Newbie with gas!!!

[blahblahblah]

Hi everyone,

Thank you so much for participating in these forums and helping everyone out. I apologize in advance but this is a lot of text. I sincerely appreciate anyone who can help or even just offer encouraging words.

I started using a CPAP a few weeks ago and everything seemed to be fine as I began to get adjusted. Here are some basic stats: At the sleep study I had 11 AHI so not super crazy but I was happy to keep future health problems at bay by using a CPAP. I am 27, male, 6'1", and weigh 240 pounds. I'm a powerlifter and during the last year got into road cycling so I'm actually pretty fit for 240 pounds (kind of a bodybuilder type but not quite that lean).

My machine is the Resmed Airsense 10 (not sure which exact version so I'll look that up when I get home but I suspect it's only the CPAP version which it seems doesn't collect detailed data for the Sleepyhead software. The mask is the Philips Dreamwear, and my pressure setting is 9.0.

Anyway, the largest recorded AHI I've had these last few weeks is 2.4 and it's ranged anywhere from 0.7 to 2.4 in that time. So I was pretty happy since I felt like I was adjusting pretty well and using the CPAP all night. However, last Monday (1.5 weeks ago) I was sitting at school and started to freak out for a second. I think it was just gas bubbling up high in my stomach. Since then I've had a bunch of trouble with gas pressure being super annoying and making it hard to concentrate on things. And I've let it psychologically stress me out because it's creating a lot of uncomfortable pressure, distracting me, and generally freaking me out. I guess I'm just not used to the intense pressure that comes randomly. Sometimes it's down low, sometimes up on the left or right, and sometimes even feels like it is toward my back a bit. I generally can move around and fart a bit out every so often but it's really stubborn and uncomfortable. I honestly didn't put two and two together for a while, but yesterday I finally realized that it might be caused by the CPAP. I saw a bunch of threads about this and suggestions but haven't tried much yet.

Last night I slept without using the CPAP to try to see if it would help but I haven't gotten that much better yet. But since I've become stressed about this issue I think I make things worse when it's time to eat. I almost went to a doctor last night but decided to give it a little while to see if things get better without using the CPAP. If it does get better on its own then I'll start experimenting and contacting my doctor to maybe change settings.

I guess my main question for you is how long would you expect it to take for someone to start to feel better? The pressure isn't gone, but I am also stressed out about it which is probably making my stomach not get better as easily too. Once I ride my bike home tonight I will have ridden 34 miles this week with no other health trouble (just gas pressure that seems to get better with physical activity), and I also squatted at the gym on Monday night which made me expel a lot of gas and feel a lot better for a while. But then I ate fajitas that night and used the CPAP again which may have continued the cycle of swallowing more air if that's the cause.

Does it seem reasonable to you guys that it might take a couple days to relax and feel normal again? I had the gas all day long this whole time although it was probably a little worse after eating. That may have been also because I was thinking about it more instead of trying to work on something. I also definitely know that I open my mouth from time to time using the machine. It woke my wife up from time to time. The last week or so I haven't woken up with a dry mouth as much but she says I'm definitely still opening my mouth sometimes. Do you think I should try a mouth strap or a mask that covers the mouth?

I've even gotten to the point where I'm thinking that maybe I should just lose weight and see if I can eliminate the apnea without the CPAP. Powerlifting is a passion of mine but carrying extra weight might not be the best even if you're in shape. I can easily lose weight since right now I have to eat a lot to keep my weight up where it is. But then again maybe I'd still have apnea and that wouldn't help. But maybe I could get down to 200 or 190 and see how things go. It would be fun to be more nimble and run around more easily again like before I got into powerlifting and purposely put on weight. It's not like I'm going to set any world records or anything anyway, haha!

Anyway, I really hope I feel better soon because this gas and bloated feeling is awful. Thank you for reading, and best of luck to everyone else dealing with various apnea-related issues!

[Pugsy]

Are you using EPR exhale relief ...if so at what setting?

[blahblahblah]

Unfortunately I am not sure. Perhaps I should have waited until I got home to post this so I could double check. I imagine that I am not using that setting. I do know how to go into the clinical menu though so I am happy to experiment with that.

[blahblahblah]

I will say though that until I feel okay again I am inclined to not use it for a couple more days. Then I can try again and see how the setting affects me?

[erynfaith]

I've had problems with gas too when I first started -- still do actually but it's only been a month after all. My doc suggested I take gas ex before bed so the air doesn't get trapped in my stomach. I had really high pressure (22/18) when I started I asked if it would be ok to lower it and the doc suggested 18/16. This has really helped me not get it as much and allowed me to burp it up in my sleep a bit too.

I don't know what your pressures are so that may make no difference. I've also found if I sleep on my left side or left front side since I'm a stomach sleeper I don't have gas pain since the air can't get into my stomach as easily.

I hope something helps you at least in a short term.

[blahblahblah]

Thank you for your tips and advice. I believe my pressure is just a continuous 9. I generally sleep on my back but maybe I can get something to work. I'll definitely be playing around once I feel better.

[Julie]

The more you sleep on your back, the more apneas you encourage... see if you can stop doing that so much.

[Diamondminek]

Use the machine -it's likely the gas will come back on the machine,so taking a few days break, while probably not doing harm isn't ideal. That's a lot of apnoeas in a night so it's worth letting your sleep clinic know what's happening ,or see your regular dr about medication if needs be - ur chemist could recommend something short term too.
At least you also recognise the psychology at play - some cbt stuff might help with that - or simply telling you self this is wind, this is a cpap side effect,it will pass etc, might help. And anxiety does upset your stomach, so maybe some relaxation exercises?
I would start the hints and tricks now ie sleep on your left, propped up a bit, exhale relief, limit food and drink before bed (3 hours was my time frame). There's probably others. For me, an apap machine eliminated the wind.
As to mouth breathing.... if you like your current mask, which i assume is just a nasal one, it might be worth trying a chin strap before going to a full face mask.
Being a healthy weight is always a good thing,but don't pin your hopes on it curing your apnoea, it often doesnt, so just be prepared for that outcome if you do lose weight.

[blahblahblah]

Yes thank you. I am undecided about tonight and whether I should use the CPAP. Although to be honest since it didn't get that much better after not using it for a night maybe it won't hurt to use it again while I wait for the appointment. I also feel tired today but that might be due to the stress as well.

I called the sleep center but they need to get back to me, so hopefully this can be resolved soon or I can at least talk to them about it. In the meantime perhaps I will try the exhale relief and an extra pillow, etc. It might be tough to stop eating that far away from bedtime because I workout at night but I will try to at least stop as early as I can.

Thank you all so much. I truly hope that these tips and/or switching machines, etc. will help me out.

[blahblahblah]

Thank you guys again. I used the CPAP last night and it didn't seem to make me worse although it didn't get better either.

However, dummy me, I didn't even think about some other things I was taking for an unrelated issue. So the doctor had me stop taking them last night and we will see if they are not agreeing with me. Hopefully that will end up being the cause! Since I wasn't having any trouble with the CPAP before maybe that makes more sense to be the cause anyway? Who knows. But I really hope to feel better soon.

By the way, I was wrong and the exhalation relief was set to 2 this whole time.

[thecpapguy!]

I agree with above posts that EPR can help with swallowing air in regards to the feelings you are having. It looks that you found the setting is currently at two. You should likely take it to three for the pressure relief to help as well.

You could talk to your provider, get a download done to evaluate your prescription pressures and see if it would be possible for you to possibly have them lowered. I'm not saying the can, or need, to be lowered. However, in these predicaments lowering your pressure and slowly titrating upward over a week or two can help with the discomfort and ultimately help you eliminate it.
Next, what kind of mask are you wearing? Is it a nasal (what kind if so) or a full face (what kind if so)? Sometimes the prescription pressure and the type of mask you are wearing can develop into a larger problem with swallowing air. Not all the time, of course. By getting a mask refit to a different style if could help as well.
Thirdly, is to continue wearing the therapy. If you stop using the machine you will digress. So wear it! In face, wear it as much as you possibly can. You have a natural reflex in swallowing air that you must get over. If you wear the machine for thirty minutes to one hour daily while you are completely awake you can begin to overcome the problem as well. Do not only wear when you are getting ready to go to sleep for the night. Put the mask on while doing something leisurely at home such as reading or watching television. Focus on how you are breathing and what is bothering. If the impulse to swallow air for relief arises focus on what is bothering and learn to breathe the problem.

Sorry for the novel, but I hope it offers some help!

[blahblahblah]

Thank you all again! I got checked out by a doctor because the issues I was having got so bad I thought it was a gallbladder attack or something. All that stuff looked good and they diagnosed my issues as stomach issues so I'm taking medication for that and already started to feel a bit better.

I only skipped the CPAP one night so that's not too bad overall. I have taken your suggestions and have raised my pillows, etc. and am going to limit food before bedtime.

Thank you all so much. I was really worried for a while and am so glad to start getting on the mend. Hopefully I won't have trouble later on as well. I am going to eat a really bland diet for a while too in order to keep things calmed down.

I think that I'm not having a big issue with swallowing air after all thankfully. We'll see how things go though.