly fine for me (though I understand why it may not have worked for higher pressure setting.) I can't have straps crossing my cheeks, as they leave marks the entire day!
What's a girl to do?

I use a mask that doesn't use any headgear at all.
The Bleep...see the link in my equipment profile.