Dealing with severe nasal congestion

dsm · Post by **dsm** » Sun Apr 23, 2006 7:23 pm

Yesterday I had been experiencing great difficulty getting air through my nose just to breathe.

My nose was not 'stuffy' as such nor blocked. It just took great effort to get enough air through both nostrils. Really an effort.

Based on past experience I took the following path to getting a good night's sleep last night.

1) I took two nighttime nasal decongestant tablets
2) I didn't use my usual F/F mask but used my enhanced Adams Circuit mask
3) I dropped the IPAP CMS from 14 to 15
4) I still used my trusty Premier chinstrap

Had a very nice nights sleep. No air escaped from my mouth that can sometimes happen when I go to a nasal pillows mask.

The reason I drop the CMS is that when going from my F/F mask to the nasal pillows mask, I find that at 15 CMS, too much air seems to come in and too fast. That is not the case at all with my F/F mask which I have on occasions run at 16 CMS.

I have really come to like using the nasal pillows. It seems to ensure that air gets in and I can only recall one occasion when one nostril became a bit blocked, but it didn't seem to matter.

I will keep going with the A.C. mask until mouth breathing steps in & starts to impact getting good sleep.

Am wondering what others think in relation to comparing nasal pillows to regular nasal/ff masks.

Cheers

DSM

rdjw · Post by **rdjw** » Sun Apr 23, 2006 10:31 pm

I know that feeling - not blocked or drippy, just... closed. I'm pretty new to this CPAP stuff, using a simple nasal mask, so I will watch what others may say about the issue.

Cheers,
Rookie

Nitro Dan · Post by **Nitro Dan** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 11:18 am

After 20 years of plain silicone masks, after trying the Swift, I will never use anything else! I couldn't be happier with the Swift Pillow, I didn't know what I was missing.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 11:31 am

I had a look at the enlarged pictures of the Swift in use. It looks like it might be a problem lying on the side where the hose is attached. Is this a non-issue, or if not, how did you solve it? One other question - your post is on a "stuffy nose" thread. Should I understand that you had stuffy nose and this thing solved it? Whch leads to another question - do you not have trouble with mouth leak? I see many threads where chinstraps and mouth-taping are discussed, so I have to assume that this is not an issue for everyone? Why not? I'm so confuuuuuused!

I understand everyone's situation, needs and preferences are different, but how to find my "best solutions" w/o spending a small fortune seems to me something like a cr@p shoot.

Rookie

rdjw · Post by **rdjw** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 11:43 am

Arrgh! Last post was me. I have repeatedly told this page to log me in automatically at every visit, but it persists in ignoring me, and I fail to notice that I'm not logged in. Is this a browser issue? (Firefox)

Rookie

Snoozin' Bluezzz · Post by **Snoozin' Bluezzz** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 12:24 pm

Are you at work? I find that at work I have different cookie enforcement and I can not automagically login in after logging out or being logged out. At home it's not an issue.

There seems to be some sort of net policy affecting me at work since I Firefox set to accept and preserve the cookies.

SB

Goof no log in proof · Post by **Goof no log in proof** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 2:19 pm

rdjw wrote:Arrgh! Last post was me. I have repeatedly told this page to log me in automatically at every visit, but it persists in ignoring me, and I fail to notice that I'm not logged in. Is this a browser issue? (Firefox)

Rookie

It's a issue with the forum software, sometimes it works part time, the spell check is useless too. Somestimes clearing all cookies works, I run Window washer daily it allows you to save cookies from some sites. It helps but as you see I am not logged in. It's just part of the price we have to pay, but it's worth it, because of the people here. Jim

Goofproof on the not logged in machine.

rasputin · Post by **rasputin** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 2:53 pm

I have terrible allergies, and sinus congestion was making it very difficult to use my CPAP. After discussing with my doctor, he prescribed a corticosteroid nasal spray (flonase) before bed and recommended I try a sinus rinse (I found this one at my pharmacy). The sinus rinse was a bit strange at first, but it helps. Now I can breathe a lot better and have much better compliance.

RestInSeattle · Post by **RestInSeattle** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 3:38 pm

rdjw wrote:I had a look at the enlarged pictures of the Swift in use. It looks like it might be a problem lying on the side where the hose is attached. Is this a non-issue, or if not, how did you solve it?

Check out this thread: viewtopic.php?t=5965

Even without the tips in the thread above, I didn't have a problem side sleeping as the hose is more on the side of the "face" rather than the side of the head. Using the suggested method above, you can ensure that the hose doesn't migrate to the side of the head while sleeping.

So far the Swift has been the most comfortable mask for me. Many others agree.

As for mouth leaks, some have trouble and some don't. It's totally individual to each OSA sufferer. In addition, sometimes I have trouble with mouth leaks and use my premium chin strap with tape, other times I don't need anything. I tend to leak more when I suffer from congestion though.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 5:37 pm

Thanks so much! Every ray of light helps in this sleep-deprived gloom.

The mouth-leaks-with-congestion makes sense, and I think that may be what I am experiencing. It's partly climate, partly positional, and partly the unpredictability of the heated humidifier. I might try a home-made chin strap tonight. I have a 4" ace that ought to do the trick....

This is really a great forum! Everyone is so nice, and supportive, and knowledgeable.

rdjw · Post by **rdjw** » Mon Apr 24, 2006 5:40 pm

Dang it. i logged in TWICE, and verified that I had a logged in interface before I posted that last post. This is becoming irksome. :(