I Hate This

FattyMagoo · Post by **FattyMagoo** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 9:10 am

There are other medical conditions worse than apnea and I'm grateful for the health I have. That said I hate it and it's incredibly frustrating to treat.

After 2-3 nights of CPAP my sinuses are inflamed such than OTC pain killers don't allow me to concentrate at work. After a few days of "rest" my sinuses are back to normal (very mild hayfever).

After 2-3 nights of NO cpap, I'm so tired I can't concentrate at work so it's back to fighting the CPAP. I've already tried most of the sinus improvement suggestions here.

Has anyone tried alternating days on/off CPAP? Maybe that combination with Ibuprofen could offer the most life productivity?

I hate this, but love you all still .

Pad A Cheek · Post by **Pad A Cheek** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 9:20 am

I know I tried nasal pillows and felt they blew the air too directly and too strongly up my nose. I found that I prefered the nasal mask. The air seemed more diffused and did not seem to dry out my sinuses as much. Are you using humidification? You may try to increase it or decrease it for a few nights and see if that makes a difference. For some people too much moisture or heat bothers them for others too little bothers them. If you adjust one thing, give it a few days before you change something else. Sometimes it takes a while for your airway to adjust.

Everyone is unique in the way they adjust to this therapy. Getting adjusted can be a challenge, but once you get things dialed in, it makes life so much better.
I wish you the best.

Karen

chunkyfrog · Post by **chunkyfrog** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 9:32 am

Fatty; have you had this sinus thing since the first week in August?
If it were me, I would get to the doctor--soon!
This is too long to suffer.

pbriggs · Post by **pbriggs** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 9:43 am

Keep trying to find a combination that works. For me I think I am allergic to everything so my sinus is always not very happy. I have read here that some people have more trouble with the masks that put pressure on the bridge of the nose, for me that has not been a problem. I use a saline spray every night, but just recently moved to a generic version of flonase (http://www.rxlist.com/flonase-drug.htm) my doctor said that I should use it for 3 months everyday to fully remove any swelling in the sinus area. I don't think I have ever used something like this for so long and the dr said that I needed to fully remove any swelling before I would get better. Normal for me is just minor irritation, but occasionally I get it like you describe but not for so long for sure. Usually the bad days are only several days long. I agree with chunkyfrog, I would see the dr on that soon.

FattyMagoo · Post by **FattyMagoo** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 10:27 am

Thanks all.

Chunky: Had the problem longer than that, but since I wasn't familiar with what sinus inflammation felt like, I guessed it was other things like dry eyes (narrowed it down over a long period of trial and error).

Regarding seeing a doctor, what could they do? I've read threads from others that chronicle a series of visits with ENTs, and end up with nothing better than the advice given in the forum.

FM

chunkyfrog wrote:Fatty; have you had this sinus thing since the first week in August?
If it were me, I would get to the doctor--soon!
This is too long to suffer.

robysue · Post by **robysue** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 10:30 am

Stating the obvious:

FattyMagoo,

How often do you change the air filter on your machine? And are you using an ultra-fine filter or just the regular filter?

In my main allergy seasons, the filtered air tends to minimize my allergy problems at night, but I can get severely stuffed up within an hour or two of taking the mask off if I don't use the flonase or zyrtec or both ...

FattyMagoo · Post by **FattyMagoo** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 10:37 am

Don't change it that often, but I did switch to the "hypoallergenic" filter and didn't seem to notice any difference in my case.

I wish we all responded the same way to treatment .

robysue wrote:Stating the obvious:

FattyMagoo,

How often do you change the air filter on your machine? And are you using an ultra-fine filter or just the regular filter?

In my main allergy seasons, the filtered air tends to minimize my allergy problems at night, but I can get severely stuffed up within an hour or two of taking the mask off if I don't use the flonase or zyrtec or both ...

robysue · Post by **robysue** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 10:47 am

FattyMagoo wrote:Don't change it [the air filter] that often, but I did switch to the "hypoallergenic" filter and didn't seem to notice any difference in my case.

How long's it been since the last filter change? That's an easy thing to do. Probably won't help (much), but on the other hand, it can't hurt. And if that filter really is dirty, that could be contributing the problem more than you might realize.

Also, even if you didn't notice any difference with the hypoallergenic filter, it's worth using it just so you know that pollen and other airborne allergens are not being blown directly into your upper airway for 6-8 hours each night. Over time that may help some.

hyperlexis · Post by **hyperlexis** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 11:21 am

You may need to see an ENT. You may have a sinus infection or low grade, but chronic sinus infection with damaged, thickened sinus tissue that is causing your problems. That could require more extensive treatment or even surgery to clear up. It's not caused by CPAP but the symptoms simply worsened by it.

Julie · Post by **Julie** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 1:48 pm

Or try different humidifier settings for a couple of nights at each 'change' - really can make a big difference.

oak · Post by **oak** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 4:50 pm

I would go get some antibiotics from your doc if you have been suffering for almost 2 months with sinus inflammation. I also would try switching to a nasal mask instead of a nasal pillow mask to see if it makes any difference, and I would change the filter even if it didn't look dirty.

Sir NoddinOff · Post by **Sir NoddinOff** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 6:44 pm

Advice for after you get your inflammation cured: A few months ago while using the Swift FX nasal pillows, I mentioned my sinus and ear inflammation to my sleep doctor and he said he had good reports about the new Wisp Nasal mask, which is a minimal mask that fits over ones nose. With the optional Pad a Cheek fabric covers it is very comfy and seems to have eliminated most of my inner ear problems. My nasal congestion issues were resolved with this nifty little device:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Breathe-Easy-Na ... 416d4d03dc

As you can see above it's called the Breathe Easy Nasal Dilator.
It looks grueling but is actually pretty comfortable once you use it for a few nights. I use some NexCare tape to secure it since it has a tendency to slide out of my nostrils.

sunnyway · Post by **sunnyway** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 7:55 pm

A non-pharmaceutical solution is to use a neti pot before bedtime and again in the morning to clean the nasal passages and sinuses.

Goofproof · Post by **Goofproof** » Wed Sep 25, 2013 9:04 pm

By alternation days, do you mean use XPAP and live, then next day don't use XPAP, and take a chance of dieing in your sleep because it was too much of a bother to face facts and treat sleep apnea?

For me the choice is a no brainer! Jim

Denial Dave · Post by **Denial Dave** » Thu Sep 26, 2013 11:28 am

I''d be willing to bet that none of us are overly fond of the process of masking up every night.

But we love the results

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