New CPAP user having problems.

ChicagoGranny wrote:

Mike208 wrote: I already use Omeprazole with sodium bicarb and chewable antacid when I need to. Sometimes it's enough. Sometimes it's not.

Mike, This is Gramps. A few things leading up to a point,

1. I also had GERD before I started CPAP. Sleep apnea was the cause of my GERD. When you are struggling to breathe during an apnea, the muscles around the diaphragm contract rapidly and can throw stomach contents up and out of the stomach into the airway and even the mouth.

2. The acids hitting the LES can damage it and weaken it's ability to hold back air thus making one more susceptible to swallowing air and CPAPers more susceptible to gastric insufflation. (I always called it aerophagia but Granny corrected me.)

3. So I am prone to gastric insufflation and like Midnight Strangler have to avoid sidesleeping.

4. One thing you need to do is get your GERD under tight control and give the LES some time to do some healing. This might help with the gastric insufflation.

5. You might also find that CPAP exhalation relief or a BiPAP machine help. (I don't like either - every person is different.)

6. Has anyone talked to you about getting the CPAP software downloaded and learning to use it to analyze your therapy?

Good luck with next week's sleep doc appointment and Happy New Year!

ChicagoGramps

Hi Gramps. Thanks for your advice. To be quite honest, my digestive system is a mess. I have GERD and IBS that keep me constantly wondering what's next. I take the medication religiously and have been for years. Yet, it still is not really well controlled. It's better than it was but that's not really saying a lot. My emotions go right to my gut and I have been under a great deal of stress with family issues the past year. I wouldn't be too surprised to learn I have an active ulcer. Yes, I need to see the Gastroenterologist. I'm going to call and make an appointment.
I have had several dilatation's of the opening to the stomach. I'm not sure what it's called other than the cardia. My last was in 2012. At that time the doctor did say he saw signs of ulcer scaring in the stomach but no active ulcer. It didn't occur to me that this may be a cause of my problems with the CPAP. I see what you're saying. I'm going to mention all of this Monday. I still try to use the machine every night but I get only 2 or three hours and then have to stop. I have not downloaded any software. Is that the Sleepy Head I saw someone mention? I know someone who also has an Airtense and he said it isn't available for our machine yet. I don't know if that's true or not. Now, the machine does have an SD card in it. I assume that is holding all of the usage information for the machine.

And Happy New Year to you sir!

Mike208 wrote:My emotions go right to my gut and I have been under a great deal of stress with family issues the past year.

If you followed the typical course of many of us, you had sleep apnea for years before it was diagnosed. The medical profession has done a horrible job of identifying at-risk patients and getting them treated.

Untreated sleep apnea puts tremendous stress on body and mind and makes one easily susceptible to anxiety which as you mention can cause other physical problems. Here is some reading on apnea, sleep deprivation and anxiety from my friend Dr. Park - http://doctorstevenpark.com/index.php?s=anxiety

The good news for you is successful treatment of sleep apnea should lead to significant improvements in many aspects of your life.

You don't sound like someone who gets discouraged easily, so hang in there and work through this problem-solving stage of CPAP therapy.

Mike208 wrote:Yes, I need to see the Gastroenterologist. I'm going to call and make an appointment.

You might ask him if he sees damage to your LES and has ideas on how to repair or treat it.

Mike208 wrote:Is that the Sleepy Head I saw someone mention? I know someone who also has an Airtense and he said it isn't available for our machine yet. I don't know if that's true or not.

I have the older model and don't know about that. If it is true, I am hoping a new release of SleepyHead comes quickly for everyone with the new model.

Maybe someone else reading this thread can give us an update? Granny also doesn't know.

ChicagoGramps

I think your analysis of data will come in time as right now we know the priority is dealing with the LES and issues preventing you from using CPAP at all. The Sleepyhead software will read your Resmed Airsense 10 machine data as of version 0.9.8. You can download the latest version here http://www.sleepfiles.com/SH/index.html?TestingVersions

It might help to download and get to know how to use this software. It will make a big difference as you resolve other problems and can focus on actual treatment effectiveness.

ChicagoGranny wrote:

Mike208 wrote:My emotions go right to my gut and I have been under a great deal of stress with family issues the past year.

If you followed the typical course of many of us, you had sleep apnea for years before it was diagnosed. The medical profession has done a horrible job of identifying at-risk patients and getting them treated.

Untreated sleep apnea puts tremendous stress on body and mind and makes one easily susceptible to anxiety which as you mention can cause other physical problems. Here is some reading on apnea, sleep deprivation and anxiety from my friend Dr. Park - http://doctorstevenpark.com/index.php?s=anxiety

The good news for you is successful treatment of sleep apnea should lead to significant improvements in many aspects of your life.

You don't sound like someone who gets discouraged easily, so hang in there and work through this problem-solving stage of CPAP therapy.

Mike208 wrote:Yes, I need to see the Gastroenterologist. I'm going to call and make an appointment.

You might ask him if he sees damage to your LES and has ideas on how to repair or treat it.

Mike208 wrote:Is that the Sleepy Head I saw someone mention? I know someone who also has an Airtense and he said it isn't available for our machine yet. I don't know if that's true or not.

I have the older model and don't know about that. If it is true, I am hoping a new release of SleepyHead comes quickly for everyone with the new model.

Maybe someone else reading this thread can give us an update? Granny also doesn't know.

ChicagoGramps

I think about it now and wonder how many years I've actually been suffering from it. I try not to be discouraged but I will admit that it's difficult. I did some more research and learned it's not recommended to be on anti-depression/anti-anxiety medication while on CPAP. I guess it can contribute to over relaxation of the throat muscles and make it difficult. Who knows? If true it would be another negative for me.

Sleeprider wrote:I think your analysis of data will come in time as right now we know the priority is dealing with the LES and issues preventing you from using CPAP at all. The Sleepyhead software will read your Resmed Airsense 10 machine data as of version 0.9.8. You can download the latest version here http://www.sleepfiles.com/SH/index.html?TestingVersions

It might help to download and get to know how to use this software. It will make a big difference as you resolve other problems and can focus on actual treatment effectiveness.

Thank you for that. You're correct. The priority is dealing with the issues preventing me from benefiting from it. Everything else will come after that.

Mike, I can definitely confirm that the version of Sleepyhead that I've been using since early October reads the data from the Airsense 10. Here is a screenshot of my data from last night:

The Sleepyhead version is in the title bar in the window, while the machine info is on the left side near the top.

Thank you for letting me know.

Just thought I'd post an update. I tried sleeping in my recliner last night. I used the machine approx. two hours before I woke with the chest and stomach pain, fighting to breathe. I checked the data this morning and, in that two hour period, I had 25 events per hour. How is that possible with all of the pressure I'm getting?

Mike208 wrote:Just thought I'd post an update. I tried sleeping in my recliner last night. I used the machine approx. two hours before I woke with the chest and stomach pain, fighting to breathe. I checked the data this morning and, in that two hour period, I had 25 events per hour. How is that possible with all of the pressure I'm getting?

that would depend on what those events were.

palerider wrote:

Mike208 wrote:Just thought I'd post an update. I tried sleeping in my recliner last night. I used the machine approx. two hours before I woke with the chest and stomach pain, fighting to breathe. I checked the data this morning and, in that two hour period, I had 25 events per hour. How is that possible with all of the pressure I'm getting?

that would depend on what those events were.

They're apnea events.

Mike208 wrote:

palerider wrote:

Mike208 wrote:Just thought I'd post an update. I tried sleeping in my recliner last night. I used the machine approx. two hours before I woke with the chest and stomach pain, fighting to breathe. I checked the data this morning and, in that two hour period, I had 25 events per hour. How is that possible with all of the pressure I'm getting?

that would depend on what those events were.

They're apnea events.

ai, ca, ha?

Mike, Have you downloaded Sleepyhead yet from the link that I posted earlier? That way you can tell if the AHI is composed of central, obstructive, or hypo apneas. They may need to be addressed differently.

Mike208 wrote:I checked the data this morning and, in that two hour period, I had 25 events per hour. How is that possible with all of the pressure I'm getting?

Mike, I know you are working on other things, but if you have any extra time, it would be good to start looking at the software analysis.

Mike208 wrote:I tried sleeping in my recliner last night.

What angle was your back?

How was your head positioned? Neck straight in line with back or at an angle?

Some of us wear, with our CPAPs, soft cervical collars to keep the airway in the straighest/"most open" position - http://www.amazon.com/Carex-Health-Bran ... cal+collar

and photo https://www.google.com/search?q=photo+s ... B465%3B465

ChicagoGranny wrote: and photo https://www.google.com/search?q=photo+s ... B465%3B465

I suggest you avoid the hard cervical collars