Ear Pain

[jaye8898]

Hello all,

I did a search on the forum for ear pain and use of Cpap and did not find anything helpful to address my problem.

I have developed ear pain in my left ear (sort of throbbing). It's not bad but it is annoying. The pressure on my machine was recently increased and I switched from a-flex to c-flex resulting in a lovely decrease in numbers. The pressure is 9.0 on autoset that has gone up 13.0 at times.

My RT said the pain would go away as I got used to the Cpap but it hasn't and it's been almost a couple of weeks. I don't want to damage my hearing...any suggestions?

Thanks!

[avi123]

How about setting the maximum pressure to 10 cm and checkng the results? If it's ok en raise it gradually.

[Pugsy]

I would also limit the maximum 10 or 11 and see if that helps the ear situation.
Sometimes we have to make compromises and dealing with ear pain sure might be one of those times.
See of the discomfort eases if the pressure doesn't go so high.
Did you have it with the lower minimum?
How much did you raise the minimum? I forget.

[jaye8898]

Thanks, both of you!

Pugsy, the minimum is at 9.5. I did some research yesterday and ended up using the nasal spray my doctor prescribed for my allergies. I don't like to use it because I don't want to be dependent on it. However, that and exhaling and putting on my mask with the machine running while resuming normal breathing (read about that on a medical site) has helped quite a bit. I don't know which of the two helped, though! I will also start using the Neti pot again since it's obvious (at least to me.... ) the problem is due to inflamed/swollen sinus passages due to my allergy. I left the max pressure alone and it only went up to 12.0 last night with an overall AHI of 1.86.

I emailed my sleep doctor and sent her the previous night's report so will see if she has any suggestions as well. I will post with anything new that may be helpful for someone else.

Thanks again for your help!

[avi123]

Thanks, both of you!

Pugsy, the minimum is at 9.5. I did some research yesterday and ended up using the nasal spray my doctor prescribed for my allergies. I don't like to use it because I don't want to be dependent on it. However, that and exhaling and putting on my mask with the machine running while resuming normal breathing (read about that on a medical site) has helped quite a bit. I don't know which of the two helped, though! I will also start using the Neti pot again since it's obvious (at least to me.... ) the problem is due to inflamed/swollen sinus passages due to my allergy. I left the max pressure alone and it only went up to 12.0 last night with an overall AHI of 1.86.

I emailed my sleep doctor and sent her the previous night's report so will see if she has any suggestions as well. I will post with anything new that may be helpful for someone else.

Thanks again for your help!

I will also start using the Neti pot again since it's obvious (at least to me.... ) the problem is due to inflamed/swollen sinus passages due to my allergy.


Tips to feel better with Sinusitis (from Mayo Clinic) :

Whether acute sinusitis is caused by a viral or bacterial infection, you may be able to relieve symptoms with:
Warm compresses applied to the face or by breathing steam from a pot of hot water or a warm shower.
Nonprescription pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others).
Short-term use of nonprescription nasal sprays or oral decongestants. These can help shrink sinus tissues, possibly helping to relieve sinus pressure or encourage sinus drainage. However, when used for more than three days continuously, nasal sprays can have a rebound effect and make congestion worse. Oral decongestants can cause high blood pressure and elevated pulse rate, and can worsen urinary outflow from prostate enlargement.
Nasal irrigation. While this may help relieve symptoms it won't get rid of the infection sooner because the infected sinus cavities are usually blocked off.
Prescription nasal corticosteroid sprays. These may speed healing in some with bacterial sinus infections with milder symptoms or with allergies as an underlying cause.

Seeking care
If you have sinusitis that has lasted seven to 10 days, see a doctor. If you have signs and symptoms such as severe pain, high fever, or double or blurred vision, seek immediate care. Complications include worsening of asthma, infection of the lining of the brain (meningitis) and vision problems.

[jaye8898]

Well, heard back from my sleep doctor and her recommendation was to come in and have my machine adjusted to a fixed pressure of 11.0 instead of the autoset. I had sent her one night's SleepyHead report and she decided that the max pressure I was using was 11.0 based on that report. However, she had not seen other nights where I've been at 13.0!

In any case, I let her know that I disagreed since I had a lot of trouble with fixed pressure in the past back between 2007-2009. I was very uncomfortable and ended up switching to a machine with autoset and feeling much more comfortable. I also explained I could do the adjustment myself. Not sure how she will take a patient disagreeing with her but she seems very nice. I don't know her well yet.

Not sure why she felt fixed pressure would be better........any ideas?

Thanks!