Started CPAP 2 weeks ago - Like but dizzy, short of breath??

[WarCog]

Good Day everyone,

2 weeks ago today, right at the moment I type this, I was getting my CPAP (ResMed S9) set up in the DME office. Was there as a result of 2 sleep studies, diagnosed with "SEVERE" OSA. 19 events per hour, awoke 203 times the night of the first study! Actually, I was very happy with this diagnosis, as I knew I had apnea and often awoke at night gasping for air, with my poor wife concerned by my not breathing, terrible snoring, etc...you know the story.

Now, 2 weeks into CPAP, I am suffering daily with slight dizziness, which I would call feeling "light headed" and I feel short of breath at times, during which I feel compelled to yawn or sigh heavily, quite frequently at times. BOTH of these symptoms are directly tied to starting CPAP therapy. I have NEVER experienced either before the last two weeks. I feel as thought I have just stepped off a roller coaster, and am trying to regroup my orientation, balance–do you know that feeling? Generally I am in good health, and train aggressively in martial arts 5 hours per week. I eat well, drink loads of water, don't smoke or drink alcohol, and basically have never had any health issues whatsoever in my 46 years other than some chronic nasal stuffiness, and like many American's, a constant struggle to keep the weight off.

These new light headed feelings start every day, mid morning and usually subside by late afternoon. I am not fall-down-dizzy, but I do feel odd, disconnected, and distracted by it. I purchased a finger cuff Oximeter and have been checking my heart rate and blood oxygen content and Pulse Rate is usually between 60 and 80 and Blood O2 content is always 95-99%. My blood pressure is usually well within normal limits also. The shortness of breath is of more concern to me then the actual dizzy head. This could be somewhat related to some slight anxiety about the dizziness and general discomfort, I don't know. But it is concerning.

I did go see my GP doctor last week about these issues. And he did advise I lower the pressure on the machine. So I went from his prescription of a setting of "10" down to a "6". Which I hoped would help by lowered pressure on the inner ear. But it doesn't seem to have made much, if any difference. I don't know if I should pursue this with an ENT or Pulmonologist, as my GP seems shocked that I would be having these symptoms and is otherwise stumped. I just hate to start down the path of some kind of wild goose chase of testing for this, that and the other...when all along I have been "fine" health-wise prior to starting CPAP.

There seem to be quite a few posts on various forums about dizziness and shortness of breath with CPAP, but mostly questions - few answers, solutions, or success stories.

This is very disappointing, as I do very much like being correctly diagnosed now and on CPAP hopefully heading toward better health. I have faithfully used the machine all night, every night since getting it. I even wear it during short weekend naps. I wear the nasal pillow mask which does not seem to leak, and is fairly comfortable.

If anyone has similar symptoms or experience please advise, commiserate, or otherwise lend a newly breathing brother a hand. PLEASE.

Many kind thanks, in advance,

WarCog

[BlackSpinner]

A pressure of 6 hardly gives decent therapy. What does your data say?

Also check your blood pressure to see if there are problems there. I would start with seeing an ENT to rule out ear/nose issues.

[WarCog]

Thanks for your reply post - and for reading through mine, sorry so long...

Data? I am not sure about this feature, evidently. DME did not explain this part of the machine, as they had me locked out of the "Setup" mode. I have since unlocked this area to change my pressure setting, but don't know what to look at, or what the data would mean. Guess I need to get smarter about this machine and it's features.

Thank you,

WarCog

[Drowsy Dancer]

Can you please go into the control panel and specify (using text option not pictures) what your equipment is--machine, mask, etc. People can tell you a lot more about how to look for your data if we know what type of machine you're using. You will probably need software to look at the data that the machine is collecting. Did your doctor look at the data on your machine before suggesting a change in pressure?

Drowsy Dancer

[Pugsy]

Your ResMed S9 machine? Does it have Escape on it anywhere? I sure hope not. No data available except hours of use.

Dizziness? There are some tiny passageways from nasal/throat area to the inner ear. Remember those colds that turn into inner ear infections? Yep, same transit road. Some people the pressure may disturb the inner ear a bit and thus create the dizziness. Lowering the pressure and then increasing slightly might help with the adjustment. Sometimes adding a decongestant might help if there is also a bit of fluid in the ear which is disturbed by the pressure and creating the dizziness. Dry up the fluid and maybe dry up the dizziness. Just a thought.

ENT would be my first choice to see about this issue if it prevented me from getting effective therapy and you can't stay at 6 cm of pressure and expect to have effective therapy.

BTW Welcome to the forum, do add your equipment to your Profile so we can easily see what you are using.
If it is the Escape, you don't want it and time is now to change.

[WarCog]

Thanks all. I have added the machine info to my profile as suggested, thanks for that heads up. Regarding any model info, neither my machine or any of the accompanying paperwork have anything regarding a model, other than "S9 Series" I looked all over the machine and nothing about "Escape" anywhere. Hope that's a good thing.

[Pugsy]

Check your PM box

[jhfield4]

I don't know if this is the same thing, but for the first couple of months of my therapy I felt "cotton-headed" in the morning - kind of fuzzy and out of it. My RT said that was normal, called it an "oxygen hangover" from finally sleeping through the night without stopping breathing. I, too, would come out of my fog in the afternoon. I wouldn't call it dizzy, exactly, but I did feel disconnected and a little like I was in La-La Land. It was a major relief when it finally stopped! But good on ya for going to the doctor and getting it checked out. Hope it eases for you soon.

[WarCog]

Thanks all for your help, advice and attention to my post. Great forum community we have here!

For posterity if some other folks find this thread later on, I want to post a quick update: I am feeling much better!

Two days ago I was pretty desperate when I first posted about my dizziness. I had been on CPAP for two weeks and felt like things were getting worse every day, not better. When both my GP Dr. and CPAP DME company were of ZERO help, motivated by a growing sense of desperation, I decided to try the secondary mask I had purchased. It is the ResMed Quattro FX. It is a full face mask that fit both mouth and nose. It is fairly comfortable, but it is bulky and felt heavy to me compared to the nasal pillow mask. Honestly, I NEVER thought I would use it AT ALL for any reason. The nasal pillow mask seemed like the perfect choice for me. Turns out it may have been the problem all along.

Now, happily I can say, I was wrong about the big mask. The full face Quattro FX it has done the trick. Overnight this different mask cut the dizzy symptoms by 75%. While I do still feel a little "cotton headed" (a very apt term as one of the above posts mentioned) I feel significantly different with the larger mask. I wish I could tell you clinically that it was the reduction of pressure in the sinuses, or in the inner ear, but either way it's much, much better. I look forward to a little more time passing, and hopefully all the "cotton head' will disappear as I get used to all the extra oxygen I am getting at night.

I also increased the pressure up to 8 with the full face mask, from 6 with the nasal pillows, which initially was down from my prescription from 10. I might go up to 10 in time, but I don't feel that I need it. My loving wife says that at 7 I don't snore anymore. Which I am quite sure she is delighted with. I did increase the pressure because there felt like there was a significant drop in pressure in my airways wearing the larger mask. This may just be my perception, but even at a higher pressure, the large mask still feels easier to breath through. Comparatively the nasal pillow mask feels quite restrictive, while still effective at blowing a lot of air in your head. Maybe that's just me, as I do tend to have chronic sinus congestion.

Hope this might help a new user in the future. Thanks again for everyone's thoughts and advice.

WarCog

[Gerald?]

Are you still having shortness of breath? If so maybe go see a cardiologist just to be on the safe side and make sure you don't have hypertension issues.

[SCMimi]

When I first started using the nasal pillows, I had constant vertigo. I took Ginger root capsules for a week or two (which immediately helped it,) and it disappeared. I think it was just getting used to the air pressure in my head.