Nasal Congestion --- Sinusitis and Nasal Polyps

[epf]

Hi All --

I'm 36 yrs old.. 5' 11" 215 lbs or so.. 27 BMI..

In January I decided to go to the doctor and see why i'm always waking up with morning headaches..and tired around 1-3pm each day. I also at the time had tons of nasal issues.. and still do as I type this today. Doctor suggested I get a CT scan for my sinuses..and get a in home sleep study done.

A month later an ENT told me that I have a deviated septum.. and nasal polyps that should be surgically removed. First go around he gave me a prednisone treatment which omg was amazing.. except for the periodic insomnia side effects I could actually breath again and slept really well and had no morning headaches. Then the treatment was over.. 1 month later now and my sinus issues are back.. (going to see him next week about scheduling the surgery).

In parallel I had the in home sleep study done.. and it showed a roughly 45 ahi.. I then went to a sleep lab and got about 5 hours of data for them..where they determined i had a 43 ahi.. and officially diagnosed me with severe sleep apnea.

I've got my resmet airsense 10 machine and eson nasal mask at home now.. going on about 2 weeks of use.. average time of 6-7hrs of usage each night. My asthma is worse than its ever been.. ( have to use my rescue inhaler 2 - 3 times a day) I've also got little to no air passing through my nose and sometimes and I have to manually start my machine to get it go.. vs the smart start.

I'd like to mention i've also got the fancy humidity hose and the humidifier settings i've tried from little to alot.. samething persists. (actually the higher the setting made me feel worse) I'm taking flonase but i'm not super good about taking it everyday.


So I have a couple of questions..

1) can a deviated septum/nasal polyps keep my airway obstruction from opening while sleeping and thus giving me apnea events? (lastnight was so bad that I didn't even get to use my machine

During the day I tend to breath through my mouth more than my nose.. but while on this nasal mask i've been able to keep my mouth shut just fine. Until i get my nose situation resolved..

2) should I switch to a full mask? (can I breath through my mouth with a full mouth mask?) (thinking of nights when my nose is full/clogged.

[Jimmycrackhorn]

When you wear your mask do you wake up with you head feeling like mush? Or like not like a normal headaches but like a weird, uncomfortable, suffocated feeling?

[LSAT]

I had nasal polyps and a deviated septum repaired 4 years ago. Nasal polyps can become cancerous and a deviated septum can cause breathing problems. The surgery was not terrible, but I was not able to use my CPAP for about 5 days. The surgery made no difference in my CPAP therapy. Pressures remained the same. A full face mask will allow you to mouth breathe without affecting your therapy. Some people get dry mouth. Personally I love my FF mask...I have tried nasal and pillow masks and always go back to FF mask.Good Luck.

[Jimmycrackhorn]

I had nasal polyps and a deviated septum repaired 4 years ago. Nasal polyps can become cancerous and a deviated septum can cause breathing problems. The surgery was not terrible, but I was not able to use my CPAP for about 5 days. The surgery made no difference in my CPAP therapy. Pressures remained the same. A full face mask will allow you to mouth breathe without affecting your therapy. Some people get dry mouth. Personally I love my FF mask...I have tried nasal and pillow masks and always go back to FF mask.Good Luck.

Can you recommend any good FF masks. I've tried Amara View which I hate. Makes my nose itch and tickle and even the pressure rises from Apap it blows off my face and I can never get it right.

The other one I tried was a triangle one. Can't think of the name right now. That one was also a pain in the butt since I sleep a lot on my side and that thing will also start a shooting into my eyes. It's hit or miss on good consistency with my machine.

I seem to get great readings and less minor problems with nasal pillows but I get this garbage head feeling and tiredness and I'm wondering if it's the same thing this gentleman is going through since I very well could have a deviated septum and possibly polips.

[LSAT]

I had nasal polyps and a deviated septum repaired 4 years ago. Nasal polyps can become cancerous and a deviated septum can cause breathing problems. The surgery was not terrible, but I was not able to use my CPAP for about 5 days. The surgery made no difference in my CPAP therapy. Pressures remained the same. A full face mask will allow you to mouth breathe without affecting your therapy. Some people get dry mouth. Personally I love my FF mask...I have tried nasal and pillow masks and always go back to FF mask.Good Luck.

Can you recommend any good FF masks. I've tried Amara View which I hate. Makes my nose itch and tickle and even the pressure rises from Apap it blows off my face and I can never get it right.

The other one I tried was a triangle one. Can't think of the name right now. That one was also a pain in the butt since I sleep a lot on my side and that thing will also start a shooting into my eyes. It's hit or miss on good consistency with my machine.

I seem to get great readings and less minor problems with nasal pillows but I get this garbage head feeling and tiredness and I'm wondering if it's the same thing this gentleman is going through since I very well could have a deviated septum and possibly polips.

I have used the Mirage Quattro for 6+ years. I have tried several as new ones came out and always go back to my trusty Quattro. I have a F20 that I tried recently and it is not too bad. I'm keeping it as a back up, but I still like my Quattro better. MY pressure ranges from 11 to 14 and I have never had a problem with leaks or the pressure blowing the mask off. I sleep 90% on my side.

[Coloneldad]

I've had sinus problems for years and a ouple operations for it. It can help but you will still need your CPAP. Polyps are a serious issue that ypu should keep on top of, not much you can do other than get the operation to clear them out. I do sinus rinses regularly which can help keep them at bay. However you should look at a full mask so that you can use it even if congested. I use exclusively a full mask. The full mask workseven when congested and as you have severe apnea you definitely want to keep on top of it, inless you wish to depart this earth soon.

[MagsterMile]

I have a deviated septum - L side - self diagnosed. Frequently, one or both nostrils will stuff up, unstuffed for awhile and then stuff up again. I'm using the Quattro F-10. Since I mouth breathe, a nasal mask doesn't work for me. Been using the full-face mask for going on 5 years. I've finally accepted the fact that I'm just not a nasal mask candidate and quit trying to reinvent myself. With the FFM, you can breathe through your nose or with your mouth as needed.

[greyhound]

I've had recurring nasal polyps for many years and been on CPAP for 11-12 years. Despite the polyps, I've only had success with nasal pillow masks. If there was only a slight passage way for air to get through, the mask seemed to find it. I can't think of any times in which I had to use a full face mask.

I highly recommend surgery to remove the nasal polyps. Mine kept reoccuring until I started a nasal irrigation that included budesonide in the salt water solution. After trying neti pots, squeeze bottles, and other similar devices, I found that only the SinuPulse was able to get into the further reaches of my sinuses. Water Piks, with the appropriate nasal adapter, might work just as well.

[kellyslp4]

Hi! I was wondering if you ever got an answer as to whether or not sinus issues can cause such a high reading of AHI events. Or do they just make your apnea worse? I’m in the same boat now and wondering if the apnea would still be present without nasal issues. Thanks!