A cold and CPAP Therapy

[birdygirl38]

I have my first cold since starting CPAP therapy and I am having trouble keeping my nasal mask on as I feel I can't breathe due to the congestion.
What do you do when you have a cold? Skip CPAP or have a full face mask? I hate to skip it but I am taking off the mask in the middle of the night.
I can't take much in the way of effective decongestants due to high blood pressure, so that won't help.
Can I put some Vapo rub on the inside of my mask or the open jar near the intake filter to get the vapors into my machine? Has anyone tried that to see if it helps?
Any ideas would be appreciated. Almost time for a new mask and like my nasal only mask except when I get a cold.
Thanks.

[chunkyfrog]

A full face mask is generally recommended, although I haven't needed it much.
I find that warm, humid air helps loosen mucus enough so that after I "slime" a tissue, I can use my nasal mask.

[Pugsy]

I wouldn't put the Vicks on the mask but you sure could put it next to the air intake and let the machine draw in the aroma.
We do that a lot with essential oils just because we like nice aromas.

Some people do switch to a full face mask just so that can just breathe through their mouth if they need or want to without losing pressure.

I just crank up the humidifier and take whatever meds I need to (I know you are limited but there are some decongestants safe for people with blood pressure issues) and I have been known to use a teeny bit of nasal spray like Afrin.
Saline nasal spray like Simply Saline...I use a lot of it because the moisture does help with the congestion.
I still use my nasal pillows mask...crank up the humidity and sleep and breathe decent or as decent as one might expect with a nasty upper respirator infection. Never missed a night on the machine due to a cold and don't own a full face mask.

[Janknitz]

If you're really gooey and sneezy, you may have to skip a night, but I can't sleep without it anymore, so I'll even resort to holding it on my face with my hand, knowing it's going to come off and leak as soon as I relax in sleep.

A full face mask and cranking the humidity helps a lot.

Before bed, use some saline nasal spray to really clean things out. Squirt and blow until you clear your nose. You can use saline spray as often as necessary.

I feel for you, I can't take any decongestants or antihistamines. You may be able to take Mucinex, which just loosens up secretions--check with your doctor. And I load in all the fluids I can possibly hold during the day--it really does help.

[birdygirl38]

Afraid to take mucinex now as the last time I took it I ended up with full body hives. I was also on a Zpack and it could have been the combo as it happened once before with mucinex and antibiotic combo years ago. I think I will crank up the humidity and use the vicks near the intake tonight to see if it helps. I will grab some saline spray tomorrow, too late for the pharmacy tonight. I have a neti pot somewhere though - may try that. Thanks for the tips.

[acidragon]

Being in the construction field, I breathe in alot of dust and heavy metals throughout the day. I suffered from congestion and many sinus infections on a constant basis. It almost became a normal way of life for me... well until I discovered the neti pot and sinus mist. It takes a little gettting use to, its liek waterboarding lol. Make sure you use boiled or bottled water for neti pot (no tap water) tilt head to the side and for the sinus mist tilt your head back and drink the salt water as it goes through your sinus cavity. Yes my doctor said to drink it since all of your mucus goes that way anyways. Takes a little getting use to... being someone who cant swim it took a while to get over that panic feeling but now its like second nature. I sleep with clear sinuses and usually I can see a difference with my apap in pressures when I do and dont use it.

Tony

[Dreamrobot]

I just had a cold or some sinus/throat virus this past weekend, just today am feeling much better:
I also cranked up the humidifier, normally run around level 2 but run it at 4 to 5. On my worst day (I was sure I was going to die from not being able to breath thru my nose on room air) I put on my cpap in the day and cranked up the humidity and was able to breath. I also used afrin a couple of nights , zyrtec and nasal rinses, and use of room humidifier while awake, lots of hydration and moisturizer for outside my nose. did I say lots of hydration?
good luck the collective is with you
Dreamrobot

[torontoCPAPguy]

I have my first cold since starting CPAP therapy and I am having trouble keeping my nasal mask on as I feel I can't breathe due to the congestion.
What do you do when you have a cold? Skip CPAP or have a full face mask? I hate to skip it but I am taking off the mask in the middle of the night.
I can't take much in the way of effective decongestants due to high blood pressure, so that won't help.
Can I put some Vapo rub on the inside of my mask or the open jar near the intake filter to get the vapors into my machine? Has anyone tried that to see if it helps?
Any ideas would be appreciated. Almost time for a new mask and like my nasal only mask except when I get a cold.
Thanks.

Piece of cake. First make sure you have a good humidifier and crank it up as high as you are able to; this will assist in keeping your nasal passages and sinuses open and clear. Secondly, get yourself a full face mask. I use a Mirage Quattro and it works well. If I have plugged sinuses I can mouth breathe and it does not affect my sleep one iota. In fact, I liked it so much that is the only mask that I use.

WATCH OUT for chest congestion. It may be a simple matter of phlegm produced by your cold and it may be the start of pneumonia. See a doctor and get a swab of that sputum to make sure what it is or is not. Take no chances. I have experienced the downside and it almost killed me (two weeks on full life support).

[jweeks]

What do you do when you have a cold?

Hi,

Mostly, I whine and complain a lot. It is not an option for me to sleep without my machine. But when I have a cold, I can only use the machine for about 3 hours before my nose gets so plugged up that I have to wake up and take a break. I simply accept the fact that I am going to quickly become a zombie (due to interrupted sleep), and 2 or 3 days of my life are going to evaporate while I get though this. I do find that it does help to crank up the humidity.

Some people keep a full face mask just for this kind of situation. However, I cannot seem to find a full face mask that I can deal with. I have a ridge on my cheek bone under my eyes, and I cannot get a full face mask to seal both on the top and the bottom at the same time unless I really crank it down. If I crank it down, I get blisters on my face. I'd much rather use my nasal pillow mask and deal with the fallout.

One other strategy is to do what you can to avoid colds and the flu. I get a flu shot every year, I wash my hands a lot, and I try to avoid other sick people when I can. Eating better, exercising, and avoiding getting run down also helps a lot.

-john-

[torontoCPAPguy]

In terms of avoiding "getting run down", what exactly do you do? I am already crossing with the green light or at intersections and looking both ways for traffic before starting to cross. I wear bright clothing, especially at night and use cross-walks where available. Any other suggestions to avoid getting run down? I can only imagine the after effects of having this happen all the time.

[david.thistlethwaite]

During a cold I have also found that a full face mask can work, but I have discovered a trick that is in my opinion counter intuitive.

I clean out my nasal passages using a neti-pot, then head off to bed.

I turn DOWN the humidity on my xpap and this in turn dries out my nasal passages effectively stopping the river of mucus that would have built up during the night.

The dried up nasal passages let me breathe while using my nasal pillows and I get a good nights sleep.

In the morning I MUST neti-pot my nose again to remove all the crude that has dried in there, but it seems to work well.

[jweeks]

In terms of avoiding "getting run down", what exactly do you do?

Hi,

While I do wear bright safety yellow clothing while out running, I was more thinking along the lines of not letting your system get depleted and making you an easy target for viruses. For example, try to keep a good work/life balance, avoid stress when possible, try to eat enough fresh and whole foods to keep up your vitamin and mineral reserves, don't get behind on sleep, and avoid places with lots of germs (like a crowded mall or a kids birthday parties).

-john-

[yoyoyomonica]

I am sick now. I used the vicks on a cotton ball next to the intake of the machine. and turned up the humidity. it actually helped out alot. I had relief being on the machine, it was more like therapy. Feel better soon

[torontoCPAPguy]

I was thinking more along the lines of spritzing the nose with a sinus spray conaining oxymethazoline solution (not the other stuff) to keep it open; using a full face mask so I can mouth breathe and not have to get up and spray again during the night; and using max humidification to address chest congestion and coughing to permit a better sleep. Works great for me.

[birdygirl38]

Thanks for all the tips. I did use the vicks and high humidity with my nasal mask. My nose stayed open. I also used the neti pot before bed. I tried saline nose spray but could not get it to work as well as the neti pot. Thankfully, I did not get a cough or pneumonia though the cold hung on for 3 weeks and I did get antibiotics from the doctor to kick it out finally. Did get a little tired but not too run down.