Swollen Tonsils from CPAP?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
Justin3

Swollen Tonsils from CPAP?

Post by Justin3 » Mon Jul 27, 2015 8:45 am

I got a CPAP machine about close to 3 weeks ago after I did a sleep test and it has been super helpful. I wake up super early now, been losing weight, no heartburn, etc.
But the downside is, I started to get swollen tonsils. I can breathe fine but eating has been super difficult with them because they block my area. It leads to little sinus issues too. I was wondering if anyone else has exhibited the same issues? I went to a doctor and they said it isn't mono or strep and just recommends removing my tonsils. I am not a big fan of surgery so I am really trying to avoid that.
Just looking to see if anyone has anything to share about the matter. I am pretty sure my machine is clean, I take care of it quite a bit. Someone speculated that since I was so unhealthy prior to not sleeping, my body is going thru changes and the swollen tonsils could be a side effect.

Thanks

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Julie
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Re: Swollen Tonsils from CPAP?

Post by Julie » Mon Jul 27, 2015 9:06 am

Did anyone offer you antibiotics to address possible tonsillitis? I ask because ENT surgeons are too often scalpel happy and tell unsuspecting patients that removal will solve all their problems (and apnea), when in fact it most often does not, and is a much more traumatic operation in adults than it is for children.

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LSAT
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Re: Swollen Tonsils from CPAP?

Post by LSAT » Mon Jul 27, 2015 10:08 am

Justin3 wrote:I got a CPAP machine about close to 3 weeks ago after I did a sleep test and it has been super helpful. I wake up super early now, been losing weight, no heartburn, etc.
But the downside is, I started to get swollen tonsils. I can breathe fine but eating has been super difficult with them because they block my area. It leads to little sinus issues too. I was wondering if anyone else has exhibited the same issues? I went to a doctor and they said it isn't mono or strep and just recommends removing my tonsils. I am not a big fan of surgery so I am really trying to avoid that.
Just looking to see if anyone has anything to share about the matter. I am pretty sure my machine is clean, I take care of it quite a bit. Someone speculated that since I was so unhealthy prior to not sleeping, my body is going thru changes and the swollen tonsils could be a side effect.

Thanks
There is nothing to clean or take care of on a 3 week old machine. I can't believe that you never had any signs of a tonsil problem before CPAP. I agree with Julie. If the tonsils are that bed he should have given you some meds.

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Re: Swollen Tonsils from CPAP?

Post by Goofproof » Mon Jul 27, 2015 12:23 pm

Sounds like you immune system is a little weak, I take 2,000 unit to 3,000 units of vitamin "C" time released a day plus a multi vit, and many others to fight off gland swelling, that's my solution, for over 10 years. Jim

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Re: Swollen Tonsils from CPAP?

Post by Wulfman... » Mon Jul 27, 2015 12:42 pm

Justin3 wrote:I got a CPAP machine about close to 3 weeks ago after I did a sleep test and it has been super helpful. I wake up super early now, been losing weight, no heartburn, etc.
But the downside is, I started to get swollen tonsils. I can breathe fine but eating has been super difficult with them because they block my area. It leads to little sinus issues too. I was wondering if anyone else has exhibited the same issues? I went to a doctor and they said it isn't mono or strep and just recommends removing my tonsils. I am not a big fan of surgery so I am really trying to avoid that.
Just looking to see if anyone has anything to share about the matter. I am pretty sure my machine is clean, I take care of it quite a bit. Someone speculated that since I was so unhealthy prior to not sleeping, my body is going thru changes and the swollen tonsils could be a side effect.

Thanks
You didn't tell us.......
what type of machine you're using,
what the pressure settings are,
whether or not it's fully data-capable,
what type of mask you're using,
what type of water you're using in your humidifier tank,
what your humidifier settings are,
whether you're using software to monitor your therapy,
what your leak data may be,
what you're using to clean your machine,
etc., etc., etc........

My suspicion is that if you're using a nasal mask, you MAY be mouth-breathing and that could be exacerbating the problem with your tonsils. Also, if you're using a higher humidifier setting, it could cause more nasal congestion and increase the possibility/probability of mouth-breathing. Or, there could be other extenuating circumstances. But, more information would help for us to be able to throw out any, more substantive ideas.


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Justin3

Re: Swollen Tonsils from CPAP?

Post by Justin3 » Mon Jul 27, 2015 1:03 pm

I use a Resmed machine.
Pressure is at 8
I only use the nose mask but I wear a chin strap to keep my mouth closed
I used distilled water
Humidifer settings are at 4. It was given to me at 3, but the air felt a little dry, maybe bump it back down to 3?
I am not sure of any software information, I got it recently and a person just came and set it up and told me the basics.
I clean my machine with water and then air dry the tubes.

I don't know if that is enough information to go off of.

The doctor offered me no meds, just said go to an ENT and get surgery which I do not really want to do.
I thought maybe my immune system is weak because when I started to exhibit signs of sleep apnea, I started to become very unhealthy with a large amount of weight gain, which I am shedding now since I have enough sleep to work out again.

Never had a tonsil issue before, except your normal sore throats every now and then from a cold.

Thanks for the reply guys. I'm getting a lot of pressure from my family to get my tonsils removed.

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Julie
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Post by Julie » Mon Jul 27, 2015 1:29 pm

I think your doctor's a quack! Outrageous to just send you to surgery without doing any more investigation or looking into infection!

For one thing, you've had the humidifier on a high setting and that often causes congestion in people who think they're coming down with a cold when they just need to turn down the humidifier - some may need it on high if they're in a dry climate, but you otherwise may not need it at all - it's not therapy in itself, but a comfort facilitation thing and many of us don't use it at all. At least try lowering it for a few days and see what gives. Do you have a sore throat? If so, you need to be tried on antibiotics, not surgery!

What part of the machine are you using water on (to 'clean' it)? It doesn't need cleaning, except maybe a swipe with a dustrag once in a while. And hoses don't need to be done at all... it's the mask you have to watch out for and should be using mild soap and water at least weekly on it... or baby wipes. And you should also be changing filters routinely, but please see your manual for info on when.
Last edited by Julie on Mon Jul 27, 2015 1:31 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Swollen Tonsils from CPAP?

Post by chunkyfrog » Mon Jul 27, 2015 1:29 pm

"Resmed machine". Can you tell us what ALL of the printing is on the machine?
Resmed and Philips/Respironics are essentially the Ford and Chevy makes of cpap.
We now need to know the model, and series (year).

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Justin3

Re: Swollen Tonsils from CPAP?

Post by Justin3 » Mon Jul 27, 2015 1:43 pm

RESMED IP21
H5i
SN:23132302981
RED 36900A
LOT 700765

I'll try knocking the humidity down back to original.
The guy who installed it told me to clean the tubes with water and air dry them and also do the same with the container that holds the water for the humidifier. I clean out the filter as well and the nose part. Usually I check for smell or any build up in the tube connectors or nose part but it all seems very clean.

It's odd because I don't feel any symptoms of a sickness, no pain or anything, just swollen tonsils. At this point, I went and bought some vitamins and started to do more salt water gargles and I will make the changes that people here have referred to about changing settings for tonight.

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Re: Swollen Tonsils from CPAP?

Post by Pugsy » Mon Jul 27, 2015 2:09 pm

Justin3 wrote:RESMED IP21
H5i
SN:23132302981
RED 36900A
LOT 700765
This appears to be related to the S9 H5i humidifier which is separate from the blower.
What does it say on top of the blower?
Elite?
Escape?
Escape Auto?
AutoSet?
VPAP xxxx?

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Julie
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Re: Swollen Tonsils from CPAP?

Post by Julie » Mon Jul 27, 2015 2:57 pm

Another thing that could affect your tonsils (now, in summer) are allergies. Have you tried just one OTC e.g. Allegra to see if it helps?

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Re: Swollen Tonsils from CPAP?

Post by DPerk » Thu Jan 26, 2023 11:20 pm

Justin3 wrote:
Mon Jul 27, 2015 8:45 am
I got a CPAP machine about close to 3 weeks ago after I did a sleep test and it has been super helpful. I wake up super early now, been losing weight, no heartburn, etc.
But the downside is, I started to get swollen tonsils. I can breathe fine but eating has been super difficult with them because they block my area. It leads to little sinus issues too. I was wondering if anyone else has exhibited the same issues? I went to a doctor and they said it isn't mono or strep and just recommends removing my tonsils. I am not a big fan of surgery so I am really trying to avoid that.
Just looking to see if anyone has anything to share about the matter. I am pretty sure my machine is clean, I take care of it quite a bit. Someone speculated that since I was so unhealthy prior to not sleeping, my body is going thru changes and the swollen tonsils could be a side effect.

Thanks
Just joined this forum. Any update on your status? I have a Resmed Airsense 11 AutoSet, with nasal pillows, always use distilled water in the humidifier, and was doing great for a few months, then just recently I've had issues with swollen tonsils. Rapid test for strep was negative, blood test for mono was negative. Doctor tells me it's either a different strain of strep and I should take the antibiotics or it could be viral and that I should get rest, drink a lot of fluids, and ride it out... No referral to ENT yet, no recommendation for surgery, either. I was considering not using my CPAP for a night or two and see how things go. Maybe I'll just replace all of my consumable equipment and wash the humidifier tank again just to be sure it is all super clean. Have had the tonsil issue for at at least 10 days, only went to the doctor and started antibiotics yesterday.

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Re: Swollen Tonsils from CPAP?

Post by chunkyfrog » Fri Jan 27, 2023 11:39 am

Zombie thread,
7+ years old.
Untraceable poster.
Futility.

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Re: Swollen Tonsils from CPAP?

Post by ChicagoGranny » Fri Jan 27, 2023 12:02 pm

DPerk wrote:
Thu Jan 26, 2023 11:20 pm
I was considering not using my CPAP for a night or two
Bad idea. When we are fighting an infection, we need to sleep and breathe more than ever.
DPerk wrote:
Thu Jan 26, 2023 11:20 pm
Doctor tells me it's either a different strain of strep and I should take the antibiotics or it could be viral and that I should get rest, drink a lot of fluids, and ride it out
Any fever?

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Re: Swollen Tonsils from CPAP?

Post by kewers » Sat Aug 26, 2023 3:45 pm

Did you find anything to resolve swollen tonsils?

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