Sick and Scared

First i want to say that I am not someone who wants to stop CPAP. I know how I felt before I started three months ago and how I felt after using it. The difference was like night and day. I wasn't waking up with headaches anymore, I could go through the day without taking naps, I wasn't miserable anymore. Then I got stick. I started coughing, a dry cough then a cough with mucus and shortness of breath. The coughing and mucus won't stop, neither will the shortness of breath. Dr says it's bronchitis and to stop the CPAP to see if it goes away.

This is my third night without using it. I'm not only concerned that medicare will take the machine away because I'm not using it but I'm afraid that i'm not going to wake up in the morning. I sleep sitting up, with my oral device, a breathe rite strip and a neck collar. I'm not getting much sleep and I'm starting to get depressed. The bronchitis isn't getting any better and I have no idea how long it's going to take. They have me on my second round of antibiotics, nebulizer with albuterol, prednisone. I'm using methol cough drops like crazy. I've never had any thing like this before and I'm not even sure it's what they say it is, sigh

I need your input, has anyone had bronchitis and had to stop their cpap and how long did it take to get better? I've met my 90 day initial trial of cpap for Medicare but I'm not sure how they determine compliance after that period of time. I know I don't own the machine for about 13 months or so. I need some encouragement or advice please.

I know others who've said they did better with cpap than stopping it... and the warm humidity helped... have you tried it?

PS you lived through many ? years without Cpap before diagnosis, and probably some colds, if not bronchitis, so don't get too anxious waiting to 'not wake up' in the a.m., though I do understand you're feeling like crap.

Yes I've tried Julie, it doesn't help. I wish it did. I'm just so confused about whether to use it or not. I don't want this bronchitis or whatever it is to get worse and I've been fighting it for over a month now while on cpap and I'm just not getting any better, it sucks.

I feel super stressed not using the cpap but just as scared about getting sicker, I'm really a mess to be honest.

I'm not sure why your doc wants you to stop using it.
In late April of 2011, I had pneumonia, was in the hospital for about 5 days and kept using mine......taking some of the drugs you mentioned.

I would THINK it would be better if you kept using it. Maybe if you're talking to your doctor, ask him why he wants you to stop (for the time being).
All it's doing is helping you breathe......getting more air and oxygen in your lungs. It's not like it's pushing something "toxic" into your system.


Den

.

You mentioned a "dry cough". By any chance do you take Lisinopril? That is a known dry cough contributor.


Den

.

Ask your dr for a prescription for Cheratussin cough syrup. I'm taking it tonight because I have an unproductive cough. It has codeine in it which I hate but it works well. That and Vicks

The CPAP has been a godsend when I have asthmatic bronchitis. I crank up the humidity and use a full face mask and the only time I feel human is with CPAP. The coughing eases up and I can rest. Hallelujah!

I recommend using your inhalers to clear the airway, hose your nose if necessary, mask up and breathe deeply.

CPAP did NOT cause your bronchitis. There's a nasty virus going around. My healthy 14 year old had the same symptoms which turned into pneumonia. No CPAP!

Janknitz wrote:CPAP did NOT cause your bronchitis. There's a nasty virus going around. My healthy 14 year old had the same symptoms which turned into pneumonia. No CPAP!

I'm sure someone will say that it's because there's a cpap in the house

Your doctor probably suspects the airflow from the CPAP is irritating your airways. Bronchitis causes the airways to become swollen making them sensitive to cool, dry air which can cause you to cough. Although most CPAP's are used with a heated humidifier, the air cools and the moister is lost as it travels through the tubing. So by the time it reaches you it is fairly cool and dry. You can remedy this by having your doctor order you a heated wire tubing for your CPAP. This will ensure the heat and moisture remains the same from the time it leaves the water chamber until you breath it in. The extra moisture will also help with your mucus clearance.

As far as using the CPAP or not using it, I would first like to say that I would never advise you to go against your doctor's orders. However, it is always best for someone that has OSA to wear their CPAP whenever possible. This is especially true when you are sick. Deep sleep (stages 3, 4, &REM) is a regenerative period where our body heals and restores itself. A person with OSA usually needs a CPAP to achieve a normal amount of deep sleep. It will be much harder for you to recover from your bronchitis if you are depriving yourself of this essential, restorative sleep.

In regards to Medicare, if you submitted a compliant download (30 consecutive day report, 70% of days demonstrate >4hrs of use) within the first 90 days then your fine. That is one time only. The second thing you must do is have a face to face visit with your MD and have him/her send a progress note to the DME company that states the CPAP is clinically benefiting you. Once they receive the progress note, Medicare will pay for the remainder of the 13months for the device.

Logies101 wrote:Dr says it's bronchitis and to stop the CPAP to see if it goes away.

Normally, I'm one of the people who says CPAP won't spread germs to you.

However, since it's easy, I suggest getting a bottle of Control III disinfectant, READING THE INSTRUCTIONS, and cleaning and soaking your hose, tank, and mask in the Control III at least once.

Be sure to dilute the Control III like the instructions say. It's pretty benign when diluted, but the concentrated solution in the bottle is nasty stuff.

It's pretty cheap from our host, cpap.com and other online suppliers.

postitnote wrote:Ask your dr for a prescription for Cheratussin cough syrup. I'm taking it tonight because I have an unproductive cough. It has codeine in it which I hate but it works well. That and Vicks

Realize that anything that suppresses your cough runs the risk of causing a worse mucous problem. It's sometimes worth it, but realize we cough for a reason. Also drink plenty of water with any of the "tussin" products. Your body needs the water to help the guaifenesin liquify your mucous.

Been meaning to tell you how much I love your owl btw - beautiful!

Guaifenesin is the best thing for a dry cough - Mucinex brand or some from your doctor. It will "bring up" the mucus.

Buy a steamer. That is the old fashioned way to deal with a dry cough.
Crank up your humidity on your cpap. If your body likes Vicks then get some (regular) tiger balm and put it on a q-tip by the air intake of your cpap machine.

Cpap therapy is a blessing if you have pneumonia or bronchitis. Warm wet air helps a lot. I even wore mine during the day while working from home.

I have only been using CPAP for about a month and haven't been sick during this time. But in January I got a terrible bronchitis that lasted for about 6 weeks. I also did two rounds of antibiotics and an inhaler. It was miserable. The second round of antibiotics finally did the trick although I kept coughing up clear mucus for another week or so since my airways were hypersensitive and took awhile to calm down. I was worried since I had pneumonia last year and was in the hospital for a week..I was really scared I was going to end up in the hospital again. But this time I didn't get pneumonia, thank goodness. My husband also got the bronchitis and was coughing up stuff for weeks. There is a really nasty bug going around (a virus, but in my case I got a secondary bacterial infection according to a sputum sample).

But as I say, I hadn't started CPAP at the time I got sick. Likely your bronchitis is nothing to do with CPAP. There is a lot of bronchitis going around and it takes awhile to get over it. Have you tried a face mask instead of the nasal pillow? Might make it easier to breath when you are sick. Maybe tell your doctor how anxious you are and ask him if there is an alternative to stopping the CPAP, maybe turning down the pressure a bit or something. If you aren't sleeping well it will make it harder to get better.

BlackSpinner wrote:Buy a steamer. That is the old fashioned way to deal with a dry cough.
Crank up your humidity on your cpap. If your body likes Vicks then get some (regular) tiger balm and put it on a q-tip by the air intake of your cpap machine.

Cpap therapy is a blessing if you have pneumonia or bronchitis. Warm wet air helps a lot. I even wore mine during the day while working from home.

I agree....100%