I get absolutely and end up full of air. I mentioned it to my doctor and he said just go to a health food shop and eat charcoal tablets.
Has any body tried this?
Mine is really bad and find it very difficult at work as I have huge tummy cramps all day.
Doctor also said that was just one of the side effects of cpap and I would just have to get used to it.
Painful Bloating and Trapped Air
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rested gal
- Posts: 12881
- Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2004 10:14 pm
- Location: Tennessee
Gwest, I had that problem when my mouth kept opening in the night. When I started taping my mouth shut (just a little strip of stretchy adhesive tape loosely fastened across the middle), the problem did not recur.
Started CPAP on 7/1/2005
Mild apnea
Plus upper airway resistance syndrome with severe alpha intrusion
Mild apnea
Plus upper airway resistance syndrome with severe alpha intrusion
aerophagia
Bad advice to get charcoal tablets or any of the gas products.
It is not metabolic gas with the aroma. It is AIR.
Defrothicants such as mylanta and gas x work by surface tension and making big bubbles out of little ones. These can then be burped or the other end.
I think this just comes and goes and is self limiting. a few people mention it is frequent.
It is not metabolic gas with the aroma. It is AIR.
Defrothicants such as mylanta and gas x work by surface tension and making big bubbles out of little ones. These can then be burped or the other end.
I think this just comes and goes and is self limiting. a few people mention it is frequent.
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Guest
I started on a pressure of 14, straight CPAP (ditched the C-Flex feature asit gave me breath-stacking) and had lots of gas discomfort. I propped myself up in bed with some pillows and got some relief.
I switched to an autopap (PB GoodKnight 420E) which was able to treat me at significantly lower pressures overall (90% of the night spent at a pressure of 8!!!!); low enough that the swallowing of air, and associated gas, is gone, gone, gone.
If at all possible, consider switching to autopap. In the meantime, try raising the head of your bed and/or propping yourself up with pillows somewhat.
I switched to an autopap (PB GoodKnight 420E) which was able to treat me at significantly lower pressures overall (90% of the night spent at a pressure of 8!!!!); low enough that the swallowing of air, and associated gas, is gone, gone, gone.
If at all possible, consider switching to autopap. In the meantime, try raising the head of your bed and/or propping yourself up with pillows somewhat.
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WillSucceed
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- Joined: Sun Nov 07, 2004 7:52 am
- Location: Toronto, Ontario
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Gwest
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Guest
Breath-stacking is when you don't fully exhale BEFORE you start to inhale. Breath-stacking contributes to carbon dioxide buildup -->you are not blowing off an adequate amount of carbon dioxide in each exhalation even though you are drawing in enough oxygen during each inhalation. Your heart can race in an effort to deal with the build up of carbon dioxide and your breathing rate speeds up such that you end up panting.
Unfortunately for me, I experienced breath-stacking when using a RemStar Plus with C-Flex. Although I found the RemStar to be very quiet, easy to use, and has a good humidifier system, I did not benefit at all from the C-Flex feature.
For most patients, C-Flex is a very welcome feature as it gives them a small amount of comfortable pressure relief during exhalation. For some, however, the termination of pressure relief JUST before they finish fully exhaling (this is the way C-Flex works) seems to trigger them to start inhaling before they would naturally. For the people who don't tolerate C-Flex, their breathing would get faster and faster such that, eventually, they breath in a panting fashion. This can contribute to interruptions during their sleep.
The good news about the RemStar with C-Flex equipped machines is twofold: C-Flex is a very helpful/comfortable feature for lots of patients AND for those patients who don't like C-Flex, the feature can easily be turned off such that the machine will function in straight CPAP or AutoPap mode (depending on the machine model).
I've said this many times in many posts: if you are thinking of purchasing an autopap machine, if at all possible, even if it costs you some coin out-of-pocket, trial as many different machines as possible. If you are purchasing a straight CPAP machine, trial a RemStar with C-Flex to see if C-Flex helps you BEFORE you make the purchase. If you don't need, or don't like, C-Flex, look at the features of other straight CPAP machines BEFORE you make your decision. You might find that the small size of the PB machines is of greater value to you than the larger RemStar machines.
Unfortunately for me, I experienced breath-stacking when using a RemStar Plus with C-Flex. Although I found the RemStar to be very quiet, easy to use, and has a good humidifier system, I did not benefit at all from the C-Flex feature.
For most patients, C-Flex is a very welcome feature as it gives them a small amount of comfortable pressure relief during exhalation. For some, however, the termination of pressure relief JUST before they finish fully exhaling (this is the way C-Flex works) seems to trigger them to start inhaling before they would naturally. For the people who don't tolerate C-Flex, their breathing would get faster and faster such that, eventually, they breath in a panting fashion. This can contribute to interruptions during their sleep.
The good news about the RemStar with C-Flex equipped machines is twofold: C-Flex is a very helpful/comfortable feature for lots of patients AND for those patients who don't like C-Flex, the feature can easily be turned off such that the machine will function in straight CPAP or AutoPap mode (depending on the machine model).
I've said this many times in many posts: if you are thinking of purchasing an autopap machine, if at all possible, even if it costs you some coin out-of-pocket, trial as many different machines as possible. If you are purchasing a straight CPAP machine, trial a RemStar with C-Flex to see if C-Flex helps you BEFORE you make the purchase. If you don't need, or don't like, C-Flex, look at the features of other straight CPAP machines BEFORE you make your decision. You might find that the small size of the PB machines is of greater value to you than the larger RemStar machines.
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WillSucceed
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- Location: Toronto, Ontario
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rested gal
- Posts: 12881
- Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2004 10:14 pm
- Location: Tennessee
Excellent advice from WillSucceed!
Although C-Flex gave him problems since it always kicks the inhale pressure back in just before you are totally, completely, entirely finished with the tail end of exhalation, most people using C-Flex do get wonderful exhalation relief and like it a lot.
As WillSucceed said, you can always turn off C-Flex with any machine that has it. If the doctor and DME and insurance go along, trialing different machines is a very good idea. Unfortunately most people seem to be stuck with whatever they are given first. If that's to be the case - no try outs - what you get is what you're going to have to keep - then I'd push very hard to get a Respironics REMstar Autopap with C-Flex. Very versatile as it can be used in 4 different ways:
1. cpap with C-Flex off
2. cpap with C-Flex on
3. autopap with C-Flex off
4. autopap with C-Flex on
The 420E that Will mentioned is another excellent autopap, even though it doesn't have an equivalent feature like C-Flex. I used a 420E for a long time... loved that machine and the Silverlining software that can be used with it.
Gwest, I'm no doctor, but I'd strongly suggest you try to get your doctor to let you try a different kind of machine than what the DME (home health care supplies place) gave you. At your pressure of 13 you've been prescribed, and with the aerophagia problems you're having, that could go on a long, long time before you get "used to it". Or you might wake up tomorrow with it gone.
But why go through misery one more moment than you have to, when there are other machines that could relieve it? It really makes me mad when doctors and DMEs wave off "comfort" issues with a "Oh, you just have to get used to it." Talk about setting people up to drop out! It's their failure - not the patient's - in so many cases.
If you absolutely can't get the doctor and DME to let you try an autopap (with or without C-Flex) or a cpap with C-Flex, or a BiPAP (can be set for a lower exhalation pressure than the inhalation pressure) then I'd talk to the doctor about letting you lower the pressure a couple of notches, to let you "get used to it" at a more comfortable level for awhile (whatever lesser level it takes to avoid aerophagia) even if a lower straight pressure doesn't take care of all your events.
Consider this - the sleep study, thorough though it was, was a one night snapshot of your sleep. They also want to look at worst case scenario - often encouraging you to go through the test on your back (supine) since OSA is usually worse sleeping that way. If the pressure they say you need was arrived at mostly with you on your back, but at home you actually sleep on your sides more frequently, then you might not even need that steady pressure of 13 most of the night in your real sleeping environment.
So, it might not be such a bad idea for the doctor to consider letting you use a lower pressure for awhile if he absolutely won't let you try a different machine. If he scoffs at any suggestion you make and keeps telling you to just get used to it, then I'd be looking for a more savvy doctor. Or I'd take up the reins of my own treatment!
Although C-Flex gave him problems since it always kicks the inhale pressure back in just before you are totally, completely, entirely finished with the tail end of exhalation, most people using C-Flex do get wonderful exhalation relief and like it a lot.
As WillSucceed said, you can always turn off C-Flex with any machine that has it. If the doctor and DME and insurance go along, trialing different machines is a very good idea. Unfortunately most people seem to be stuck with whatever they are given first. If that's to be the case - no try outs - what you get is what you're going to have to keep - then I'd push very hard to get a Respironics REMstar Autopap with C-Flex. Very versatile as it can be used in 4 different ways:
1. cpap with C-Flex off
2. cpap with C-Flex on
3. autopap with C-Flex off
4. autopap with C-Flex on
The 420E that Will mentioned is another excellent autopap, even though it doesn't have an equivalent feature like C-Flex. I used a 420E for a long time... loved that machine and the Silverlining software that can be used with it.
Gwest, I'm no doctor, but I'd strongly suggest you try to get your doctor to let you try a different kind of machine than what the DME (home health care supplies place) gave you. At your pressure of 13 you've been prescribed, and with the aerophagia problems you're having, that could go on a long, long time before you get "used to it". Or you might wake up tomorrow with it gone.
But why go through misery one more moment than you have to, when there are other machines that could relieve it? It really makes me mad when doctors and DMEs wave off "comfort" issues with a "Oh, you just have to get used to it." Talk about setting people up to drop out! It's their failure - not the patient's - in so many cases.
If you absolutely can't get the doctor and DME to let you try an autopap (with or without C-Flex) or a cpap with C-Flex, or a BiPAP (can be set for a lower exhalation pressure than the inhalation pressure) then I'd talk to the doctor about letting you lower the pressure a couple of notches, to let you "get used to it" at a more comfortable level for awhile (whatever lesser level it takes to avoid aerophagia) even if a lower straight pressure doesn't take care of all your events.
Consider this - the sleep study, thorough though it was, was a one night snapshot of your sleep. They also want to look at worst case scenario - often encouraging you to go through the test on your back (supine) since OSA is usually worse sleeping that way. If the pressure they say you need was arrived at mostly with you on your back, but at home you actually sleep on your sides more frequently, then you might not even need that steady pressure of 13 most of the night in your real sleeping environment.
So, it might not be such a bad idea for the doctor to consider letting you use a lower pressure for awhile if he absolutely won't let you try a different machine. If he scoffs at any suggestion you make and keeps telling you to just get used to it, then I'd be looking for a more savvy doctor. Or I'd take up the reins of my own treatment!
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Gwest
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rested gal
- Posts: 12881
- Joined: Thu Sep 09, 2004 10:14 pm
- Location: Tennessee
14 posts
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