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First Cold/Flu on Cpap. What to do? Please Advise.
#1
First Cold/Flu on Cpap. What to do? Please Advise.
Okay, so maybe my bad last to nights were increasing stuffiness of nose.

I've got a low grade fever now, breaking into sweat. Nose sneezy, stuffy, throat a bit meh.

I do not own a full face mask. There seem to be two camps on colds from what little I've picked up on...must have F.F or wear your nasal pillows, use netti pot, oral decongestants etc...(I also have nose steroids flonase on hand if folk think that might help)

Sure I can go to GP in the week or so it will take me to get in..so Need advice to get me though.

I was at the place of considering a tiny pressure increase maybe from 7.0 cmH20 to 7.2 on bottom and 14.00 to maybe 14.4 on top? Should I delay that? Or might a cold mean I need to go a little higher or lower due to cold?

Please Advise, Out of my depth here.

Susan in SF.
The Manse Hen is her coop, under the straw.
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#2
RE: First Cold/Flu on Cpap. What to do? Please Advise.
I use a nasal mask and I had the crud from Nov to Jan. I basically do what I normally do when I get the crud with the exception of I cleaned my hose, chamber mask, cushion, etc. more often than normal. I let it run its course. I had some ear drops left over from a previous ear issue and I used those and just as I was finishing using them for the prescribed number of days, my ear started hurting so bad that I had to make a trip to the doc. I did use nasal spray (script) but only as needed. Just like with any crud (provided it isn't flu and/or pneumonia), you just have to let it run its course. My philosophy is take as little meds as you can get away with, drink plenty of fluids and get plenty of rest. Have as little contact with people as possible. You may lose friends if you spread your crud to others. YMMV
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#3
RE: First Cold/Flu on Cpap. What to do? Please Advise.
I too have had my first cold since starting cpap which was a year ago. It developed into bronchitis and made my asthma bad. I have always felt that cpap has kept my sinuses more open then normal because of the pressure. I use a full face mask and ironically I just bought my 1st nasal pillow mask the week that the cold began. I tried it for a couple of hours and decided that for now a full face mask was better. I was coughing up phlegm and the nasal pillows kept leaking.

It is probably a good idea to have a full face mask just for this reason but I do not know if trying to shop for a mask when you have a cold is a good idea. I tried about 6 masks before I found one that was comfortably.

Experiment and see what works. I do not feel that your planned increase in pressure will harm any thing.

The Flonase should help some.

Brad

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#4
RE: First Cold/Flu on Cpap. What to do? Please Advise.
Just keep using your regular pillows. You may want to increase the humidity slightly, just a few degrees. The nasal rinses are key. I don't use a neti pot but the squeeze bottle. I rinse just prior to bed and as soon as I get up in the morning. It may take a bit to go to sleep. You may need to pull the pillows off a bit, breathe, then put them back on, but only for a short while.

I've never had a problem with using pillows through all the illnesses I've had. And the humidity from the CPAP is what helped me the most when I had the near-pneumonia a few years ago. I slept great because the humidity helped a lot!

(and it sounds as if you have the flu, especially the sweats part. go to a clinic vs waiting a week to see your doc)
PaulaO

Take a deep breath and count to zen.




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#5
RE: First Cold/Flu on Cpap. What to do? Please Advise.
What PaulaO2 said...
I think you should stay with your pillows, unless you happen to have a full face mask on hand, but now is not the time to shop for one.
I also use the nasal rinse with the squeeze bottle, it does help.
Also, see Dr. sooner than later since you mentioned having a slight temperature.
Feel better soon!
Sleep-well
OpalRose
Apnea Board Administrator
www.apneaboard.com

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#6
RE: First Cold/Flu on Cpap. What to do? Please Advise.
Ive nasal rinsed, use flonase which helps some. Best and fastest thing Ive found to work so I can keep using my nasal mask is the saline spray and the old school vicks inhaler. You know the little chap stick looking thing that you just sniff the vapor from.

The crank the humidity wide open. The inhaler and spray keep me open until the humidity has a chance to work and keep my opened up all night. increasing the pressure never helped me personally. Ive set it on 14 straight with the nasal mask on and opened my mouth just as a test when I was real stuffed up. No air made it thru my nose to come out of my mouth until after Id sprayed and used the inhaler.
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#7
RE: First Cold/Flu on Cpap. What to do? Please Advise.
Vicks on your feet then put on a pair of socks. I am not sure you need a doc yet but that is your call. A low fever wouldnt make me go to the doc but it is an individual call. Get well fast
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#8
RE: First Cold/Flu on Cpap. What to do? Please Advise.
My wife read the Vicks on the feet thing and it was useless. She tried the onion thing too and that turned out to be an old wives tale also.
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#9
RE: First Cold/Flu on Cpap. What to do? Please Advise.
i put vicks on my feet and it did help with the coughing but I can't guarantee that I just imagined the coughing got better just because. All I can say is that I was coughing a lot and so I tried the vicks and the coughing stopped. Maybe it is the power of suggestion or that we want it to work so we can quit coughing and get some sleep that it just worked.

I didn't know they still had those vicks inhalers. I don't think I ever used them but I remember seeing them somewhere.

I know that my spouse and I went to a hypnotist for 2 different reasons (actually it was a friend of ours who said he would do it for us at no charge) but I could not be hypnotized.
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#10
RE: First Cold/Flu on Cpap. What to do? Please Advise.
Yeah I cant be hypnotized either. They sell the inhalers for sure at the Dollar Stores Walmarts and most pharmacies have em.

Hand used one for years but lately but they will open up the old schnooze quick.

I tried to have my mind read once too. No luck there either. Lady said there was nothing in there to read.
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