nasal congestion

I've been on cpap since November. I was doing really well until about mid-December. I developed some nasal congestion after I had a septoplasty done to correct a deviated nasal septum. The drainage at first was watery so the cpap just blew the congestion out but gradually the drainage has gotten thicker (sorry to be so graphic) and one side of my nose stops up when I lie down. I am a side sleeper. I ususally sleep on one side and then wake up with that side of my nose blocked and then I turn over and the over side stops up. I can't use over the counter nasal sprays because I also have high blood pressure. I've tried antihistimines but they don't help any. I have a Fisher Paykel HC221 LE straight cpap with a pressure of 12 and use Breeze Nasal Pillows. I started out with some kind of nasal mask and hated it. My hubby changed jobs in January so we are uninsured now and I can't afford to go to a doctor until the first of March. I tried turning up the humidifier but if I turn it up over half way, I get terrible rain out. I tried not using the humidifier also and the inside of my nose became very irritated. Does anyone have any suggestions that might help until our insurance goes into effect in a couple of weeks. I've been waking up with headaches so I know I'm probably not getting the treatment from my machine that I need. My DME from our former insurance company sent in a purchase order and my insurance company purchased the cpap outright before I even knew anything about it. He knew my insurance was going to cancel so I think he just went ahead and sent in a purchase order without even asking me if I wanted to purchase it. Anyway, I'm stuck with it for a while. If I could do something about this nasal drainage, I think I would be o.k. I also tape my mouth shut (and yes, I am aware there are risks doing this but I think it's what I need anyway). Do vaporizer liquids in the humidifier help any? If so, which ones and how much should you put in the humidifer? Do nasal strips help any? I'll be glad when the next two weeks are up but I would appreciate any suggestions anybody has that would help until then. I live in northeast Texas where it may snow one day and be 80 degrees the next so this nasal thing is something that I may have to deal with permanently. I hope not!!!

Many use the aussie heated hose with good results. I have it and I love it.

It isnt cheap . $91 plus the $15-$20 power supply from radio shack but it works well.

Link to hose. http://www.sleepzone.com.au/showitems.a ... PAP%20Tube'

Cheers,

Chris

Sorry to hear about your situation. I 've been there before. I put some vicks vapor rub on a qtip (small amount) and put it up my nose. I also put some in my humidifier at the point where the outlet hose connects. It worked for me. I guess it probably depends on the severity of the congestion though.
Good luck !!

I have the same problems with nasal congestion. I also cannot use nasal sprays to unclog so I use the saline spray very often at night. I keep it sitting on my night stand and use it during the night. I also use the breathrite nasal strips and they help alot. I keep my heated humidifier turned all the way up to get the most moisture I can out of the air. But the bottom line is I always have a stuffy nose and sometimes cannot breath throught the nasal pillows. It is very annoying. Sorry I don't have a solution, maybe someone will give us both one!





Gilda, who thinks breathing and sleeping at the same time is over-rated anyway!

There are a number of places that sell hose covers. (cpap.com, ebay etc) If you can't get the heated hose, you might try getting a cover for the hose to allow a bit more range on your humidifier. A couple of other suggestions. Turn the temperature up in your room, that will give you a bit more range. Make sure that the hose is under the covers, and if you can, get it next to your body as your body heat will help keep the condensation down. Ideally tho, if you are having a lot of rainout, you need to go with the heated hose...

I just ordered a new nasal mask but until it gets here the company representataive I spoke with told me to use a product called AYR you can get it at Walgreens, etc. It is a gel like substance that will help moisturize your nasal passages.

I tried Sudafed Sinus Nighttime for the first time last night. It seems to have the same active ingredient as other nasal decongestant tablets with the addition of an antihistamine. (the non-drowsy ones seemed to keep me awake.) I looked all over the box for warnings about long term use but find any.

Does anybody have any info on this type of medication instead of the nasal sprays?

derek

I posted this earlier but I don't know where it ended up so I'll post again. Most over the counter nasal sprays contain decongestants whiich is a big no-no if you have high blood pressure. If fact, anything with a decongestant iniit is bad if you have hbp. Plain antihistimines are o.k. but don't do much good. I've been using Benadryl and it helps a little (very little). I put some Mentholatum in my nose last night and it helped some. I tried the saline sinus rinses and they made nose burn really bad. I diluted the saline part by half but it still irritated my nose really bad. I checked the Aussie heated hose out and it looks like a great solution but is out of my price range. I also looked at the snuggle hose covers and I think I can make one out of polar fleece material for a lot less. I'm gonna try to find some fleece material this weekend (winter is almost over in Texas so a lot of the stores are no longer carrying winter materials) and see how it works. I might as well make it look pretty and make it match my bedroom while I'm at it. I'll let you know how it works. I'm also gonna see if the Walgreens here has some of the AYR stuff and use it too. I'll let you know how things work out. If this message posts twice, forgive me. I just didn't know if the first one made it or not.

I've not used one myself and some say they are uncomfortable, but an alternative is to use a full face mask.
Rested Gal in particular recommends ResMed's Ultra Mirage and I intend to get one for times when nasal congestion can't be controlled in other ways

tater pie wrote:I ususally sleep on one side and then wake up with that side of my nose blocked and then I turn over and the over side stops up.

I have something similar. Strangely enough it's usually the nostril that's away from the pillow that stops up.

Breathe-Right strips help a little.

Have you told the doctor about your problems? It could be an infection.

Recently I had a nasal somnoplasty. I hate to recommend another procedure when the first one didn't work out for you, but a somnoplasty is not technically surgery and does have fewer side effects.

In a nasal somnoplasty, they use radio waves to heat the tissues inside your nose. They use a local anesthetic, not a general. Over the next five or six weeks, the tissues will shrink.

I had this done about 10 days ago. I had been led to believe that any swelling would go away in one or two days. In my case, the inside of my nose was worse for about a week. I could not use my mask at all. Finally during the last two nights, it got better. My congestion is a little better than before the procedure. Hopefully it will continue to improve.

I may also eventually need a septoplasty, but I hope to avoid that.

Should have posted this in this thread.

Safest Decongestant

I have been stuffed up all winter with my cpap and of course, can't use it when my nose is stopped up. I discovered the Breathe Right strips. Thank the Lord!! I have tried everything from my doctor and nothing helped until the strips. They work for me. Yeah!!!

It's now been close to two weeks since my nasal somnoplasty. I had problems with it for the first week, but now my nasal congestion seems far better. The right nostril still clogs up once in a while, but not as bad as it used to, and there is the possibility of doing the procedure a second time if necessary.