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ear infections with use of nasal pillow mask

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 8:12 am
by sueC
I have been a CPAP user for a while. I have failed several full face masks because of leaks and pain around nasal area from contact with the mask. Have recently tried a nasal pillow mask and have had ear pain and 2 serious infections. I have been told that this could not be related to nasal pillow mask use. I think this far from the truth. I have severe reflux at night and sleep with my bed elevated. I think this complicates the problem more. If you have any comments or thoughts on this let me know. Thanks.

Re: ear infections with use of nasal pillow mask

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 9:05 am
by HoseCrusher
This may have something to do with terrain.

The pressure from stinting your airway can push some of what is in your sinus area into your ear area. If your sinus area has higher levels of bad bacteria, I can see that causing irritation in your ear area.

Re: ear infections with use of nasal pillow mask

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 9:29 am
by BlackSpinner
sueC wrote:I have been a CPAP user for a while. I have failed several full face masks because of leaks and pain around nasal area from contact with the mask. Have recently tried a nasal pillow mask and have had ear pain and 2 serious infections. I have been told that this could not be related to nasal pillow mask use. I think this far from the truth. I have severe reflux at night and sleep with my bed elevated. I think this complicates the problem more. If you have any comments or thoughts on this let me know. Thanks.
How much humidity are you using? Too much or too little can cause inflammation of the sinuses. Cleanliness of the mask and humidifier can also impact them. Do you use a nasal rinse before bedtime? If not then start doing that.

Raising the bed has no effect on the sinuses but reflux creates all sorts of mucus in the throat that could be related.

Re: ear infections with use of nasal pillow mask

Posted: Mon Mar 12, 2012 9:52 am
by dragonflybeach
Middle ear infections tend to be the result of swelling and/or inflammation in the throat which is preventing the eustachian tubes from opening and closing. This is why ear infections are more often than not seen in people with a cold or allergies. Lifting up the head of the bed or propping up your head with a pillow should help keep the eustachian tube at an angle and allow drainage but finding out why you are having this dysfunction is key. Sorry I can't offer any different help but when all else fails, keep hydrated.

Re: ear infections with use of nasal pillow mask

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 9:44 pm
by c-papguy
I'm about 6 years late in this post.
I am the EXACT same situation as the first post. Mask, reflux, elivation pillow. Mine is caused from my night sweats. Before c-pap I was a side sleeper because I snored so loud it would wake me up just as I dosed off. I always had night sweats but sleeping on my side prevented sweat from dripping into my ears. Guess what happens now that I sleep on my back? You guessed right. ear plugs could trap moisture in the ear. Tonight I will try breathable cotton. Let's see how it goes.

Re: ear infections with use of nasal pillow mask

Posted: Sat Jan 07, 2017 10:03 pm
by OkyDoky
c-papguy wrote:I'm about 6 years late in this post.
I am the EXACT same situation as the first post. Mask, reflux, elivation pillow. Mine is caused from my night sweats. Before c-pap I was a side sleeper because I snored so loud it would wake me up just as I dosed off. I always had night sweats but sleeping on my side prevented sweat from dripping into my ears. Guess what happens now that I sleep on my back? You guessed right. ear plugs could trap moisture in the ear. Tonight I will try breathable cotton. Let's see how it goes.
With apnea it's best not to sleep on your back. Why are you sleeping on your back? CPAP users sleep in any position where they are comfortable. Have you had a medical evaluation of your night sweats? There may be a cause that can be treated.