Swallowing Air

mowbass · Post by **mowbass** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 4:19 am

I have once again gotten up early in the morning (4:15 am this time) because my stomach is swollen full of air, my diaphragm is hurting, and all I can do is belch and toot! I am so tired of this routine! It takes me about 1 to 2 hours to come back to a "normal" state. During this past month or so, my waist has increased by an inch and my pants are getting tighter- it's disgusting! About the only benefit I have is my wife can sleep well now because I don't snore.

I have a Respironics Comfort Gel Mask medium. It was chosen because I have a beard and the sealing is excellent. Apparently I breathe through my mouth and am swallowing lots of air. My Doctor says I should learn to sleep with my tongue against the roof of my mouth- that's not working.

Is there a full face mask that is appropriate for people with beards? This routine is getting old quick- I don't see much sense in it if these side affects continue!

mowbass · Post by **mowbass** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 4:22 am

I forgot to add that I use a chin strap. It doesn't matter how I set it, I still look pregnant and bloated in the morning!

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 5:21 am

Mowbass
Mouthbreathing defeats your therapy, regardless of whether you do or do not swallow air. A person who mouth breathes will wake up with a parched mouth - sometime painfully parched - and will not feel the therapy is much help - rightly so, because it really isn't working.

On the other hand, air swallowing (aerophagia in local, and medical, lingo) with all its unpleasant consequences, can happen with a full face mask too, and in people who don't mouth leak at all. What is your pressure?

Aerophagia is sometimes helped when you use a bi-level machine. On those machines, your pressure is drops for each and every exhale - and that helps. When your pressure is above 15, you qualify for a bi-level machine - but sometime insurance insists you try (and fail) a regular machine first.

When you say your chin strap doesn't help - do you mean it doesn't help against the aerophagia, or against the mouth breathing?

O.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 6:55 am

My pressure is at 14, reduced from 18 (I thought I was drowning at that pressure). They told me the chin strap would prevent my mouth from opening- not true, I still swallow air with it.

You are correct, I don't feel the effects of it as I did in the beginning. My brain was filled with oxygen, I would feel lightheaded, but I was totally rested, now, it's no different- I still yawn during the day.

Thank you for your comments.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 7:06 am

Another comment- what do you do when you have a cold and your nose is running or have a constant nagging cough? I am taking Nyquil to stop coughing so I can go to sleep.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 7:06 am

They (is that the DME or the doctor?) should have switched you to a bi-level at IPAP (inhale pressure) 18 and an EPAP of whatever they thought you could use. Or done a bi-lelvel titeration in a lab after the cpap was so bad.

Don't give up on the treatment, don't accept things as they are - start fighting for a bi-level machine. Read the stuff under the yellow light bulb (Our Collective Wisdom) and the red balloon (CPAP FAQ) so you can come to the fight well armed and well prepared.

O.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 7:34 am

mowbass as guest wrote:Another comment- what do you do when you have a cold and your nose is running or have a constant nagging cough? I am taking Nyquil to stop coughing so I can go to sleep.

People do use full face masks for those conditions. I hope you will fell better soon.

O.

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 7:48 am

mowbass wrote:I have once again gotten up early in the morning (4:15 am this time) because my stomach is swollen full of air, my diaphragm is hurting, and all I can do is belch and toot!

I can relate, mowbass.

I can tell you though that there are a few things which can improve the situation.

1) APAP reduces aerophagia for many of us by reducing pressure for much of the night. At reduced pressure you won't swallow nearly as much air. My apnea events tend to be clustered together and occur during REM sleep, so my APAP raises pressure then, but operates at reduced pressure for most of the night when I'm not prone to apnea. Many people, maybe even most, exhibit a similar pattern of apnea events during REM. For me APAP doesn't eliminate aerophagia, but it reduces it dramatically. I almost never experience pain from it anymore.

2) Like Ozij said, BiPAP is another way to get reduced pressure for much of the night to reduce aerophagia. I used BiPAP for a number of months also, and found that it helped aerophagia about as well as the APAP did. When I began noticing swelling in my feet though, I decided to quit using the BiPAP, however, because BiPAP use is associated with heart failure. I didn't want to push my luck.

3) Surgery, such as funduplication, can be performed to tighten the muscles which allow air to go into the stomach. I haven't gone this far yet. I'm hoping to not have to.

Personally, I tend to opt for the least invasive, and least expensive options first. After two years of xPAP use I'm still tweaking. I'm kinda between a rock and a hard place. Lower pressure means less effective apnea treatment, but less aerophagia. Higher pressure yields better apnea treatment, but painful aerophagia. At the moment I'm working on getting a dental device in hopes that it will improve things in terms of pressure requirements. (Note that I didn't list it as an option, because I'm not sure that it will help, but I'm willing to give it a try.)

Anyway, give a different machine a try. An APAP would be the least expensive option. Just don't give up on xPAP treatment.

Regards,
Bill

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 8:12 am

Bill,
mowbass's profile (when you click on the profile button) shows he already has an APAP, which is why I only suggested a bi-level.

O.

bap40 · Post by **bap40** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 8:21 am

How about mouth taping? Although I am pretty sure I do not breath and or open my mouth during sleep, I tape just to be sure. For me, plain old paper tape, the kind used at the doc's and hospitals and is very easy to remove works just fine. It probably works well for me since I do not open my mouth so don't break the seal. Also was wondering if a product like Gas-Ex would help at all.

NightHawkeye · Post by **NightHawkeye** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:03 am

ozij wrote:Bill,
mowbass's profile (when you click on the profile button) shows he already has an APAP, which is why I only suggested a bi-level.

Interesting. I can see that now when I click his profile, although it doesn't show up in his posting. I wonder why that is.

His APAP isn't providing him any pressure relief if he has it set to 14 cm though, which is what mowbass indicated.

Mowbass, if you haven't already done so, you can set your APAP to a range of pressures, say from 8 cm to 14 cm, to determine whether the APAP can help your aerophagia.

Regards,
Bill

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:05 am

NightHawkeye wrote: Interesting. I can see that now when I click his profile, although it doesn't show up in his posting. I wonder why that is.

Yes, strange, isn't it.

O.

roster · Post by **roster** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 9:24 am

mowbass,

I have the same problem but not as severe as yours. If my pressure were as high as yours, I am sure my problem would also be severe.

Since my own problem is not solved, I can't offer much advice except don't give up the treatment.

Just for a little humor, here is a thread where the guys really got after me with some laughs: viewtopic.php?t=19703&highlight.

I really appreciate Pedroski's Rooster-in-church cartoon.

mowbass · Post by **mowbass** » Sat Apr 05, 2008 10:29 am

You people are very helpful and I am getting some solace in your ideas. I appreciate your input!

mowbass · Post by **mowbass** » Sun Apr 06, 2008 5:30 am

Went to sleep at 9:30 pm and woke up at 2:15 am, just disgusted and a belly full of air. Pulled the mask off and went back to sleep, woke at 6:00 and returned to Internet research.

Swallowing Air

Swallowing Air

Re: Swallowing Air