[CPAP] Nasal/sinus issue

[KeepSmiling]

stargazing

Hope are you doing.

[KeepSmiling]

pholynyk,

Thanks good to know.

[KeepSmiling]

dwedward,

You bring up good point about air not going directly into the nose if not using a pillow mask. I hope your wife finds relief.

I originally bought the Universal Hybrid by Innomed for when I had colds/sinus issues (normal for me). It has nasal pillows but a very big space where the air comes in. I found I slept deeper with it so I started using it full time. Since then I do have night time issues with sinuses. I contributed that to having filtered air.

Maybe mask type should also be considered for people who have sinus issues to begin with or develop them when on CPAP therapy.

[stargazing]

Thank you all again for the useful suggestions!

I did not use the machine last night, and the sinus pain remained. The 3-day antibiotics did not seem to help much. So after reading the messages above I just made an appointment to see an ENT doctor.

@dwedward: That is a great point. I suspect that the lining in my nose is super-sensitive, probably due to the old yearlong sinus problems. So even though I diligently clean the set and try various humidity levels, that forced air might be the cause of the recent problem. I do have N20 mask and I tried it once. I liked it since it is very comfortable for the breathing but I preferred the simplicity of N30. I am going to try N20 tonight and report back. Hope your guys can find a solution soon.

BTW, I think it is always helpful to wash the face, especially around the nose, right before putting on the mask.

[stargazing]

Last night I used N20 for 6 hours. It is softer on the nostrils than the nasal pillows or cradles. First I woke up after 3 hours and did not feel any problem. After another 3 hours I woke up again and had some minor nasal pain. I guess if I fully recover from the current nasal issues, I should be able to tolerate the softer blow of air with N20. I think at least a few hours per night should be ok. If I could find a better combination of the temperature and humidity level then that might be the solution I am looking for.

[KeepSmiling]

stargazing,

Glad it went better. Thanks for the update.

Do you think nasal congestion building up a part of the problem. Have you thought of sleeping in a recliner or lots of pillows to keep nose draining may help for nose.

Finding out what works best for each person is the ticket to comfort.

[stargazing]

        Thank you, KeepSmiling. The congestion seems ok and there is not much building up. You brought up a good point, though. On a recliner it does alleviate the OSA a little bit. So here is what I experimented last night. I used my recliner and oximeter for the entire night. Room temperature was around 68 deg F and humidity around 62%. I still had minor nasal pain almost all night.

• For the first 1.5 hour, I slept on the recliner in the supine position, without the CPAP machine. It had a lot of events (but better than not on a recliner).
  
• For the next 1.5 hour, I side-slept on the recliner without the CPAP. It had almost no event until the last few minutes when I rolled to my back.
  
• For the next 4 hours or so, I slept on the recliner in supine position, with the CPAP machine. I used N20, reduced the pressure from 5~12 to 4~9, hose temperature 80, humidity level 4, soft response, and long ramping time of 40 minutes. OSCAR data and oximeter data show zero event (which is even better than the nights with higher pressures).
  

OSCAR data and oximeter data are attached. 

So reduced pressure and N20 mask may be helpful if there are nasal irritations. Side sleep and a recliner can also alleviate the OSA.

[KeepSmiling]

I was not thinking with or without CPAP treatment. I would not recommend that on a board, it may be to dangerous for someone.

I was thinking for drainage of sinuses/congestion.

dwedward - brought up an interesting point between nasal pillows and nasal cushion. I think not just the type of mask but the larger the area, may help the nose.

I do not see how that works, because the pressure in theory should be the same going into the airways.

[packtheknife]

I've been using an in-line bacterial filter, but now I'm wondering if I should.
I stumbled across a paper from Philips (can they be trusted anymore?) that has be a little confused.

https://www.philips.com/c-dam/b2bhc/mast...cument.pdf

The last heading entitled: Bacteria Filters for CPAP   seems to have some info that says that they shouldn't be used on c-paps unless monitored by a physician.

So, what in-line filter should be used?  Any ideas?

thanks

[pholynyk]

As far as I know, all the concerns raised are valid, and there is no filter type that 'should be used'.