Bleep/DreamPort nasal mask review thread

[djams]

I am sure I will also see if I can figure a way to reuse ports.

I figured out how to reuse ports!


Just leave them on! OK, it might look a little weird, but it will save me hundreds of dollars.

Brilliant!

[Dreaming1]

Everything is Awesome - Bleep Dreamport Review: I can say with all sincerity that the first two nights of having the Dreamport as my mask-free mask has been down right AWESOME. I have a little boy and he’s a big fan of the LEGO movies. Have gone to both of them. Without a doubt I felt like Emmet singing “Everything is awesome” after the second night. It took some time to get to sleep with it because it does feel super strange on your face not having headgear wrapped around your head. Probably took an hour or more to get to sleep the first night. There is a weird sensation not having headgear snagging your hair and pinching your face OR NOT GOING UP YOUR NOSE AND BURNING (a big complaint of mine). Strange how that becomes a common place kinda thing you grow used to. But overall really good first night, but a little less sleep than normal. Then last night was full bang for the buck perfect. Super low AHI on my ResMed machine (under 1), green smiley face for a leak, and noticeably less arousals during the night sleeping. Wife agreed I moved around less. I can attest it was true efficiency of sleep. Looking at djams SleepyHead data and what he’s posted, I turned my pressure down from 11 to 9 to experiment and it made no difference on performance. Actually felt more normal, because the bleep gives you plenty of pressure. Got all the air I needed and kept my AHI as stable as before and I didn’t drool all over my pillow like I normally do. I think the lower pressure had a lot to do with that. Will try for 8 tonight on the third night. I watched the Lefty Lanky video and cut the tape both nights. I don’t have a giant nose and didn’t want the tape up under my eyes. This wasn’t hard at all to do. Matter of fact, I cut the tape all at once for one sheet straight across. Removed about 1/2 inch off the ends. I used alcohol out of a bottle on the corner of a wash cloth to clean around my nose (didn’t get the wipes). Ripped off the QR Socket thingy on the right side only one time on the first night (those could use a bit more engineering), but got it back on easy enough with the taco technique (see lefty’s video on that). Glad I knew that going in. I did use a mirror to do it all. Can’t say it would be easy not to do that. All the parts feel a bit alien to try doing it without looking, but then the whole thing feels strange initially...until you lay down and put pressure to it. That’s when I knew it was going to be different. I could pull on it and wiggle it around and there was nothing. Plenty of air gets in and gets out without restriction on breathing. It really feels like not wearing anything after a couple minutes of laying there, just like others have mentioned on their reviews. It’s true and that can also be unnerving at first. But I settled down and the second night was even better than the first. Got to sleep night two in less than thirty minutes. Way better the second go round, when I knew what to expect. Wasn’t dwelling on the strangeness of it not binding my face up. Here is how I would sum it up: I would compare wearing a normal cpap mask to wearing steel toed work boots all your life to perform a desk job, then putting on flip flops for the first time ever and finding out you can do the same job, but far more comfortable doing it. Bleep is Everything is Awesome. I’ll be singing that damn song all day today, I know it.

[djams]

Review

Awesome isn't it?

I've been looking forward to these reviews since the dreamport is now released. And one reason is that I can't find a single negative thing about it. Waiting to see if *anyone* won't like it. I'm sure it'll happen eventually and I'll be interested in seeing the reason. Super-sensitive skin maybe. Also wondering if mask straps might be like a security blanket for some longtime users.

Glad to hear you like it. I'm not surprised.

Edit: I pulled the QR sockets out a lot in the beginning too. Must be a newbie thing. Not happening these days. Maybe Bleep should consider putting instructions on making tiny tacos in the manuals, so new users don't poop the bed.

[heyslick]

I will get mine on Monday. Sad thing is i never got a chance to tell my sister about this, i buried her on Friday.

[Sleepy in GV]

I can’t wait!! Mine will be here Monday!

I wonder if wearing a sleep eye mask over the eyes might help people who feel so weird the first night nor having anything wrap around the back of the head? Plus, an eye mask always help keep out the light, better than blackout curtains ! I used to always sleep with one, but when I started Cpap, I felt there was enough on my face as it was:mask over mouth, headgear, tape on lips, so I stopped wearing my eye mask. Then, night before last, my husband turned the lights on in the middle of the night (he thought the cat was in our room). It was awful, woken out of a deep sleep with the ceiling can lights blasting into my eyeballs! So, last night I decided to wear my sleep mask for the hell of it and it was heavenly!! I am going to wear it from here on out. I hope this isn’t off topic, but, I think wearing a nice silk eye mask might help folks who feel so bizarre when they first wear the minimalist Bleep.

[Pugsy]

I got quite good at making the tiny tacos that first week I got the Bleep but after that I haven't had to do it except once last week and I took it apart on purpose and knew I was going to be making tacos.
Besides....once you do it a few times you get so fast at it that it doesn't really matter anymore.
First couple of times though....I thought "oh crap...not again".

Been anxious to start seeing other people's thoughts on it.
I know there will be lovers and haters....that is just the way it is for any mask out there and this one won't be any different.

[djams]

Been anxious to start seeing other people's thoughts on it.
I know there will be lovers and haters....that is just the way it is for any mask out there and this one won't be any different.

I don't know. You're working with a whole bunch more knowledgeable and experience than me, but I can't imagine what the dislikes might be. Will be interesting for sure as time passes. I've typed "the dreamport takes the YMMV out of masks" in a reply here a few times. Always have removed it, because that's a mighty bold statement for a newbie to make.

[Pugsy]

Been anxious to start seeing other people's thoughts on it.
I know there will be lovers and haters....that is just the way it is for any mask out there and this one won't be any different.

I don't know. You're working with a whole bunch more knowledgeable and experience than me, but I can't imagine what the dislikes might be. Will be interesting for sure as time passes. I've typed "the dreamport takes the YMMV out of masks" in a reply here a few times. Always have removed it, because that's a mighty bold statement for a newbie to make.

Not everyone will love it because the very things we love about it will be what someone else hates and we will sit here and scratch our heads and wonder about these people....but they are out there.
I do think that the lovers will outnumber the haters though...and by a wide margin.
Besides some people would just bitch if they were hung with a new rope...some people just are that way...they tunnel vision on the negatives so much they can't see the positives in anything.

Some people don't like change in any form and just won't give something new a fair shake. They don't want to change anything and won't make any effort to change...and that's fine too if they are happy then I am happy for them.

Cost will be a factor even for those with insurance.....I can hear it now. " I can get a year out of one nasal pillow so why do I want to buy 2 boxes of the ports every month. I only have to deal with my DME once a year"...that sort of thing. Won't make any sense to us but to them it makes perfect sense. I will sit here and roll my eyes and say "whatever dude" and let it go.

The Bleep is a new way of doing things...some people just don't want to put forth the effort to try anything new and it does take an effort to make it work. It takes a bit of effort anytime we change a way of doing anything. Some people adapt easily and some don't and they won't want to make it work and if they don't want it to work....not much of a chance of it working.

Change is hard for some people for any number of reasons...that's just the way people are.

[prodigyplace]

The only reason I do not want to try it is because I may like it.

Lately I have not been meeting my medical insurance deductibles which means I would need to pay for the supplies.

[Jas_williams]

I kind of fancy it but I know it will cost me out of pocket and I am not sure it will ever make it to the UK

[Dreaming1]

Would bet you money it can be shipped to the UK.

[Jas_williams]

I’m sure it can but it adds to the cost, I have a US shipping address it’s just added cast

[Dreaming1]

$84 US to ship a year supply to London using the cpap shop, who I used.

[palerider]

$84 US to ship a year supply to London using the cpap shop, who I used.

you mean, 84$ in shipping?

[Dreaming1]

Yes, just the shipping cost. Not too bad for a years worth.