Problems using CPAP - Nasal congestion

[fsmitty]

Well, had a bad night with CPAP last night. I am currently dealing with sometype of chest cough with nasal congestion. Last night, I flushed my sinuses out with the neti pot and decided to use the Mirage Liberty. Well, I spent about 1 hour trying to get my left nostril to seal right. The problem could have been due to my blocked up nose, my left nostril being the worst. If your nose is stuffed up, will the pressure from the hose caused the nasal plugs to not seal right? I did try some of that nipple cream but could not get a good seal. The leaks were so annoying that I had the quit wearing the CPAP after 30 minutes. The strange thins is that I then actually slept better without CPAP and woke up two hours later than normal.

What is the best thing to do when dealing with nasal congestion that maybe due to some chest infection or just allergies. In Alabama, the weather is changing from hot/cold which does make people more sick with colds etc. Should I go back to a full face mask which I previously had no success with or just quit CPAP until allergies/infection are gone? My doctor did show me the fisher paykal 431 or 432 ful face mask, but I hate to go back to something that has a forehead strap etc.

[Babette]

When I have this happen, I lay down, mask up, and breathe in HARD, and sometimes it will clear on it's own. Takes me a few minutes, but most often I can either get it to clear, or else one nostril will clear, and I can sleep with just one nostril clear. What I find funny is I'll go to sleep with the left nostril blocked, and wake up with that one clear and the other one blocked.

When it doesn't clear AT ALL, after Neti Pot, decongestants, and every other thing you can think of, I suggest a VERY SHORT COURSE of an OTC nasal spray. Use it SPARINGLY and STOP AS SOON AS YOU CAN.

Sometimes that's all you can do.

Definitely try everything else first - Neti Pot, hot shower, mentholatum rubs , Ayr Gel in the nostrils before bed, steaming over a hot kettle, oral decongestants (pseudoephedrine), etc.

But if you can't get it to clear any other way, then last resort, OTC nasal spray.

Good luck!!!!!
Barbara

[harry33]

you may have to use a FF mask

google the following
netti pot, nasal irrigation, sinus irrigation, these are better than antihistamines long term, IMO

[fsmitty]

Thanks for all your inputs. Since last night, I have been taking Mucinex which has started to help. My nasal congestion appears to have gone, but I still have a slight chest cold/cough. I am going to try the Liberty tonight. If I don't get any success over the next few days, then I will request a full face from the doctor. The area, in Alabama, where I live is bad for allergies. The reason that I am hesitant to go back to full face is the problems that I had with the Quattro. It caused my nose bridge to get sore and also the top of my forehead. It was also very hard at trying to prevent those darn leaks. The doctor had showed me sometype of full face Fisher Paykel which has foam on it. It appeared to ride a lot lower on my nose when I looked at it. However, I decided to get the Liberty for the freedom of not having anything above my nose.

[Babette]

DOH!

I should have mentioned Mucinex. I've been taking it myself for a week, for the exact same issue.

Hey, I'm sleep deprived....

I take it twice a day, that's all I can remember to do. Helps alot. Particularly with that nasty hacking phlegm-cough that this change in season always causes in me.

If you're looking for a "lesser" mask, PM me about the NAII. You can read more about it in my links below. Least amount of mask I can find.

Cheers,
Barbara

[don331]

Had the same thing... my ENT said the tissues in your nose can "swell just like erectile tissue" (exact words). He said to take ONE (and only one) shot of Dristan in each nostril before bed. It shrinks the tissue fine, and at that dosage you won't get hooked on it.

If you don't like that, he said they have an in-house medical procedure that stops the tissue from swelling. I've been doing the Dristan successfully for 3 months now, works great.

Of course, lucky me, my ENT is also the only DR in Texas who is Board certified in Sleep therapy. So I give him some credit for this.

They can in-house scope the inside of your sinus to see what your situation is.

Don

[fsmitty]

Well, took you guys/gals advice and squirted some OTC nasal spray up my nostrils. I really hate using this stuff as it can make it worst after 3 days. Anyhow, it did make my nose a lot easier to breath through. I then was able to use the mask and CPAP. The only issue that I am having now is not being able to go to sleep with the mask on. It felt like hours that I was just laying there, I even had taken a Benadryl to help. I belive the main problem is the noise of the machine and hearing it react to me breathing in/out. I already sleep with ear plugs since I am a light sleeper. Not too sure how I can overcome this problem unless I start trying to count sheep. Only managed about 3 1/2 houras using the mask before I decided I was not going to sleep and took it off. the funny thing get to sleep with no problem with it off. How do you train your mind to accept the CPAP and mask breathing noises?

[potholerepairman]

"How do you train your mind to accept the CPAP and mask breathing noises? " A tv set on one hour timer really works for me.Can't see the tv very well so listening puts me to sleep faster than if I had no cpap on which doesn't really make sense.I think of all the people who might drink wiskey or put on wedding rings both of which they might do to feel joy later on.The payoff of cpap is actually kinda soothing in an odd way .Knowing you get results in the morning is like the first christmas you got a bike becuase you didn't beat your siblings all year long. Cpap could be considered the ventilator to the clouds and the breathing noise the singing of angels. Not a very othodoxed sulution but it is working for me in the short term ,good luck.

[Babette]

When I was just starting therapy, the noise horrified me too. Reminded me of an ICU ventilator. Every creepy horror movie in a hospital would run through my mind....

I don't know how I overcame it. I just DID. I focussed on my breathing, slow, steady, and eventually I'd fall asleep.

Many people report the use of Pur Sleep aromatherapy products has helped them immensely in getting used to therapy: http://www.pur-sleep.com

I didn't try it until after I was "hooked" on cpap, but now I use it every night. It's just a nice pleasant thing.

I also like to read before I go to sleep. In the early days, I'd mask up and turn the machine on, and then read for 30-45 minutes, before laying down and going to sleep. That helped me get used to the mask and machine alot. Now I just read without it, when I'm tired, I pull on the mask and I'm asleep usually in a few minutes.

I think the OTC decongestant can have a stimulating effect. That probably contributed to your having a hard time falling asleep last night. As you wean off it, you may find you're going to sleep faster.

Good luck!
Barbara

[jweeks]

When I was just starting therapy, the noise horrified me too. Reminded me of an ICU ventilator. Every creepy horror movie in a hospital would run through my mind....

Hi,

I had an opposite reaction. I used to on occasion get to fly jets. It was a real kick. So when I started on CPAP, I'd just visualize being back in the cockpit of one of those aircraft, with the CPAP mask being my O2 face mask. By the time I'd run through the check list and engine startup procedure in my head, I'd be fast asleep. I guess it was a form of positive visualization.

-john-

[Muse-Inc]

...get to fly jets...

That is sooo cool! As a teenager, I got to spend 2.5 hrs in a T-33 the AF used for drone spotting...amazing!!! Did the whole altitude chamber thing to detect my particular hypoxia symptoms, pop ears without using hands, learn to control the parachute & how to 'land' to protect knees, hadda borrow some guy's lace-up boots to protect ankles, still have my barf container signed by my pilot

[Muse-Inc]

...main problem is the noise of the machine and hearing it react to me breathing in/out...

Eventually your brain won't be so hyper-alert and these sounds won't be so disturbing; most of us find them rather pleasant after awhile. Too, your brain will eventually allow you to relax deeply so you fall asleep faster. This takes some time, so be patient. Each night helps your brain learn that sleeping deeply is OK with the mask and xPAP.

[christophercolumbus42]

This is my first time posting here. Cpap has been a disaster for me so far, but ironically, I think it is
helping. The info on this site has given me some hope. Ironic though, because now my nose is so bloody
and crusted up I can't use the machine. I use a nasal pillow type mask and it is very leaky including blowing
into my left eye and causing lots of eye problems. The doc has me on allergy meds as well as antibiotics
for possible sinus infection. Also I have been pouring saline solution in my nose 5, 6, 7, times a day for almost 2
weeks now. The crustiness and bloody nose continue. I have slept for 2 nights without the cpap at all, but
I am still congested and don't get much sleep. I think the cpap makes my nose worse. There is a humidifier
built in, but still nose problems.

I am also trying to find an equipment supplier to replace the mask and possibly upgrade my machine.
I picked it up about 2 years ago from Apria, but have never gotten any new supplies. I gave up on cpap after
the first month or so because of the multitude of problems and no one to help answer questions. I started again
this summer because my wife was worried about me. For starters I took a strong sleep medicine for the first
week and that helped me adjust. I also searched the web and found advice about adjusting the humidifier and
draping the tube over the headboard, saline spray etc., but i just found this site a couple of nights ago and now I
am seeing this cpap situation in a whole new light.

Well my immediate problem is the nose thing. Has anyone dealt with this type of rather severe crusting and
bloodiness before? Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Machine - Remstar plus
Mask - Nasal pillow (respironic I think)
Humidifier - built into the Remstar plus
That's all I know.

[Autopapdude]

Well my immediate problem is the nose thing. Has anyone dealt with this type of rather severe crusting and
bloodiness before? Any suggestions?

Do you use a heated humidifier? It sounds like excessive dryness is your problem. DUHHHH! Sorry--just looked and saw you have a humidifier. Possibly, you might be opening your mouth and that can cause dryness.

[Muse-Inc]

Welcome CC42! I'm glad you found us, excellent info and great folks here.

Allergies, chronic sinusitis (30+ yrs) here. Lots of us with allergy, congestion issues...lotta different approaches too. I use Astepro (one of the new aszelastin nasal antihistamine sprays) a few hrs before maskup (1 spray each nostril), Nasonex about 10-15 mins before maskup if still congested (1 spray each nostril); if badly congested at bedtime, I spray the recalcitrant nostril with 1 spray of generic 12-hr moisturizing Afrin (both nostrils if I can't breathe). In the morning if I'm still congested, 1 spray with Nasonex or Astepro followed a few hrs later with the other one one if still congested...tho I gotta admit I seldom have major congestion that lasts more than a few hrs anymore (CPAP helped reduce my congestion), no colds either since I got my vitamin D level up to above just passable...will see what happens now the weather's gonna be cold this coming wk. A few months ago I had a cold with major congestion. To keep using CPAP and avoid rebound congestion which is worse than the original congestion, I used that generic Afrin on day 1, then 1 spray in one nostril for day 2. Day 3 sprayed that same nostril with 1 spray. Day 4 I switched to 1 spray in the other nostril and repeated that on day 5 -- then, no more Afrin for several wks. That gives me 5 nights (and most of the day) congestion-free and no one nostril got more than 3 sprays so no rebound congestion. Have a friend recovering from too much Afrin used too often; she's still gets congested, even with the Astepro and Flonase her ENT has her on, and her over-use was back in late June and July! Don't overuse that stuff; it works like magic but boy, there is a price to pay for overuse.

Wearing my beloved OptiLife nasal pillow mask, I needed lots of humidity. I started mouth leaking and now wear the RespCare Hybrid; with this hybrid-style mask, my need for humidity dropped to just passover (water in humidifier tub, no heat). As the nightime's temps have dropped, I've turned the humidifier to "2" with good results; I can mouth breath with this mask if I get congested and still reap the benefits of CPAP therapy tho my mouth gets dry. Some find they have to reduce the humidity to avoid congestion...we're all different that way. Some simply can't tolerate pillow masks.

Saline helps clear out the nose so it can heal; you have my sympathy, pretty miserable when you can't breathe and what you've got has got to be painful. You might think about getting a full-face mask (FFM) until your nose heals.

At my worst, I used the Grossan nasal irrigator which is sorta like a WaterPik for the nose and sinuses; sounds gross but it's actually pleasant once you get the hantg of it...sort like CPAP therapy .