CPAP use causes major sinus problems

[palerider]

'CPAP air is an irritant - to one degree or another - to everyone. The irritation may cause the nasal passages to dry out and bleed, or the mucous membranes may try to protect the nasal passages by producing excess mucous, resulting in congestion. The irritation can be cumulative, developing over time. Furthermore, dry, cracked or bleeding nasal passages are a breeding ground for infection. '
https://www.cpap.com/cpap-faq/Common-Side-Effects

Note to new users, "peelunkins" is a troll who's joined the forum simply to put down CPAP use, and cause trouble in forums, best to put this account on your foe list and ignore the troll completely.

[BeaverBoy]

Friends,

I had an experience that might be of help to those with sinus difficulties apparently caused by Cpap.

First my situation:

I have severe apnea (46 AHI on a hospital sleep test).
I am using a Philips Dreamstation APAP with heater and humidifier on 5.
I am using the APAP at altitude (7900 ft) in a very dry climate.
My mask is a philips full face.

My apnea is not fully responsive to therapy. It persists at an AHI of 20 on average.
I use a Neti pot morning and evening and have no sinus congestion.

Because of the persistence of my apnea in the face of treatment I consulted with a surgeon regarding possible nasal blockage.
In the course of my consultation he suggested that the problem might be the high pressure that the full face mask puts on my jaw. I went to the hospital mask exchange facility and got a mask that only covered my nose.

On first use my usually clear sinuses immediately clogged up. I fought the mask for 1.5 hours, recording an AHI of 70.
Then it was off with the mask, clear my head with the neti pot, and happily back into my full face mask and restful sleep.

Somewhat counter intuitively, my full face mask keeps my mouth shut and I breath easily through my nose.

Perhaps sinus problems are not from infection but from the nature of your mask.

[chunkyfrog]

. . .
Note to new users, "peelunkins" is a troll who's joined the forum simply to put down CPAP use, and cause trouble in forums, best to put this account on your foe list and ignore the troll completely.

I wonder if that troll is in the oral device business . . .
Or is an butcher. (surgeon)

[Pugsy]

I wonder if that troll is in the oral device business . . .

Nah...most likely someone wanting to stir up discord and gets his rocks off just starting trouble...similar to the alphabet boy.
I doubt if even a real cpap user myself.
True definition of a troll in my book and you all know the best way to deal with trolls....don't feed them because all they want is attention. Good or bad attention ...they don't care as long as they get attention.
Hard to refrain from feeding them...I know.
Quietly correct any misinformation they might be spewing and move on. Don't give them any more limelight than absolutely necessary to correct the misinformation.

[sleepy-programmer]

I HAVE found this wonderful little product called NeilMed NasoGel for dry noses. It's wonderful for me while using CPAP! In fact, it says on the label "for users of CPAP or oxygen." You might check it out....

https://www.amazon.com/NeilMed-Nasogel- ... noses&th=1

I've also used that. It is quite good! I should remember to recommend it more often.

I use this also. Very helpful in conjunction with a humidifier in my room.

[ChicagoGranny]

CPAP air is an irritant - to one degree or another - to everyone.

Air is an irritant - to one degree or another - to everyone.

[Pugsy]

Air is an irritant - to one degree or another - to everyone.

Especially when it tends to be just hot air.

[Mrbored]

Hi Friends
I’ve been using CPAP (Phillips Remstar Pro) with a nasal pillow for maybe 9 years. I have developed constant sinus issues over the last 4 months. I’ve been cleaning the machine at least every week, so didn’t think my problems were related to CPAP. Now after a couple courses of antibiotics to no avail, I am back to thinking there must be a CPAP connection. Either the air blowing straight into my nostrils from the nasal pillow is causing irritation, or there is possibly an internal part of the machine that is not getting cleaned. I use the humidity at 3 or 4 (the Max is 5).
Has anyone found relief from switching to a different type of mask?
Or....is there a way to clean parts of the machine other than the water tank and hose?
(I DO need to get a new machine)
Thank you

[Julie]

There should be no need to ever try to clean inside the machine, especially with anything that talks about ozone (i.e. SoClean), which can damage you, never mind anything else. Use proper filters and a wipe on the outside once in a while and that's it. Also, hoses don't normally need cleaning... just about ever. Really. The mask does, but that's another story. You say you have sinus issues, and set your humidity to a high level (4-5), but have you ever tried not using it or only at a low level? Too much humidity when ambient levels are already high can cause all kinds of trouble and the humidifier's meant to be a help if needed, not a mandatory part of 'therapy'.

[Mrbored]

Thank You
I’ll try a bit less humidity, but it’s pretty dry where I live in the winter. Dry air blowing into my nostrils is quite uncomfortable.

[Julie]

The point is to experiment with what works - give things an honest chance of a full night or two (your system needs time to readjust), but don't go on with what doesn't feel right just because I or anyone else says so.

[nicholasjh1]

Problem is, this is winter in Colorado, which has THE DRYEST climate of any place I've ever lived.
I think I've already tried it without the humidifier on and I still end up with problems, but maybe I'll give it another go. Maybe not until after Christmas holiday, though, because man, I do NOT want to be dealing with this crapola on my vacation and when I'm hosting a huge Christmas Eve party.

I'd be careful with that. I live in Colorado, and a friend of mine also with Apnea kept forgetting to fill his humidifier and ended up with a chronic nose bleed. I know that doesn't help with your apnea or stuff nose problem... just throwing it out there. I used to get chronic sinus infections, and this sounds a little like that. Turns out I had a resevoir of dried snot in my nasal passages that would periodically or do to sneezes (or perhaps cpap air flow) get dislodged and cause new infection. Not sure the traditional way to get rid of that (6 rounds of antibiotics didn't work) but I used an internet remedy which cleared it, neti pot/bulb with 50% water and 50% hydrogen peroxide. Swelling for a day and then a cessation of all my nasal infection problems. Use at your own risk of course.

[ChicagoGranny]

neti pot/bulb with 50% water and 50% hydrogen peroxide

There is no medical literature that supports the use of any amount of hydrogen peroxide for nasal rinses.

[nicholasjh1]

neti pot/bulb with 50% water and 50% hydrogen peroxide

There is no medical literature that supports the use of any amount of hydrogen peroxide for nasal rinses.

Yep and we all know that Science knows every thing . That's why I said use at your own risk. There may be no published studies, but before looking up how to do it on the internet I learned about it from a LDS/mormon man who was my professor. According to him their are a large set of LDS treatments that have been used for decades to over a century and been effective. Having said that of course it was still hearsay, but I was desperate enough to try, and after having chronic nasal infections for 25 years at the time, I haven't had one since. Coincidence? Maybe, but considering the body of evidence... (admittedly anecdotal evidence) spanning decades it is probably not a coincidence. You can keep on your old boomer ways and only believe in the slow slow march of science, personally I'm willing to try stuff that has been vetted on small scales.

[Pugsy]

Blood letting was a well known and practiced medical treatment for not only decades but centuries for all sorts of maladies.
We all know how that turned out.
Just because something is/was "commonly" or "uncommonly" done by anyone doesn't make it necessarily the best thing to go doing.