Chest pain/Lung pain caused by C-PAP?

[insylem]

I'm fine this morning. Im sure I just streached funny ysterday morning when I woke up since it didnt start hurting till after I streached wakeing up.

[TheOSAGuy]

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to this forum so please be patient with me. I found out I had OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) after 9 years of suffering from it. No specialist was able to diagnose my issues, for whatever reasons, and thus I went untreated for a very, very long time. Anyway, I've been under CPAP therapy for 6 months. I have a pressure of 12.5 and I use a Philips Respronics. Until recently, the last 3 weeks or so, I've had no issues however some things have cropped up which is of concern to me.

1) When I'm in a reclined position, I find it difficult to breathe, for example, lying on the couch. It feels like someone is sitting on my chest and I'm drowning.
2) After I wake up, 10-15 minutes or so, I have severe lung and chest pain. It comes and goes over the course of the day but eventually worsens as sleep time approaches.
3) I feel like I have a lump in my throat - post nasal drip - I think.
4) I wake up with headaches, throbbing in my ears and temples of my head, feels like my heart is pounding in my ears.

I do plan on seeing my specialists but having some information at hand would be useful. Has anyone had any experiences like this?

Thanks,

TheOSAGuy

[49er]

Welcome.

As an FYI, I suggest you start your own thread as it will get alot more attention than it being stuck here.

Thanks!

49er

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to this forum so please be patient with me. I found out I had OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) after 9 years of suffering from it. No specialist was able to diagnose my issues, for whatever reasons, and thus I went untreated for a very, very long time. Anyway, I've been under CPAP therapy for 6 months. I have a pressure of 12.5 and I use a Philips Respronics. Until recently, the last 3 weeks or so, I've had no issues however some things have cropped up which is of concern to me.

1) When I'm in a reclined position, I find it difficult to breathe, for example, lying on the couch. It feels like someone is sitting on my chest and I'm drowning.
2) After I wake up, 10-15 minutes or so, I have severe lung and chest pain. It comes and goes over the course of the day but eventually worsens as sleep time approaches.
3) I feel like I have a lump in my throat - post nasal drip - I think.
4) I wake up with headaches, throbbing in my ears and temples of my head, feels like my heart is pounding in my ears.

I do plan on seeing my specialists but having some information at hand would be useful. Has anyone had any experiences like this?

Thanks,

TheOSAGuy

[Julie]

OSAGuy - you haven't been clear about whether you have the symptoms when you're on Cpap or not... it matters if you're looking for help here so we'll know where to start. Also, what equipment (full names and model #'s) are you using? And why recline (I presume you mean on your back?) if it bothers you? When is the last time you had a cardiac check-up - what you describe could be a serious problem.

[Birdsong50]

I have been on CPAP for a month and a half and everyday that I have used it, I wake up with excruciating pain in my chest and back. I went to the hospital because my chest and left arm were hurting so bad. After a battery of tests, EKG and a nuclear stress test there is nothing wrong with my heart. I talked to my doctor and ask if the CPAP could cause this pain. He said it was possible that I had GERD and the pressure from the machine might be causing esophagal spasms due to pressure causing irritation. Said take an additional prilosec at night. I did that, and made no difference. I would wake up in so much pain I could not breath, I had to use the heating pad for about 1 1/2 hours before I could get any relief. Sooooo, last night I decided to sleep without the CPAP machine, and guess what, I had no pain in the middle of my back, still have some residual soreness in my chest. I almost dread going to bed. I have an appointment with my pulmonary doc. next week so we shall see. I start the night at 12mm and my machine automatically can go as high as 25mm. Thanks to all for the great information I have found here.

[Julie]

Hi - it happens not infrequently that the new 'use' of old chest muscles when starting Cpap can cause problems, but yours sound a bit worse than usual. The one thing that struck me is how high your pressures are - are they actually set at those numbers, or just that you were given what I imagine is not a 'routine' C- or Apap machine, but a Bi-pap, generally used by those who need very high pressures to keep their airways open by Cpap. Can you give us the complete name and model # of your machine and mask for starters, and if you know what your prescribed pressure level is (not the above #'s but a specific one-only) it would help too.

Sometimes people just starting out unconsciously keep themselves rigid all night trying to adjust to the mask (or keep it from leaking) and wake up very sore and stiff, but if you're having that much trouble with the mask (which one please?) it needs looking at as well.

[dae3dae3]

Keep in mind I'm just some guy on the internet you'll never meet who might be 9 years old as far as you know so think about that before you decide whether or not you want to take medical advice from me. As others have said. Check with the doctor to make sure serious conditions are ruled out.

With that said. I had chest soreness after I started. It went away after a while. The best I can figure out it was muscle soreness no different as you would get if you started lifting weights for the first time. It was just my chest muscles getting an internal workout exhaling against the pressure. This theory was reinforced for me when the exact same thing happened when my pressure was increased a couple years later. I went through thousands of dollars of cardiac and GI tests and they never found anything. So, get it checked out to be safe but also know that you're not the only person in the world to ever have soreness after starting cpap. Especially with a high pressure. If it is just muscle soreness it should go away the same way soreness from lifting weights would go away.

[jherb]

I have been on CPAP for several years and last couple have experienced extreme panicky feeling upon waking, shortness of breath, and generally feeling bad. I've been dizzy and experienced nausea and have had all kinds of tests with negative results. Regular MD doesn't help much. Neurologist sent me to Vertigo specialist and he said my blood pressure kinda disappears on standing, so if I move to quickly, get dizzy. I'm 69 and feeling about 85 right now. Don't know where to turn next as my original CPAP dr. retired and don't know who to ask is that could be causing all these problems. I wear mask 6 l/2hrs to 8 or 9 hrs a nite (all time I'm in bed).

[Wulfman...]

I have been on CPAP for several years and last couple have experienced extreme panicky feeling upon waking, shortness of breath, and generally feeling bad. I've been dizzy and experienced nausea and have had all kinds of tests with negative results. Regular MD doesn't help much. Neurologist sent me to Vertigo specialist and he said my blood pressure kinda disappears on standing, so if I move to quickly, get dizzy. I'm 69 and feeling about 85 right now. Don't know where to turn next as my original CPAP dr. retired and don't know who to ask is that could be causing all these problems. I wear mask 6 l/2hrs to 8 or 9 hrs a nite (all time I'm in bed).

Was there a question in there somewhere?
Without knowing what equipment you're using, the settings, and many other things about you or your therapy, I have no idea what to suggest. How about signing up as a member of the forum and telling us more?

What you've described could be from any number of medical conditions.
Dizziness (vertigo) could be from inner ear problems.
Panicky feeling could be from too low of a pressure setting, machine not working properly or something else.


Den

.

[Julie]

If I were you, I would run, not walk to another doctor and not wait around for someone to confirm (or not) that Cpap may be the problem. It very well may be, but your symptoms (as Den said) are easily attributable to other potentially serious problems and you should first see a cardiologist, then if necessary, a neurologist (hopefully with some training in OSA to be able to sort out what's related and what isn't). Don't wait for us to find answers, get medical ones, especially as it's well known that women have different symptoms of serious cardiac problems than men do, though unfortunately too many doctors are apparently still unaware of it.

If cardiac problems (or neuro ones) are ruled out, then come back here and we'll try to help.

One thing however - are you sure you're not accidentally covering the mask vent with bedding? That could possibly account for some of your problems.

[MrGrumpy]

I get chest pain from CPAP if I use either a too low pressure. Or a too high pressure. I have no idea why. Off CPAP, I have awful debilitating chest pain and shortness of breath and terrible GERD. If I go on CPAP, which I am on all the time while sleeping, and my pressure is too low, I still have that awful debilitating chest pain and shortness of breath during the daytime.

If my pressure is "just right" my chest pain and shortness of breath go away completely. I mean completely...gone.

If I attempt to raise my pressures a little higher than my prescribed pressure, I get awful chest pain again but this time its kind of like aerogophia or whatever, I think. I think I start popping centrals at too high pressures or too high pressures overwhelms my ribcage muscles or something.

CPAP to me, is kind of like that fairy tale with the three bears and the porridge. It cant be too cold (low pressure), cant be too hot (too high pressure), it has to be "just right," as in correct pressure. That is why a proper titration is sooooooo important, and for many their pressure needs change over time.

Eric

[chunkyfrog]

My "goldilocks"pressure is a range. Some nights I need a little more pressure, some a bit less.
The machine figures it out while I sleep.

[Luthie2006]

Ironically, this just happened to me too. I have been using the CPAP (autoset) for a few months now and am used to it. I was awokened by a sudden sharp pain on my left side that was about a 4 in pain out of 10. I took off the CPAP mask and after about 10 minutes, it went away. I went to the Primary right away the next day and she said never ever go to sleep after a chest pain wakes you up out of a sleep. If it is heart-burn and you know it is and feels more like a burn, that is something else. Take a Tums and if the pain doesn't go away, call 9-1-1, the same as the other member stated. I went back to sleep, the worst thing she said I could do.

She ordered and EKG the next day in her office, and was normal, and as if that were not enough she then ordered an echo-stress test for me where I ran up the steepest treadmill I ever saw. The test came out negative, and I went back to follow-up. I mentioned the CPAP machine and I mentioned I even take an anti reflux drug for acid reflux. She said, the thing is, you just don't know what the pain is, especially if it wakes you up. I never had this before with CPAP or without, and she said again, you don't know if it is related to the heart, musculoskeletel or acid reflux. Not to scare you, but she said some people wake up all the time with chest pain and get an EKG every month.
Did you get this checked out? She said a lot of patients blame is on "Oh, I have a CPAP or I ate something spicey." Please check this out with your doctor.

[jherb]

I did not have vertigo and was only checking to see if anyone else after longterm use of CPAP had any of issues I've been facing. Been to ER because thought I was having a heart attack or stroke about a yr. ago and all tests were okay. After 3 or 4 Xanax they gave me, I started breathing normally and "stress" from not being able to breathe went away. Vertigo specialist recommended going back to cardiologist, but reg. MD acted like it was not necessary to be tested again. (Nuclear stress test, etc.) Just got on this website to see , like I said, if I saw anyone else w/these symptoms and if they could be related to my CPAP.

[jherb]

I am now registered under jherb, and I did go back to Neurologist this aft. He is referring me to cardiologist to have further testing since it's been over 10 years since I had all that checked, at that time for just chest pain, four years before being put on CPAP. Again, was just looking to see if anyone else experienced shortness of breath after removing CPAP as NO one ever told me about different pressures. I just know it reads 80 degrees after turning on and is set to ramp up to whatever "pressure" is. It has always seemed okay to me. But not being able to drive because I don't know when the dizziness will hit (and def. don't have Vertigo according to that specialist) and I have actually drifted to left side of street and scraped curb. So I just don't drive. I told him today that when I get dizzy I seem to hit the left wall in the hall without even realizing I'm doing it. But the "elephant" sitting on my chest out of the blue scares me and my regular MD just doesn't get it and how scary it is. But when you're on Medicare, it's hard to find drs. willing to take you on. First experience with trying any type of chat room or whatever this is so excuse me if I'm kinda ignorant about how actually answers questions or relates similar experiences. Just glad I've got Neur. willing to see this through w/me.