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[CPAP] CPAP Noob and having issues
#11
RE: CPAP Noob and having issues
(04-29-2016, 03:23 PM)FrankNichols Wrote: Welcome to the board,

When you say you feel like you are not breathing, could you explain? Do you feel like you can't breath out (exhale) or you can't breath in (inhale)?

When I inhale it felt like I was not actually inhaling, it was an odd feeling. I assume this was just do to the pressurized airflow. Also, I felt like my airflow was being restricted at the same time due to the congestion feeling. I think some of this might be allergy related as mine appear to be spiking within the last day or two. Something must be in bloom.
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#12
RE: CPAP Noob and having issues
(04-29-2016, 05:11 PM)PoolQ Wrote: No such thing as a big baby with this, we are messing with our breathing and that tends to trigger survival reactions.
Agree that the starting pressure of 5 might be on the low side, it is for many people. If it's low for you it may make you feel starved for air, just not getting enough air. I need to be above 5.6-5.8, I am that sensitive.

Congestion can be from several reasons
Humidity set too low or too high
Temperature setting needs to be adjusted
The flex setting on your machine needs to be adjusted

You may also find that the pressure itself can feel like congestion, sinus pressure used to be only caused by congestion and now your APAP has been added to the list and you need to get used to this part of it

Thank you for the suggestions. I will give my Dr applied settings a few more tries and if they still prove uncomfortable I think I will try increasing the min pressure as you suggest. Seems to make good sense to me.

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#13
RE: CPAP Noob and having issues
The pressure does mean it takes slightly less effort to inhale. Perhaps that is what you are sensing?
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#14
RE: CPAP Noob and having issues
(04-29-2016, 05:55 PM)sonicboom Wrote: For the first few months I suffered from congestion and post nasal drip. To combat this I changed climate line tube to auto from a manual setting and used NeilMed nasal rinse before bed. Boom, problem solved. Stick with it. Eventually you will find your therapy "sweet spot". The insight and wisdom from others here will assist you on your path. Welcome to our group.

Thanks. I will order and try the NeilMed sinus rinse. Sounds very promising.
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#15
RE: CPAP Noob and having issues
I initially suffered from blocked nasal passages but when I moved on to the Resmed S9, used the EPR setting and just a bit of heat through the hose (26C) most of this vanished. That said I live in Queensland where the humidity averages 75% and gets higher in summer. I found that if one nostril was a bit blocked the other one gave me enough air to carry on. On the odd occasion when both started to block, a quick rinse with a nasal solution and 30 minutes later I was ready to sleep again. That said, I haven't had to do this for a while now so maybe my nasal passages have adjusted.

Keep at it, hopefully things will improve by themselves like they did for me. I think it's important to use a nasal rinse only as a last resort so that your nose does learn to adjust.
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#16
RE: CPAP Noob and having issues
I was able to use my APAP for 2 hours last night, but my AHI was a 14. I guess that's better than my baseline 50. When it did get to higher pressure settings, hit 9.8cmH2O max, it was easier to breath through the mask. This being said that sure did seem like a metric butt load of pressure to me! So far I seem to go a bit longer each night. Tonight I am shooting for 3 hours min. I did cheat with the congestion and took a Mucinex, but will try to avoid doing so as I do not want to become dependent on it.

Thanks to all for the suggestions so far!
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#17
RE: CPAP Noob and having issues
I recommend a nasal rinse for bad nasal blockage and a saline based nasal spray like Xlear for other blockage. Xlear is saline with xylitol and works great for me. Daria recommended it and I love her for it.

Best Regards,

PaytonA

Admin Note:
PaytonA passed away in September 2017
Click HERE to read his Memorial Thread

~ Rest in Peace ~
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