allergies aggravated by cpap

JanetP · Post by **JanetP** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 6:27 pm

I haven't been able to use my cpap with nasal pillows since the end of February when the pollen season started. I have severe reaction to dust, my sinuses are so inflamed, my ears are sore, and the machine just aggravates these problems.
I am wondering whether to try a mouth mask to avoid irritating my nasal passages further. Has anyone tried this alternative due to allergies?

Janet

chrisp · Post by **chrisp** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 6:34 pm

Janet, First question. Are you using a heated humidifier. If not you should be. There is alot of air passing thru your nose. It will also help you to not mouthbreathe. Also, are you treating your allergies?

Cheers,

Chris

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 8:23 pm

I am taking all kinds of stuff for the allergies - from my GP.
I was using the humidifier, but water kept collecting in the nasal pillows and drowning me!
I tried placing the machine as low as it would go, and turning down the steam temp, but the water still keeps collecting in the rubber pillows.
I asked the staff at the hospital for advice, but they didn't know much about allergies.
(a moan):(
I don't really like to approach the staff much, I have two sisters, one I am best buds with, and the other - well, we just don't get on! and, unfortunately, she works at the sleep clinic where I go for treatment! This makes me very uncomfortable, so I don't use the resource as I should. (daft, I know! but 45 years of not getting on with this sister is a lot to get over!)

JanetP · Post by **JanetP** » Mon Jun 06, 2005 8:25 pm

sorry the message above is mine, I forgot to log in!
cheers
Janet

JiEmin · Post by **JiEmin** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 8:58 pm

I've got a friend who has asthma and feels better with CPAP. Try changing the filter?

I think if it doesn't help, there's something called an Anti-Bacterial Filter that you can fix on before the connection to the hose. Not sure if it'll work with a humidifier but it's worth a try!

gailzee · Post by **gailzee** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 9:51 pm

perhaps you can tell the board which htd humidifier you have, and what setting. I have had to up/down mine a few times to respond to allergies, or a cold, or worse yet, too much humidity into the nasal pillow, drips. Ugh.

Can you tweak your htd humidifier setting?

JanetP wrote: sorry the message above is mine, I forgot to log in!
cheers
Janet

brandy · Post by **brandy** » Tue Jun 07, 2005 10:11 pm

I also have very bad allergies (I'm actually sneezing as I write this). I would try a nasal mask instead of the nasal pillows (I had major problems with nasal pillows). I use the Mirage Activa mask, as well as a fairly high setting on my heated humidifier. I have not had any problems with congestion or sore sinuses with this setup. Prior to starting CPAP I had alot of congestion when I woke up in the morning. Since starting CPAP I have zero congestion in the mornings. I can't guarantee a mask will work for you, but it may be worth a shot.

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 6:11 am

Janet,
CPAPs have special pollen filters. Are you using them?
Look for them in https://www.cpap.com/simple-find-cpap-p ... ap-filters
O.

Dot · Post by **Dot** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 9:02 am

Just wondered what you meant by placing the machine as low as it can go? Are you speaking about where the machine is located near the floor below the bed, or were you talking about the pressure # on the machine being lowered?

JanetP · Post by **JanetP** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 11:26 am

Dot wrote:Just wondered what you meant by placing the machine as low as it can go? Are you speaking about where the machine is located near the floor below the bed, or were you talking about the pressure # on the machine being lowered?

Where the machine is placed, I cannot alter the pressure setting myself, it is set by the hospital. I thought lowering it a bit more would stop the build up of drips in the nasal pillows. no luck

to JiEmin-
I forgot about the filter! it has been in the machine a long time, I shall change it at once! thanks.

to Brandy-
I did try a mask when I first got the machine but it was too big for my face, so the hospital gave me pillows to try. I shall certainly look into the mask you suggest. thanks.

to gailzee -
my cpap is the HC221 by fisher and patkel.
I think the highest I have had the 'steamer' on is 3, but when it 'dripped' I kept lowering it gradually, and it is now off.

Janet

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 11:40 am

The heated air travels in the hose, from the humidifier to our nose.
The further away it is from the humidifier, the cooler it becomes - byt th time it gets to uar nose, it's been long ago and far away since it was last warmed.
That is the reason that the condensation will start near our noses

And that is also the reason placing the humidifier on the floor will not do much for the condensation.

The drops will trinkle slowly but surely towards our noses... a dose of rain from our hoses...

CPAP.com has something about this also.

O.

rested gal · Post by **rested gal** » Wed Jun 08, 2005 5:38 pm

Janet, the condensation ("rain-out") you've been experiencing can be controlled this way:

Buy an Aussie heated hose ("heated cpap tube") to use instead of the main air hose you have now. Use the heated hose with (not instead of) your heated humidifier. Stops rain-out amazingly well. Comes with its own fleece cover. It's not sold in the U.S. but a lot of cpap users have ordered it online from the people in Australia that invented it. Very nice people to deal with:

sleepzone.com.au

When you see a price of more than $100 on that website, that's the price in Australian dollars. The price is much lower in American dollars. The last price I noticed there in American dollars was $89 which includes shipping from Australia to the U.S...to your door.

Radio Shack has a 12 volt 1 amp DC converter (Radio Shack part# 273-1776) and an "M" adapter plug, which will let you plug the heated hose into American electrical outlets. The converter with "M" adapter is about $20 at Radio Shack.

Snuffle-nose · Post by **Snuffle-nose** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 1:16 am

Hello

Yes I know the frustration of a bad sinuses......I too dry up towards towards winter. I sneeze and snuffle and sniff. As I have had my sinuses cut out and it has made my nose prone for congestion and nose bleeds. I use nesonex [nose spray] to settle the congestion if it is bad.

If the nose is mildly stuff I use tea tree oil spray to open out those stuffy airways. for the sore eyes it seems that the cpap is blowing into you eyes and drying them out and make em sore. Check your mask for air leaks, as a leaky mask makes your eyes dry along with your throat!

Towards winter I feel winter mths is the worse time to use cpap, air's cold and dry [as I am a without humidifer] It can muss your airways as it can get rather congested, not say if you had past operation on the tubinates like me you can be prone to nose bleeds. Been having em latley, what a pain the neck! I will be putting up with em for at least 3 mths or more! As where I am we are known for having 4 seasons in one day!

I hope I shed some light on the topic for you. Good luck!

Janelle · Post by **Janelle** » Thu Jun 09, 2005 3:08 pm

You could also order a tube wrap or cover for about $12 that is made of fleece type material and put your hose in that. In the US that will stop the majority of the rainout especially this time of year. I used mine in the winter and did just fine with it. And it's a lot cheaper than a Heated hose, so why not try the simpliest answer first and if it doesn't work then order the Heated Hose.

Also try using a steroid type nasal spray (from your Dr.) at night when you go to bed. It helps amazingly with nasal congestion, and you'll find that after a few months you probably will hardly ever need it. Use a little Neosporin in your nasal openings for tenderness or soreness. It takes a few weeks for you nose to get used to the nasal pillows. I really don't see any advantage to using one mask over another just because you have allergies, though.

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