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Ear clogging up
#11
RE: Ear clogging up
I hope our Drs. have a solution. Its aggravating me to no end.
I'm wondering if it hasn't gone away because I'm using 12 hour Sudafed.
Thinking maybe the regular stuff gives a higher dose at once and might clear it out.
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#12
RE: Ear clogging up
My Dr. told me to try Afrin - but not more than 3 days.
Also gave me a prescription for Nasonex, but evidently my insurance co - Blue Cross / Blue Shield - won't cover it.
At $175 / bottle, I'll do without.
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#13
RE: Ear clogging up
You may have non-CPAP related ear problems.

Check with your insurance to see if they have a "formulary." They may cover some similar drugs, even if they don't cover "nasonex." There are quite a few similar nasal steroid sprays.

Then write your congressmen and complain that you're paying for insurance, but the insurance company is screwing you by capriciously denying legitmate prescription coverage.

Sometimes, if you lie on the left side, the right side nostrils and ears will clear up and vice versa. I find I have to play with my pillows and head position to get the angles and pressure just right, and then I'll get sort of a burning sensation in the "upper" nostril and my sinuses will clear. Sort of hard to describe, but it's a (temporary) miracle cure when it works.

NeilMed Sinus rinse is good stuff, few long term side effects. It's a saline rinse that clears the gunk out of the nasal passages. Sometimes it helps, sometimes not.

The thing about "only 3 days" is REALLY important. Many of the OTC sprays irritate the tissues. If you use them too long, they become "addictive" because your "sinuses" swell because there irritated, but the spray temporarily shrinks them so you can breathe. Some people get really hooked on the sprays and have to go through a very unpleasant withdrawal to get off of them.

If you get long term ear problems from CPAP, an Oracle oral mask may help if you can learn to use it right without the nose plugs. It doesn't put any pressure in your nasal cavities or your Eustachian tube. It's somewhat hard to get adjusted to. It dried my throat out too much, and the feeling of not nose breathing was uncomfortable to me. It's a powerful last resort, if nothing else.
Get the free OSCAR CPAP software here.
Useful links.
Click here for information on the main alternative to CPAP.
If it's midnight and a DME tells you it's dark outside, go and check it yourself.
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#14
RE: Ear clogging up
Great info - Thank you!
Don't need to add another problem by getting addicted to Afrin.
Writing my congressman is also a good idea - another insurance ripoff.
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