bloated up...

I just stumbled upon this because I was looking for some advice on CPAP machines and options. I have been using my CPAP since June and feel much more rested and have gone from having daily migraine headaches to having 10/15 a month, but now I have horrible stomach pains and gas every morning and have had irritable bowels... I have a Remstar/plus with heated humidifier. My mask is a petite comfort gel and I have good and bad nights with it... sometimes leaking or causing discomfort around the bottom of the nose or the bridge of the nose. I do not tolerate the chin strap well and causes irritation so I do not wear it. What are my options?? The tech that came out mentioned a different kind of machine but she didn't give much specifics. Is there anything else I can do to eliminate the horrible stomach pains???

Thanks!
xmasevebaby

eve, welcome to the board.

What pressure is your machine set at?

Just a wild guess... I'll bet the tech has a machine with C-Flex in mind. Or possibly a BiPap if you have a rather high prescribed pressure.

If you are having a lot of air leaks through your mouth, you're not getting good therapy. Chin straps are next to useless, imho. Got to find another way to stop air from puffing out your mouth. Some of us resort to tape over our lips. If you decide to try tape, be sure to turn down one end of each tape strip onto itself, to make tabs for easy removal.

My machine is set to 11. It starts at 4 and gradually builds up to 11. xmasevebay

A pressure of 11 doesn't seem unusually high. 10 or 11 is what my machine stays on most of the night. The only time I ever experienced aerophagia (swallowing air) was when I was experimenting a bit with the pressure on my machine - I got the terrible bloated pain you described, when I tried a night with my machine at 17. However, if you are getting it at 11, that's where it happens to you. Everyone's different. Whatever pressure bloating happens at, it's no fun. I'm glad I experienced it just a couple of times so I can empathize when others mention pain from bloating. It definitely hurts. A lot. Some people report that eventually the problem simply stops happening. Others have it continue.

A cpap machine with C-Flex (C-Flex drops the pressure some every time you exhale) might give you relief from bloating, eve. Call your therapist tomorrow, tell her you can't stand the pain anymore, that you're going to have to stop the treatment, and beg her to let you try a machine with C-Flex. Might do the trick. It's worth a try, anyway.

P.S. I can't imagine how you don't feel suffocated for air with a ramp starting down at the minimum, 4. I feel like I'm not getting enough air if I try to breathe through a mask at less than 6. In fact, I keep ramp turned off so that the treatment pressure starts immediately. But if you are comfortable with it starting at 4 and like the ramp feature, that's fine. It's that old "your mileage may vary" thing yet again.

I have a bloated feeling if I sleep on my right side when using my CPAP. Laying on my left side causes no problem. Don't know if it will work for you, but you might want to try switching sides.