smells bad, drowning?, chest hurting? Anyone Relate?

[davinci]

This is a great site. My brother tried the HCzz1LE Fisher &Paykil CPAP with the HC407 Flexfit hose. It had a presetting of 9 which was too forceful and he reduced it to 2. He had a list of complaints the next morning.

The smell of the air/hose created a horrible taste in his mouth, which stayed all day.

He had the sensation of drowning in the night.

His chest hurt when he woke up.

He felt it caused diarrhea the next day.

His ears began to pop, from the air pressure.

Does any of this sound familiar to you guys?
My main concern is that he has shortness of breath that is undiagnosed. Is it possible that the CPAP device could worsen, say, a cardiac condition? I read that Congestive Heart Failure and other Cornary Artery Disease are common with sleep disorders. Anyone out there find a correlation, personally?

Any information, articles would be great!

[yardbird]

re: smell.
Brand new hoses might be off-gassing something he's sensitive to. Can't say I've heard of this personally, but.....
Have him wash out his noew hoses with the vinegar and water solution and let them air dry. Same with his humidifier chamber if he's got one. If there are manufacturer's instructions for cleaning the hoess, you may want to follow those instead if they're different.

If his study said he needed a setting of 9cm and he lowered it to 2, then no WONDER he felt like he was drowning! He most likely wasn't getting enough air! (I didn't even know you COULD set a machine as low as 2... I have only heard 4, but I'm no expert on this. Perhaps I'm misunderstanding the meaning of "setting" on that particular machine)

I'm not a medical professional so please take any and all comments suggestions I may make with that in mind. I'm just a CPAP user like most folks on here.

The "chest hurt" could very well be from him fighting the machine all night with that low setting.

The diarrhea I have no clue on. I've never had that experience from CPAP.

Ears popping would seem like a pressure thing which makes sense since we're hooked up to a machine that provides pressure. I think I'd defer judgement on this one until he's at a proper pressure for his condition.

Re: heart condition...
Again I'm ging to say I'm not a medical pro, but I *DO* have a very mild heart condition. I am prone to PVCs (arrythmia). My personal experience has been that as long as I use my CPAP, the PVC episodes are nearly non-existant. As if the CPAP is IMPROVING those symptoms... not making them worse. This makes sense if the reason for my PVCs has anything at all to do with low oxygen levels. Nobody really seems to understand what causes PVCs, unfortunately, so they treat symptoms rather than try to fix them.

In short, I'd advise using the CPAP as prescribed FIRST... give it a little time. It takes a while to get used to for a lot of people. Make adjustments in SMALL increments if necessary.

[ozij]

re smell:
My brand new hose had instructions to wash it before the first use.

Ditto - new masks. They should even be soaked in warm saoapy water for 30-60 mins - but read your mask's instructions about which parts should be put in water and which not.

New machine: One whiff of the air coming out of it, and I had it pumping coutinuously into the living room for an hour and a half (or was it longer?) just to get rid of that smell of new. Didn't think my nose and lungs had to be on the other side of the hose while this clearing was going on.


re setting:

2??? two?? no wonder he felt like he was choking.

I agree with yardbird.

O.

[davinci2]

Thanks for the info.
He actually ran the machine
for about ten hours and it
still had the smell. It is
not a new machine so he
washed it according to
the instructions, Dove
soap. I could smell
it too. Plastic garden
hose.

His sensation was of
drowning, not choking.
He set the pressure
low because he could
not breathe out against
the higher pressure.
The manual did not
say, "Close your mouth."
to breathe out, but that
was his impulse.

Any articles out there
on Heart Conditions
and this machine?
Thanks!

[another_guest]

I am chemically sensitive and can relate to some of this -

I soaked hoses and masks twice and aired them out for a month - for oxygen tubing I normally use 3 months airing after soaking in hot water with either vinegar or baking soda to minimize the chemicals but for the CPAP I didn't have that amount of lead time - I can't use the humidifier yet (heated one) because it isn't outgassed yet and heating the plastic base is too much - for the machine and hoses and masks I did run it without me attached to help too - I probably should have outgassed everything more than I did

If there is a chemical overexposure that might explain the "runs". If the machine isn't new what they used to disinfect it with can create havoc too in chemically sensitive people. Chemical sensitivity is not something most docs want to accept so you can run into major brick walls when you suggest these "bizarre" ideas. After all they think anyone should be able to take all these petrochemicals into their body and survive.

Try to minimize other exposures such as avoiding scented soap, colognes, other personal products, cleaning compounds, laundry detergents, fabric softners, bug sprays, new products, laser printers, copying machines, paints, air freshners, etc. and see if that will help turn things around. If he just went over the threshhold of what he could handle then maybe this will help get him back to the better side.

[biggziff]

With such a low pressure he could be rebreathing carbon dioxide. The C02 is usually carried away with the pressure through the exhaust ports on the masks. If the pressure is too low, some residual C02 will be present and could cause a myriad of issues.

[Guest]

I am concerned for your brother. Please tell him to see his MD. His symptoms are serious, could be a sign of illness. At the very least he needs instructions and follow up till he gets the "hang of it".

The new hoses have a "smell", in my experience it did go away within a few days. Please tell him not to change the settings until he understands the process of xpap. The members of this sight often speak of changing their settings, but don't take that as random trial. They have studied xpap and have the computer equipment to follow their stats.

I floundered my first four days. I realized I needed help and went to the Sleep Center and the receptionist gave me a hands on tutorial. The time she spent with me was priceless. I have not had a bad night since. My numbers are great (she reviewed them at a later date).

Good Luck.....We are here if you need us.

[CollegeGirl]

If he's having trouble breathing out, it's important he contact his DME/Doctor. He probably either needs a BiPap, or, at the very least, a Respironics machine with CFlex capabilities. These machines slightly lower the pressure when you breathe out, making it easier.

As far as the drowning goes, it's common to experience that feeling when your sleep apnea is not being treated adequately. It is definitely a sign that he is not getting enough air, and that his pressure is TOO LOW. PLEASE don't mess with the pressure until you know what you're doing! There's a definite possibility that's making things much, much worse for him. I can't imagine having it set to two - I can't breathe with anything less than 8, and most machines don't even HAVE settings less than 4.

I'm with the other poster that said they probably cleaned the machine, hose, or mask with harsh chemicals - I never had any unpleasant smells with my machine when it was new.

[allen]

Well, about the smell...

When the DME switched out the CPAP for an APAP, I got an APAP that had been used.

I don't know what they used to disinfect it for re-use, but I loved the smell. I'm disappointed that it dissipated after about 5 nights.

Yeah, I know--color me weird!
Allen

[ozij]

Well, about the smell...

When the DME switched out the CPAP for an APAP, <snip...>

Which reminds me: I got rid of the chemical smell in a used machine (DME provided) by washing the filter in soapy water. Which solved the disinfectant smell problem. If you have a diposable filter in addition, then replace it.

O.

[Bonnie]

My hose had a horrible smell, no amount of trying the remedies I read here worked. The smell finally went away and now with regular normal washing it has been fine. I remember my first week on the cpap. I had ear problems & a sore nose from the "break in" period of my Swift nasal pillow. And I did have pressure in my chest. The ear problems went away, the nose problems went away and the chest pressure was explained to me that it could be I was not getting enough air in my lungs prior to cpap and with cpap I was receiving more than I was use to. After a week, this too went away. My guess is that the feeling of drowning could be from him inhaling with his mouth open. THAT is a weird feeling. But ALWAYS consult with your doctor when ANY problems linked to medical ailments are present. People here are more than willing to share tips or advise & experiences about equipment but no one would even consider diagnosing someone's medical problems.

[Guest]

I had the smell problem too. After I started showering before retiring, it went away.