chest pain...please help

Please help. Since being on Cpap has been a complete nightmare. Started using My cpap at a pressure of 7 and my chest always hurts when i awake up and heart rate racing. I dont know what to do, and everybody makes it seem like its all anxiety. I use the airsense 10 autoset for her....and recently had it changed to autopap thinking it may help....with only supplying the lowest amount i needed to sustain my breathing. Just talking to the therapist and she says ive been maxing out on a 7, so apparently, i still need the 7 to keep my AHI low. been using since Dec. 28th regularly. if i had the normal "chest pains" with newly using cpap devices, that people sometimes experience, shouldnt my pain have subsided by now? before i started cpap, i had a cardio workup for my heart and they said it was "all clear" but now with the use of my machine, my chest pain has gotten worse and i always feel short of breath. also when i wake up sometimes i check my pulse rate with an oximeter, and its at 120....when im still laying down. something doesnt seem right, and yes now i do have extreme anxiety over it, because i wake up feeling this way. i just dont know what can be the issue. i never feel rested after the machine....i still have fragmented sleep, and when i wake up i have coughing fits for at least the first 10-20 min before i can collect myself. being diagnosed with sleep apnea has been a nitemare and i get discouraged seeing all these people that have used their mask and its like a whole different world for the better! i just want to be like that....i want rest....i want to stop having these pains. anybody else going through this? if so, did anybody ever find a solution? can cpap cause heart issues? i know a lot of people say only at high pressures can any damage be done, but i feel like my heart is giving out, and im only at a 7. any insight would be good.....im tired of living in fear.

and when i wake up i have coughing fits for at least the first 10-20 min before i can collect myself.

Get yourself checked for silent acid reflux GERD. It causes mucus to protect sensitive tissues from the acid. Also get tested for asthma.



For the rest - You have a data capable machine. Install sleephead software and check what is happening when you wake with that racing heart.

Also you want to play with your humidity. Some people need more and some less. For some dryness triggers asthma reactions, for others it is humidity.

sorry, this is my post, i couldnt get into my account for a while....so yes, ive had a lung function test done, and the pulmonary doctor said he didnt see anything significant. also i have changed the humidity up and down....and i think ive gotten to a place a few times where my throat isnt irritated....but i keep thinking i have an underlying lung or heart issue, thought both have been "cleared"....is it common that people can develop anxiety over the machine and it actually make them feel like they arent getting therapy when they are? i mean they keep telling me my AHI is low...like .1 to .4....and also said its not showing any centrals....so i dont know what the deal is. according to the drs , all the numbers show that its working....but for me i feel completely diffferent. if this chest pain would go away, i think id be okay. i feel helpless....

also sorry, but i dont know what sleep head is....i keep seeing everybody talk about it in different forums. does it work with all CPAP machines? also im sure i need to take my SD card out....how do i go about doing that without messing up my data?

read through this link :

viewtopic/t88983/Pugsys-PointersSleepyH ... Hints.html

it will explain a lot

Sleepyhead will work with your CPAP. Your unit uses a SD memory card. To remove it, press the card in and then release pressure on it. It will pop out from its slot. To re-insert it put it in the slot and press until you hear and feel a click. You will need a SD card reader on your computer. If you don't have one you can get them from a variety of retailers. You would want a USB SD card reader. The only concern is if you are using Windows 8.1. If so, make sure that you write protect the SD card before inserting it into your computer and write enable it when you reinsert it back into the CPAP.

Here is the Link to the version of Sleepyhead that you will need:
http://sleepfiles.com/SH/index.html?TestingVersions

Here is the link to the file compression extraction utility that is required to extract the SH files. This version of SH doesn't have an installer program so you will have to extract all the files to a directory on your computer before you can successfully use SH.
http://www.7-zip.org/

Now the very important website. Sleepyhead Beginners Guide. Please read through this site. It has a lot information to get you started.
http://sleepyhead.sourceforge.net/wiki/ ... SleepyHead

Good Luck!

i wish i had one of your veterans here with me to work this all out. on top of it all, im not very good with computers....i wish i had more access to my data. calling my DME and bothering them to tell me what my numbers look like every couple weeks isnt optimal. i do access myair....but it only shows simple things like AHI and mask on/off, and time used. then again if my sleep doctor didnt ditch me....probably wouldnt be having these issues either.

This is also a site developed by one of our members with pictures to show you how to complete some of the steps needed. This link is for the Sleepyhead page but check out all the other helpful info and links he has compiled. https://sleep.tnet.com/resources/sleepyhead
When you ready to download and if you have problems let us know we can help you.

megan21bsbfan wrote:is it common that people can develop anxiety over the machine and it actually make them feel like they arent getting therapy when they are?

Yes, many people have had anxiety issues with CPAP treatment. Your problem may or may not be anxiety related - it is good that you have checked into possible lung and heart issues and have had them ruled out. An apnea event can also cause those symptoms - and it sounds like those may have been ruled out (but you or your doctor would have to check your detailed data using appropriate software to be sure - I see that someone else has already steered you toward installing Sleepyhead). I know that early in my treatment I had the minimum ramp pressure set too low - I felt like I was suffocating immediately after starting the machine and that triggered panic attacks. Once I turned off the ramp function, that problem went away.

Have you ever dealt with anxiety issues before? Racing heartbeat and chest pressure (or pain) that are not related to heart or lung problems are two of the classic symptoms of a panic attack - do you notice anything else that seems unusual when you wake up? Sweating, trembling, nausea, dizziness, chills, numbness or tingling, fear of dying, fear of going crazy - any of those? If it does turn out to be anxiety related, that doesn't mean it isn't real and it doesn't mean that you just need to "get over it." Anxiety is real and by itself can affect your physical health. Let us know how things progress as you try to figure this out. If it is anxiety, people have found several approaches that have helped them deal with it.

PS: I just noticed that you have an autoset - many people feel they are suffocating if the minimum pressure is set to less than about 6. Unfortunately, many DMEs leave the minimum pressure set to 4. Let us know if you need help figuring out the settings and changing them (if necessary).