Are these side affects normal?

Hello everyone! I am a newly diagnosed cpap patient. I have been using a full faced mask for about a week now. I have the normal leaking and adjusting of the mask, but the most bothersome seems to be painful cramping and gas that I have upon wakening. Sometimes this will last till around mid-day. Anyone have any words of experience for me? It would be very much appreciated.

Do a search for "aerophagia" on this forum & you will find lots to read. Some people do better w/a nasal mask.

Gas-X is the remedy of choice.

Hi Burdwoman,
Unfortunately aerophagia is a common problem. I've been at it for 3 months though and haven't had to deal with it. Breathing against higher pressures I've heard can cause it or worsen it. Maybe experiment with the flex or exhalation relief settings.

If you post your machine and equipment on the bottom of your posts, then people can see at a glance what machine you use. It makes things easier for all. It can be done in the profile section of your control panel. Select text mode.
Jamis

All too common!

My poor hubby.....

I was prescribed a fairly high pressure of 14. I had aerophagia for the first month or so while getting accustomed to the positive pressure. Some people elevate the head of the bed. I did not do anything and my discomfort did go away completely. It is not abnormal to experience this. If it persists and it interferes with your compliance, then you will need to do something about it. If you can tolerate it, it may dissipate on its own. Consult your doctor if need be.

I have the aerophagia as well, and my wife hates it more than I do as she has to listen and smell to me degas each morning. I haven't found the cure yet but I do know that if I sleep on my stomach, my AHI is much better and my pressure average stays lower for the night, and thus, less gas.

As others have said, EPR of Flex may help (based on your machine) but for me, enabling EPR caused my AHI to increase so I keep it off.

I had my first bout of this last night. I must have had my mouth open when I first fell asleep, woke up 30 min later with a bloated stomach and horrible acid reflux. Couldn't fall back asleep until 3am.

I am picking up gas-x on my way home from work if I can keep my eyes open =)

GL to you!

Rome

It might be helpful if you do a bit of experimenting to see if certain positions result in less air in the belly. For instance, I've found that if I go to sleep on my back or my left side, I have more trouble than if I go to sleep on my right side. Oddly, I can switch to my left side in the middle of the night without much trouble. In my early months, the chest and back pain was pretty bad, but the severity has lessened over time.

Not sure about your treatment, but those using a fixed pressure may be helped by using an exhalation relief feature. If using an auto adjusting range of pressure, avoiding back sleeping and elevating the head of the bed might help keep pressure needs lower.

Best wishes going forward from here.

Thanks to everyone replying to my posting. I will make a point to try these ideas. My machine is a resmed with a full faced mask (i tend to sleep with mouth open), and is set for a range of pressure from 6-20. Health and happiness to all. Once again, thanks!