CPAP STILL CAUSING ASTHMA

[Julie]

Actually I wondered the same thing - whether it was asthma, or... COPD, GERD effect, etc etc... guess we'll have to wait and see.

[DreamStalker]

He said his environment is FREE of allergens, not FULL of them - you have hereby been shown clearly to make mistakes. Own up to them once and for all and maybe you'll start to be accepted and taken seriously. Otherwise...

That's OK Julie, it's a minor typo(not). The OP AHI of 0.8 is in no way indicative of the need for an ASV, nor is a pulse oximeter used to detect hyperventilation. But xxyzx will claim these are immaterial nits to pick or simple typos. Life continues, free advice is worth what it costs. Johnny wants a free and open forum where all are free to express both opinions and demonstrations of the inability to notice details in their reading. Novice users will eventually figure it out and go to different forums, and those of us who stick around will treat this as the circus of fantasy and delirium that it has become.

Red italicized emphasis on TASmart's post is by me ...

Not necessarily. Just post your own thoughts, ideas, views, and opinions and let the forum reader's decide who is more correct and who is less correct, what advice they will accept and which they will not. You shouldn't assume that every "novice user" (or anyone else) who comes here seeking help is too stupid to figure out which advice is best for them. Create your own view of this forum with how you yourself contribute to the forum. Just saying.

[AMESS]

Anyone with allergies or asthma will be effected by CPAP. in a some what negative way. How do I know? I am an allergy person and have been having too much congestion. Allergies are under control but it feels like they r not. Have seen allergist and other than a couple meds that do not help--no real answer. Have started turning humidifier down. Went to 4 last night. Wil go to 3 tonight. Cannot go too low or wil end up with dry nose and all its problems. This is enough to make me want to stop.

When I see sleep dr this is the first thing I will bring up.

[Julie]

Most say their allergies go away or at least decrease by a lot on Cpap. And I would not be so careful about lowering the humidity for even just one night as a test... I'm sure it's the cause of your problems.

[Jwicks1995]

For 3 days my asthma symtoms have been way less, i also started nexium at this time. However, lastnight with my asthma feeling fine i go to try and sleep feeling good. 10 minutes later I cannot at all, had to use my reliever 4 times and ended up having to have a prednisone. I just dont understand what is going on? This is an absolute joke. There is nothing wrong with the machine. It has to be me? I seriously think i have silent gerd and think the air pressure agrivates stomach acid, and then the fumes are what causes the asthma. The asthma is just here now 24/7 just constant tight chest and hard to breathe...im seriously getting over this. Being fine for 3 days i thought it was a miracle...now back to what it was like before.

[zoocrewphoto]

For 3 days my asthma symtoms have been way less, i also started nexium at this time. However, lastnight with my asthma feeling fine i go to try and sleep feeling good. 10 minutes later I cannot at all, had to use my reliever 4 times and ended up having to have a prednisone. I just dont understand what is going on? This is an absolute joke. There is nothing wrong with the machine. It has to be me? I seriously think i have silent gerd and think the air pressure agrivates stomach acid, and then the fumes are what causes the asthma. The asthma is just here now 24/7 just constant tight chest and hard to breathe...im seriously getting over this. Being fine for 3 days i thought it was a miracle...now back to what it was like before.

Acid reflux can bring out the asthma. For example, if I bring up acid reflux, it inflames my vocal cords and sets off the asthma. THus, I have both going on, but teh cause was the acid reflux. Mainly because I ate something that aggravated AND forgot to take my prilosec.

A few questions. Does your doctor approve you using your inhaler 4 times in a short period of time? I was told that over use of the inhaler is dangerous. It also seems that it is NOT helping you. So, that may be another clue that the actual problem is not asthma. I think the main problem is gerd, and you are trying to treat it with your asthma inhaler because the sensations are similar.

Another question. How well is your cpap working for you? Are you getting successful treatment with a low ahi? Are you using ramp? If so, what are you starting at?

If you are having events, your throat closing off could be causing suction which brings the acid up into your throat, thus setting off the asthma. Is it possible that you are having events in the first 10 minutes that are starting the problem?

Are you taking Nexium daily? Nexium and Prilosec take awhile to build up in the system. They won't stop gerd in a short period of time. For that, you need something like Zantac or tums. I normally take my prilosec in the morning. If I forget and wait until evening, I am likely to have a problem when i go to bed and lay down (if I ate something that doesn't like me).

[MrsRinPDX]

I'm glad I found your post. I was diagnosed with severe sleep apnea two weeks ago and have been using a BiPAP machine for about a week. I too find that my asthma symptoms have been worse using the BiPAP, so I don't have any answers for you, just commiserations. Interestingly enough, I too have GERD and allergies (both treated successfully with meds), so this is a complex problem. One thing is for sure. I will contact my doctor to see what he thinks. This feeling of not getting enough oxygen is awful.

[Krelvin]

Interesting. Whenever I have breathing issues, allergies, cold etc I always turn TO my CPAP for relief. It makes it easier to breath, gets my breathing under control quickly and feel a lot better.

[nanwilson]

Interesting. Whenever I have breathing issues, allergies, cold etc I always turn TO my CPAP for relief. It makes it easier to breath, gets my breathing under control quickly and feel a lot better.

Me too, I have had asthma and allergies all my life and cpap does not make it worse!! Whenever I feel a bout of either coming on, I go to my cpap for relief too,

Nan

[Julie]

What are your pressure settings? Too often doctors tell DMEs to make those 4 (very hard to inhale at) and 20 - the default low and high #'s for auto machines, but don't understand that if you have events (apneas) at high levels - e.g. 12 or 15, even a few, the machine cannot catch up in time from 4 to deal with them, so we routinely advise people to bump their low setting to a slightly higher one of 6 or 7 to see how things go for a few nights (the high setting can be left high). If they go well, then you can continue on - as long as you feel better - with the higher (if still relatively low) setting, or in fact bump it even a bit higher in future if it feels right.

Another problem people have is that they don't realize the humidifier is for comfort, not 'therapy', and think they must use it, and set it at e.g. 3 or 4, rather than seeing if they need it at all. Depending on your local climate, you may need it, especially in winter mos. when central heating dries your home, but if you live in a relatively humid - not steam heat, but just proximal to some water or have a wettish climate - place, adding humidity can cause congestion and cold symptoms, possibly aggravate asthma, etc. So feel free to experiment with settings, and even to not use the humidifier at all if it's counterproductive. It's up to you.

[chunkyfrog]

What are your pressure settings? Too often doctors tell DMEs to make those 4 (very hard to inhale at) and 20 - the default low and high #'s for auto machines . . .

If a machine is at 4-20, then I don't believe it has been "set" at all. Too often,
I suspect it is either ignorance or the anticipation that the extreme range will be
so disturbing and ineffective that it will be easy to palm off a brick to the victim.
There was actually a "study" that compared wide open auto with a single pressure machine--
apparently with the express intent to promote single-pressure machines.
The DME's who sponsored the now defunct "cpap support group" were quite dismayed
that a certain sassy green creature pointed out the fact that any auto can also be run
on single pressure.
Ouchie!

[Julie]

[Jwicks1995]

UPDATE:

In a quest to cure this dreaded non stop cycle of fatigue and asthma, I have undergone tongue base reduction surgery and purchased a custom fitted oral appliance. all up 7k worth. nearly 3 weeks post op and first night with appliance, woke up feeling absolutely crap, like id been run over by a truck. Funny, a week ago a did a test before i got oral appliance and slept with a tongue retaining device and wokeup feeling absolutely fine....

So I guess its back to CPAP...whats funny is every time i never use the cpap yeah i feel mentally shit. but my extreme body fatigue goes away and breathing becomes a bit easier. This is so annoying its like i cannot find the connections and causes for anything its just non stop fatigue no matter what i do. all i want is energy. 7 months with this cpap, all its done is clear my headaches, thats basically it. It made me extremely body fatigued to the point where i can no longer go to the gym. I used to run 5 times a week and lift 5 times a week even with the sleep apnea being non treated. I would honestly just love some sort of miracle answer or cure. Im trying to be hopeful that my throat/tongue is just inflammed/swollen and that i will be able to sleep with my oral appliance and wakeup without a headache. at least then i can try and persue a real life that consists of having goals. because at this stage taking on any responsibilities accept the bare minimum is a struggle. Ive seen so many doctors, no help. My next step is to get another sleep test and a good sleep doctor. Im still waiting for the newly refered asthma specialists to give me a call as the last guy did all he can with no help. Its just a shitty mixture of asthma, suspected stomach issues gerd maybe low eos, allergies...who knows. tried just about every supplement/medication. sometimes prednisolone works a little bit, but sides are awful in terms of making me feel weak. my physicial health is just gone, and I used to be so fit. Every now and then I'll just randomly have a great sleep and have lots of energy. like once every 3 weeks to a month. Then ill re create everything i did to feel like that again and no luck. It sounds like some sort of nightmare but luckily i have great emotional support living with my girlfriend and my mother.

[Julie]

Well, are you on meds at this time and which ones?

Have you tried raising the pressure from 7 to e.g. 9 for a couple of nights?

Have you had labs and exam done recently to look for any non-OSA related problems (thyroid, sugar, hormones, etc)?

[MrsRinPDX]

Wow, sounds like you've been through a lot. As I mentioned in an earlier reply, my asthma was worse on the machine. Based on what I've learned here, I increased my ramp up pressure and my asthma improved quickly. I bumped mine a bit higher though, with ramp up pressures starting at 9.5 . The advice above is effective.