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[Health] No CPAP During Sinus Surgery Recovery
#1
No CPAP During Sinus Surgery Recovery
They want to do a sinus surgery on me to remove polyps in my sphenoid and frontal sinuses. The problem for me is during the six-day at-home recovery period I cannot sleep with my CPAP machine. The danger is that any fissures in the bones caused by the surgery need time to heal, and until that happens there's a danger that air from a CPAP machine could get blown into my brain!

There will be no packing in the nose and I should be able to breathe through my nose during recovery.

Has anybody experienced going through this sort of thing without CPAP therapy? This is the one thing that makes me hesitant about having the surgery.

They think, but cannot know for sure, that this procedure will stop the dizziness I've been having for the last four months. I had it last year for two months.


Sleepster

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#2
RE: No CPAP During Sinus Surgery Recovery
I have no idea, but "fissures in the bones caused by the surgery need time to heal, and until that happens there's a danger that air from a CPAP machine could get blown into my brain" made me shiver. Oh-jeez

This sounds a bit more than the turbinate trim that I had. 10 days of mouth breathing on CPAP was not fun. None at all... I would not look forward to that.

Best wishes.
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#3
RE: No CPAP During Sinus Surgery Recovery
Surgery for: They think it will stop dizziness? Sounds like a painful gamble; and I don't see a connection to dizziness. That's usually an inner ear thing.
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#4
RE: No CPAP During Sinus Surgery Recovery
Wow, if a CPAP is dangerous to your brain, please don't sneeze!

By all means follow doctor's orders, but this sounds misguided. If the risks of brain infection from 8-10 cmH2O air pressure are significant enough to warrant discontinuing CPAP, then I wouldn't do the surgery. JMHO
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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#5
RE: No CPAP During Sinus Surgery Recovery
Sleepster, I am really sorry to hear that you've having so many problems with dizziness.

Your post reminded me of something that I've been wondering about, though. Does air really go up our noses any faster than usual when we're using CPAP? It feels more like there's a stream of air that's going by the end of my nose and out my mask vent, and I inhale air from that stream as needed, at a normal inhalation rate.

Your doctor's warning sounds terrifying, eek! I'm just wondering if his caution is based on studies.

Does anyone know if studies have been done on this?
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#6
RE: No CPAP During Sinus Surgery Recovery
Sleepster,
This procedure sounds more involved that just removing polyps. What will they be doing to cause bone fissures? Is this surgery including a reconstruction of the nose?

You are braver than I would be. If it were me, I would get a second opinion if you haven't already done so.
If the end result is better breathing, it may be worth pursuing, but going without Cpap therapy will be challenging. You may be sleeping in a recliner untill you can use your Cpap again.

A thought...have they ruled out other reasons for the dizziness, like vertigo, or high blood pressure?
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INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE.  ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA.  INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#7
RE: No CPAP During Sinus Surgery Recovery
The surgery is simply to remove polyps. The frontal and sphenoid sinuses are blocked and filled with fluid. This is a known cause of dizziness. The condition can be described as a kind of asthma of the sinuses. It will flare up and fade away. This surgeon had me start taking Singular yesterday.

I'm currently experiencing a flare up of dizziness that's lasted 4 months. Last year's lasted two months. Prior to that I'd have small ones that came and went.

Last year when it lasted for 2 months a different ENT did a series of tests and lots of other causes have been ruled out. There is one more test he said they could do where I'm placed a table and the table is rotated and tilted. They didn't do that because by that time the dizziness had faded away.

There is a small but nonzero chance of a fissure, which is why there's no CPAP therapy during recovery. Perhaps it's because they'll be removing polyps in the frontal sinuses, which are close to the brain. I find it strange that others who have had sinus surgery were able to use their CPAP during recovery. The surgeries I had 15-20 years ago were pre-CPAP for me and there was packing in my nose that prevented me from breathing through my nose. I would rather mouth breathe with CPAP than not without CPAP!

This time there will be no packing, so I will be able to breathe through my nose. The medicines they are giving me now seem to be alleviating the symptoms, so at least I can postpone the surgery while I have time to think about it. The meds are amitriptyline, flonase, and meclizine.
Sleepster

INFORMATION ON APNEA BOARD FORUMS OR ON APNEABOARD.COM SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED AS MEDICAL ADVICE. ALWAYS SEEK THE ADVICE OF A PHYSICIAN BEFORE SEEKING TREATMENT FOR MEDICAL CONDITIONS, INCLUDING SLEEP APNEA. INFORMATION POSTED ON THE APNEA BOARD WEB SITE AND FORUMS ARE PERSONAL OPINION ONLY AND NOT NECESSARILY A STATEMENT OF FACT.
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#8
RE: No CPAP During Sinus Surgery Recovery
Hi Sleepster,
I wish you good luck on your surgery decision. Wow, no CPAP during recovery, you'll be using the recliner a lotduring those 6 days, that's for sure.
trish6hundred
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#9
RE: No CPAP During Sinus Surgery Recovery
(06-17-2016, 07:42 AM)green wings Wrote: Your post reminded me of something that I've been wondering about, though. Does air really go up our noses any faster than usual when we're using CPAP? It feels more like there's a stream of air that's going by the end of my nose and out my mask vent, and I inhale air from that stream as needed, at a normal inhalation rate.

I don't see it as MORE or FASTER air, just a tiny bit higher pressure holding the throat open. From the back of the throat, the pulmonary system should be a closed system. (If not, you may want to see your friendly physician sometime in the near future.) Air will only go in at the speed the diaphram displaces downward. Speed dependent on that displacement and the diameter of the tube or cavern it is flowing through according to Danny Bernoulli.

But it is more/faster air than would go in with the throat choked off when none goes in.

OMMOHY
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#10
RE: No CPAP During Sinus Surgery Recovery
Hi Sleepster,

Best of luck with your surgery. I was unable to use my machine for 6 days when recovering from nasal surgery. I was glad when I could go back on my machine. I couldn’t sleep very well anyway due to the splints I had in my nose. I hope they can get you back on your machine quickly.

Rich
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