daytime breathlessness

[livingstone]

I'm a relatively new user of cpap, about 1-1/2 months. Lately I've been having trouble feeling like I'm not able to get full breaths, kind of like having to take deep breaths all the time. Has anyone ever experienced any thing like ths? I'm not sure if it's related to cpap or not.

[josh73]

Hi there. I'm new to this too. Only 3 weeks but i had the same thing for about the first 7-10 days. I think it's just your body getting used to how the air is coming into your lungs. That said, i am more aware of how i'm breathing now than i ever have been. Whether it's sitting at my desk at work or driving or running on my treadmill.

[ChicagoGranny]

Hopefully you have a family doctor who knows your medical history. Call them and tell them about your shortness of breath. This is nothing to mess around with getting advice from who-knows-what on an internet forum.

[LSAT]

See your doctor!!!!

[cpaptex]

Breathlessness or Shortness of Breath as in I can't catch my breath. Can be a serious matter. It can indicate serious Lung issues and/or serious Heart issues. It is not a normal condition. You should see a Pulmonologist or a Cardiologist. Maybe your PCP can point you in the right direction.

[livingstone]

I do have an appointment. I have not gone to it yet. I just wondered if this is a thing that could be related to cpap.

[cpaptex]

I do have serious Lung issues and the CPAP (APAP) has made my life much better. But the Shortness of breath (SOB) issue is not related to Apneas. SOB in my case was related to Interstital Lung Disease. I'll shorten this up and say that I have Pulmonary Fibrosis. But it is more complicated than what I've stated. Heart conditions can also cause SOB issues and is very serious as well.

If you are desaturating, CPAP will not help. It takes Supplemental Oxygen to help on that issue. A CPAP will control Apneas when you sleep and that helps to prevent desaturations while you sleep. It is very effective for the most common forms of Apneas.

You can ask your Dr to check your Heart, Your Lung and the O2 Saturation. However, O2 Saturation can appear to be normal when you are at rest in the Examination Room. Normally, it requires a 6 minute walk to see if you are desaturating. The question would be why is it happening.

For Apneas, an Overnight Sleep Study is required.

Good Luck.

[livingstone]

what is desaturation?

[cpaptex]

It means how well Saturated your blood is with Oxygen. Normal People have 98-99% with room air. At night, those who have Apneas can fall into the 80's because they stop breathing. It can be much more severe than that for some. A typical symptom are morning headaches. Not just once in a while, almost daily. Anything below 88% is criteria of Supplemental Oxygen.

My at rest is 95-96% and drops to 90 with exertion. Overnight I'll drop to 84 or so for a short period of time.

You can use a fingertip Oximeter to measure your O2 Sat. They are about $50.00 at Walgreens. Other more elaborate Wrist Models run in the low $100 range.

[DianaRandall]

Are you a smoker? I'm asking just because I had such problems especially at night when I used to smoke. Luckily now I'm no longer a smoker and breathing became much easier))

[Mary Z]

I agree, see your doctor for more serious issues. Good luck, keep us posted.

[DavidCarolina]

Ive been dealing with this issue for 1.5 years. I was at mayo clinic and the pulmanologists found no problems and my heart is clear.

Other possibilities for you:

--another medical disorder such as immune disease, intestinal permeability, food allergies,

-slight brain damage from late diagnosis

-anxiety and panic attacks in your body (not talking about a mental illness but about "anxiety" or "agitation" caused internally

-c02 issues.

Start studying and learning. Each case is unique. Obviously rule out anything major with your doctor.

I use 02, not because my numbers say i need it but because i want to use it. I "oxygenate" a couple times a day and usually once at night.

I used to be an athlete, but these days I just walk slowly for up to an hour at a time.

[Lady Mechanic]

Wow! I'm 3 weeks in my cpap treatment for OSA with my O2 sat dropping to 84% for several minutes. My ahi isn't all that high but the shallow breathing is horrible. And I ran an errand not 3 weeks ago and got overheated and could not catch my breath no matter what I did. I just ignored that episode. Went to my pcp forcheck up my o2 just waking from car too office was already at 89. They made me sit there. It finally did come back up to 94. But I have never had o2 issues in my life. This is new to me. I woke up one morning in March swearing my husband tore me up I was admitted to hospital for stroke and released with a diagnosis of migraines pending further testing. The Dr then told me he wanted me tested for sleep apnea and this is where we are today. So the last episode just happened, in which the Dr is going to see me for plus dl the data to see if an adjustment at this time is necessary, is that I was helping my son get ready for college and the id cards they are using were acting up so I was doing his foot work so he wouldn't loose his place in line and it was as if someone put their hand over my mouth all of a sudden. It was the weirdest thing ever. I to was wonder of the cpap could be the culprit. I just spent a ton of money on this thing & the last thing I wasn't is more issues. Please help

[Sclark08]

I have that but I have COPD! Better see a Pulmonologist. If you treat it at the onset you can at least slow it down. Best of luck

[Lady Mechanic]

Thank you! Hopeful it isn't anything an adjustment won't take care of