CPAP STILL CAUSING ASTHMA

i found this site because i googled asthma and CPAP. i've only been using CPAP 2-3 weeks and thought my allergic asthma was worsening. at first CPAP made me feel better and had a little more pep. reading here and there about it sounds like because your chest is not used to all the "exercise" it starts to get tight. SO I am holding out on talking to an MD until i can get my chest back in shape. as most asthmatics might agree its a viscous cycle of tight chest...ANXIETY that you cant breathe...then chest tighter...and on and on to meds to help...etc. so i agree, for me too it seems the asthma is worse but it might be a combination of the new exercise of my chest and anxiety making it worse as i was up during the night worrying about it.

kaylee wrote:i found this site because i googled asthma and CPAP. i've only been using CPAP 2-3 weeks and thought my allergic asthma was worsening. at first CPAP made me feel better and had a little more pep. reading here and there about it sounds like because your chest is not used to all the "exercise" it starts to get tight. SO I am holding out on talking to an MD until i can get my chest back in shape. as most asthmatics might agree its a viscous cycle of tight chest...ANXIETY that you cant breathe...then chest tighter...and on and on to meds to help...etc. so i agree, for me too it seems the asthma is worse but it might be a combination of the new exercise of my chest and anxiety making it worse as i was up during the night worrying about it.

Hi kaylee,
I too had an uptick in asthma symptoms in the first few weeks, but that settled down significantly once I grew used to the pressure. I am hoping yours gets better too.

I am asthmatic, also. I have both kinds of asthma (allergic and exercise induced), and have found I have had less episodes since stating to use my machine. I still have occasional allergic asthma attacks which is usually triggered by someone wearing a lot of perfume, or smoke, but they don't seem to be as bad as before starting treatment for my sleep apnea.

Okie bipap wrote:I am asthmatic, also. I have both kinds of asthma (allergic and exercise induced), and have found I have had less episodes since stating to use my machine. I still have occasional allergic asthma attacks which is usually triggered by someone wearing a lot of perfume, or smoke, but they don't seem to be as bad as before starting treatment for my sleep apnea.

Same here.

I would like to add that twice, I have had something happen where I thought my asthma was acting up, but it turned out to NOT be asthma. The first was several years ago. I had gone to a weekend event that took place in a building that had flooded several months earlier. Everything looked and smelled fine. They had repair the place, bought new tables and chairs, etc. But I knew within an hour that there was mold there. I could feel my breathing become more difficult. My asthma had been so good for awhile that my inhaler was expired, and was clearly not full strength when I used it. I called the doctor to get a new one, and I had to go in since it had been so long. She did a normal exam and found an irregular heart beat. I ended up being off work for 2 weeks and exhausted a few more. What I described as an invisible cat on my chest was actually my heart working harder.

The other time was just over a month ago. I was waking up with asthma attacks. I was also getting out of breath easily while walking around, going up stairs, etc, stuff that normally would not cause a problem. I made an appointment because I was tired all the time, and my asthma was acting up. It turned out to be iron deficiency. I was breathing harder because there wasn't enough oxygen in my blood. I have been on iron supplements for a month now. Major improvement, but if I miss a pill or two, it starts coming back.

So, while it could be asthma, it might be worth checking out. It could be something else that feels like asthma.

kaylee wrote:i found this site because i googled asthma and CPAP. i've only been using CPAP 2-3 weeks and thought my allergic asthma was worsening. at first CPAP made me feel better and had a little more pep. reading here and there about it sounds like because your chest is not used to all the "exercise" it starts to get tight. SO I am holding out on talking to an MD until i can get my chest back in shape. as most asthmatics might agree its a viscous cycle of tight chest...ANXIETY that you cant breathe...then chest tighter...and on and on to meds to help...etc. so i agree, for me too it seems the asthma is worse but it might be a combination of the new exercise of my chest and anxiety making it worse as i was up during the night worrying about it.

I have asthma as well. What is your humidity level? I turned my humidity down a bit a couple of weeks ago as I was having issues with condensation in my mask. A few days later I started having what I thought was issues with my asthma, and increased my inhaler usage only to find no change. Did some goggling and found plenty of stories with connections between insufficient cpap humidity and respiratory issues, so last night I turned the humidity back up. Already feel way better today so I'm hoping that's the ticket.

In addition to what zoocrewphoto said, most cases of post nasal drip are caused by silent acid reflux. I'm on 40 mg. of Omeprazole for this and the coughing goes away within a few days starting it. Certainly worth a try.

I just started using the APAP machine 3 days ago for severe sleep apnea to help reduce my afib and now....for 3 days...my breathing is struggling. From reading this thread....I think its asthma! I've been feeling like I am at high altitude with no oxygen. And it's all day. Plus today my heart rate shot up to 90-100 while I was resting. Something is definitely going on. I am thinking I am going to stop the APAP until my breathing returns to normal. Just curious how many people are affected negatively trying to use these CPAP, APAP, BIPAP machines....

Lindaaa wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 13, 2019 11:14 pm

I just started using the APAP machine 3 days ago for severe sleep apnea to help reduce my afib and now....for 3 days...my breathing is struggling. From reading this thread....I think its asthma! I've been feeling like I am at high altitude with no oxygen. And it's all day. Plus today my heart rate shot up to 90-100 while I was resting. Something is definitely going on. I am thinking I am going to stop the APAP until my breathing returns to normal. Just curious how many people are affected negatively trying to use these CPAP, APAP, BIPAP machines....

Unless you already have asthma,or an allergy to the mask; I don't think cpap would cause asthma. Something that helps your airway stay open isn't going to make it harder for you to breathe.

Now, according to some medical websites, I found this about afib, which you already know you have:

Here’s how patients have described their experience:

“My heart flip-flops, skips beats, and feels like it’s banging against my chest wall, especially if I’m carrying stuff up my stairs or bending down.”

“I was nauseated, light-headed, and weak. I had a really fast heartbeat and felt like I was gasping for air.”

There are a lot of different causes for afib. I couldn't find anything close to asthma, cpap usage, etc. But several of the causes for afib include high blood pressure, older age, and heart problems. Older people have a higher risk for sleep apnea, and sleep apnea leads to high blood pressure and heart problems.

If you are having more problems with afib, then I would be talking to your cardiologist to figure out what is going on.

If your min. pressure setting's too low (e.g. at 4 where MD's commonly leave it not knowing enough to start you at e.g. 6 or 7) you may just be not getting enough airflow... not 'asthma', so if you raise the min. for a couple of nights and see if it helps, you'll have the answer. Leave the max at e.g. 20 or at least above 15 for now... it's the min. that makes the difference.

Lindaaa wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 13, 2019 11:14 pm

I just started using the APAP machine 3 days ago for severe sleep apnea to help reduce my afib and now....for 3 days...my breathing is struggling. From reading this thread....I think its asthma! I've been feeling like I am at high altitude with no oxygen. And it's all day. Plus today my heart rate shot up to 90-100 while I was resting. Something is definitely going on. I am thinking I am going to stop the APAP until my breathing returns to normal. Just curious how many people are affected negatively trying to use these CPAP, APAP, BIPAP machines....

A few questions. Any history of asthma or other pulmonary diseases? Any known allergies? Did you seek medical care because your breathing is struggling?

two things-

1. why are some people scolded for not starting a fresh thread and others not?

2. this thread has AMESS in it! wonder what ever happened to her?

now back to your regularly scheduled two year old topic.

zonker wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 14, 2019 9:06 am

1. why are some people scolded for not starting a fresh thread and others not?

Because Julie and some of the other who it annoys haven't seen it yet.

It doesn't bother me when I see one post like the recent post because I have my doubts as to where that person will even come back here or not and I simply don't waste my time until it looks like there's going to be an ongoing interaction.
Have you noticed how often we have 2 or 3 pages of discussion about something someone says and the person that started it never comes back to be part of the discussion. I got better things to do than talk to someone that hasn't come back yet.
Sometimes people just want to rant and they believe what they want to believe and won't listen to reason anyway.

zonker wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 14, 2019 9:06 am

2. this thread has AMESS in it! wonder what ever happened to her?

I know it is harsh sounding....but who cares?
She only wanted to stir up trouble anyway and got rather nasty about it.

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 14, 2019 9:43 am

zonker wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 14, 2019 9:06 am

1. why are some people scolded for not starting a fresh thread and others not?

Because Julie and some of the other who it annoys haven't seen it yet.

It doesn't bother me when I see one post like the recent post because I have my doubts as to where that person will even come back here or not and I simply don't waste my time until it looks like there's going to be an ongoing interaction.
Have you noticed how often we have 2 or 3 pages of discussion about something someone says and the person that started it never comes back to be part of the discussion. I got better things to do than talk to someone that hasn't come back yet.
Sometimes people just want to rant and they believe what they want to believe and won't listen to reason anyway.

zonker wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 14, 2019 9:06 am

2. this thread has AMESS in it! wonder what ever happened to her?

I know it is harsh sounding....but who cares?
She only wanted to stir up trouble anyway and got rather nasty about it.

1. far worse for me is when that original poster DOES come back, but then never posts again in his/her own thread.

2. i will always remember dear amess as curtly telling all of us that "only pugsy may reply"! that slayed me.

i think the last we heard of her, she was off for a cruise. maybe someone chucked her overboard?

zonker wrote: ↑

Sat Sep 14, 2019 10:19 am

2. i will always remember dear amess as curtly telling all of us that "only pugsy may reply"! that slayed me.

i think the last we heard of her, she was off for a cruise. maybe someone chucked her overboard?

Public service, that woulda been...

I am only a couple of years into CPAP treatment. I have also never had any asthma symptoms, until CPAP.

It wasn't until I spent a weekend away, in the country, and I chose not to use my CPAP for two nights that I realized the source of my incessant cough. It's the CPAP, or the damn filters most like. If I could afford it, I would change out the unwashable filter on my CPAP every single day. Leave the filter in too long and it ends up just concentrating any and all allergens through that one port. Your actual CPAP machine might be contaminated as well. I can't afford to buy a new one, at the moment, but I wish I had easier access to the fan and other ports inside the base machine just to clean them, not just the hoses, mask and humidifier.

I am calling from far across the pond in California, and I believe that the fires that we had here in 2018 just might have ruined my entire machine. But damp environments do generate much mold, that is hard to see, but it's all around us. The machine pushes a whole lot of air through it, pulling in literally everything.

I am now on Advair, Monteulkast and Zyrtec based on allergen conditions. Never had respiratory problem like this before using a CPAP.