Nasal Obstruction (UARS) another sleep disorder

[mon]

Until I was diagnosed with OSA I had trouble breathing through my nose while I was lying down. It was a struggle to clear my nose to get breathing properly so I could sleep. I used to have to lie on my side and press hard beside the top nostril (or nostril closest to the ceiling) for a few a minutes or so to open the airway enough to breathe through my nose. If clearing my nose was not possible, I couldn't sleep, as I find it almost impossible to sleep breathing through my mouth. I regularly woke up unable to breathe after turning over during the night. I would then implement the pressure to unblock it again.

My husband informed me I have sleep apnea as I don't breathe for extended periods between snoring. He grew to sleep better while I was snoring because it is too quiet if I wasn't. That meant I was having apneas or I was awake. I went and had a sleep study in August this year and was diagnosed with severe OSA and was commenced on CPAP. Since using the CPAP, I can now more easily breathe through my nose what ever position during treatment. I only need to hold my nostril open for a few seconds and my nose unblocks with the constant air pressure and this seems to hold it open all night. I have been researching since being treated with CPAP and found an interesting article on UARS (Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome). I now believe I have this syndrome as well as OSA. Apparently this syndrome is not regularly tested for in sleep labs.
Do any of you out there have this condition?
go to http://www.endfatigue.com/articles/Article_uars.html to see more about it.

[Sir NoddinOff]

I only need to hold my nostril open for a few seconds and my nose unblocks with the constant air pressure and this seems to hold it open all night. I have been researching since being treated with CPAP and found an interesting article on UARS (Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome). I now believe I have this syndrome as well as OSA. Apparently this syndrome is not regularly tested for in sleep labs. Do any of you out there have this condition? go to http://www.endfatigue.com/articles/Article_uars.html to see more about it.

Interesting tip. I'll have to try holding the offending nostril open and see if it works for me. Also, thanks for the article... I'll also check that out.

[avi123]

As I understand it, UARS and RERAS could be regarded as Flow Limitation which I can check in a ResScan graph from my S9 Autoset (see below). A check with an ENT could tell if you have anatomical nose malformation which increases the Flow Limitation.


Check this thread about Flow Limitation:


viewtopic.php?f=1&t=80013&st=0&sk=t&sd= ... limitation


Also check this:

our-collective-cpap-wisdom/flow-limitat ... BiPAP.html

[chunkyfrog]

I find that when one nostril plugs up, it is usually on the side that is down.
When I roll to the other side, the blockage moves down to the other side.
If I roll over enough, it eventually gets lost and goes away--or I loosen it enough so I can blow it out.
I need to find a lily pad with side rails.

[lazer]

........Do any of you out there have this condition?
go to http://www.endfatigue.com/articles/Article_uars.html to see more about it.

I have my suspicions regarding my condition. Thanks for the link.

[Lizistired]

Reading about UARS while researching GERD was how I came to have a sleep study in the first place.
I think all labs tell you they test for it...
The problem seems to be that if the PSG indicates OSA, that's billable and they are done.
Treatment for both is CPAP, so again, they are done.

I tried to tell my sleep doc that I felt like the restriction was in my sinuses, not my throat. That's where my snoring is. I can feel it.
Of course he blew me off because I am just a patient. What could I possibly know that would be worth his time. I haven't seen him since.

I was re-thinking this after seeing this thread the other day, so I picked up some nasal strips and put one on last night.
As soon as I put my mask on, the pressure felt too high... (7cmH2o), so I dropped it to 6 and set the alarm on my oximeter to 88%.
Results: I slept pretty good, and the only O2 drops were when I first went to bed, and when I tried to go back to sleep after a bathroom break this morning and the strip had come loose on one side. My leaks were half what they have been. Leaks have been an ongoing problem.
My thoughts: Maybe I had UARS that progressed to OSA... My PSG AHI was only 11. I have lost about 35 pounds since starting CPAP (low carb), My average AHI has been below 0.5 for the past year. So maybe I'm back to just UARS. I don't know, but it's something to experiment with.

[alton00]

I slept pretty good, and the only O2 drops were when I first went to bed, and when I tried to go back to sleep after a bathroom break this morning and the strip had come loose on one side. My leaks were half what they have been. Leaks have been an ongoing problem.

[mon]

This was an interesting article too.

BOTOX FOR HAY FEVER?
Written by Jenni Gilbert
If the irritating or downright distressing effects of hay fever are a regular wrinkle in your life, you may soon be able to throw away your tissues, tablets and nasal sprays.

Botox is being trialled in a world-first Australian study to treat the allergy-related malaise after it showed promise in providing relief in early trials.
Applied in a gel form, the botulinum toxin better known for its wrinkle-busting properties is said to act on the nerves in the nose and potentially block some of the chemicals released by the nerve endings, which play a large role in triggering hay fever symptoms such as chronic sneezing, nose-blowing and itchy and watering eyes.

Professor Philip Bardin, director of Sleep and Respiratory Medicine at Monash Medical Centre - linked to Melbourne's Monash University - said Botox was already widely used in medicine to reduce spasms in muscles following strokes and in treating cerebral palsy.

`This is very new way to use an old medication,' he said. `Part of why this is possible is that the Botox molecule has been re-engineered to be able to penetrate through the skin but also through the lining of the nose.

`That's really the crucial development that has taken place. So consequently it is going to be possible in the future to extend its use from being mostly a cosmetic product to become possibly even more useful.'
Professor Bardin said Botox had also proved effective as a treatment for severe asthmatics.

`We've had very promising results using Botox as a treatment for severe asthmatics, and it is possible this new gel could give hay fever sufferers relief from symptoms for an extended period of time,' he said.

`We hope this world-first trial will be the first step towards relief for millions of Australians and millions worldwide.'

In early trials the Botox gel was seen to provide relief for up to three months.

Botox, which makes muscles relax, is a purified form of a nerve poison produced by bacteria that causes a disease that paralyses muscles and can be fatal.

It was first used to treat disorders of the eye muscle - uncontrollable blinking and misaligned eyes. Cosmetic use took off in the 1990s after a Canadian ophthalmologist noticed her patients were losing their frown lines after using the medication.

[mon]

Do many of you have problems with blocked noses and difficulty breathing with the mask on due to those blockages.

[Lizistired]

I'm copying RG's post over here because it's really good information and I think the two/three are related. I'm not sure which comes first, or the cause and effect relationship. My intitial symptoms were wrapped up in this somehow. They didn't make sense at the time. Ear pain and throbbing, my throat felt like I had been sucking and swallowing all night, excessive phlegm and mucous, arousals, braindead, teeth grinding, weight gain....
Reflux caused UARS caused OSA? What caused the Reflux?
OSA vacuum effect caused Reflux caused UARS? What caused the OSA?

I remember always almost falling asleep and being woken by coughing for years. Since I'm single, nobody ever mentioned my breathing cessation. I trained myself to go to sleep with a cough drop tucked in the back of the throat to stop the cough. I never woke up choking on the cough drop so didn't really think about it. It was when I was diagnosed with diabetes that the doctor said a lot of people with my conditions (weight, neck size, diabetes) were more likely to have SA. He referred me to the Kaiser Sleep Apnea clinic and within a month or two I had my own home test & equipment.

-Bill

Smart doctor, referring you for a sleep study. And smart of you to agree to the study.

Because you mentioned wakeup coughing fits, here's something you might want to look into further -- even if the coughing has subsided:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/20 ... 080008.htm

"These are patients without significant heartburn symptoms, who are experiencing acid reflux during sleep," explained William C. Orr, Ph.D. of Lynn Health Science Institute in Oklahoma City, OK. "'Silent reflux' may be the cause of sleep disturbances in patients with unexplained sleep disorders."

"All patients with sleep apnea should be evaluated for gastroesophageal reflux," said J. Barry O'Connor, M.D., of Duke University Medical Center, one of the investigators.


____________________

The Signs and Symptoms of Silent Acid Reflux
http://acidrefluxdefeated.com/the-signs ... id-reflux/

silent acid reflux can also cause choking, coughing, and other throat related issues. Although commonly referred to as silent reflux, the actual term for this particular form of acid reflux is Laryngopahryngeal reflux (LPR).

What is LPR? Laryngopharyngeal reflux is similar to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) in that it occurs when the lower esophagealsphincter (LES) weakens and opens, allowing acid to reflux into the esophagus. However, the main difference is that the primary symptom of GERD is heartburn, while the primary symptoms of LPR typically occur in the throat.

Most people are aware that acid reflux usually occurs when the LES,the lower sphincter in the esophagus located between the esophagus and stomach, malfunctions. However, what is not as commonly known is the esophagus actually has another sphincter called the upper esophageal sphincter (UES). The UES is located where the esophagus meets the throat. When both the LES and UES fail, silent acid reflux is the result.

What is the difference between LPR and GERD? As was previously mentioned, LPR results when stomach acid makes it past both of your sphincters and pools in your throat, or reaches your mouth or the back of your nose. GERD is when acid makes it past the LES and remains in the chest and does not pass through the UES.

The most common symptom of GERD is heartburn, which occurs after a person has experienced repeat episodes of reflux, and the acid has burned away the protective lining that coats the esophagus.Although some LPR sufferers experience heartburn, this isn’t a common symptom, because the refluxed digestive juices do not remain in the esophagus long enough to cause damage. This is often why LPR is referred to as silent acid reflux, because most people don’t associate the symptoms they experience from laryngopharyngeal reflux with acid reflux.

What are the symptoms of LPR? Symptoms almost always occur in the throat and are usually felt because, unlike the esophagus, there is no protective lining in the throat.

Common symptoms that may be experienced include:

o Chronic cough

o Asthma-like symptoms

o Regurgitation

o Sour or bitter flavor in the mouth

o Frequent need to clear the throat

o Consistent mucous in the throat

o Burning sensation or pain in the throat

o Sore throat

o Hoarseness and possible loss of voice

o Difficulty swallowing

o Post-nasal drip

o Pain in the ear and/or consistent ear infections

o Nausea

o Heartburn

A silent acid reflux sufferer may experience some or all of these symptoms.

[jimmy45]

nice post-----