Pneumonia and CPAP

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
User avatar
Wulfman
Posts: 12321
Joined: Thu Jul 07, 2005 3:43 pm
Location: Nearest fishing spot

Re: Pneumonia and CPAP

Post by Wulfman » Sat Nov 29, 2008 7:32 am

Hi Echo.

Glad to hear you're feeling a little better.


Den
(5) REMstar Autos w/C-Flex & (6) REMstar Pro 2 CPAPs w/C-Flex - Pressure Setting = 14 cm.
"Passover" Humidification - ResMed Ultra Mirage FF - Encore Pro w/Card Reader & MyEncore software - Chiroflow pillow
User since 05/14/05

User avatar
ozij
Posts: 10120
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 11:52 pm

Re: Pneumonia and CPAP

Post by ozij » Sat Nov 29, 2008 8:09 am

Wulfman wrote:Hi Echo.

Glad to hear you're feeling a little better.


Den
Den speaks for me too.
O.

_________________
Mask: AirFit™ P10 Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Machine: Resmed AirSense10 for Her with Climateline heated hose ; alternating masks.
And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Good advice is compromised by missing data
Forum member Dog Slobber Nov. 2023

User avatar
rested gal
Posts: 12883
Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2004 10:14 pm
Location: Tennessee

Re: Pneumonia and CPAP

Post by rested gal » Sat Nov 29, 2008 1:54 pm

Echo, take good care of yourself. Thanks for the update!
ResMed S9 VPAP Auto (ASV)
Humidifier: Integrated + Climate Control hose
Mask: Aeiomed Headrest (deconstructed, with homemade straps
3M painters tape over mouth
ALL LINKS by rested gal:
viewtopic.php?t=17435

User avatar
echo
Posts: 2400
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2007 4:20 pm

Re: Pneumonia and CPAP

Post by echo » Sun Nov 30, 2008 1:04 pm

Thanks for the nice thoughts

I'm still sleeping/resting a lot, slowly getting better ...

catch ya later.
PR System One APAP, 10cm
Activa nasal mask + mouth taping w/ 3M micropore tape + Pap-cap + PADACHEEK + Pur-sleep
Hosehead since 31 July 2007, yippie!

User avatar
echo
Posts: 2400
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2007 4:20 pm

Re: Pneumonia and CPAP

Post by echo » Wed Dec 03, 2008 6:57 pm

Hi guys,
Thanks for your earlier words of support! I'm on the last day's worth of antibiotics, and I have some residual coughing but I'm feeling much better. My chest still feels a bit full and heavy and I haven't yet noticed the positive effects of stopping smoking (except for the lightheadedness and the strangely slow and consistent heart rate). The weird chest pains were gone this whole time, but have come back again. ??
I've learned my lessons though, I will definintely followup with another PFT, but probably after the Xmas holidays.

So to get back to answering some questions...
kteague wrote:Just curious, Echo, about what it is about the head of the bed being raised a little that you are unable to tolerate? As long as it's the bed or the whole mattress, I couldn't tell it was lifted as long as I didn't go high enough to cause sliding. Could not sleep with a wedge - that was too uncomfortable to me.
It's hard to say, actually. My parents' bed is a bit springy to begin with, I think, so whenever I sleep in their bed i feel like I'm on a trampoline tilted up. I twist and turn a lot while falling asleep, and between the springyness and the tilt I feel very .... disoriented. It's not so extremely tilted that I feel like I'm sliding off, but I still don't like how it feels.
And I think I have a psychological block against it. I don't know why. Probably because my dad did that for years and STILL died from esophagael cancer. So I'm a bit ... annoyed ... when it comes to (what in my head are labelled as) the standard GERD - "avoidance" tactics like raising the head of the bed , or Prilosec, or whatever (....rather than finding and treating the root cause of the GERD).

I had been able to successfully avoid reflux for a long time through good diet and low(er) weight, but I've gained ~10 pounds since last year and in that time it's gotten worse. I just keeping thinking to myself "if only i lose some more weight and watch my diet" then I can avoid raising the head of the bed and the meds. That to me is about finding the root cause of the GERD, rather than trying to trick it or avoid it.

I know that's not what it is, but that's how I think about it. Feel free to convince me otherwise!

Kathy, sorry to hear about the chronic inflammation in your lungs. Is that also from smoking, or something else?
LSAT wrote:Right side is bad if you are refluxing. If you look at a diagram of your anatomy, you will see that the esophagus enters the stomach on the right. If you lay on your right side, acid from the stomach can leak into the esophagus. If you lay on your lefty side, any acid in the esophagus drains into the stomach...where it belongs. Often the problem lies with the valve that separates the esophagus and the stomach.
Thanks for that info LSAT! I'm actually a right-side sleeper for the most part, I'll have to try sleeping on the other side instead.
CorgiGirl wrote:Echo, I know that my GERD exacerbates my asthma, so I'd guess it could cause problems farther down in your lungs, if it gets that far. I'm taking Prevacid every day to control my stomach acid and doing very well. After your endoscopy, will you be taking a prescription proton pump inhibitor like Prevacid?
GERD, what a pain in the chest I wish we all had gills instead of lungs. I don't know what they will give me after the endoscopy, but yes I assume something like Prevacid or Prilosec. The GP said the meds were in the $100++ category per month! Yikes. I think I prefer the diet + weight loss route.
mindy wrote:Week before last I got some kind of bug (cold, cough) and fever started going up. Saw doc who said my lungs sounded bad. He said if I didn't have bacterial pneumonia yet that with my messy lungs I would probably have it soon and put me on antibiotics. Apparently once you have had it, you're more likely to get it again.
Mindy, I hope you're still feeling OK and didn't end up with pneumonia yourself! That last bit of info is not so nice... I wonder if having pneumonia once actually causes permanent damage to the lungs (I thought I read that somewhere)? As for the cleaning, ya gotta do what ya gotta do Just be careful that overdisinfection could reduce the life-time of the plastic/silicone, but maybe the Control is not so harsh??
needingu wrote:Just a tidbit of an idea. To raise the head of your bed.....<snip>.
Thanks for the tidbit of an idea If / when I get over my psychological block over the bed thing, this is a nice bed-hack.
PR System One APAP, 10cm
Activa nasal mask + mouth taping w/ 3M micropore tape + Pap-cap + PADACHEEK + Pur-sleep
Hosehead since 31 July 2007, yippie!

User avatar
ruthven78
Posts: 12
Joined: Mon Dec 17, 2007 4:15 am
Location: Deer Park, WA

Re: Pneumonia and CPAP

Post by ruthven78 » Thu May 06, 2010 10:27 pm

Sorry for resurrecting an old thread but i did have some good information, i have walking pneumonia and was also unsure of using my CPAP (and Im a respiratory therapist even lol)

The AARC (American Association for Respiratory Care) has published a Clinical Practice Guideline on using positive airway pressure adjunction to bronchial hygiene theraoy, which includes CPAP. It indicates that CPAP is good for secretion mobilization. I dont know if you will have access to the entire CPG (http://www.rcjournal.com/cpgs/papcpg.html so below are some exerpts from it.

PAP 4.0 INDICATIONS:

4.1To reduce air trapping in asthma and COPD(16,29-31)
4.2To aid in mobilization of retained secretions (in cystic fibrosis and chronic bronchitis)(14,15,17-24,32,33)
4.3To prevent or reverse atelectasis(6-13,34-36)
4.4To optimize delivery of bronchodilators in patients receiving bronchial hygiene therapy(37,38)

PAP 5.0 CONTRAINDICATIONS:

Although no absolute contraindications to the use of PEP, CPAP, or EPAP mask therapy have been reported,4,39 the following should be carefully evaluated before a decision is made to initiate PAP mask therapy.
5.1 Patients unable to tolerate the increased work of breathing (acute asthma, COPD)
5.2 Intracranial pressure (ICP) > 20 mm Hg
5.3 Hemodynamic instability(4)
5.4Recent facial, oral, or skull surgery or trauma4
5.5 Acute sinusitis(39)
5.6 Epistaxis
5.7 Esophageal surgery
5.8Active hemoptysis(39)
5.9 Nausea
5.10 Known or suspected tympanic membrane rupture or other middle ear pathology
5.11 Untreated pneumothorax

PAP 6.0 HAZARDS/COMPLICATIONS:

6.1 Increased work of breathing(4) that may lead to hypoventilation and hypercarbia
6.2 Increased intracranial pressure
6.3 Cardiovascular compromise
6.3.1 myocardial ischemia
6.3.2 decreased venous return(4)
6.4 Air swallowing,(4) with increased likelihood of vomiting and aspiration
6.5 Claustrophobia(4)
6.6 Skin break down and discomfort from mask(4)
6.7 Pulmonary barotrauma(4)

PAP 8.0 ASSESSMENT OF NEED:

The following should be assessed together to establish a need for PAP therapy:
8.1 Sputum retention not responsive to spontaneous or directed coughing
8.2 History of pulmonary problems treated successfully with postural drainage therapy
8.3 Decreased breath sounds or adventitious sounds suggesting secretions in the airway
8.4 Change in vital signs-increase in breathing frequency, tachycardia
8.5 Abnormal chest radiograph consistent with atelectasis, mucus plugging, or infiltrates
8.6 Deterioration in arterial blood gas values or oxygen saturation

_________________
Mask: Ultra Mirage™ Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: also have tried Swift LT and Comfortgel Nasal
Registered Respiratory Therapist, member of the AARC, CPAP user (APAP 8-12 M-Series; Quattro FFM Medium)

User avatar
Julie
Posts: 19898
Joined: Tue Feb 28, 2006 12:58 pm

Re: Pneumonia and CPAP

Post by Julie » Fri May 07, 2010 2:59 am

Hi, that's a very interesting list you've posted, but it worries me because I think that without more information, many people who depend on the internet for help with Cpap and other problems can easily misinterpret items, then decide that because e.g. they have (possibly self diagnosed on top of it!) sinus issues, or 'nausea' (from what, when, etc. etc.) that they should never use Cpap, which could be the life saving treatment they need. If all of us here who'd ever had sinus trouble, never mind nausea, stopped using our Cpaps, the neuro and cardiac wards would fill up quite quickly with many of us having strokes and/or MI's.

I also think that the list needs further elucidation in terms of who it was meant to apply to, e.g. patients already in hospital with possibly very serious conditions that may not be apnea related, but which need coordinating by professionals, or e.g. patients being cared for at home but who are not mentally competent to help monitor or understand their conditions, etc. etc.

I do realize that much of the list was likely written more specifically to address other respiratory issues, more likely for inpatients, but it's not all that clear. And saying that ischemia is a 'hazard' or complication is just plain silly I think, because I think possibly a majority of people these days have some level of ischemia, however low, and if we all did not use Cpap because of it, the likelihood of our demise would go up a lot faster!

I think that the list may have been written years ago for a certain number of patients under certain circumstances, likely before a lot of things were as well understood about OSA/Cpap as today, or else just not well written to begin with, and I would not want people (here) who are tentative about going on Cpap to begin with, to decide that they shouldn't based on something or other on that list.

User avatar
pdean44
Posts: 610
Joined: Wed Jan 13, 2010 3:52 pm

Re: Pneumonia and CPAP

Post by pdean44 » Fri May 07, 2010 4:23 am

Hope you feel better soon.

_________________
Mask: Mirage Quattro™ Full Face CPAP Mask with Headgear
Humidifier: HumidAire H4i™ Heated Humidifier
Additional Comments: Pressure Setting: 13
"Things turn out the best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out"
-- JOHN WOODEN --

nyandjim

Re: Pneumonia and CPAP

Post by nyandjim » Mon May 16, 2011 7:29 am

I tried cpap for a month and found it to be unacceptable. While on the cpap, I caught a "cold" which stayed with me for months until it was diagnosed as pneumonia. Did the cpap contribute to my catching pneumonia?

User avatar
ozij
Posts: 10120
Joined: Fri Mar 18, 2005 11:52 pm

Re: Pneumonia and CPAP

Post by ozij » Mon May 16, 2011 7:32 am

nyandjim wrote:I tried cpap for a month and found it to be unacceptable. While on the cpap, I caught a "cold" which stayed with me for months until it was diagnosed as pneumonia. Did the cpap contribute to my catching pneumonia?

No.
Do you know what fragmented sleep and suboptimal oxygenation do to your body? I find that far more unacceptable than anything related to CPAP.

_________________
Mask: AirFit™ P10 Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask with Headgear
Additional Comments: Machine: Resmed AirSense10 for Her with Climateline heated hose ; alternating masks.
And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.
Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Good advice is compromised by missing data
Forum member Dog Slobber Nov. 2023