Traveling Congestion

[DocileDiva]

Pre CPAP
Nightly nasal sinus congestion
Claritan D
Pantanase and Flonase

Post CPAP
Congestion has moved to my chest
Teeth are starting to ache - Last time this happened had a sinus infection (pre cpap)

Pressure - 16
Love my S9 with nasal mask...but only getting about 5 hours sleep before I dry out...already using saline gel...love it.

any suggestions to help with congestion and getting more sleep...1 week on this journey...

[cflame1]

appears that it probably is a sinus infection.

try a netipot... or a sinus rinse. Should be able to get a box with packets at your pharmacy.

[DocileDiva]

Thanks Cflame....I am deathly afraid of the whole netipot concept....fear of drowning...I guess...people keep telling me to try it....Mommy is coming to visit this weekend...maybe I will try it while she is visiting...in case...I drown j/k.

[trike-mike]

I had been running into this same thing... Not so much traveling to my chest but congestion I couldn't shake along with sinus congestion. I'd been trying to treat it like cold/flu/bronchitis (including with inhaler) but last night the boss shoved a Zyrtec down my gullet a few hours before bed. I had been fighting the hook on that one as I have never been allergic to anything in my life but maybe there are new things along the back of our new house (not many months into a house backing on a golf course) that have been annoying me.

One of the best night's sleep in weeks and everything seems wonderfully clear this morning.

Maybe try a different brand of allergy medication?

[kempo]

Docile, do you use a climateline hose? If not you should try it. It delivers a constant 80% humidity at what ever temperature setting you select. It helps keep my nose from drying out and it's really nice on cool nights.

[DocileDiva]

Talked with my respitory therapist today...we increased the humifier level from 2.0 to 3.5.... and added a 10 minute ramp where there was no ramp before...maybe it won't be such a shock to my lungs and cause irritation...at a 16 pressure.. that was a quick intro to a lot of air. I haven't been taking my claritan D like I should...cause I thought the combination of that and the cpap would dry me out too much... gonna get back on it regular... Thanks for the input...

[BusyLyn]

I also have severe nasal allergies / sinus congestion and avoided the neti pot like the plague when my daughter suggested it a few years ago. I didn't like the whole idea of pouring saline through my nose and I was afraid of gagging when the stuff tried to go down my throat. But after hearing recommendations from everyone from my daughter (she didn't give up ) to my allergist and seeing a video on youTube, I finally broke down and started using one about a week ago. It seems to slowly be making a difference.

Try the neti pot -- it's better than the saline sprays.

[Emilia]

This might be a little less scary than a neti pot: http://www.neilmed.com/usa/sinusrinse_video.php

[Muse-Inc]

The Grossan Nasal Irrigator is IMHO the most comfortable of all these gadgets. Netipot is messy and hit or miss as it's a pouring action. Ocean spray using the stream from the can (orange tip) is ok but not a thorough cleansing -- I assume the NeilMed gadget is similar, could be wrong about that. Any form of saline is helpful as it not only rinses the crud out, it has a slight astringent action that helps reduce swelling. The worse the congestion, the more likely it is that you'll need at times to use a nasal irrigation system of some sort.

[lktnky]

I've always hated using any type of nasal sprays but THIS WORKS!
Neilmed is a squeeze bottle that delivers a stream of saline solution of 1/2 tsp salt/soda (you can make the powder yourself; 2:1 salt & baking soda) in 8 oz. of regular tap water. YOU control the pressure based on how hard you squeeze the bottle and the tip fits nicely into your nostril.

It doesn't burn, leaves you feeling fresher and you end up being able to breathe out of both nostrils with your mouth closed. It flushes out the gunk. Don't make the water too warm, and be very careful not to squeeze the salt solution too hard as it may go into your ear canal. Just squeeze the bottle hard enough for it to go in...gravity will send it out the other side. Oh, and one last thing, keep Kleenex handy after using it. Sometimes water gets trapped in your sinuses and you get a little surprise when you least expect it.
All the best,
LKTNKY

[DocileDiva]

Thanks everyone....I will post and let you know the results of what I decide to use....