Add oxygen to CPAP on my own?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
Janknitz
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Re: Add oxygen to CPAP on my own?

Post by Janknitz » Sun Aug 02, 2015 11:53 pm

ETA: Ok, somehow I missed page two and posted this before I read that you DO have a CO2 problem. But I'm going to leave my post anyway so others will know that oxygen is NOT the same as air, and can be very dangerous in certain situations...

Oxygen supplementation is sometimes CONTRAINDICATED. If you tend to build up higher levels of CO2, supplemental oxygen could cause you to stop breathing altogether. So it's not something to play around with. Adding supplemental O2 blindly could be very dangerous in certain circumstances.


Your doctor needs to be paying more attention to your stats, measure SPO2 and perhaps a pulmonary function test. If this is a pulmonologist you need a better one. And if it's not a pulmonologist you need to see one.
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are at a particular risk of accumulating carbon dioxide if they are administered supplemental oxygen and these patients needs to be carefully monitored to prevent supplemental oxygen becoming dangerous rather than beneficial.
http://www.news-medical.net/health/Oxyg ... fects.aspx
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SewTired
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Re: Add oxygen to CPAP on my own?

Post by SewTired » Mon Aug 03, 2015 9:24 am

CardiacProtest wrote:So, I ended up getting oximetry levels and even a home halter monitor reading while sleeping and while having an episode and it was all normal most of the time (aside from my pulse hitting 130). But once my oxygen levels crashed while standing in the kitchen... it hit 43 and I almost hit the floor. So I kept bugging doctors.

Anyway, it turns out that the problem wasn't oxygen. It was CO2. I was having respiratory acidosis, and developed central apnea (as opposed to obstructive, which I had before). We added a third pain medication... Tramadol, some time ago, and the combination was depressing my respiration enough that CO2 was building up in my blood. Oxygen wouldn't have helped. Glad I thought it through and involved the doctor. Removing Tramadol and decreasing doses has resolved the issue.

Thanks for your help!
I'm glad it was something as simple as a med change. Yay!! Now that the main problem is resolved, post about your mask and we can try to help you to reduce your leaks.

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CardiacProtest
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Re: Add oxygen to CPAP on my own?

Post by CardiacProtest » Mon Aug 03, 2015 6:56 pm

Mask leaks are getting better... he showed me how to get it on right. Mouth leak is the biggest unresolved issue. I've tried taping, but it goes straight into my belly which is amusing but not altogether fun. I tried a mouth guard and that sort of worked. I've tried chin straps, including a custom made knitted one. I've given up, honestly. What else is there to try?

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Julie
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Re: Add oxygen to CPAP on my own?

Post by Julie » Mon Aug 03, 2015 7:16 pm

Experiment with other FFMs... we've all had to find the 'right' mask and sometimes it can take some time... a PITA, but not the worst thing in the world.

CardiacProtest
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Re: Add oxygen to CPAP on my own?

Post by CardiacProtest » Mon Aug 03, 2015 7:27 pm

I aspirate about once a week. Full face masks feel like death when this happens.

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Pugsy
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Re: Add oxygen to CPAP on my own?

Post by Pugsy » Mon Aug 03, 2015 8:47 pm

Just how big of an issue is the mouth leaks if you don't do anything to curtail them?
How big and how long do they last?
Is it a minor impact to therapy and maybe less of an evil than the other options?
Or is it a huge impact on therapy effectiveness and/or your sleep in general?
Sometimes we have to settle for the lesser evil if the other problems are worse.

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CardiacProtest
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Re: Add oxygen to CPAP on my own?

Post by CardiacProtest » Mon Aug 03, 2015 8:49 pm

I still don't feel well rested after sleeping. I don't know how much of this is from leaks. I have a ton of leaks but no apnea/hypopneas.

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Goofproof
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Re: Add oxygen to CPAP on my own?

Post by Goofproof » Mon Aug 03, 2015 9:25 pm

CardiacProtest wrote:I still don't feel well rested after sleeping. I don't know how much of this is from leaks. I have a ton of leaks but no apnea/hypopneas.
If you are having bad leaks, the data won't really register true on your treatment. Garbage in garbage out! Jim
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CardiacProtest
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Re: Add oxygen to CPAP on my own?

Post by CardiacProtest » Mon Aug 03, 2015 9:55 pm

Maybe I'll try another full face. What do you recommend?

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Goofproof
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Re: Add oxygen to CPAP on my own?

Post by Goofproof » Mon Aug 03, 2015 10:09 pm

CardiacProtest wrote:Maybe I'll try another full face. What do you recommend?
I use a Comfort Full Gel, and Comfort Nasal Gel, most of the time. I have trained myself to not mouthbreath, most of the time, by keeping my tongue on the roof of my mouth pushing against my top teeth, I practiced while awake until it became second nature. Anytime my total leak rate exceeds 38 to 40 lpm. I consider the mask junk. Jim
Use data to optimize your xPAP treatment!

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