Sour Body Oder since I started with CPAP

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
bfanguy
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Sour Body Oder since I started with CPAP

Post by bfanguy » Fri Feb 15, 2013 4:55 pm

3 months ago i started using a CPAP machine with a humidifier. I will admit that I did not clean the humidifier every week like i was told, I believe I cleaned it, the mask and hose 3 times in 3 months with vinegar and water.
My wife has been complaining that lately I have a bad sour body odor similar to mold.

I quit using the humidifier 2 weeks ago (thourghly cleaned the mask and hose and replaced the filter (first time in 3 months - when i washed the old one it had a lot of "black" dust in it), and she tells me that I still have the "mold" odor.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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BlackSpinner
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Re: Sour Body Oder since I started with CPAP

Post by BlackSpinner » Fri Feb 15, 2013 4:57 pm

You need to see a doctor about this.

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chunkyfrog
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Re: Sour Body Oder since I started with CPAP

Post by chunkyfrog » Fri Feb 15, 2013 5:04 pm

Particulate (dust) in the filter is common. I change mine monthly.
CPAP will not give you B.O. No way. See the dentist to rule out any oral infection (my first guess)
Keep your clear plastic parts visibly clean, and keep ahead of any slimy feel in the tank.
You could try a nasal rinse in case there is anything "off" in your nose,
but if you are not the one it bothers, she will get used to it.

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Space Oddity
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Re: Sour Body Oder since I started with CPAP

Post by Space Oddity » Fri Feb 15, 2013 5:12 pm

My wife has been complaining that lately I have a bad sour body odor similar to mold.
The humidifier rarely needs cleaning if you use distilled water and take normal precautions.

I would say you need the shower, not the humidifier.

cosmo
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Re: Sour Body Oder since I started with CPAP

Post by cosmo » Fri Feb 15, 2013 5:25 pm

Probably consult a doctor.
Last edited by cosmo on Fri Feb 15, 2013 10:33 pm, edited 3 times in total.

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chunkyfrog
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Re: Sour Body Oder since I started with CPAP

Post by chunkyfrog » Fri Feb 15, 2013 5:25 pm

After Blackspinners comment, I have to agree.
Any fungal infection in the respiratory system might smell moldy, but be life-threatening.
Get thee to a respirologist, or at least an ENT.

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BlackSpinner
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Re: Sour Body Oder since I started with CPAP

Post by BlackSpinner » Fri Feb 15, 2013 7:09 pm

chunkyfrog wrote:After Blackspinners comment, I have to agree.
Any fungal infection in the respiratory system might smell moldy, but be life-threatening.
Get thee to a respirologist, or at least an ENT.

It could also be a whole body yeast infection. The skin is a digestive organ - it both swallows stuff and emits it.

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71. The lame can ride on horseback, the one-handed drive cattle. The deaf, fight and be useful. To be blind is better than to be burnt on the pyre. No one gets good from a corpse. The Havamal

quietmorning
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Re: Sour Body Oder since I started with CPAP

Post by quietmorning » Fri Feb 15, 2013 7:14 pm

Body odors can come from a myriad of reasons, cancer, diabetes, lung infections, sinus infections, mold infections. . .I'm with BlackSpinner - see a doctor.

bfanguy
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Re: Sour Body Oder since I started with CPAP

Post by bfanguy » Fri Feb 15, 2013 10:02 pm

Thanks for the comments.

I have never had a cavity (49 years old) - and the smell is all over my body, noone is complaining about my breath.

I rinse my sinuses with saline solution regular (10 times in the past 3 months), have not had a cold in 5 years.

Not sure what to take pictures of...

I shower every night, i put on a clean shirt last night before bed and took it off this morning, I just picked it up and smelled it and she's right - it has a strong mold smell.

Looks like I will heading to the doctor Monday...

jnk
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Re: Sour Body Oder since I started with CPAP

Post by jnk » Fri Feb 15, 2013 10:53 pm

I don't disagree that seeing a doc about sudden changes in body odor can be a good idea. But I would like to propose a personal hypothosis that may have no real merit beyond my own little thought experiment:

When someone with severe OSA gets it treated successfully so that the body does not need to use adrenaline to jolt itself awake all night long anymore, that excess adrenaline, until production decreases, might get secreted in a way that stimulates sweat for a while, which can lead to odor problems.

If I had no symptom beyond odor, and was new to getting severe OSA successfully treated, I probably wouldn't panic about it until I saw whether it went away. But hey, that's just me.

I would never suggest anyone else ignore any symptom that worried them, though, of course. That's why the docs are there to make the big bucks.

fredr500
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Re: Sour Body Oder since I started with CPAP

Post by fredr500 » Sat Feb 16, 2013 1:51 am

My wife started noticing that I smelled "funny" but not bad,just different. I went mentioned it to my GP and after experimenting a little we determined it was the fish oil pills I'd been taking for years. He agreed it was better to quit taking it and I've had no more odor complaints.

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Sheriff Buford
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Re: Sour Body Oder since I started with CPAP

Post by Sheriff Buford » Sat Feb 16, 2013 2:01 pm

I first read this post early this morning and did not respond because I thought this was a medical situation that I have no knowledge of, and I should not comment on it unless I was certain. I noticed Froggie (alias: Chunkyfrog) said that sleep apnea will not cause body odor. She is right, but after pondering this note, I came to the conclusion that apnea may not cause body odor, but it does fix alot of other body issues/problems. My thoughts are that something in your body is getting "fixed" and the body odor may be the result of the transition. If it was me, I'd bathe probably twice a day and see if the issue improves itself over a few weeks. If not, then maybe you should see a doctor. Be real sensitive to the odor and to how you feel during the day and your body feels. Keep a journal. It will aid in communicating to your doctor if you go that route. Keep us posted.

Sheriff

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Suddenly Worn Out
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Re: Sour Body Oder since I started with CPAP

Post by Suddenly Worn Out » Sat Feb 16, 2013 7:02 pm

Um, you are supposed to use vinegar ONLY in the humidifier pot. You are first supposed to clean your humidifier pot with warm water and a mild soap like Ivory liquid dish soap. After you thoroughly rinse it out and all the suds are gone, you then pour in some white vinegar, then fill it up to the max with mild temp water and leave it to soak for thirty minutes to totally disinfect and also to help eliminate any mineral buildup.

Your mask, headgear and hose you are ONLY supposed to use mild temp water and a mild, liquid soap such as Ivory. Dont use either vinegar or any anti-bacterial soap on your gear, hose or mask or cushion, as both vinegar and anti-bacterial soap will accelerate the breakdown of your hose and also the silicone parts of your mask. I remember when I was a CPAP newbie years ago, I used vinegar to clean my hose and mask parts after I'd wash them with Ivory soap and water. My mask cushion and my hose quickly began breaking down, really fast. I called my DME and they told me to stop using the vinegar on anything but the humidifier pot.

I never noticed any sour smell from soaking my humidifier pot in vinegar solution. I guess if you soaked your headgear and hose in vinegar, you might smell like vinegar and that would not be good to go around smelling like that. Not to mention you would be speeding up the breakdown of your gear like crazy.

HTH,

Eric
bfanguy wrote:3 months ago i started using a CPAP machine with a humidifier. I will admit that I did not clean the humidifier every week like i was told, I believe I cleaned it, the mask and hose 3 times in 3 months with vinegar and water.
My wife has been complaining that lately I have a bad sour body odor similar to mold.

I quit using the humidifier 2 weeks ago (thourghly cleaned the mask and hose and replaced the filter (first time in 3 months - when i washed the old one it had a lot of "black" dust in it), and she tells me that I still have the "mold" odor.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

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Suddenly Worn Out
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Re: Sour Body Oder since I started with CPAP

Post by Suddenly Worn Out » Sat Feb 16, 2013 7:09 pm

Untreated sleep apnea causes sweating in your sleep, sometimes severe. Before I was put on CPAP years ago, I used to sweat heavily in my sleep. Started in my late twenties and suddenly stopped completely when I was put on CPAP in my late thirties. If I do not use CPAP one night the night sweats come back. It has to do with stress hormones being released in your sleep and you also move around like crazy in your sleep if you have untreated OSA.

I do remember sometimes having a "sour odor" when I'd wake up in the morning, BEFORE CPAP. And that was despite normal bathing and actually, regular lap swimming at the YMCA pool in heavily chlorinated water. The sour smell I'd wake up with coincided with severe night sweating before CPAP. I really had sleep apnea bad, for a long time it went untreated.

I bet its the vinegar you are washing your gear in. Vinegar smells awful, like a sour smell as you describe. If you wash your headgear in vinegar its likely making you smell "sour" unless you rinse the stuff out REALLY thoroughly before putting on your headgear.

Eric

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Humidifier: S9™ Series H5i™ Heated Humidifier with Climate Control
Additional Comments: Also own a PR System One APAP with humidifier and a Resmed S9 APAP with H5i humidifier

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msradar65
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Re: Sour Body Oder since I started with CPAP

Post by msradar65 » Sat Feb 16, 2013 7:40 pm

bfanguy wrote:Thanks for the comments.

I have never had a cavity (49 years old) - and the smell is all over my body, noone is complaining about my breath.

I rinse my sinuses with saline solution regular (10 times in the past 3 months), have not had a cold in 5 years.

Not sure what to take pictures of...

I shower every night, i put on a clean shirt last night before bed and took it off this morning, I just picked it up and smelled it and she's right - it has a strong mold smell.

Looks like I will heading to the doctor Monday...
Could the sour smell be coming from your mattress and sweat from sleeping. How old is your mattress? Do you have an pets? Could an pet have wet on the mattress?
Diagnosed 08/31/10. Titration 9/02/10. Started CPAP 11/01/10. Auto mode 10-15cm. Alternate mask GoLife for her. Back up mask Full-life full face w/Pad-a-cheek mask liner. Comtec CMS F50 wrist pulse oximeter. Sobakawa Cloud Pillow, Sleepyhead software