15 years and now the insanity of apnea

[blackxacto]

Diagnosed w severe sleep apnea about 15 years ago.

Male, 61, 220lb, 6 ft.
REMstar Plus Domestic #1005960
Setting of 16, full face Mask
Distilled water tank reservoir.

For several years the cpap and mask allowed me to sleep, but within the past two years I begin waking up after three hours or so with what I think are terrible sinus infections. They are so painful that I feel like nothing but bed for the next day. I get the chills and pain in the head, so it has to be infections.

I have tried to lose weight hoping to help the apnea. From 250+ to 220 now.

For awhile I stopped using the cpap. I felt ok the next mornings so I continued not using the cpap.

Last weekend I came in Sunday night exhausted, slept in an easy chair for 2 hours wo the cpap and woke up w a bad (oxygen deprived) headache. Thinking I need the cpap, I put in fresh distilled water after cleaning the mask and tank. I slept for three hours and woke up w a huge sinus infection which laid me out for 24 hours.

I hate the cpap machine. It blows air into my head all night. It used to work, but I have always hated it. It doesn't seem to work any longer. I hear that jaw surgery only works 40% of the time. Am I wrong in that the ONLY alternative is to create a hole in my throat? I hate this apnea situation. I feel like I am disabled, and yet I can walk around.

Actually I can't afford much, I was laid off after 33 years w a company and I have no medical insurance.

I guess I was so frustrated I forgot to ask, what am I doing wrong that wearing the mask gives me a huge sinus infections?

I want to find work, but if my apnea isn't relived and leaves me sleepy all the time or w sinus infections, I can't work for anybody dependably.

It's really depressing to be caught in this apnea nightmare, and the only alternative I can come up w is a hole in my throat. And how attractive is a hole in the throat to employers or potential dates?

It's hard to accept my powerlessness over my apnea trap.

John R

[Pugsy]

what am I doing wrong that wearing the mask gives me a huge sinus infections?

You have an old machine. Some of the old machines had humidifiers that didn't add heat. More heat equals more moisture.
Have no idea which you have but sinus and nasal issues are commonly related to humidifier settings.
If your humidifier doesn't have adjustments to increase the heat and thus increase amount of moisture add to the pressurized air, then likely your nasal mucosa and sinuses are wanting more hydration. Without being able to add heat, you can't add more moisture to the air.

If your humidifier does allow you to alter the settings then if it is set low..increase the number...if it is set high..decrease the number because some people do better with less moisture.

If your machine is 15 years old I have no idea which humidifier you have. If it is one of those that you can't adjust heat...then likely that is your problem...nasal mucosa is getting dried out too much.

[Guest]

The machine is less than 5 years old. I have only a distilled water tank. There is no heating involved. Why would a cpap system work for years then start giving me infections within the past two years?

[Pad A Cheek]

I am not a doctor, however one thing seems to jump out at me from your post. Every time you use your CPAP you get a sinus infection right away. There is something going on inside your sinuses that is being irritated when you use the CPAP. If this were happening to me, I would talk to the doctor and see if they can culture what kind of infection you are experiencing, and perhaps put you on medication before you try the CPAP again.

You still have sleep apnea, and the things that will happen with your health in the future if you do not treat the apnea are worth the fight to find out how to make the CPAP work for you. Are you still using the old machine that you started with? Do you replace your filters, did you clean your hose and replace the mask? A machine that old certainly has seen a lot of air going through it, and it may have accumulated something in it that is helping to cause you infections.

I would try a new machine rented from a DME with a new mask and hose and see if you can eliminate certain factors one at a time.

You are not powerless over your therapy, it just takes determination to come up with the best way to use CPAP to treat your sleep apnea. I wish you the very best in figuring this out.

There are solutions that others will offer that are a different perspective than mine. You can get some great advice here; you have come to the right place.
Good Luck,
Karen

[Pugsy]

Why would a cpap system work for years then start giving me infections within the past two years?

Have no idea. I suppose it is possible that your needs have changed....ambient room humidity changes....lots of things change. If you don't have a heat option on your humidifier that is the first thing I would suspect for your symptoms.

It may seem like a sinus infection but it is really the nasal mucosa rebelling.. Sneezing, drainage, itchy, sinus pressure, runny nose, congestion...all of these I have experienced first hand when I forgot to add water to my humidifier and it ran dry.

Why now and not in the past? Who knows. Winter air is typically drier depending on type of heating system..wood heat, furnace.

Humidification issues is the only thing I can think of. Perhaps someone else has a different idea.
There is a reason that most people use some sort of heated humidification now. Most people do need added moisture...some more than others.

[chunkyfrog]

I bet the machine was really old when you got it--check manufacture date.
Technology is way beyond that now.
First thought: how often does your filter get changed?
You can develop allergies and new sensitivities at any age.
Another thought--you never noticed any discomfort when you were younger; now you are more susceptible to infections.
With no medical insurance, it is important to get the best equipment you can afford.
Your doctor should be willing to write a prescription you can use online for a new machine.
(our hosts, CPAP.com is one)
There are also sources for gently used machines (secondwindcpap.com)
or whatever you can find on Craigs list.
If you buy from an individual, be sure you can see the machine (condition and model, hours, etc.) before you purchase.
Five years is old for a CPAP.

[Pugsy]

The machine is less than 5 years old. I have only a distilled water tank. There is no heating involved

Can you give us an idea which model machine?
All of them have Remstar on them...
Does it look like this one?
https://www.cpap.com/cpap-machine/respi ... -cpap.html

If so the heated humidifier for it is this onehttps://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... ifier.html

And the no heat model might be this onehttps://www.cpap.com/productpage/respir ... ifier.html

I don't know your financial situation but you can get newer technology used machines with heated humidifiers for about the same as a heated humidifier would cost.

[Elle]

I don't think you can get an "infection" that quickly. Bugs take time to grow. It is likely an irritation as mentioned above. What about doing a sinus rinse before you sleep (along with the other tips mentioned here)?

[RocketGirl]

John, I'm a newbie with only two months' experience with CPAP so I can't offer much info there, but I can say that Elle is right - infections take time to get ahold of you and grow, and they also take time to resolve. The speed of what you're describing really does sound like irritation, whether due to the wrong levels of humidity, contamination of the machine somewhere, or even a change in the chemistry of the cleaning products you use on it. One thing I can tell you is that the more detailed information you can provide, the more the folks here will be able to help you. It's amazing what these folks know, and how willing they are to go out of their way to share it.

Give them all the details you can - model of your machine and humidifier, what cleaning products you use, how often you change the filters, what mask you've got... the more information you can give, the more likely you will receive the help that will solve this for you.

[Mary Z]

Please find money to see a doctor and be treated for your sinus infections, if that is what is going on.

[idamtnboy]

Actually I can't afford much, I was laid off after 33 years w a company and I have no medical insurance.

I take it you did not have or do not have a COBRA policy, or has it expired? How long since you've been laid off. Maybe you can still get a COBRA policy.