Anyone notice worsening of the soft palate from CPAP usage?

I had surgery in 2013 to have my tonsils out and my ENT snipped my anterior pharyngeal arches to open my airway. The surgery really helped and everything was great for a couple of years. I felt like I was able to take in so much air via mouth! I didn't start successfully using my CPAP until 2015. I use a nasal pillow, and I wear it faithfully every night. I've noticed in the last 6 months, that my soft palate seems to be slackening and drooping. I can now feel my uvula touching the back of my tongue, whereas I used to have a lot of space. My first suspicion is that the pressure from the CPAP air coming down behind my nose is causing my soft palate to "stretch out" and droop. I compared the current oral airway opening to some post op pictures I took after surgery, and it's closed down a lot. It looks like my soft palate has come down quite a bit. Has anyone else experienced this? Does anyone think the pressure from a nasal mask could have that kind of effect on the soft tissue? I will of course address this with my ENT, but wanted to throw this out there and see if anyone else has felt the same thing. I can't find any information online. Your comments are appreciated!

GoldiJ wrote:Has anyone else experienced this?

I haven't. Been using nasal pillows for over 8 years now.

GoldiJ wrote:Does anyone think the pressure from a nasal mask could have that kind of effect on the soft tissue?

I can't see it happening. The pressure even at 20 cm won't even inflate a balloon.

If anything, I think the snoring inflamed the soft tissue, I'm using less pressure now than when I first started

Yes, after using CPAP for 15 years I began to notice the stretching. Just had the dreaded surgery to tighten the soft palate. This is a very painful surgery. But- I have not used my CPAP since the surgery. I am not sleeping well due to the pain and soreness of the surgery. I am breathing ok with no problems associated with sleep apnea.

Pugsy wrote: ↑

Fri Jun 09, 2017 5:59 pm

GoldiJ wrote:Has anyone else experienced this?

I haven't. Been using nasal pillows for over 8 years now.

GoldiJ wrote:Does anyone think the pressure from a nasal mask could have that kind of effect on the soft tissue?

I can't see it happening. The pressure even at 20 cm won't even inflate a balloon.

Agreed. 20cm water column is 0.28 psi.

rj29662 wrote: ↑

Wed Jul 04, 2018 6:04 am

Yes, after using CPAP for 15 years I began to notice the stretching.

After 15 years of CPAP usage, we are 15 years older. Various body parts are not what they used to be, CPAP or not.

I never had surgery for Sleep Apnea. The sleep doc said to try CPAP first, and if it doesn't work to try tonsillectomy/adenoidectomy. CPAP worked miraculously well (surprising even the doctor). My prescribed pressure really never went below 11 or above 13.5, On the automatic it does sometimes go a bit higher.

The bottom line here is that if it were not for CPAP, I would have been a complete invalid, and probably dead by now. Also, the fact that my pressure has not gotten radically higher seems to tell me that the underying condition is not getting dramatically worse. I'm 19 years older now, so I think that accounts for the sight increase in pressure along with the sensitivity of the automatic machine.