CPAPtalk.com

Hi guys.

So I have been using CPAP for about 1.5 years. I have gained about 25 pounds over this time, and my stomach has gotten stretched out. I now burp up food an hour or so after eating it, and my throat seems to be getting swollen and closing.

My sleep doctor says its IMPOSSIBLE for CPAP to cause you to gain weight, and its impossible for me to retain swallowed air to the point that it stays all day and into the evening (because I burp up food even at night.)

I wake up lately with stomach pain and gas, but the gas doesn't come out easily. I got a xray and showed unlikely to have hiatal hernia or ulcers.

The stomach doc recommends another sleep study (don't know what that'll do) and the sleep doc says to get a scope of my stomach. I don't have insurance (am looking into it now).

I am a 31 year old that has been mostly healthy until all this sleep stuff has popped up. I have shallow breathing all day, and not just when asleep. I cannot physically fall asleep without the machine now, even with a MADD mouthpiece.

What do you guys recommend? I'm getting a new mask today as the current one may be leaking. I also think a BI-PAP could be good as it allows me to not retain so much air. Of course my sleep doc won't prescribe one without another expensive sleep study. I've had 2 already.

Insist your doctor check you for GERD--gastro-esophageal reflux.
Do not ignore it! It can lead to cancer.
Sean: stop blaming cpap.
Zmartha: your aerophagia is not the same thing that Sean has.

sean4123 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 02, 2018 3:16 pm

What do you guys recommend?

Harsh but true: the less you eat, the less there'll be to burp up.

sean4123 wrote: ↑

Mon Apr 02, 2018 3:16 pm

...(because I burp up food even at night.)

Sounds like a classic case of Gerd to me. For starters, try raising the head of your bed five/six inches, and don't eat anything for three hours before you go to bed.

This sounds like classic GERD to me....and after gaining 25 pounds that is even more likely.

If you are gaining that much weight and becoming so full that you are burping up food then it might just be that you are over eating. I would personally start to limit my intake, stop spicy and acidic foods, and get an OTC acid reducer like Prevacid and see if that helps.

If the price of a used bipap is less than a new sleep study you could always get a bipap yourself and give it a try.

Do a forum search here on Aerophagia and see if anything fits...

I don't want to muddy the waters here or lead you astray, but I have had a similar issue so I'll relay my experience, FWIW.

I had never had symptoms of Gerd or reflux, and one night I woke suddenly as I felt my throat and mouth rapidly filling with a hot nasty liquid. (sorry for TMI). As I see a highly credentialed gastroenterologist for other reasons, I sought his input on this. He recommended endoscopy. I may be mistaken, but I understood him to say there are some people whose GI system cannot tolerate CPAP. Please note I am not saying this is you, or that you should stop CPAP. But, for example, if you do, in fact, happen to have a more significant hiatal hernia or something, I would think a repair for that could be a potential solution for you? Or maybe a high dose of nexium or whatever?? But this is merely conjecture.

To my mind, anyway, I think a logical step would be to consult a good GI doc. I understand your insurance issue and am sympathetic to that. I do hope you find a way to get some good advice, though!

No, no... it IS a Cpap issue and there are two valid explanations, GERD and/or aerophagia. Don't muddy the waters (yet, anyway) with other things at least until it's proven those two aren't at fault.

I forgot to mention a couple of tips which may possibly help.

My GI doctor recommended elevating the head of my bed, which I accomplished with some wood blocks, and not eating or drinking anything four hours (believe that was the number) before bed--and also, never recline within four hours after eating. I believe there was the option of eating nexium as well, which I declined.

In my case, the issue is caused by a small hiatal hernia.

The thinking on endoscopy, I believe, is that if you are having persistent Gerd-like problems, you may be prone to Barrett's esophagus or something like that, which apparently is something that should be monitored.

It really does sound like Gerd and aerophagia. (To repeat what many have said).

For gerd, avoid caffine, smoking, drinking, fried foods, fats, spicy foods, eat small meals, chew food well before swallowing, no food a # of hrs before bed, head of bed elevated. But, the biggest and best thing you can do is exercise, walk, walk, walk, and walk some more until your 25 lbs is gone. Try to walk fast (cardio zone) at least some of the time. It will help deepen your breathing and help eliminate some of your gas as well as burning fat calories.

Fat in and around your torso are pressing into your organs, like your stomach.

You might try digestive enzymes to help your body digest your food quicker.

For Gerd, you can take an over the counter medicine like Rantidine, twice a day. It will deal with the symptoms.

Many gain weight after starting XPAP, but XPAP doesn't cause weight gain. It's semantics.

For aerophagia, changing the settings on your XPAP might help eliminate or at least reduce this problem. You will have to get sleepyhead, put your data in, and post a night's sleep report, so people here can see your settings and whats happening. The links below should get you started. You will find it interesting, it reports every breath you take throughout the night.

Walking does indeed help eliminate gas.
I found that sleeping on my left side helps prevent swallowing cpap air.
(Up until my shoulders started falling apart)

I would think that not eating x 4 hrs before bed could exacerbate any acid reflux issues... too long a stretch, and your stomach will want to 'fill the gap' as it often will.

We might need to keep a food diary, and figure out what works for each of us.
Timing, as well as content, can affect our digestion/sleep.
And, we are all different in some ways--but alike in others.
Going against what we know works is not a good plan.

Can you clarify something here?

You said

I now burp up food an hour or so after eating it, and my throat seems to be getting swollen and closing.

Are you in bed already an hour after eating? If so, that needs to change immediately. The burping up food is likely GERD (but it could be something else like some sort of esophageal stricture so you really do need to see a GI doctor!). In any case, you should not try to go to sleep until at least 3 hours after eating. If this is happening when you haven't gone to bed in the evening yet, it's clearly NOT CPAP related.

You will be prescribed Proton Pump Inhibitors to lessen the inflammation. But note those are for SHORT TERM use (your doctor may tell you differently, but I highly suggest you research long term effects). They should not be used indefinitely. They treat symptoms, not the underlying issues, and can make the underlying issues worse by interfering with your digestive tract's need for acid. The long term effects are nasty (dementia being one). Few doctors address the underlying issues.

If it is GERD and not some mechanical obstruction (again, you MUST be seen by a GI doc for a diagnosis--check out your options for help with medical expenses as this is serious stuff), then there are two books that you should read: Why Stomach Acid is Good for You by Dr. Lenard Wright, and FAst Tract Digestion: LPR, Acid Reflux and GERD Diet Cure without Drugs by Norman Robillard, Ph.D.

If the CPAP pressure is causing aerophagia, you may need to make some simple adjustments to your pressure or you may need a machine with a lower exhalation pressure (BIPAP). A simple fix to try is training yourself to sleep with the tongue on the roof of the mouth (practice all day when you are not talking or eating) because in most (not all) people that seals off the mouth from the airway and reduces or eliminates air swallowing.