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Need help with air swallowing so I can meet compliance requirements
#1
Need help with air swallowing so I can meet compliance requirements
Hello everyone, 

I'm new here but I have been on and off APAP for a couple years and it's been quite a struggle. My options for Drs in the area are not the best, and while I will do my best to continue to work with them, I'm at the point where I really want to do anything I can myself to improve my treatment.

I just took about 1.5 years off of compliance and treatment due to being unable to fix the air swallowing issue that started toward the end. Before that I had been using my machine every night for around 9 months. Average AHI was 3.37 at the time and I didn't have much luck lowering it. I forgot the whole reason that I stopped using my machine until I tried again about two months ago. I was using an old mask but I immediately remembered upon waking. Lots of gas and painful tightness in abdomen and chest.

Long story short, the aerophagia + difficulties getting new supplies, a new prescription and any help at all from my sleep doctor has really made this attempt at treatment difficult. 

My Dr won't give me a Rx until I am compliant, but that is difficult without new supplies. They told me to buy new supplies on Supplier #1 DME Link Removed or Amazon myself and I told them I tried but that it required a prescription and I didn't know what to get exactly. They told me people do it all the time and didn't help beyond that. I have insurance but they obviously won't do anything without a prescription. 

So I had to stop using my machine again and I've been working hard to get a new mask over the last several weeks and I was finally able to get a P10 Nasal Pillow mask two days ago and have been using it for the last couple of days. First night was rough and I only managed 5 hours and woke up a ton during that time. Last night was a bit better.

I was using a P30i prior to this but haven't been able to get a replacement for that yet. It's all a mess, but I just wanted to paint the full picture in case old supplies might be causing these issues. I have not replaced my hose, water tank, or really anything else and they are far overdue. 

I want to fix my CA, OA, nose pain, air leaks and general breathing discomfort, but before I tackle all of that right now the thing I am mostly focused on is the swallowing of air. It is painful and takes up a lot of time in the morning to resolve. It's the one thing that is most likely to drive me away from using my machine and I'd really like to keep using it. 

I've attached last night's data from OSCAR below. I was disturbed around 3:00 AM and unable to fall back asleep for a bit. Everything else was pretty normal for me which includes waking up to leaks several times a night. I usually sleep with my mouth open so I've been mouth taping even when not using my machine and feel more rested when I do. Unfortunately I woke up with the bloated tight feeling I get after swallowing air. It wasn't quite as bad as when I was using the P30i but I was really hoping that was caused by the mask being old. I've put in a lot of work to try to improve things over the last two months and I'm feeling somewhat defeated this morning.

Any help at all or ideas for things I can try would be greatly appreciated. Thank you! 

   


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Moderator Action: DME Link Removed

To maintain our status as an educational organization, links to DME-owned or DME-operated websites and links to pages that sell prescription-required items are prohibited in forum posts.  This is stated in the Apnea Board Rules.

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#2
RE: Need help with air swallowing so I can meet compliance requirements
I purchase my masks on Amazon without a
 Prescription. I don’t know any reason Amazon would need one. 

On the swallowing air - lower pressure usually helps BUT I would use EPR to do that because it will also help with flow limitations which is why the machine is raising in pressure. 

All you need to do is change EPR to full time in stead of ramp.

Before you buy a new mask, please try the EPR - I think that is all you need.
Apnea (80-100%) 10 seconds, Hypopnea (50-80%) 10 seconds, Flow Limits (0-50%) not timed  Cervical Collar - Dealing w DME - Chart Organizing
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#3
RE: Need help with air swallowing so I can meet compliance requirements
Ah I am seeing more mask options than I thought on Amazon. Amazon did not require a prescription, they just didn't stock the mask I thought I needed replaced. [DME Link Removed]  Supplier #1
did require one as far as I could tell, as did quite a few other online cpap supply retailers. 

Thank you for the suggestion. I switched EPR over to full time and will try that out tonight.


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Moderator Action: DME Link Removed

To maintain our status as an educational organization, links to DME-owned or DME-operated websites and links to pages that sell prescription-required items are prohibited in forum posts.  This is stated in the Apnea Board Rules.

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Post Reply Post Reply
#4
RE: Need help with air swallowing so I can meet compliance requirements
It was only one night but I did not wake up this morning with any bloating or feeling of having swallowed air. Hopeful that turning EPR on full time has solved this for me long term. Thanks for the advice!
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