Bags under my eyes. Big one under right one.

New to using a CPAP since August 7th and I have fought chest and back pain (went from 14 to 12 by doctor's orders), baggy eyes and today I am sleeping with it 8 hours a night. Not minding wearing it now, but eye issues is not something I like, so can anyone give me some advice.

GBrooks wrote:New to using a CPAP since August 7th and I have fought chest and back pain (went from 14 to 12 by doctor's orders), baggy eyes and today I am sleeping with it 8 hours a night. Not minding wearing it now, but eye issues is not something I like, so can anyone give me some advice.

Probably not without more information.
Please fill out the rest of your equipment profile (the mask is missing) and include all of your settings......pressure, humidity, etc.
Could be pressure, could be leaking, could be humidity, or any number of factors. Lots of us went through that in various ways when we started, so it's not like your experience is unique.


Den

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You think you've got bags under your eyes?
Are they worse than this guy's?




Den

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I just talked with my opthamologist last week about this very thing. He told me they are called 'festoons'. Pretty much loose skin. Comes with age . Mine have fluid. Some folk's ankles swell - my bags are packed. I'm thinking maybe limiting my salt intake may help. Surgery can be done, but scaring would be a drawback. My bigger problem is that my upper lids droop so badly that I have great difficulty reading, sewing, etc. Yep, comes with age . I'm happy just to be gettin older! . Google festoons eye for info.

I get swollen in the eye area sometimes since starting therapy. Not sure if it's pressure, humidity or what...it DOES seem to get worse if I sleep with my head lower than my feet...simple enough to do in my case, depending on the tilt of my truck when I park for the night. Most of the swelling is the upper lid, in my case...and my eyes water, as well. Not going to blame CPAP, as I haven't asked a doctor, and have never been this old before.

Tatooed Lady wrote:I get swollen in the eye area sometimes since starting therapy. Not sure if it's pressure, humidity or what.

Most of the time it's water retention for some reason...either gravity or something else restricting the normal elimination of the water in the affected areas. I have had it on a rare occasion. Usually it is the lower bag and usually one side and usually corresponds to the strap moving closer to the eye and then I lay on that side so the strap compresses on the skin and the pillow compresses and I wake up with a big bag because the normal water in the tissues couldn't flow out like it normally does because of the compression.

How quickly to goes away is any man's guess. It's related to cpap in that it's related to probable strap compressing in just the right spot to impede the normal fluid flow out of the "bag" area.
I have never figured out a quick fix.. Sometimes lots of warm water to speed up the circulation because it is the circulation that moves the fluid out.

Thank all

Sal_In_Ga wrote:I just talked with my opthamologist last week about this very thing. He told me they are called 'festoons'. Pretty much loose skin. Comes with age . Mine have fluid. Some folk's ankles swell - my bags are packed. I'm thinking maybe limiting my salt intake may help. Surgery can be done, but scaring would be a drawback. My bigger problem is that my upper lids droop so badly that I have great difficulty reading, sewing, etc. Yep, comes with age . I'm happy just to be gettin older! . Google festoons eye for info.

If the upper lids become so saggy they interfere with vision and everyday functioning, I believe that
corrective surgery is then considered "medically necessary", and insurance, Medicare, etc. must cover it.
No need to suffer; if doc won't do it, get a second opinion.

[quote
If the upper lids become so saggy they interfere with vision and everyday functioning, I believe that
corrective surgery is then considered "medically necessary", and insurance, Medicare, etc. must cover it.
No need to suffer; if doc won't do it, get a second opinionu][/quote]

I forgot to mention that the upper lids were the purpose for the appointment. After cateract surgery 4 months
ago, Dr. told me to call back in 3-4 months for the evaluation. Knowing that Insurance companies sometimes like to play games, we did the tests and paper work. The Dr. said many Ins. companies will deny approval several times and when / if the office receives a denial "we have the letters ready and we just mail them back". Tests will show that I have a real vision problem, not cosmetic. Thank you so much for your interest.

Are you having any problems with water retention anywhere else, such as your feet or legs? If so, let your doctor know. I just started having very red swollen painful feet and puffier than usual eyes. My dr. prescribed a diuretic and that didn't help. Now, I am being sent for venous studies of the lower extremities. I don't think the water retention is related to CPAP use, but to some other new health problem or side effect of a medicine. Not every health problem that occurs after you start using CPAP is caused by CPAP.