Irritated Throat CPAP Advice

[tornadoknight]

I wondered if someone here could give me some advice? The last 3 times iv’e used my CPAP iv’e run into problems with the feeling that I have an irritant (It feels like there is a small piece of lint on the wall) in my throat that makes me cough until I end up taking it off. Then I seem to be fine again. This morning I changed out the White filter in the back of the machine and rinsed out the Black filter. I’ll clean the mask, tubes & water reservoir to see if something isn’t clean enough that is bothering my throat.

Does anyone have any other advice or suggestions that might help me stop this problem? It’s a bummer to not be able to use my CPAP.


Thanks in advance,
Matt

[oak]

my only advice is not to stop using your CPAP just because you have a throat irritant. its bad to get in the habit of stopping CPAP for things like this. just put a glass of water by your bedside? good luck!

[Pugsy]

Humidity maybe?
May need more or less added moisture????
Just a thought...this is something new?? Just started recently??

[TorandoKnight]

Yes. This is fairly new. I take the mask off because I can't stop coughing. (I don't just cough once or twice.)

It's like the feeling that I somehow inhaled a hair into my throat and can't stop the coughing until I remove the mask. Then i'm fine again.

Normally I have bigtime try mouth and headaches if the humitiy setting is any lower. So I don't set it any lower.

[Pugsy]

Any change in meds recently?

You might try a little more humidity to see if that helps.

[TorandoKnight]

Any change in meds recently?

Nope. Same that iv'e been on and same dosage for some years.

You might try a little more humidity to see if that helps.

I beleive that I have the max amount of humidity on this machine.

[Pugsy]

I beleive that I have the max amount of humidity on this machine.

Which machine is that? The PR S1 machine you have showing in your profile...the 150?
Did you know that there are likely 2 modes of operation for the humidity delivery and the default mode doesn't deliver as much moisture as the other mode?
There's the "New Humidification System" which is the default mode and there is
"Classic Mode" which is the way the old humidifiers work with heat only and it will deliver more moisture...also increases the chance of rain out. To get to the Classic mode you have to go to the clinical menu and turn off the "New Humidification System" and then it reverts to Classic Mode.

This choice is/was available on all of the PR S1 machines except the very oldest of models which came out in winter of 2009/2010.
The very first models only offered the "New humidification system" but subsequent models offered both.

A setting of 5 in Classic mode uses a lot more water than a setting of 5 in the "new humidification system" mode.

[TorandoKnight]

Hmmm. Actually, I don't know. I'm just going off of what my CPAP supplier (Frontier Home Medical Inc.) said they set it at when I received it years ago.

I'll have to ask them which version they have it set on.

[Pugsy]

You might want to watch this video as it will explain how to get into the clinical setup menu and look for the humidification settings.
http://www.cpaplibrary.com/machines.html
scroll down on the page just a little to spot the PR S1 video.
Unless you have one of the older PR S1 machines without the Classic Mode option...I bet they left it in the default mode which uses less water.

[Julie]

I might ask my ENT doctor to take a look - on the even remote chance you do have some tiny growth somewhere that otherwise doesn't show up when eating, etc., but that the Cpap (blowing) air tickles.