Perfect Storm: Sinus, lung Infection & bronchitis

[dllfo]

What would happen if you developed a Sinus Infection, a lung infection and your Chronic Bronchitis hit all at 9pm at night? Your machine is the Respironics BiPAP Auto Servo Ventilator.

I used a lot of Afrin. I used 360mg of Prescription Allegra, I wound up taking 45mg of oxycodone before my cough subsided, I took 8mg of Rozerem, hoping to sleep, I took 400mg of Tegretol for my Trigeminal Neuralgia and 10 mg of Valium for undiagnosed rib pain. I washed my mask and filled my water up. I changed the heat setting from 1 to 2, hoping for warmer air on my throat.

I went to bed and slept 8:49 minutes. I woke up with a terribly sore throat, sick, with lung excretions that were .... unpleasant ... coughing starting up to help my lung rid itself of .... unwanted matter. I pulled my smart card out, plugged it in and read it. My summary page says my BPM was 13 (all time low for me), my avg peak IPAP was 22.0, avg AHI was 7.0, avg leak was zero.

For over an hour my pressure was 30cmH2O with Patient Initiated Breaths at approx. zero, my breaths per minute was 8 (defaut level by Respironics if you are not breathing--so I was told) and in general had a bad night. A Perfect Storm, but unlike George Clooney, I had better equipment so I survived.

Here it is, 9:24PM in California and I am essentially in the same position. I called two "On Call" doctors and got zero help. I just switched from Walgreens Pharmacies to CVS and each pointed a finger at each other. Both doctors are not my regular doctors. Once they saw my medical records they were hesitant to guess and suggested I drag my bottom into the Emergency Room. Did I mention I have been on 60mg of Prednisone a day just to allow me to breathe, and I have been on oxygen at least half the time. These are not good times. I just finished antibiotics for a UTI.

Any suggestion before I strap the mask on tonight? I am really concerned, but other than staying awake all night, sitting up, staying on my 3LPM, I don't know what else to do. My autoimmune system is so compromised my primary doctors tell me not to go to the ER unless I am in an ambulance and frankly, they won't know what to do with me if I quit breathing (remember CCHS?) When I quit breathing, Pulmonologists have trouble getting me started again while in the hospital. Local anesthesiologists won't put me under for surgery unless I have to have the surgery to live, they are concerned they won't be able to bring me back once I am "put under".

I will be watching the thread, I understand it is late, but I am hoping RG or Doug or someone might see it and have an answer. Thanks for listening.

PS Wish I could attach a PDF file to these posts so you could see my 5 page print out of Encore Pro.

[macewa]

I have no answers for you, but wanted to say that I really feel for you. I hope you have some better days ahead.

[dllfo]

Thanks for the kind words, COPD plus all the other things wrong with me are not fun, but the wife and all five kids love me so it could be a lot worse. Lots of people worse off than I am. In fact, if it gets to be any more fun I am not sure I can stand it.

[lcook7281]

I feel for you as well. I am just finishing a four month dose of prednisone. My docs don't like me in the er as well. I pray morning comes quickly and you can get ahold of your regular doctor.

Lisa

[Slartybartfast]

It sounds like your situation is pretty severe, so I won't guess at what you should do. However, your symptoms sound a lot like mine before I got on the hose. What turned the trick for me was insisting that my GP send me to see a pulmonologist. My GP was happy to prescribe whatever he thought I needed, but nothing worked until I went to see the lung-Doc. He figured out the problem was simply obstructive sleep apnea and as soon as I got on the hose I immediately felt better. Coming up on 2 years and I haven't been sick a day since (knock on wood).

BTW, Afrin (Oxymetazoline) can cause rebound congestion. Once you use it for a few days, then stop, you get congested and have to keep using it. Cute trick, that.

So I encourage you to see a specialist, if you haven't already.

[OutaSync]

Dllfo,

I'm so sorry that you are struggling. If you have not heard from your regular doctor by now, I believe I would head straight for the ER. At least, your ASV keeps you breathing and you did wake up on the other side, so that is a good thing.

I wish you the best,
Bev

[sickwithapnea17]

I had a similar terrible experience with a throat infection. I was suffocating in my sleep and couldn't sleep enough on the bipap and oxygen. and it took forever to recover from the infection- the prednisone might have made things worse by crippling my immune system but then I was suffocating from the swollen throat

[sickwithapnea17]

I read that spiriva can help COPD and there are these nebulized COPD meds, can't remember....
I don't know if prednisone is even good since it can shutdown the immune system sometimes and can cause memory and brain damage and I've been having these terrible cognitive problems
the prednisone didn't stop my wheezing and I didn't know if it was prolonging my infection and my throat was so swollen that I was suffocating during sleep. I tried several courses of antibiotics also and that didn't work that well for some reason but usually these help

[dllfo]

Sickwithapnea17, I have not tried Spiriva Lord knows I think I have tried nearly everything else. I have a new blue Puffer, forget the name of it, but it did help me breathe. One doctor thinks I already have what the Mayo Clinic calls MCI. Mild Cognitive Impairment. I do have so memory problems, but I am also 66 years old. Be very cautious about antibiotics. I used Levaquin for lung infections and Cipro for UTI. Combine those two with CorticoSteroids and you greatly increase the chances you might pull some tendons loose. I pulled the right bicep off the bone (distal) and they won't try to sew it back on. I have carpal tunnel in both hands and they won't try to fix it either. Afraid to put me under anesthesia, not sure they can bring me back. ld

On the bright side of things, I broke one of my teeth in half on Wednesday, as my dentist was leaving town on vacation. He did a temp filling and told me to be careful what I eat. I am on Ketek antibiotics at the moment. Don't feel any better, still like kaka. Enough whining and sniveling, the sun is out and.... ooops, no, wait, it is raining hard.

As I said for years (while flying in the Air Force): It could always get worse; and sure enough, it did!! Take care, Dave

[sickwithapnea17]

yeah I think combivent on the nebulizer helps sometimes. maybe you should try to get some spiriva or other nebulized meds. you have to be careful with glucocorticoids since they might cause brain damage. I am having to take prednisone to sleep and the phillips bipap didn't work that well for me. I'm trying the resmed asv now and it seems better but I'm still on prednisone. I'm exhausted and can't remember that well and feel foggy all the time.
how did you get COPD by the way?

it helps me to take prednisone before bed, but then again it may cause brain damage- in studies in rats it causes brain damage

[dllfo]

Still fighting the Bronchitis, severe cough to the point I take heavy pain meds for rib pain.

How did I get COPD? Born with it I guess. I was born with some defects, one of which was Bronchitis, which became Chronic I guess.

I was also born with something they now call CCHS. My mom told me the first year and a half after I was born she would put me on her stomach so she would know when I quit breathing. No name for it back then, I think they named it in 1962.

Throat swollen? Hard to breathe? Have you tried Heliox? I was diagnosed with "Vocal Cord Dysfunction" several years ago and used Heliox for some time. Even the hospitals don't have it around here (so I was told). Only one company makes it in Northern California.

Spiriva.... I forgot to ask my doctor about it.

Other ways I may have hurt my Respiratory System: (1) Agent Orange in 1967, (2) the military "fogged" the bases to keep mosquitoes away (so we were told, not sure what they had in the spray), (3)we were required to "Fog" the aircraft after we landed in some countries (We took turns doing it, we held 2 large cans of DDT and sprayed the interior of the plane to kill unwanted critters. These cans contained something like 98% DDT and we breathed it in, (4) Where I grew up we had a chemical plant whose fumes would eat holes in METAL screens. (5) My parents were 3 pack a day smokers and I breathed their 2nd hand smoke for 18 years. There are probably other things but I can't remember them.

Right now I just need to get rid of the Bronchitis and get my EncorePro back up on Windows 7.

[dllfo]

I got the Encore Pro 1.8.65 to run on a laptop with XP on it. In the last 20 days (approx) I have had the worst breathing ever. During 8 of the 20 days I have not initiated breaths for over an hour at a time.,, with pressures of 30cmH2o during that time frame. On my worst night (Approx) I initiated breaths 56.6% during the 4 hour period I was asleep.

I did finally whip the Bronchitis, but I am fatigued. Any reserve energy I had is gone.

[kaiasgram]

Well wishes from across the causeway, dilfo. You've been through a lot and I'm glad you have the love and comfort of your family.

[Sir NoddinOff]

Sorry to hear about your problems, but IMO this all seems out of the scope of what the CpapTalk members are prepared to deal with. It's not that I'm trying to cold shoulder you, but you're going to need quick care from a pulmonary doctor to sort this out. As an side observation: 10mgs is the maximum dose of Valium usually indicated, especially for a prolonged basis - it's something you need to ask a doctor about. Good luck getting to the bottom of your medical problems. I pray you find the right doctor.