CPAPtalk.com

ThinkandThinkAgain wrote:My most recent physical, my CO2 is elevated in my blood!
If my CO2 is elevated to abnormal levels in my blood, it must be from CPAP. Am I even safe to continue?

as I understand it, the body normalizes c02 levels very quickly, so if the cpap were doing anything, by the time you got to your doctors, the effects would have already cleared up.

it's something else.

ThinkandThinkAgain wrote:My most recent physical, my CO2 is elevated in my blood! This is the first time my carbon dioxide has been elevated and the first time I am using a CPAP machine: sleepMapper, Phillips Respironixs, system one. I will point out the company did not permit you to look or try sample masks, nor did the have various sizes. When I visited my MD, his partner, working in sleep apnea did have assorted masks. The small mask was much more comfortable, but I use the medium size. Unless I pull the mask down over my upper teeth, the air use to blow in my eyes. Pulled down, no air escapades the mask.

If my CO2 is elevated to abnormal levels in my blood, it must be from CPAP. Am I even safe to continue?

WRONG GUESS!
Quit trying to blame your CPAP therapy for other medical issues. AND.....learn to use Google.

Are you taking antacids? That will do it. Other things, too.
Happened to my wife early last year. She quit the antacids and everything was fine.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency ... 003469.htm

http://labtestsonline.org/understanding ... /tab/test/

http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/bicarbonate?page=2


High values
High carbon dioxide (bicarbonate) levels may be caused by:
Vomiting, dehydration, blood transfusions, and overuse of medicines that contain bicarbonate (especially
antacids).
Conditions such as anorexia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), fluid in the lungs (pulmonary
edema), heart disease, Cushing's disease, and Conn's syndrome.

Low values
Low carbon dioxide (bicarbonate) levels may be caused by:
Hyperventilation, aspirin or alcohol overdose, diarrhea, dehydration, and severe malnutrition.
Liver or kidney disease, a massive heart attack, hyperthyroidism, or uncontrolled diabetes.

What Affects the Test
Reasons you may not be able to have the test or why the results may not be helpful include the following:
You drink liquids that are very acidic, such as orange juice or some types of carbonated beverages, shortly
before having the test.
You are taking some medicines, such as diuretics, some antibiotics, glaucoma medicine, and
corticosteroids.
The health professional leaves on the elastic band that stops blood flow for an extended amount of time
before the blood sample is collected.


Den

.

ThinkandThinkAgain wrote:My most recent physical, my CO2 is elevated in my blood! This is the first time my carbon dioxide has been elevated and the first time I am using a CPAP machine: sleepMapper, Phillips Respironixs, system one. I will point out the company did not permit you to look or try sample masks, nor did the have various sizes. When I visited my MD, his partner, working in sleep apnea did have assorted masks. The small mask was much more comfortable, but I use the medium size. Unless I pull the mask down over my upper teeth, the air use to blow in my eyes. Pulled down, no air escapades the mask.

If my CO2 is elevated to abnormal levels in my blood, it must be from CPAP. Am I even safe to continue?

That is not how cpap works. You have other issues... See a Dr.

For example - I started excessively yawning already at about 5pm. I am also feeling a bit zombie/brain fog/spaced out and having trouble concentrating on typing this post.

Are you still having these types of problems that you reported in 2012?

What does your doctor say about your CO2 levels?

Are you,

- Practicing good sleep hygiene? (Google it and read several sources. Mayo Clinic is simple explanation.)
- Eating a nutritious diet?
- Having a regular moderate exercise program?

Do you get out and have good times with friends and family?

All of these are essential to good health.

If you're a smoker that's generally the easiest explanation

That was why I came here too. My CO2 was excessively high in my blood work. I use nose pillows.
I was looking up reasons and I know that it is expelled out the mask but I do sleep with several pillows and wonder if it is blocking it back to me. I go back to my doctor next week so I Will have to ask him.

Peppermint wrote:That was why I came here too. My CO2 was excessively high in my blood work. I use nose pillows.
I was looking up reasons and I know that it is expelled out the mask but I do sleep with several pillows and wonder if it is blocking it back to me. I go back to my doctor next week so I Will have to ask him.

do you often wake up gasping for breath? have you suffocated to death in your sleep?

if the answer is no, then it's not the cpap.

Peppermint wrote:That was why I came here too. My CO2 was excessively high in my blood work. I use nose pillows.
I was looking up reasons and I know that it is expelled out the mask but I do sleep with several pillows and wonder if it is blocking it back to me. I go back to my doctor next week so I Will have to ask him.

Did they take the blood sample while you were still connected to your CPAP? If not, CPAP probably had nothing to do with the high CO2.

I think that even if you're having apnea or are rebreathing your CO2 while using CPAP, the CO2 level in your blood should return to normal within a minute or so.

I highly doubt it would be the mask. A simple test would be trying another mask and seeing if the symptoms you describe disappear.

What were your CO2 levels from the venous blood test? What did your doctor say?

I am using a large sized Amara View mask, I just switched from medium on the 17th of April. I feel the holes are too small as well, but I am sure it is the company playing with the numbers to aggitate me.

Thank you, I know how to find out if CO2 is raised in my blood now. I see my PCP this Thursday.

since I have had problems since I began using the RESMED Machine. I use a company since Medicare is paying for the machine. I turned in to the medical board the company since the numbers kept changing, and the owner denied it. I now have had the machine stuck for I do not know how long on the lowest setting. I use a bipap which is two different settings. Mine goes from (V-AUTO) 8 over 13 to 15 over 10, and if I need more air, it will go over 15.
That is the way it is set up. On a regular basis, I see the machine stuck at the lowest number, I get gassy, sick to my stomach, bloating, and I cannot breathe due to the machine being stuck, (or they are messing with me which is more like what I think. I had an argument with the owner, brought the machine, they did things like make a large hole out of paper tape at the end of the hole, the first machine was defective. I do believe this one is defective or the owner is changing the numbers. My doc is going along with the company, I have not slept for ages, I used to have to use two fans blowing at me. The machine is supposed to re-set every 12 hours, I had over 17 hours on the machine last week. The owner has been doing this on purpose. If the medical board made her pull all of her paperwork and bi-pap levels, they will see the truth. Only with God can I do this.

I am so fed up with the system, I feel like calling the FBI if in fact my CO@ levels are raised. This is attempted murder to me. I do not let people take me for granted. Be safe

You need to see a different kind of doctor - one who will treat you for clinical paranoia, which you clearly have - the mask or your doctor or the DME are not your main problems, even if some adjustment might need to be done to your equipment, though I doubt very much the CO2 vent is defective, and I have nothing personal (obviously)to gain by saying so.

Wrt the original post:

Hi Matty552,

You asked about 'too much carbon dioxide build-up in my mask'.

You may have an over-simplified notion that we humans breathe in nothing but oxygen and breathe out nothing but carbon dioxide.

The reality is we breathe in a mixture of gases, and breathe out a slightly different mixture of gases - and there is still quite a bit of oxygen in the air we breathe out.

How else do you think giving mouth-to-mouth resuscitation works?

A trusted (BBC) website gives the composition of the air we breathe IN as: nitrogen, 79 per cent; oxygen, 21 per cent; and carbon dioxide, 0.04 per cent.

The composition of the air we breathe OUT is: nitrogen, 79 per cent; oxygen, 16 per cent; and carbon dioxide, 4 per cent.

16 - count 'em - 16 per cent.

And as has been said above, the air in the mask area is changing - every second. With more fresh air coming in - every second. At oxygen, 21 per cent.

A bit difficult to make a 'build-up' out of that.

I hope this helps put your worries to rest.

rick blaine wrote:the air in the mask area is changing - every second. With more fresh air coming in - every second.

No. Fresh air is coming in continuously.

Julie wrote:You need to see a different kind of doctor - one who will treat you for clinical paranoia, which you clearly have - the mask or your doctor or the DME are not your main problems, even if some adjustment might need to be done to your equipment, though I doubt very much the CO2 vent is defective, and I have nothing personal (obviously)to gain by saying so.

+1

Life throws us enough curves already.
Don't do it to yourself.
Panic is a poor substitute for science.