What to do when you have a cold

[TiredMomNY]

I knew eventually this would come up. Well here I am with a killer cold. My nose was so stuffed up last night that I woke up gasping a few times(I use a Wisp Nasal Mask).

Any suggestions for the future?

Thanks so much!!

[Day_Dreamer]

I purchased a nose /mouth mask for such occassions

[Wulfman...]

I knew eventually this would come up. Well here I am with a killer cold. My nose was so stuffed up last night that I woke up gasping a few times(I use a Wisp Nasal Mask).

Any suggestions for the future?

Thanks so much!!

That's why even the "hard-core" nasal mask users keep a full face mask around. At least you can still breathe through your mouth and not compromise your therapy.
Some of us just use full face masks all the time so we don't have to switch.


Den

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[robysue]

I knew eventually this would come up. Well here I am with a killer cold. My nose was so stuffed up last night that I woke up gasping a few times(I use a Wisp Nasal Mask).

Any suggestions for the future?

Thanks so much!!

That's why even the "hard-core" nasal mask users keep a full face mask around. At least you can still breathe through your mouth and not compromise your therapy.
Some of us just use full face masks all the time so we don't have to switch.

No FFM for this hard-core nasal pillows mask user.

When I've had a nasty head cold since being on CPAP, I pretty much muddle through it the same way I did pre-CPAP.

Meaning: Lots of nasal saline rinses and saline nasal sprays during the daytime. And lots of tossing and turning and rolling over at night as one nostril blocks up and the other one clears for what seems like only 5 minutes or so before becoming completely clogged ....

Seriously: I put my nasal pillows mask on each night and hope for the best. The filtered, humidified air usually helps clear the congestion somewhat. But I'm a side sleeper and when the "bottom nostril is completely clogged" feeling starts, I just turn over and wait for the new "top nostril" to clear and the new "bottom nostril" to clog up. Same as with a bad cold before PAP. Only difference is that I've now got a nasal pillows mask on my face to add to the misery. On really bad nights? I drag my PAP down to the living room and mask up while sleeping semi-sitting up in the recliner. I've only needed to do that twice in the last 3 1/2 years, however.

[Pugsy]

No FFM for this hard-core nasal pillows mask user.

I don't own one either...don't want one.
Like Robysue I muddle through it with OTC decongestants. Pretty much treat the cold symptoms whatever they are just like I would if I wasn't on CPAP. In nearly 5 years I have had maybe 3 or 4 colds and haven't had one night where the congestion couldn't be cleared up enough to use my nasal pillow mask. In fact I find that the humidified air actually helps the congestion and often end up breathing better (or as best it can be with a cold) than without it.
It's crappy sleep but I would have that even without sleep apnea being a factor. Colds are just miserable.

I treat the symptoms (whatever they might be) with OTC meds and crank up the humidifier and do about as well as can be expected with a cold.

For me to try to use a full face mask would just create more problems than it would fix. So I elect to just not go down that road and I haven't died a thousand deaths from not using a full face mask like I was lead to believe when I first started therapy.

[Wulfman...]

I would imagine there are differences between "hard core" and "hard headed"........

(I knew when I wrote that, it would bring some of the non-conformists out of the woodwork)


Den

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[Pugsy]

I would imagine there are differences between "hard core" and "hard headed"........

Me...hard headed??? Never. I can't believe you would even remotely think that...cough, cough.

In all honesty...I really haven't had any time where I couldn't use the nasal pillows even when I had a bad cold. Might not be ideal but certainly works well enough to get by.

With my neck issues...FFM is not ever going to be on my list of things I want in life. The neck pain (and I tried every one the DME had and it wasn't a small number) from the lower straps meant no sleep at all and a killer headache within just a few minutes. That's so much more worse for me than making a nasal pillow mask work even with a little bit of maybe mouth breathing.....and that's not even factoring in the fact that the least little pressure on my nose causes immediate nasal congestion which would just make things worse.

No sleep and a hot poker in my neck and a killer headache with a FFM...or some sleep that really wasn't all that bad with a nasal pillow mask...doesn't take me long to decide which way I will go.
It isn't the end of the world to catch a cold and not use a full face mask if a person doesn't want to.

[ems]

It isn't the end of the world to catch a cold and not use a full face mask if a person doesn't want to.

Agree! Trying to use a FFM when I had a cold would be worse than having to deal with a miserable cold.