Dealing with a common cold, FFM, ASV

Hi everybody:

I wasn't able to use my machine last night because my nose was so congested from this cold I have.
The previous night I took some OTC Alka-Seltzer cold medicine and was able to sleep.
But last night I took it again and it didn't help at all with the congestion.
Needless to say, I didn't get a whole lot of sleep.

What can I do tonight to sleep better with this cold - I would prefer not to take any medication?

Sinus rinse - you can get a saline sinus rinse kit from just about any pharmacy or walmart even. I can get about 3 hours of relief and then I have to get up in the middle of the night and rinse again. I also at times sleep in a recliner or propped up.

Turn up your humidity as high as it will go.

I cope with colds by doing a lot of sinus rinses--and by using sparing amounts of over-the-counter Alfrin-type nasal decongestant, generally just a squirt in one nostril at a time. My hope is always that I will beat the cold before I start experiencing rebound from the decongestant. Usually works.

Thanks for the topic, as this is a good reminder to have your supplies on hand. I used the nasal rise, I find it only helps a little though. I just purchased pur sleeps clear aroma therapy, in hopes that I will be able to use it with my Cpap. I'm not a fan of Vicks Vapor rub, and it probably smells simular, to if I am all stuffed up, I will have to deal with it.
I will have to use medication to help with the congestion and some nasal spray, as I use a nose pillows and won't be able to sleep with out them, or I will choke, so unfortuently I have to go down that route. I have tried many alternative therapies, but I have to say none of them in my opionion work, and if they do, it is only such a small amount that it doesn't seem to make much difference.
I wonder if you could put some vicks on a cotton ball by your machine so you could breathe in the vapors?
I would like to hear also how others deal with this, so I hope everyone will post some good helpful stuff.


Thanks,

Mike

SleepingBearDoNtWake wrote:I wonder if you could put some vicks on a cotton ball by your machine so you could breathe in the vapors?
I would like to hear also how others deal with this, so I hope everyone will post some good helpful stuff.

I asked a similar question a couple of weeks ago when I had a cold. In case it comes to mind to put the Vicks into the water reservoir, most thought it would be a very BAD thing to do. I would normally smear it on my chest but since I use a full face mask I would not get much benefit from the vapor. Good luck on the cold.

Roger

SleepingBearDoNtWake wrote:.
I wonder if you could put some vicks on a cotton ball by your machine so you could breathe in the vapors?

Tiger Balm has more scent. Vicks is a pale cousin to it.

I have found colds, flus and pneumonia much much easier to handle with my cpap and quatro mask then before cpap.

Nothing beats breathing warm humid air when you breathing passages are stressed and inflamed. I even wore it during the day when i had pneumonia.

On moderately congested nights for me, it is always a FFM and I find that the Pur-Sleep "Clear" aromatherapy works very well. Even on bad nights, that combined with nasal rinses will let me get some significant sleep.

That being said, BlackSpinner just gave me a thought for the really bad nights.... Vicks is a lightweight compared to Tiger Balm and I happen to have a small jar of a variant of that I got in Vietnam recently that is very potent... Thank you very much for that thought! Will try that next time on one of the regular Pur-Sleep aromatherapy discs set at the intake of the machine.

Thank you everybody for your suggestions.
Last night I tried a saline rinse with Simply Saline. I spritzed several times an hour until I was ready for bed.
I also did several shots of Nasonex.
At bedtime I cranked up the humidification to the max (6 on a Resmed h5i) and set the climateline hose to 65°F.
I did get more sleep last night with the mask than the previous night but I woke up several times.
Tonight should be better.

I was diagnosed with pneumonia earlier this week. Been sleeping sitting up with the CPAP. Was getting terribly dried out.

Decided I need to reconnect the humidifier. The summer has been so humid, it pulled it off.

A

On a Resmed S9 when the climate control is activated you should only have a choice of a temperature between 60F to 86F. The higher the number the more humidity.

Bobby269 wrote:On a Resmed S9 when the climate control is activated you should only have a choice of a temperature between 60F to 86F. The higher the number the more humidity.

If you turn the climate control off, you can control both the humidity and the temp. It tells you how to do this in the clinicians manual.

Why pay $51.00 for something and not use it.
Now your subject to having water in the
hose & mask.

Bobby269 wrote:Why pay $51.00 for something and not use it.
Now your subject to having water in the
hose & mask.

I pay for snow tires, but don't use them all the time ... Same idea. It is something you can use as you need it. But I do get your point. If we have the feature we ought to consider using it at least some of the time.

IM just finishing a 2 week cold ! This morning I was only slightly congested ! What did I do for it ? Almost nothing, occasionally a few advil. I use Swift Fx nasal pillow mask and just let the ASV pressures blow my breathing open. Amazing at the high pressure's how well I was able to breath ! At least one nostril was kept open. Plugged all day, but open at nite ! Dan