CPAP causing inner ear issues - help needed

[SarcasticDave94]

FWIW EarPlanes still exist. Wally World and other stores sell them for around $5.00 - 8.00 per a 1 pair package.

[Hydrangea]

FWIW EarPlanes still exist. Wally World and other stores sell them for around $5.00 - 8.00 per a 1 pair package.

Nice!!

[sheepless]

stephennic, in the '90's my kids' orthodontist was experimenting with lower jaw advancement retainers for apneacs like me. I don't know but I might have been his only guinea pig. between that & the kids' braces, I'm pretty sure I paid for his new sports car. poor guy took an incredible amount of abuse from the medical community. a dental quack. meddling outside his discipline. my memory is vague but I seem to recall him saying there were attempts made to have him disciplined by the licensing authorities. now medical doctors recommend these devices and every dentist in town sells them. I used them for 6-7 years. no cpap or data to refer to so no empirical results but my wife believes I snored less with the retainer than without. it was one of several methods that enabled me to adapt for 30 years to diagnosed but untreated apnea and a lifetime of sleep deprivation. we need to try every means necessary to find what works to give us back our lives.

the new versions are much smaller so probably more comfortable. don't know how you'd avoid mouth leaks but I see you're using a ffm. last night I tried an old tongue advancer holder thing sold for snoring that I had from a few years ago. similar principle: make more room for the airway. didn't work with nasal pillows though - got my first red frowny leak face on the resmed and an email from myair telling me I'm leaking way too much (with no useful advice to correct it, sad to say).

good luck with it and let us know how it works for you.

[WannabeRestwright]

Hi Steve - Thanks for the great article link about "otic barotrauma" - Really fascinating & probably pretty important to know about ... My own sleep doc said CPAP can create such issues.  But, hey, I may have something a bit simpler to offer that **might** help you.  I am a new CPAP user myself who just resolved a lingering apnea-related "fluid in the ear with clicking and intermittent dizziness" problem that I had caused for myself. You see during the mercifully short span of time between my actual sleep lab diagnosis and getting my CPAP machine I slept on my left side exclusively - a behavior that quickly led to a middle ear problem called "serous otitis" or "otitus media with effusion" -- Basically, its when your middle ear gets excessive fluid down the eustachian tube which then does not drain out well, due to any number of factors.  Got some advice from a local PA on how to resolve this, however - all using over-the-counter stuff from any pharmacy department.  Basically took an oral decongestant / antihistamine for about 10 days (with BP issues and wanting a non-drowsy choice I used loratadine x 1 per day but any option your MD says is okay for you should work), also each day (x1 or x2) used nasal steroid sprays (generic ingredient is fluticasone) following label instructions, and then also at least once a day used a ... WAIT FOR IT ... gravity-type saline nasal wash employing a hand-held little pitcher called a Neti Pot.  If you've never heard of these "neti-pots" with their tiny unit-dose packets of dissolveable salt .... well, check it out!  Worked wonders!!  Entire problem cleared up rather swiftly.  So here we are now At The New Normal, and sleeping better than ever.  All the best to you -

[Kahri]

Hi all,

I haven't been here for quite awhile.  When I use my CPAP machine I get ringing in my right ear (tinnitus) and slight vertigo (balance issues) and sometimes get slight nausea. When I go off the CPAP for a couple days the tinnitus nearly all disappears including the other symptoms.  I went to a couple ear/nose/throat specialist and they think maybe the pressure of the CPAP impacting my inner ear. The hearing specialist gave me an article see link and suggested this maybe happening:   https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4896658/
Has this happened to anyone else of this forum, any suggestions to help??. I need to use CPAP but feel i can't when I get these symptoms. Any input would be appreciated.
Cheers
Steve

Hello Stephennic, 
Since being on Cpap for almost 4 years with ear, eye, and stomach pain (which my Cpap doctor claimed was not related to Cpap use, I already notice a change going on Bipap for 2 weeks now. My settings are still not great, but if I can keep the pressure against which I need to exhale lat a pressure ower than 8, my ears feel much better in the morning ( as well as my stomach and eyes.) Some people are more sensitive than others in this, so I think most simply don't notice the difference. Perhaps being a musician, that thick, stuffy, mildly painful constant discomfort in both ears is more noticable to me, but my primary care physician was concerrned enough by the appearance of the ears as well to send me for MRI's and hearing checks. My hearing remains better than most 10 year olds (I assume it's because I always used earplugs if at concerts or loud car-racing events, and iPods were not invented yet..), but that congested feeling remains.

I am hoping the lingering 'thick' feeling I have constantly in both ears will return to normal after more time not being over-stressed with high exhale values. II figure I'll give it 6 months before resigning to the idea it may never improve. So, I don't think you are alone in your perceptions... 

I hope you feel better soon.
~Kahri

[Hydrangea]

Kahri - I've found the feeling to be alleviated as I've lessened the difference between exhale relief and inhale pressure.

[Hydrangea]

How are things going? Have you found resolution?