Bleep/DreamPort nasal mask review thread

[djams]

It's been 2 and a half weeks using the DreamPort - thought I'd drop by for an update.

I haven't had a single night where the DreamPort tape has failed in any way. I've been toying with it every morning, checking to see if it's leaking. I did have one night where I wrinkled the tape under my nose, and it was leaking when I plugged the holes with my thumbs and tested it. I was able to patch this over with one of the small pieces that I cut off. This lasted all night too.

Haven't pulled the hose "T" plate out of the body again.

But I'm real happy with how the DreamPort is helping me fix my mouth leak problems. I've dropped my min pressure from 9cm to 7cm with the idea being that I'll take a bit higher AHI if I can stop the mouth leaks. They cause me to have arousals (not wakeups), and painful dry mouth. 4 nights at 7.6 and 2 nights at 7, and I've seen no impact at all on AHI yet. I *believe* that the DreamPort's un-restricted airflow is allowing me to make this change. So far, so good. I'm going to continue dropping until I see a noticeable AHI change.

But knowing that "it's NOT mask leak" is equally (maybe more) helpful. I've tried 3 different kinds of tape over these 2.5 weeks, and different methods of applying. Recent night's leak lines have me feeling like I'm getting a handle on things. Time will tell.

There's no doubt that I'm sleeping better with the DreamPort. I can feel it. I'm falling asleep faster overall, and waking just before the alarm almost every day.

Here is last night's chart. The 0.01% time over redline is because I turned the machine on before attaching the DreamPort to the cpap hose. In case it hasn't come across - it simply doesn't leak.

[Pugsy]

Here is last night's chart. The 0.01% time over redline is because I turned the machine on before attaching the DreamPort to the cpap hose. In case it hasn't come across - it simply doesn't leak.

Sweet. Always a plus when we can reduce pressures.

Have you thought about maybe adding in a little EPR and see what happens?

Good job and congratulations....hey...when are you going to change your equipment profile? I assume the current mask choice showing is history....since you gave it to me.
Do it in your comments section like I did mine. Just don't choose anything in the mask selection area.

[djams]

Here is last night's chart. The 0.01% time over redline is because I turned the machine on before attaching the DreamPort to the cpap hose. In case it hasn't come across - it simply doesn't leak.

Sweet. Always a plus when we can reduce pressures.

Have you thought about maybe adding in a little EPR and see what happens?

To help with the leaks? I hadn't even given that a thought. I understand the thought process though, so thanks for the suggestion! I'll work EPR into my adjustment cycle.

Good job and congratulations....hey...when are you going to change your equipment profile? I assume the current mask choice showing is history....since you gave it to me.
Do it in your comments section like I did mine. Just don't choose anything in the mask selection area.

Thanks! I'm extremely happy. I'll get that profile updated. I was holding off until I decided between the DreamWear and N30i nasal cushions, But now they're both history. There's no doubt about what I'll be using moving forward.

Off to update the profile.

[katestyles]

I have preordered my Bleep.

Now I can hardly wait for the email saying it is shipped!

[Pugsy]

Now I can hardly wait for the email saying it is shipped!

Shouldn't be much longer....rumor control has it that it will start shipping sometime next week to the suppliers who are offering it for sale under preorder status.
Plus I heard that LinCare got on board....as much as I hate them...they will be a potential source for people using them with insurance.

[katestyles]

Who has admin access to adding new masks to the equipment lists? Could be popular!

[Pugsy]

Who has admin access to adding new masks to the equipment lists? Could be popular!

Not me.

The equipment list for our profiles is tied to current available inventory at cpap.com.
If not available and/or never sold by cpap.com...won't be on the list.
If once sold but discontinued...may or may not still be on the list but if it is the links will be broken.

Should cpap.com decide to offer the Bleep and it gets added to the inventory list as being active and for sale...then we will be able to choose it in our equipment profile. Who actually does that equipment list...I have no idea who that might be.
Not Carolyn either...I asked her about fixing the boo boo causing confusion with having the AirSense 10 AutoSet down in the R's and all the other AirSense stuff is in the A's...several months ago and it's still in the R's.

[babydinosnoreless]

Now I can hardly wait for the email saying it is shipped!

Shouldn't be much longer....rumor control has it that it will start shipping sometime next week to the suppliers who are offering it for sale under preorder status.
Plus I heard that LinCare got on board....as much as I hate them...they will be a potential source for people using them with insurance.

Do you know if progressive home medical will be on the list.

[Pugsy]

Do you know if progressive home medical will be on the list.

I have no way to know about individual DMEs or local brick and mortar stores. It will all depend on who those local stores order their supplies from...Will the place they order from stock it and offer it to the DMEs they service????

What you have to do is prod your local store and tell them about this new mask and that is what you want to try...and buy.
That is what I have planned for my own local DME. I don't know who they buy wholesale from...but if you get enough people requesting something...then someone has to listen and offer it.
Plus I just imagine that if you point your DME office to the Bleep website...there are links and information at their website on what is needed for the DME to buy some of the product.

Some of the online retailers you see offering the Bleep as pre order....also service brick and mortar stores but it's not exactly public common knowledge as to who does what with whom. I am not privy to any of that kind of stuff. I just bug Stuart about when it's finally going to ship to the places who have signed contracts with him...and those businesses are the same ones you see the Bleep being offered under pre order status. You do a google search for the Bleep and see who is offering it.

First shipments slated to roll out Monday....who gets them...I don't know and have no way of knowing and it really isn't any of my business. It's going to be like any newly released mask from anyone....going to go out in stages. Criteria for who gets what when or earlier.....again that is not something I am privy to.

I bug Stuart about when shipment starts....because people bug me about when they can try it.

I waited 2 years for this mask....2 years ago is when I first heard about it and it was in its infancy at that time.
I knew back then that I really wanted to try it....really, really, really bad because I said the absolute truth when I said that all these years I have looked at the nasal pillows that I use and tried to figure out some way to duct tape those suckers to my nose.
My husband has heard it for nearly 10 years...so when I saw someone actually trying to do what I have always wanted to do....I for sure was going to be one of the first to try it...come hell or high water.

And just in case anyone is wondering....I was the one who initiated contact about trying this mask. I begged Jason to beg Stuart to let me try it either early or be the very first one to get it.
I think my actual words to Jason were "whose ass do I have to kiss to get this mask NOW" and that was after I saw his last video on it.

[babydinosnoreless]

Do you know if progressive home medical will be on the list.

I have no way to know about individual DMEs or local brick and mortar stores. It will all depend on who those local stores order their supplies from...Will the place they order from stock it and offer it to the DMEs they service????

Oh I was thinking they were a big player like lincare
Or apria. I guess not. I am still waiting for them to call back now they have my sleep study and prescription. If they ever call me back, I will ask if they carry or will carry the dreamport. Maybe I should call my original dme and see if they are going to be carrying it. They like to ship stuff out.

[kteague]

Here is my mask review after two weeks of use. Pugsy will move the post to it's proper place in this thread at a later time.

DREAMPORT BLEEP MASK REVIEW

Overview: The Dreamport Bleep is an ultra lightweight mask that feels nearly invisible in use after becoming familiar. Following is my journey to reaching familiarity and my observations on the mask and my use of it.

I began my trial of the Bleep with hesitancy. If it’s not broke don’t fix it, right? I was content with using the TapPap and already experiencing being headgear free, leak free, and pretty much hassle free. Yet I was curious, and a bit concerned about the possibility of some upcoming dental work that could affect my ability to wear the mouthpiece of the TapPap. As one with quite fragile sleep anyway, I dreaded the adjustment phase that comes with every new mask I’ve tried. Nearly every mask I’ve used I’ve taken the liberty to make DIY modifications so that it could meet my specific expectations. The adjustment phase on the Bleep pretty much ended for me between nights 3 and 5.

On the first night I wondered what I had gotten myself into. After thirteen years of using various nasal pillows masks which fit up against my nose, the tugging sensation instead of pushing upward felt so foreign I feared I wouldn’t be able to sleep. I quickly learned that allowing the mask to rest on my pillow while side sleeping gave it enough support to not feel any tug.

Managing the adhesive on the nose pieces seemed common sense, but I was a bit of a knucklehead. I did learn the hard way to remove them from the paper backing by holding the nose pieces to minimize handling of the adhesive. The trimmed pieces I used as reinforcement midline above and below where the main sections overlap. I’m an ounce-of-prevention kind of gal. With fragile sleep I just didn’t want to risk a wakeup from a leak as had happened twice in the early nights of use. That made me a believer in careful skin prep. Alcohol made my skin sting under the adhesive pads, so I switched to an astringent for sensitive skin. I use the Sea Breeze brand as it was already in the house, and I’ve had no need to look for other options. Also learned to allow my skin to dry thoroughly after cleansing. And no, I cannot moisturize inside my dry nose and think it won’t migrate outward and affect adhesion. Had no trouble with leaks after being more mindful of my prep. I take an allergy med every night - have done that for years to minimize drainage issues when masked up. That became more important to me with this mask as it’s not one I could just pop off and back on due to the adhesive pads being single use. A person with a lot of sinus issues might not find this mask the best for them. After a few nights I didn’t even feel the adhesive pads on my face. I’ve had no skin issues on removal.

The construction of the mask took some getting used to. My familiar TapPap was a workhorse requiring no special handling consideration. The Bleep is featherweight, and some areas proved prone to come apart for this restless sleeper who had not yet mastered hose management. The mask was not easy for me to reattach half asleep in the dark with no mirror. I found I hadn’t truly studied the mask enough to handle those challenges. The bottom piece has a right and wrong direction. I could put it back together now by feel, but don’t have a need any longer because I put a tiny rubber band around the mask on each side of the hose for stabilization of the bottom piece. I was a few nights in before I got the hang of getting the nose pieces properly seated, not realizing early on that they will click into place. And that the ports twist for the stems to click into place in the side notches. Not having things secured properly caused me leak and coming apart issues the first few nights. Once I was more intimately familiar with the mask, those became non issues. One important caution is to not disengage the mask pieces while half asleep. One morning in a stupor I had inadvertently left one of the port pieces attached to the nosepiece and nearly threw it away. Had to be more mindful.

I found the vent air to be too noisy for my sensitivities when the air hit the covers. I followed someone else’s tip and used a machine filter cross-slit in the middle and slid up on the hose as a diffuser. Problem solved.

In fact, I found all my early issues solvable, and most a result of user error. I am enjoying this mask. I remember when I first used the TapPap how the freedom from headgear was heavenly. I think anyone currently using headgear will be able to appreciate the freedom the Bleep offers. For the most part I’m hardly aware of having the mask on. I still appreciate the unbeatable stability and removability of the TapPap. I also appreciate the minimalism of the Bleep and the opportunity to even further reduce the physical footprint of my treatment. Drooling has stopped with no mouthpiece. That in itself has reduced my wakeups by 2-3 a night. At two weeks in I can say I sleep as well with either of my two favorite masks.

[raisedfist]

I'm going to try this baby out. Does the sensation of "getting air in" feel any different? With most nasal masks (except the P10 with the large pillows) I feel "starved for air" even with substantial minimum pressure. Using a FFM now, which solves the previous mentioned issue, but then I need more pressure to do the same job which sucks. The Brevida was a comfortable nasal mask, but with a higher PS it's annoying as heck with the pillow inflating and deflating all the time.

[djams]

I'm going to try this baby out. Does the sensation of "getting air in" feel any different? With most nasal masks (except the P10 with the large pillows) I feel "starved for air" even with substantial minimum pressure. Using a FFM now, which solves the previous mentioned issue, but then I need more pressure to do the same job which sucks. The Brevida was a comfortable nasal mask, but with a higher PS it's annoying as heck with the pillow inflating and deflating all the time.

The unrestricted air flow was the first thing that I noticed on the first night Well, first afternoon- I couldn't resist a practice run before bedtime. I really like this. As noted above, I'm able to drop from my usual nasal mask min pressure.

I hope it's the same for you!

[raisedfist]

I'm going to try this baby out. Does the sensation of "getting air in" feel any different? With most nasal masks (except the P10 with the large pillows) I feel "starved for air" even with substantial minimum pressure. Using a FFM now, which solves the previous mentioned issue, but then I need more pressure to do the same job which sucks. The Brevida was a comfortable nasal mask, but with a higher PS it's annoying as heck with the pillow inflating and deflating all the time.

The unrestricted air flow was the first thing that I noticed on the first night Well, first afternoon- I couldn't resist a practice run before bedtime. I really like this. As noted above, I'm able to drop from my usual nasal mask min pressure.

I hope it's the same for you!

That is pretty awesome. If my experience is that this is a 100% game changer, I would honestly pony up the $50 or whatever it costs a month without too much griping. God knows I probably waste more than that going to the coffee shop or whatever dumb stuff I buy on Amazon.

[djams]

I'm going to try this baby out. Does the sensation of "getting air in" feel any different? With most nasal masks (except the P10 with the large pillows) I feel "starved for air" even with substantial minimum pressure. Using a FFM now, which solves the previous mentioned issue, but then I need more pressure to do the same job which sucks. The Brevida was a comfortable nasal mask, but with a higher PS it's annoying as heck with the pillow inflating and deflating all the time.

The unrestricted air flow was the first thing that I noticed on the first night Well, first afternoon- I couldn't resist a practice run before bedtime. I really like this. As noted above, I'm able to drop from my usual nasal mask min pressure.

I hope it's the same for you!

That is pretty awesome. If my experience is that this is a 100% game changer, I would honestly pony up the $50 or whatever it costs a month without too much griping. God knows I probably waste more than that going to the coffee shop or whatever dumb stuff I buy on Amazon.

I've thought about the price also obviously. After a couple of weeks it's an easy decision. Any number of things I could change to cover it. Coffee, stop taking the toll roads, drop a streaming service. Heck, I could more than cover it just by making my adult children pay their own damn cell phone bills!.