sleep apnea causing breathing difficulties?

[Sleep_Apnea_Sufferer]

Hi all,

So a few years back, I got diagnosed with sleep apnea. At first the treatment was doing fine, but I kept taking off the mask in the night. To save some money, I went for the constant pressure but things didn't turn great. I sold the machine then because my apneas had gone down significantly after losing all that weight. I lost more weight but now I can't sleep properly. I constantly wakeup at 1-4am and have trouble going back to sleep. I don't feel it in the throat area like most sleep apnea is but feel it in the nasal cavity area where my nose feels plugged and I get a really bad headache and get brain fog. With an aid of a pillow mask,it seems to make breathing easier but the pressure is not enough. If I sleep on my side, breathing gets easier but since I toss and turn in the night, I would wake up and very rarely get 7-9 hours of sleep.
I have had my nose checked and there is no deviated septum but now I find it that I have trouble breathing when I am awake. Is this normal? Also my BP has gone down to shocking levels not up. 90/60.

Plus I am a mouth breather which means more visits to the dentists.

Also any users of the brevitta mask here? How do you prevent it biting into your nose?

[Julie]

What model of which machine do you use? What are your pressures set at now?

And 90/60 BP is not 'shocking', tho' may be low for you - it is not uncommon for many people even if on the low side.

Whatever mask you use may just need adjusting - a larger size, or refitting of the headgear, but there are a lot of different masks available (see Cpap.com) so if one or a few don't work for you, you can try others. Or a Band-aid on your nose. I've never heard of a Brevitta mask though - do you live in N. America, or ???

You have trouble breathing while you're awake - specifically what kind of trouble? You ask if it's 'normal', but normal for who? Cpap users? People with OSA? Others?

There are very many reasons you could have trouble while awake, but you need to see an ENT doctor about that - when were you told you don't have a deviated septum? What about needing a turbinate reduction? What about allergies?

Congrats on losing the weight, but now you may need a new sleep study to see if your pressures, etc. should change. Once you know more (from doctors... which we are not, of course), then we can help figuring out how to help, including changing your pressures if necessary.

[Sleep_Apnea_Sufferer]

What model of which machine do you use? What are your pressures set at now?

Airsense 10 auto at the moment. Right now the pressure it's minimum of 8 but maximum of 15. Sleeping on the side reduces that feeling of claustrophobia. I am naturally a mouth breather since birth. I probably had sleep apnea when I was little but the condition exacerbated as I got older.

And 90/60 BP is not 'shocking', tho' may be low for you - it is not uncommon for many people even if on the low side.

Whatever mask you use may just need adjusting - a larger size, or refitting of the headgear, but there are a lot of different masks available (see Cpap.com) so if one or a few don't work for you, you can try others. Or a Band-aid on your nose. I've never heard of a Brevitta mask though - do you live in N. America, or ???

Not in America no but in Oceania/Australia. Brevitta is the Fisher and Pykel one and it's pretty good for people who don't like to have their head crushed.

You have trouble breathing while you're awake - specifically what kind of trouble? You ask if it's 'normal', but normal for who? Cpap users? People with OSA? Others?

Just shortness of breath. I don't have asthma or anything according to the lung test I did but I think it is the side effects of the sleep apnea that is causing it. General tiredness/fatigue loss of interest. I also suffered through digestion problems too because of this.

There are very many reasons you could have trouble while awake, but you need to see an ENT doctor about that - when were you told you don't have a deviated septum? What about needing a turbinate reduction? What about allergies?

Seeing one

Congrats on losing the weight, but now you may need a new sleep study to see if your pressures, etc. should change. Once you know more (from doctors... which we are not, of course), then we can help figuring out how to help, including changing your pressures if necessary.

[/quote]
This disease has taken toll on me. I have also suffered academically as a result and have struggled through this university education. I once used to enjoy studying but now it has turned into a chore and I am finding it more and more difficult to keep up with how fast things are moving. The thing that's been keeping the weight off is eating lots of vegetables, eating lean meats and obviously eating more. I am still not giving up though.

[Arlene1963]

Also any users of the brevitta mask here? How do you prevent it biting into your nose?

Hi Sleep_Apnea_Sufferer,


I think you are referring to the Brevida Mask?

There are definitely users of that mask here who may be able to give you some advice.

[LSAT]

Maybe this video will help..............
https://video.search.yahoo.com/search/v ... tion=click

[zoocrewphoto]

[quote="Sleep_Apnea_Sufferer"]
Just shortness of breath. I don't have asthma or anything according to the lung test I did but I think it is the side effects of the sleep apnea that is causing it. General tiredness/fatigue loss of interest. I also suffered through digestion problems too because of this.
[quote]

THere could be some non-sleep apnea related issues at the time.

I have sleep apnea. I also have allergies, asthma, and a narrow airway. I do NOT have shortness of breath unless I set off allergy/asthma trigger combinations. I can go months without a breathing problem.

Shortness of breath can be a heart problem. Have you been checked? Have your checked your oxygen saturation during the day?

[HoseCrusher]

The most likely cause of the Brevida digging into your nose is that you have the straps too tight. Try backing them off a little and see how that works.

[Sleep_Apnea_Sufferer]

Just shortness of breath. I don't have asthma or anything according to the lung test I did but I think it is the side effects of the sleep apnea that is causing it. General tiredness/fatigue loss of interest. I also suffered through digestion problems too because of this.

THere could be some non-sleep apnea related issues at the time.

I have sleep apnea. I also have allergies, asthma, and a narrow airway. I do NOT have shortness of breath unless I set off allergy/asthma trigger combinations. I can go months without a breathing problem.

Shortness of breath can be a heart problem. Have you been checked? Have your checked your oxygen saturation during the day?

Getting my heart checked out too but won't happened for another week. Doc did do an x-ray before and found no abnormalities. My LDL and HDL are immaculate according to the doctor.

[WearyOne]

Hi all,

So a few years back, I got diagnosed with sleep apnea. At first the treatment was doing fine, but I kept taking off the mask in the night. To save some money, I went for the constant pressure but things didn't turn great. I sold the machine then because my apneas had gone down significantly after losing all that weight. I lost more weight but now I can't sleep properly. I constantly wakeup at 1-4am and have trouble going back to sleep. I don't feel it in the throat area like most sleep apnea is but feel it in the nasal cavity area where my nose feels plugged and I get a really bad headache and get brain fog. With an aid of a pillow mask,it seems to make breathing easier but the pressure is not enough. If I sleep on my side, breathing gets easier but since I toss and turn in the night, I would wake up and very rarely get 7-9 hours of sleep.
I have had my nose checked and there is no deviated septum but now I find it that I have trouble breathing when I am awake. Is this normal? Also my BP has gone down to shocking levels not up. 90/60.

Plus I am a mouth breather which means more visits to the dentists.

Also any users of the brevitta mask here? How do you prevent it biting into your nose?

Congrats on the weight loss! Not easy to do at all. This can change your pressure needs and even the type/size mask you wear. I recently lost 40 pounds (have a bit more to go) and am finding these two things are issues for me.

I may have missed it, but having lost weight, if you're on a beta blocker that can easily make your blood pressure drop lower than normal for you (as well as reduce your heart rate lower that it has been).

It's good you don't have a deviated septum. I do and that side always stops up even when I'm awake. My friend's deviated septum is so bad that that side of her nose stays stopped up most of the time.

When I first started on CPAP therapy, I had shortness of breath all day long for weeks. I'd had tons of tests--mostly cardiac--and nothing ever showed up wrong. It eventually went away.

I breathe through my mouth a lot with the Hybrid which is pillow on my nose and an oral cushion (covers my moth). I still wake up with horrid dry mouth, plus some of the meds I take cause dry mouth. So I definitely understand the increased dental visits.

In another post you mention seeing the doctor, which hopefully will provide some quick answers. This could be all apnea-related, something else entirely, or a combination of the two. I sure hope you find an answer soon!
.

[palerider]

As is pointed out elsewhere all over the place, best to take anything the previous poster (xxyzx) says with a grain of salt... once in a great while there's something that's right, but it's rare, and not worth the risk trying to figure out what bits aren't spurious.

[WearyOne]

As is pointed out elsewhere all over the place, best to take anything the previous poster (xxyzx) says with a grain of salt... once in a great while there's something that's right, but it's rare, and not worth the risk trying to figure out what bits aren't spurious.

I don't know about the other things, but his statement "deviated septum is irrelevant to anything but cosmetic surgeons" is definitely wrong. I and my friend have personal experience that that statement is wrong. My deviated septum is not a cosmetic issue as you can't tell I have it "from the outside." Also, it often does hamper breathing on that side of my nose during the day and at night. No allergies or sinus problems.
.

[palerider]

As is pointed out elsewhere all over the place, best to take anything the previous poster (xxyzx) says with a grain of salt... once in a great while there's something that's right, but it's rare, and not worth the risk trying to figure out what bits aren't spurious.

I don't know about the other things, but his statement "deviated septum is irrelevant to anything but cosmetic surgeons" is definitely wrong. I and my friend have personal experience that that statement is wrong. My deviated septum is not a cosmetic issue as you can't tell I have it "from the outside." Also, it often does hamper breathing on that side of my nose during the day and at night. No allergies or sinus problems.
.

Clearly, anyone with a brain could see that.

[WearyOne]

As is pointed out elsewhere all over the place, best to take anything the previous poster (xxyzx) says with a grain of salt... once in a great while there's something that's right, but it's rare, and not worth the risk trying to figure out what bits aren't spurious.

I don't know about the other things, but his statement "deviated septum is irrelevant to anything but cosmetic surgeons" is definitely wrong. I and my friend have personal experience that that statement is wrong. My deviated septum is not a cosmetic issue as you can't tell I have it "from the outside." Also, it often does hamper breathing on that side of my nose during the day and at night. No allergies or sinus problems.
.

Clearly, anyone with a brain could see that.

Yep, you would think so.

And as predicted, he's arguing the point of my experience. Both my ENT and sleep doc say it is a factor in breathing FOR ME plus personal experience. Never mentioned surgery, just that it IS a problem for breathing for both of us. Maybe it's cosmetic-only for SOME people whose breathing is not bothered by it and they don't like with their nose looks like, but making a blanket statement like he did, that is wrong. Period. But he'll never admit it. . . . Oh, this is useless. Why do I even try?

[palerider]

Oh, this is useless. Why do I even try?

Because, if the idiot is the only one talking, without the chorus of "No ignore the idiot" innocent people will be mislead by the idiotic delusions.

[WearyOne]

Oh, this is useless. Why do I even try?

Because, if the idiot is the only one talking, without the chorus of "No ignore the idiot" innocent people will be mislead by the idiotic delusions.

You're absolutely right.

I was referring to my trying to convince him of anything since that's proven to be a complete waste of time.