Aerophagia - Still looking for solution

[roster]

......... The tech told me that if I use the ramp feature, then I will be less likely to swallow air. He also said that it is when we're awake that we swallow most of the air versus when asleep.

.......APAP, aerophagia

Gasp reported this in another thread. Are these two points true in your experience?

[DreamStalker]

......... The tech told me that if I use the ramp feature, then I will be less likely to swallow air. He also said that it is when we're awake that we swallow most of the air versus when asleep.

.......APAP, aerophagia

Gasp reported this in another thread. Are these two points true in your experience?

I have never used the ramp. I had some aerophagia issues early on in my treatment but like the rib and back pains that I also got back then, they all just went away by themselves after a few weeks. I guess my body has adjusted to the treatment?

As part of my new lifestyle, I also quit eating (also have avoided heavy rich foods for dinner) at least 4 hours before going to bed and my alcohol consumption has gone to zero since then ... dunno if any of those changes had anything to do with my adjustments/aerophagia.

Hope you find a solution.

[RosemaryB]

Last Wednesday night I went to a local AWAKE meeting and heard a talk by a sleep doctor. He made some good points during the talk and after asked for questions. I asked one about aerophagia. He treated it as a minor problem (kind of like, people have gas anyway and now just blame it on the therapy) and said the only thing he knew was raising the head of the bed. I thought about you at that point since you'd had a recent post about that one. I also thought how, for some people, it's not at all minor. I think the tech may have had a similar attitude in saying that it mainly happens when we are awake. Heck, I had it during my titration study and the highest pressure my tech raised me to was 5. I had a lot of abdominal pain after that study. I still have it, but it may be getting somewhat better, still too soon to tell.

So, I'd say, not true. I don't think it happens only when I'm awake at all. But I do think I'm sometimes awakened by blowfish and I'm swallowing air at the same time.

I'm wondering if learning to play the digeridoo would help with this, perhaps learning and practicing a new way of breathing. I'm going to order one after my next paycheck and will see how that does.

I'm trying to figure out what the cause of this is. I have GERD which is controlled by medications. I also have a hiatial hernia and pressure due to an enlarged liver. This is a main cause of the GERD from what I can tell. I speculate that maybe the enlarged liver causes my digestion and breathing not to work too well. I'm not overweight, but perhaps that would cause a similar problem.
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I also don't use the ramp feature, so don't know about that one.

[roster]

[quote="RosemaryB"].............

I'm wondering if learning to play the digeridoo would help with this.......... I'm going to order one after my next paycheck and will see how that does.

.....................

[Morpheus]

Going from a CPAP to A bi-pap machine worked for me - instantly and completely.

[RosemaryB]

[quote="rooster"][quote="RosemaryB"].............

I'm wondering if learning to play the digeridoo would help with this.......... I'm going to order one after my next paycheck and will see how that does.

.....................

[Snoredog]

PM ole cpapjack, Bipap Auto appears to work for him but you need to compare pressures, primary sleep disorder etc. because if your pressure is high even that may not work for you, would be a pretty expensive experiment.

While it may be true that you swallow while you are falling asleep (I never heard that before) but the bottom line is that air needs to go past your LES at the opening of the stomach before it can enter the stomach. That valve is like a pucker valve in your butt, it is only supposed to open/close when needed. if that valve is eroded from years of acid reflux or GERD it is not going to seal properly. Then it doesn't matter what machine you use that air is going to get past it and into the stomach, if it makes its way into the intestine you will really feel it. Those pains can also be the cause of waking.

If you want to try some immediate relief besides a lower pressure say from an auto or bipap auto, try chewing a PepcidComplete right before bed, the Berry flavor is the best. If you feel better the next day, you know you need to address the Acid Reflux as well.

But if you need 14 or 15cm pressure to eliminate apnea during the early morning hours even a Bipap auto may not help you. It just depends on what SDB events your particular condition has if one machine may work better than another.

Also elevating your head board end of the bed can help, watching diet, all the things used to lower acid reflux seem to help. You can also have no acid reflux symptoms and still have it, it is called silent GERD for a reason.

[roster]

Here is relief (but not cure):

http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/yogapractice ... ieving.asp

[christinequilts]

I have never used the ramp. I had some aerophagia issues early on in my treatment but like the rib and back pains that I also got back then, they all just went away by themselves after a few weeks. I guess my body has adjusted to the treatment?

I saw this first hand, though my situation was unusual since the aerophagia started when I switched to the VPAP Adapt after being on BiPAP ST for 3 years. It was pressure related for me, my Adapt will rapidly go up to 19/10, from it normal 12/9, during a central apnea to try to keep me breathing, but only for very short periods of time. Its hard to keep your mouth shut with those sudden pressure changes too, which was a new problem for me, along with the sore back from sleeping so hard & not moving at all overnight (nothing like waking up with TV still in your hand in the morning).

It was like being a newbie xPAPer all over again, but worse, since I never experienced any of those problems when I started BiPAP ST. They all went away within the first few weeks, though the mouth leaks still get me occasionally if I have a bad night with more centrals.

[Snoredog]

Here is relief (but not cure):

http://www.abc-of-yoga.com/yogapractice ... ieving.asp

mmm... that looks as nearly as effective as the campfire scene from Blazing Saddles

duke sell the recipe!

[blowfish]

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[blowfish]

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[socknitster]

Interesting thread. I am on bipap and still swallowing air. Got a mask that seals well (hybrid, old style), still swallowing air.

Now I'm working on my GERD, silent GERD that is. My only symptom is a glob of snot at the base of my throat that I always thought was related to my allergies, but my ent told me is almost always silent gerd.

I'm always clearing my throat and trying to swallow this "glob" (yes that is a technical term). I am wondering if I am doing this when trying to fall asleep which is maybe contributing to the aerophagia completely unconsciously. I'll be really interested to see what happens when the prilosec otc heals up the gerd (that is assuming it will) and the glob goes away. Maybe so will the aerophagia (?).

I'm also sleeping on a foam wedge and not eating 3 hours before bed. I'm also taking nsaids (aleve) around dinner in hopes of taking down any inflammation in my throat and taking a tums before bed.

The one night I didn't have bad aerophagia was the first at home night when I basically pressed ramp all night (spent most of that first night awake).

So, nothing conclusive there.

I am thinking about ordering Nose Breathe mouth appliance http://quietsleep.com/oralappliancether ... escrip.cfm
to create a seal in my mouth, hoping that will enable me to use a nasal-only interface and possibly stop the aerophagia. I'm pretty desperate for my treatment to work so I'm willing to try lots of different things!

Jen

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): bipap, Ramp, seal, aerophagia

[lindychris]

I used to have that "gob of snot" too....I was always trying to swallow it down. I now realize it was my swollen uvula from snoring and apnea.

Before Cpap I never realized this wasn't normal, but since I started treatment 2 months ago, I have not had that "gob" feeling.

Now, if only I could get rid of the GERD. Maybe the Apap with A-flex...

[mhacker]

yeah, this is a weird problem. I had a cist on my throat that caused me to constantly feel like I had something caught in my throat. I would shallow and get caught up in a reflexive shallow and not be able to breathe. I was worried that this was going to happen at hight. My doctor diagnosed it and gave me antibiotics, been a week now with no problems but I still have 2 more days of pills.

Best fun was being in an elevator and having a silent one slipout. Leaving the elevator at my floor I would say "does that smell like an electrical fire?"

yep, I get my fun anyway I can...

mb