Sore Throats and CPAP

I am 8 days post op from having cervical spinal fusion surgery (neck). The surgical approach is from the front of neck and they move windpipe out of the way to work on the vertebrae etc. I had sore throat and other pains which is typical. A couple of days ago I noticed my throat/roof of mouth getting very sore. I have been taking my 1-2 Percosets every 4 hours as well as cepacol lozenges to reduce pain. I couldn't figure out why my throat was getting worse. I noticed last night, that when I dozed off with CPAP on, I had a problem on exhale. It felt like my throat was closing up and cutting off exhale. I think I am snoring on the CPAP! I have had sore throats before when I napped somewhere without CPAP.

I think , if this is true, I need to adjust my pressure up and reduce my exhale setting.

I have been using my CPAP for 4 + years with great success

Precocet seems to making your apneas worse. You should discuss your symptoms with your doctor - maybe there's a different kind of pain med. with less respiratory side effects.

http://www.usdoj.gov/dea/concern/oxycontin.html

DEA wrote:Pharmacological effects include analgesia, sedation, euphoria, feelings of relaxation, respiratory depression, constipation, papillary constriction, and cough suppression. A 10 mg dose of orally-administered oxycodone is equivalent to a 10 mg dose of subcutaneously administered morphine as an analgesic in a normal population. Oxycodone’s behavioral effects can last up to 5 hours. The drug is most often administered orally. The controlled-release product, OxyContin®, has a longer duration of action (8-12 hours).(5)

The most serious risk associated with opioids, including OxyContin®, is respiratory depression.

My emphasis

http://www.drugs.com

Before using Percocet, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:

asthma, COPD, sleep apnea, or other breathing disorders;

liver disease;
kidney disease;
underactive thyroid;

a history of head injury or brain tumor;

epilepsy or other seizure disorder;

low blood pressure;

a stomach or intestinal disorder;

Addison's disease or other adrenal gland disorders;

enlarged prostate, urination problems;

mental illness; or

a history of drug or alcohol addiction.

If you have any of these conditions, you may not be able to use Percocet, or you may need a dosage adjustment or special tests during treatment.

My emphasis.
O.

That's interesting about the percoset. I have been trying to cut back on dosage. Most of my pain now is from the sore throat. I have been using Chloraseptic spray which helps a lot. I still want to see what my cpap adjustments do.

my wife told me this morning that I was snoring with the mask on.... I thought I was. Not sure what to do. I bumped up pressure last night but that didn't seem to work. My guess is that I need to wait until my throat has healed some more from the neck surgery and off the Oxycodone. My pallete feels like it is swollen and flappy. On exhale it will close up with mask on when I am very relaxed. That's when I snore. I can almost catch myself before I sleep.