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[CPAP] Uncomfortable 'chesty' feeling
#1
Uncomfortable 'chesty' feeling
I have been on CPAP for 9 months and do about 5 hours per night.
Lately, I have been experiencing an comfortable chesty feeling after completing my nightly session.
It feels like my lungs are filled with air and is very unnatural.
My sleep doctor said this was how it supposed to be.
I don't think he has experienced a night of CPAP himself.
He did reduce the pressure from 12 over 8 to 11 over 6.
It takes until evening for the symptom to subside.
I reduced my pressure from 11 over 6 to 10 over 5. This helped the first night but it seems to be back.
My AHI is often less than 1 and I have no significant mask leakage.
Any thoughts?
Thanks[/size]
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#2
RE: Uncomfortable 'chesty' feeling
Sleep Soldier, this is very familiar to me. See my thread a few above you where I'm trying to get some help ('This VPAP Adapt…').

My problem started with a tight feeling in my chest, like it was stretched too wide, and felt rigid and sore. It kept getting worse, then the air swallowing started happening, or maybe I just began to notice all the gas. I can make a few changes, then it gets better, but mostly starts back up again. I feel it's too much pressure, or that I'm not exhaling fully against the pressure, and so keep building up air until I stop therapy for a few days and let the air empty out.

Hope you and I can both get help with this. One thing I do know is that there are dangers in having over-inflated lungs.

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#3
RE: Uncomfortable 'chesty' feeling
Usually this is a feeling a lot of people get when they first start on CPAP.
It takes the lung musles a bit of time to get used to breathing against the pressure of the machine.
Do you have Expiry Relief on the machine (C-flex) and is it turned on?
This will help you breath out against the pressure of the machine as the machine drops the pressure for a fraction to allow you to breath out easily. If it has not been turned on, turn it on or go for a higher relief number (most machines, the higher the number the easier it is to breath out). If you can't turn it on yourself ask if it has this and ask for it to be turned on.
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#4
RE: Uncomfortable 'chesty' feeling
I have a vpap adapt, an asv machine, so I'm somewhat limited on what I can do. But I do have a bi-level functioning to it, thank goodness, or I'd really be in trouble. Thanks for pointing that out, though. I do wish my machine was more flexible.
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#5
RE: Uncomfortable 'chesty' feeling
SleepSoldier has a VPAP Auto which sets a pressure support (PS) that's determined by PS=IPAP-EPAP.
His PS is 5 which gives considerable exhalation relief.

The soreness may be from exercising the intercostal muscles... those between the ribs.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intercostal_muscle

In my amateur opinion, the doc should do a chest x-ray to look for a possible spontaneous pneumothorax.
AKA: collapsed lung.

Admin Note:
JustMongo passed away in August 2017
Click HERE to read his Memorial Thread

~ Rest in Peace ~
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#6
RE: Uncomfortable 'chesty' feeling
(09-22-2014, 03:11 PM)justMongo Wrote: SleepSoldier has a VPAP Auto which sets a pressure support (PS) that's determined by PS=IPAP-EPAP.
His PS is 5 which gives considerable exhalation relief.

Yes, I have a range of pressure support, which I don't quite get. I think it would be easier if I had just one number to adjust. But fiddling around with it, I think whatever the range is, is works out to a calculated ps of 5. So with my epap of 7 and ps of 5, wouldn't my ipap stay below 12? It doesn't though, usually goes to almost 16, which makes me swallow all that air and hurts my chest.

I agree, muscles get stretched, but might be a collapsed lung, which could have been over-inflated.

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#7
RE: Uncomfortable 'chesty' feeling
I am really ignorant of VPAP etc. so you might just ignore most of the following:

It would be one thing if he was NEW to the therapy or the machine type but (I read this as) a CHANGE while using the SAME MACHINE with the same (or even lower) pressures.

That worries me more than a newbie who has never habituated to the machine.

Perhaps a 2nd opinion from another sleep doc or a respiratory/pulmonary doc while EMPHASIZING this is a NEW SYMPTOM.

BTW, why only 5 hours per night after 9 months?
Sweet Dreams,

HerbM
Sleep study AHI: 49 RDI: 60 -- APAP 10-11 w/AHI: 1.5 avg for 7-days (up due likely to hip replacement recovery)

"We can all breathe together or we will all suffocate alone."
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#8
RE: Uncomfortable 'chesty' feeling
(09-22-2014, 03:32 PM)PhyllisBalboa Wrote:
(09-22-2014, 03:11 PM)justMongo Wrote: SleepSoldier has a VPAP Auto which sets a pressure support (PS) that's determined by PS=IPAP-EPAP.
His PS is 5 which gives considerable exhalation relief.

Yes, I have a range of pressure support, which I don't quite get. I think it would be easier if I had just one number to adjust. But fiddling around with it, I think whatever the range is, is works out to a calculated ps of 5. So with my epap of 7 and ps of 5, wouldn't my ipap stay below 12? It doesn't though, usually goes to almost 16, which makes me swallow all that air and hurts my chest.

I agree, muscles get stretched, but might be a collapsed lung, which could have been over-inflated.

I have the same machine as Sleepsoldier.
In Auto mode, there are 3 settings that relate to pressure.
IPAPmax
EPAPmin
PS

Let's say, EPAPmin is set to 10 cm-H2O.
And IPAPmax is set to 20 cm-H2O
with PS set to 5 cm H2O

The machine will always follow the relationship that IPAP = EPAP + PS

It will start out at EPAP =10 and IPAP = 15.
In response to its various sensors, it will raise pressure as high as:
IPAP = IPAPmax = 20 with EPAP at 15.

The EPAP pressure is capped by the EPAPmax setting.

In the example, IPAP and EPAP would range like this:

EPAP IPAP PS
10 15 5
11 16 5
12 17 5
13 18 5
14 19 5
15 20 5

(And all values in between while holding IPAP = EPAP + PS)
Admin Note:
JustMongo passed away in August 2017
Click HERE to read his Memorial Thread

~ Rest in Peace ~
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#9
RE: Uncomfortable 'chesty' feeling
Funny, I'm getting mixed up on who's talking to who, and who I'm trying to talk to. I didn't mean to hijack this thread, so I'll stick to my own. Thanks, though, for all the info on this thread. I think my machine, being an asv, is a bit of an outlier, unfortunately. Hopefully I'll get the answers I need at some point, otherwise I'll just keep fiddling.
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#10
RE: Uncomfortable 'chesty' feeling
(09-22-2014, 07:14 PM)PhyllisBalboa Wrote: Funny, I'm getting mixed up on who's talking to who, and who I'm trying to talk to. I didn't mean to hijack this thread, so I'll stick to my own. Thanks, though, for all the info on this thread. I think my machine, being an asv, is a bit of an outlier, unfortunately. Hopefully I'll get the answers I need at some point, otherwise I'll just keep fiddling.

The ASV is a different animal.
Admin Note:
JustMongo passed away in August 2017
Click HERE to read his Memorial Thread

~ Rest in Peace ~
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