New To CPAP and it's Costing Me My Health

[robysue]

Ok, when I stop the Afrin and can't breath through my nose how do I use my CPAP mask?

So Well has made an excellent and practical suggestion for how to do this:

To wean yourself off Afrin start with one nostril. Don't put in any Afrin in that nostril for several days. Once the rebound effect dissipates, drop the Afrin entirely and wait for the rebound congestion to disappear from the other nostril.

In Step One, you WILL get enough air through the Afrin nostril to buy the time for the Afrin-free nostril to recuperate. And that will be true even when you are in bed with your CPAP mask on: You will get enough air through the Afrin nostril at night even though it is in the CPAP mask. It might not be very comfortable, but you WILL GET enough air to last through the night.

Once neti pots and the allergy meds you are on are enough to keep the Afrin-free nostril reasonably congestion-free, then move on to Step Two and quit using the Afrin in the other nostril. And in Step Two, you WILL get enough air through the reasonably clear (and Afrin-free) first nostril to buy time for the second nostril to adjust to having no Afrin. And that will be true even when you are in bed with your CPAP mask on: You will get enough air through the clear first nostril at night even though it is in the CPAP mask. It might not be very comfortable, but you WILL GET enough air to last through the night.

Is this method time consuming? Yes. Will you be miserable? Most likely. Will you live through the pain? Yes. Will it be worth it? Well, you yourself said:

For the record when I have used the CPAP my pain level has gone down. I'm not as tired as before CPAP. Even though getting use to the entire idea of CPAP has been difficult I have found it has merit.

So I suspect you will find the whole painful process of getting yourself off the Afrin so that the CPAP is easier to use well worth the time, pain, and effort in the long run.

And thanks for providing the long medicine list. You're on a bunch of things, and it's not clear to me just how well your asthma is controlled on a daily basis. And without the Afrin, you clearly don't believe the allergies are well controlled in the sense of nasal congestion. But you really don't know if they're controlled because most likely the Afrin is why you are severely congested at this point. If I were you, I think I'd want to have a long chat with my allergist and the doctor treating the asthma. You need a comprehensive way of tackling both the allergies and the asthma so that you can more easily use the CPAP, which in the long run should help, not hurt, the allergy and asthma issues.

[Wulfman...]

Ok, when I stop the Afrin and can't breath through my nose how do I use my CPAP mask? I take exception when people start name calling, saying I'm whining or don't want to use the CPAP!!. How would you know? I joined this group to try and get some good solid help. Not subject myself to beliefs some may jump to. You don't know me or my situation. Why don't you ask a general question instead of labeling and name calling, all bullying techniques! Don't reply to me if you don't have something constructive to say. I want help not defend myself with each post!

You must have missed the point about the full face mask. I was WARNED by my allergist that this could trigger anther bronchitis attack. I have had 5 of these in the last 1 1/2 years. Each successive bout is taking longer to heal. Each attack has the potential to cause SCARING in the lungs....putting me closer to the COPD group...which I'm fighting hard not to be part of.

For the record when I have used the CPAP my pain level has gone down. I'm not as tired as before CPAP. Even though getting use to the entire idea of CPAP has been difficult I have found it has merit.

Medications:
Nose sprays I have used: Flonase, Nasacort, Patanase, Astepro, Veramyst, Ipratropium Bromide. I'm sure there's more but don't remember at the moment
Pills-over the counter: Advil Decongestant, Sudafed, and Benadryl. Don't use those in the last two because they make my heart race.
Prescription: Zyrtec, Singular
Inhalers: Advair 250 or 500. Dr. has stopped these and switched to Dulera. Have used Albuterol but makes my heart race so don't use.
Rescue inhaler: Xopenex
Don't use a nebulizer because of albuterol. Can check with insurance and see if they will pay for xopenex and a nebulizer.

 I’ve gone through tier two allergy testing and are allergic to dust mites, cats, mold, ragweed and one other plant not present where I currently live.
 I’ve allergy proofed my home with wrapping my bed & bedding. Keeping bedding washed in hot water.
 I have a dehumidifier in the house and keep humidity to below 50% to kill any mites
 I have Oreck Air Purifiers in my living room and one next to my bed.
 I use a Dyson vacume.

Current meds:
Veramyst & Dulera, Singulair. Nexium & Verapamil….and Afrin
Vitamin D3 and Calcium/Magnesium


Equipment:
Machine: REMstar Auto A-Flex by Phillips Respironics
Humidifier: System One Heated Humidifier by Phillips Respironics
Masks:
1.) Foam nasal mask-loaner from the sleep center…don’t see name on mask
2.) Comfort Gel Blue-Phillips Respironics
ResMed Tubing Wrap
Hose Buddy-keep my hose up off the pillow/not get caught.

I wash my hose, head gear, humidifier unit and mask weekly.
I’ve changed out the allergy filter. It’s NEVER dirty.

You have no idea how many people show up here trying to blame every health issue they have on their therapy and machine.
The heading/title/subject of your thread was also a clue. (rightly or wrongly interpreted)

Didn't miss that at all. That's why I asked you what your humidifier setting was (which you didn't answer).
In addition, what are your pressure settings, Ramp settings, exhale relief (A-Flex/C-Flex) settings, etc.
It's also absurd that a full face mask (as opposed to a nasal mask) would trigger an attack. You were apparently having them long before you started therapy. It might be that this therapy may actually reduce your bronchitis problems. The vast majority of people who have gotten their therapy under control have actually reported fewer colds and other illnesses.
Your allergist sounds like he/she is grasping at straws..

I'd suggest editing your profile to add the pertinent information so it doesn't have to be asked in future threads.


Den

[NightMonkey]

I was WARNED by my allergist that this could trigger anther bronchitis attack.

You need a new allergist. My bronchitis and my asthma have improved dramatically since being on cpap with a full face mask.

It is the same air you breath during the day (though actually is is cleaner when coming through the cpap machine) Have you been told to tape shut your mouth during the day? If not then a full face mask will only DECREASE your chance of bronchitis.

If you come down with pneumonia and end up in the hospital the first thing they will do is stick a full face mask on you with a cpap/ventilator - if that is ok for the hospital why should it not be ok for daily life?

You speak the truth. Does that allergist even know what a CPAP machine is?

[Sireneh]

Is it possible you could take a day or two off of work around a weekend so you can go through this process without the worry about having to get up early for work in the morning? It might make it easier on you if you do have a few days to go through this with plenty of time to rest the next day.

I am not crazy about the tough words you got, either. I think after two or so posters took a hard line with you, it might have been appropriate for subsequent posters to lighten up a little so you wouldn't feel ganged up on. Having said that... to be honest, I found the tone of your original post to be full of excuses as well. (I recognize it in others because I catch myself doing it sometimes, too! ) Whenever I am looking for advice or opinions about something, I have come to notice lately that whoever I choose to call to discuss it with is someone who I know will take the angle that I want to hear. It's not that you did that here, but I do believe you came here with a list of complaints and then you had all your objections at the ready as to why you can't change the way things are. It seemed like you already had your mind made up that CPAP wasn't going to work for you and you wanted permission to stop trying.

Inasmuch as people have given you kind of a hard time, I doubt that anyone here can blame you for feeling the way you do. It's natural to be scared and to feel desperate; you are in the grieving process. I think for the most part people here are giving you a butt kicking to help you start looking for solutions rather than refusing to consider that there are any. It sounds like you have a lot of reasons to feel uncomfortable. I can't imagine what it must be like to have trouble trying to breathe. Try to let go of self-pity if you can, though. Have you ever felt so sorry for yourself that you solved your problems? You can only get mired in self-pity; it has no place in the life of someone who is brave enough to push ahead in spite of a few obstacles.

Listen to the advice people are taking the time to offer you. Take care and don't give up!

[purple]

I also have had post sinus drip which was constant, miserable. Someone suggested a homeopathic remedy. That is to eat a small amount of honey every day, with the caveat that the honey should be from a local source, that includes things from the local fields, as that is the pollen which is bothering me. My GP said it often takes 3 months to get benefits from honey treatment, and statistically very few people are helped. He had not objection to my trying it. I seem to get some relief in less than 3 days.

I put a Air Purifier with a HEPA filter and an Ultraviolet light build into it. Not cheap to buy or pay the electricity bill. I run it almost constantly when the pollen/mold is high.

Several months ago I went to the doc with a respiratory infection that was prevalent all around here and the doc immediately wrote a prescription for Amoxicillin for the rather obvious bronchitis which I had. (I had already had the flu symptoms before the crud.) Wow. The Amoxicillin finished off not only the crud, but got rid of the rest of my post sinus drip, which has troubled me for years. No more bronchitis (the top of my chest made a purr like a cat).

I am betting that part of the problem with my nose was a mold.

I understand that there is now an antibiotic which will actually kill bacteria inside the Sinus cavities, (difficult because there is no blood flow there) even those antibiotic resistant bacteria, that is rarely prescribed. I do not recall the name, and I bet it is really expensive.

Perhaps a bit of Benedryl can be used to help getting off Afrin. I do not know about how to quit Afrin.

Probably clean the mask every day with soap and water while you have an infection.

Best wishes.

[archangle]

I also have had post sinus drip which was constant, miserable. Someone suggested a homeopathic remedy.

One small but important point. That's NOT homeopathy. Homeopathy involves a "magic water" process of repeated dilution going through a special process. The honey cure might actually do something for some people, but it's NOT homeopathy. You might properly call it "holistic" or "natural."

Thank you for mentioning it.

[purple]

Correction noted. I was given the definition long ago that Homeopathy was taking a fraction of the chemical (pollen) to get the body to adjust to the chemical so the bodies immune system reacts less violently to it. Natural is a better choice as it does not imply how the chemical might be processed in preparation to using it.

Used to know a Chiropractor who would do an adjustment, while the patient would hold a vial with a liquid and the chemical and it was supposed to reduce the allergy.

Last time my allergies went down it was because my immune system was down, so I developed Shingles. Shingles must have been designed by Satan.

[dukemom1]

Have you tried this product?:

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/cpap-a ... aster.html

Their "Vapor Clear Sinus Blaster uses the power of Eucalyptus and Lavender to help improve sinus congestion." ($19.99)
The link above to the product have 23 written reviews of the product with an overall average rating of 4.6 out of 5.
Breathing that scent through your CPAP might help ease the congestion you are experiencing. It's just a thought and something you might want to try.


I ordered their starter kit with samples of many of their aromas ($29.99). The kit just came today and I am looking forward to trying one of their other aromas tonight - either calm, peace or comfort. I love aromatherapy; I'm anxious to see how it works with my CPAP.

[streamteamer]

Dukemom1…thank you for the link. That sounds like something that could work. I currently use eucalyptus essence when I steam my sinuses.

Sireneh…thank you for your reply.. Your words sound comforting to a point…still makes me sound like a “whiner”. I’m not and that’s other peoples stuff, not mine. I’m pretty straight forward with what I’ve tried and what has not worked. You bet I’m concerned, the last time I had bronchitis I was ill for five weeks. Three courses of antibiotics and two months of prednisone. I keep a log of what I’ve tried in regards to my CPAP use including time I go to bed, room temp and humidity temp as well as heat setting on my CPAP and then comments/results. I have charted what is physically happening to me and what I’ve tried so I have a record of information.

Wuflman…I’m just learning how to navigate this site as well as CPAP lingo. Humidity setting was stated in my first post. I've set it between 1-5 on many different nights checking on humidity levels looking if I have too much or too little humidity. I have a humidity/temperature meter in my bedroom and I look at it each night before I go to bed...setting my heat in conjunction with those numbers. If my room is warmer/above 65 degrees then I set the CPAP heat lower-around 1 or 2. If room temp is below 65 degrees then I set the heat higher 3 or 4. I’ve found that 5 is too much. I always have water in my humidifier. Tried it one night with heat and no water...not a good choice had severe congestion the next day. If I understand your question on pressure it was originally set to 10, but now it will ramp up and down as needed when I sleep. As for the absurdity of a full face mask my concerns are valid. Having air blown past our nose or into our mouths is not natural in our environment as we sleep. This tends to dry out the mucus membranes. I have read throughout many posts on the internet that a segment of individuals are having problems with this “type” of way that air is delivered. I’ve also had this confirmed by my sleep study tech.
And you are correct and as I have previously posted I have had chronic congestion prior to undergoing sleep study and CPAP. I vehemently voiced my concerns to my allergist and sleep study/pulmonologist Doc that CPAP could further complicate my congestion, as I have read on a great number of other posts. Three days into CPAP my lungs infected. I will go back to my profile and try to find the items you suggested needing updating.

Roster…Yes some mornings I do have dry mouth.

Blackspinner…Thank you for the posts, I’m glad to hear your symptoms have improved using CPAP. It’s my hope that my lungs/sinuses will find some type of happy medium because I feel CPAP can be beneficial.

Someone also mentioned a CPAP mouth mask and I am looking into that. Thank You.. I wondered if that type of mask was available.

So Well…Thank you for the thought on how to go off Afrin…I’ll start it tonight!

[SleepingUgly]

I am rushing so I apologize if someone else said this and I didn't see it. I don't have the same issues you have, other than allergies, so ask your doctor about nasal steroids. I spent 6-7 months trying every conceivable combination of nasal sprays and oral antihistamines/decongestants and I walked around like I had a constant cold. All day my nose dripped, and all night it was stuffy. I couldn't use CPAP because I couldn't breathe through my nose. I finally went back on nasal steroids (Nasonex) and all of these issues resolved.

[roster]

Dukemom1…thank you for the link (Vapor Clear Sinus Blaster). That sounds like something that could work. I currently use eucalyptus essence when I steam my sinuses.

So far in the history of mankind, every product containing the word Blaster in the product name has been a worthless ripoff.

Sireneh…thank you for your reply.. Your words sound comforting to a point…still makes me sound like a “whiner”.

Sheesh, don't worry about whining. The idea of the forum is to describe your problems and get advice from people who experience identical or similar problems and successfully overcome them. Whining or not, successful CPAP therapy is still the goal.

If I understand your question on pressure it was originally set to 10, but now it will ramp up and down as needed when I sleep.

Now you need to find out what the ramp pressure and time, and minimum and maximum pressure settings are and tell us. Believe me, we see every week that doctors and sleep professionals set pressure ranges that just will not work properly leaving the patient in apneic state much of the night.

As for the absurdity of a full face mask my concerns are valid. Having air blown past our nose or into our mouths is not natural in our environment as we sleep. This tends to dry out the mucus membranes. Roster…Yes some mornings I do have dry mouth.

There is a basic misunderstanding about CPAP that I would say not only you but most members here hold onto. A properly operating CPAP system does not create an airflow greater than that of a person breathing normal. CPAP creates air pressure, not flow. The rise of fall of the diaphragm controls the rate of flow.

Based on your last statements, I am becoming even more suspicious that you are mouthbreathing for long periods during the night, losing the therapeutic pressure, creating additional air flow in your air passages, and experiencing many apneic events. If this is the case, it becomes a priority to solve. One obvious solution is a full face mask. If you mouthbreathe with a full face mask the therapeutic pressure will be maintained and there will be only the air flow of normal breathing in your airways.

Finally, one last thing which is a story I related here many times:

I have posted this story here before about a friend who does not have sleep apnea but her husband does and uses CPAP.

She contracted bronchitis. When her husband would leave for work in the mornings she would put on his mask and go back to sleep for a couple of hours. She said it was the best sleep and the best relief from bronchitis.

And no, her husband never contracted bronchitis from the mask.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=61536&p=576469&hili ... is#p576469

I repeat this story just as anecdotal evidence that CPAP can be an excellent therapy while suffering from bronchitis.

[DoriC]

viewtopic/p589872/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6 ... 25#p577625

Roster, I didn't occur to me until I just read your post that when I was doing my little experiment with my husband's FF mask, I seemed to breathe more deeply than usual and I wasn't hearing that little "rattle" in my chest that as an asthmatic I'm used to hearing. Even my nasal passages seemed less stuffy. Thanks for that "lightbulb". And you're right about "Blaster"!

[roster]

@streamteamer

I am just now reading something which brought to mind how you have been received in this thread.

Today I checked out our local Planet Fitness gym and picked up a contract and their marketing brochure. In a section laying out the rules to their customers and potential customers the following statement is found:

We are not here to kiss your butt, only to kick it if that's what you need.

[roster]

viewtopic/p589872/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=6 ... 25#p577625

Roster, I didn't occur to me until I just read your post that when I was doing my little experiment with my husband's FF mask, I seemed to breathe more deeply than usual and I wasn't hearing that little "rattle" in my chest that as an asthmatic I'm used to hearing. Even my nasal passages seemed less stuffy. Thanks for that "lightbulb". And you're right about "Blaster"!

Alright Dori, Time to shed your denial and become a fellow hosehead! I bet Mike would enjoy the sight.

[DoriC]

I knew I'd get in trouble with those observations. But seriously, I'm dealing with seasonal allergies/asthma, sometimes no fun, but no symptoms of OSA at all. I would never ignore that. Having to learn about and monitor Mike's therapy from the "outside" has been an all-consuming task for me, so I have seen first hand the seriousness of this situation and the effort it takes to succeed. I stand in awe of all of you.