Sore Lungs any body??

[~AP]

I have been on the cpap for about 1 week now (12 cm) and I am feeling better every day but I have very sore lungs at the bases. Is this a result of the treatment? My soreness is getting worse everyday. Thank you for any help you can give me.

[gary bankston]

You might want to check with your doctor about the onset of pneumonia. That's the first thing to happen to me after I started cpap.

[Ritap1965]

I get sore lungs when my machine increases the pressure above 15cm. I do ok on 12cm. It is a matter of getting used to the pressure, and some people struggle. I brought home a pulse oximeter from my doctors and found I did ok on 12cm, and no longer use 15cm which is what I was titrated at. I did this because of the sore lung issue. Talk to your doctor and see if you can lower the pressure for a while and then maybe try to increase when you get more used to the cpap. I would suggest a few weeks on 10 cm's if your doctor ok's it, then increase it gradually.

[Gidgie]

Had that when my pressure was too high.........like 20! But had it again night before last when my c-flex was off. Hurts like h.....

[~AP]

Thank you Gary, Ritap and Gidgie, I really appreciate your comments.
Gary - I do have a slight cold but I don't think I have pneumonia because I don't have a fever or chills. But I appreciate your suggestion about seeing my doctor. I will call him tomorrow for sure.

I think Ritap and Gidgie may be right on, I really think it's the pressure from the cpap. I don't think my lungs are used to such hard work! I mean, I have snored ALL my life, I probably had OSA as a child and now I am forcing my lungs to breathe. I have a plain machine, just plain ole cpap, it has no give to it, so there is no fiddling with it. The pressure goes to 12 and stays there no matter what for as long as I sleep- which the last 2 days has been 6 whole hours.

I took some aspirin tonight but it didn't even take the edge off....I feel like I have been hit with a bat!

[Ric]

That fits exactly what a lot of people experience when starting the CPAP lifestyle, or when the pressures go unusually high. I tended to rationalize it, blaming everything from racquetball to working in the yard or jumping over tall buildings, etc. Then a thread appeared under the title of "back pain", then I realized that this could be akin to the feeling of "side-stitches", which Jim pointed out in a reply to my observation. The breathing muscles (diaphragm, intercostals, etc) can give rise to pain that resembles side stitches, broken ribs, achy-breaky back pain, or just a diffuse soreness in the chest and lungs. etc. Fortunately it generally goes away with continued use after a few days. No longer a problem for me. Here is a link to that earlier discussion:

viewtopic.php?p=63125#63125

Hang in thar !

[~AP]

[quote="Ric"]That fits exactly what a lot of people experience when starting the CPAP lifestyle, or when the pressures go unusually high. I tended to rationalize it, blaming everything from racquetball to working in the yard or jumping over tall buildings, etc.

Yes!! That's exactly whaT I feel like!


Then a thread appeared under the title of "back pain", then I realized that this could be akin to the feeling of "side-stitches", which Jim pointed out in a reply to my observation. The breathing muscles (diaphragm, intercostals, etc) can give rise to pain that resembles side stitches, broken ribs, achy-breaky back pain, or just a diffuse soreness in the chest and lungs. etc. Fortunately it generally goes away with continued use after a few days. No longer a problem for me. Here is a link to that earlier discussion:

viewtopic.php?p=63125#63125

Hang in thar !



Thank you so much for this information!! I will definitely not give up, I am starting to feel much better than before cpap and I want to continue to do so. I really wish I had a machine that flexed with me and that is one of the things I will discuss with my doctor when I see him.

Thank you all for your advice and help. I don't know what I would do without this forum; you are so helpful and supportive. I feel like I have found some new friends.

Now for my back rub...

[~AP]

oops - sorry I put my reply inside your quote - not my intention and I apologize for the confusion. What I meant to say AFTER the quote was:

Thank you so much for the information!! I will definitely not give up, I am starting to feel much better than before cpap and I want to continue to do so. I really wish I had a machine that flexed with me and that is one of the things I will discuss with my doctor when I see him.

Thank you all for your advice and help. I don't know what I would do without this forum; you are so helpful and supportive. I feel like I have found some new friends.

Now for my back rub...

[~AP]

Okay - so I called the doctor today and told him what I had been feeling (soreness in the rib cage, below the sternum, diaphragm, in the lung bases, etc) and he said that it was probably due to the cpap and my lungs not being used expanding so far.... He said if I still have problems on Monday to call and he'll have the pressure dropped down a little. I asked him how will he know if it's too high or too low? What about my oxygen saturation? What about my OSA? and he said he might check to see if my insurance would cover an oximetry to be done at home. Might.

What concerns me is that it's like blindly treating the condition but not really knowing what is happening to the body while you're treating it. I was disappointed. I would feel better knowing the numbers but I only have the Remstar Pro.

I wish I had found this forum before I got my machine but, alas, I didn't know you existed. So here I am 1 week into therapy and wishing I had more control over my own health.

Any suggestions?

[Goofproof]

Why not Join the Forum and list your equiptment, then we will be better able to direct our answers in reguards to your problems. The information helps you and us and others hiding in the walls.

If possable the best way is to use software, to monitor what your treatment is doing for you, by seeing that you can treat yourself for better results. Jim

[~AP]

Hello People,
I have now joined the forum. I have already learned so much in the short time I have been visiting, I believe your continued support is going to help me a lot. As a matter of fact you already have!

In the few days that I have been on CPAP I have found that nobody really understands the complexities of this disorder or treatment like the ones who are actually living with it. I, for one, wish to be proactive about my own health and learn all I can. I have already put to use the many suggestions I have read on this forum. Thank you all for your valuable input.

I looked over my instruction manual and found my receipt from the DME, it turns out that my machine is a RENTAL!! This gives me a lot of hope that I will be able to upgrade.

Maybe somebody can give me a little advice here. My doc says my apnea is "mild". I have 16 episodes per hour and desat to 68%. He said that my sleep study showed that my desat was lowest during REM sleep. He set my pressure at 12 cm, said that's what the sleep study showed I needed to keep my oxygen level at normal. Does this sound mild to you??

I have been exhausted, forgetful, aches and pains everywhere, High blood pressure, and depressed for some time. Now I feel like there is hope to feel better and get a new lease on life. If OSA has caused all these problems then cpap can be my friend. I want to be pro-active about my treatment and start feeling good again.

thanks again for all your support!
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