Aerophagia problems

[Greg Riddle]

I discovered my problems with aerophagia about a year ago. I started having back pain from a collapsed temperpedic bed mattress. This forced me to sleep on my back. For me it's very bad for my apnea. I went to sleep dr and had a new sleep study where I tried to sleep on my back. This didn't go well because I can't get to sleep on my back because my airway collapses as soon as I dose off. I wake up and repeat over and over. I was prescribed an Aircurve v10 auto due to the extreme difference between back sleep and side sleep also because I tried to raise the pressure on my straight cpap machine and couldn't get the pressure over 14 cmh2o due to aerophagia. The aerophagia was so bad that I would wake up around 2 am in severe pain that would take about 20 minutes to pass. I can't stress enough about how painful it is.

For the next several months I trained myself to sleep on my back. My main goal wss to stop my back pain. I figured out that If I used a contour pillow with the small side of the pillow under my shoulders and the large side of the pillow under my neck that I was comfortable enough to sleep on my back. After I got comfortable I started dealing with the collapsing airway while falling asleep problem. I started raising the pressures on my machine. I find that around 18-19 cmh2o epap minimum I stopped having the problems. I wasn't having any aerophagia problems either.

Fast forward a few months and I was feeling way better in two ways. I felt good because my apnea was finally being treated and I had been visiting a chiropractor for my back pain. I started sleeping on my side and the aerophagia problems started again. I tried the usual suggestions of tucking my chin close to my chest. Didn't help. I started altering the pressure settings and settled on a setting of 13.6 epap min, 21.8 ipap max , and ps of 7. I still had aerophagia problems but it was not painful. While I was now able to deal with the aerophagia, I now had a suffering ahi. It averaged 2.5 and was as high as 5.

I started to do some research and found a this thread about aerophagia.
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread ... ed-by-CPAP
There was a suggestion of tilting your head back not ticking your head top your chest. A few days ago I started trying to sleep with that in mind. I woke up my usual 3-4 times a night but to my surprise I had no gas. Then I decided to raise the ipap max to 23 for the next night. Again no gas. So I decide to raise the ipap max to 25 and raise the epap min to 15. No gas problems. Last night i
Raised the epap min to 16 and lowered the ps to 6. I only beltched twice and no gas. My AHI is at 1 for the 3 hours at that setting. I'll probably raise the epap min another .6 cmh2o for tonight.

Tilting my head back seems to greatly help my aerophagia problems. It is still early to say I'm good. I hope it continues.

[OkyDoky]

I never could understand how tucking your chin to your chest would work. When a patient is intubated you have to raise their head and chin to a "sniff" position to even see the larynx. That position might be a little too much for comfort or neck problems but tucking the chin down would make the esophagus the path of least resistance.

[49er]

Greg,

I know how much you have struggled with these problems and hope your good fortune continues in resolving the issue.

49er

[So Sincere]

Tilting my head back seems to greatly help my aerophagia problems.

I'm glad you're finding relief. I have had tried tilting my head back, but it tends to return to what it finds to be a more neutral position forward. Do you do anything special to maintain that position?

[Greg Riddle]

I try to position my pillow under my neck more than my head

[Greg Riddle]

Just took a nap with the pressure at 16.6 epap min 6 ps, no gas and no bloating

[Greg Riddle]

Some more results. I've had my vauto set at 15.4 epap p.s. 6 and ipap max at 25 for a week. I've had no pain no severe bloating. I can now let my machine go above 21.8 with no bloating and pain. My AHI has gone from an avg of 2 to 1.1 over the last week. Tilting my head back has made a huge difference I my ability to sleep and tolerate therapy