new coughing and throat irritation problem

[staje]

I've been on CPAP since about April - at first I found it very difficult to get any time at all but over the months I worked up to getting six or more hours per night (yay pad-a-cheeks) - it was all good and I was starting to feel less tired (why I had a sleep study to start with).

In mid July I took a trip to Europe and took the machine with me - I went from 5600 feet above sea level to right at sea level and I didn't have distilled water (couldn't find it) so I used tap water. I was there for 2 weeks and kept fiddling with the humidity and c-flex trying make it work (it never occured to me to change the altitude setting). I probably made it 2 nights with more than 3 hours of use.

Now I've been back in Colorado for a month and I'm having problems using the CPAP again. Since coming back I wake up every night with a deep, dry persistent cough. I've again fiddled with the humidity and c-flex setting, I bought a hose cozy, I've cleaned it like crazy - all to no avail. Nothing has changed except I went on the trip.

I've used flonase for the last two months or so and tried stopping that to see if maybe it was causing the irritation - no difference. I do take aciphex for reflux associated with impaired stomach motility - but nothing has changed there. I don't smoke or have asthma and I'm very careful about what I eat. I'm a mouth breather without CPAP but since starting therapy I don't breathe through my mouth often when on the machine, and when I do it generally wakes me up.

I'm so tired of having a sore throat and coughing. I'm running out of ideas - I can't think why the trip would have changed everything. I suppose too, I'm worried that maybe using tap water in the machine is culprit - does anyone know if that could be the cause? I don't want to take the computer card to the sleep lab yet because I've got so little time of good sleep over the last month that I don't know that it could tell us anything.

[gasp]

Humidity is so much lower at 5 thousand plus feet than at sea level. Perhaps it is going to take some time for your tissues to return to normal. Also, flying so many hours can sap moisture from the body and leave you with a dry throat for some time. If it were me I would:

Make certain humidity setting on machine is maxed without causing too much moisture in hose/mask.
Drink 64 oz of water a day.
Eliminate dehydrators such as caffeine and alcohol.
Temporarily use a humidifier in your home - one that stops if humidity reaches the desired level.

[SleepGuy]

As of today I'm going on three weeks of bronchitis issues so I can relate to what you're saying. It's generally dry in my lungs but there's enough residual irritation in my throat/bronchial area that it's driving me crazy. Flonaze relates to the sinus, not the throat/lungs. Prescription-strength cough medicine has been a very good solution for me, as well as the inhaler my doctor gave me; they open up the bronchial areas. You might want to try a saline gargle? The hose covers are much better insulation than the plain hose but I've heard good things about the Aussie Heated Hose--that might also be a good solution for you. However, I would research that on the boards--there have been some issues with it. The OTC throat spray/painkiller is also very effective in eliminating that little "tickle" back there that triggers my cough.

Whatever you do, hang in there!

[staje]

I appreciate the input - I've not tried turning the humidity up all the way, but I'll give that a try for a night or two. I'm also going to borrow some allegraD from my husband and see if maybe it is post nasal drip.

I'm just so tired, I want to have happy healthy sleep again!