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Swallowing Air; New Bipap User Having Trouble With Bloating
#1
Swallowing Air; New Bipap User Having Trouble With Bloating
[parts of this thread copied from our old forum]
...............................................................................................
KAK wrote:
I have been recently diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. I have been using the bipap machine for a few weeks and continue to have trouble. I had a full mask to begin with that didn't fit well and leaked. I have switched to the nasal pillows which is a lot more comfortable and seems to stay in place. The problem I continue to have is swallowing too much air. I wake up every couple hours with extreme pressure in my stomach and chest. I sit up and excessively burp for half an hour or more before finding enough relief to lie down again. My stomach is bloated and I stay uncomfortable all day. The doctor has adjusted my levels down three times already and is concerned about lowering it any more. I started out at 19/15 and am now down to 15/12. I'm very concerned about treating the apnea since I found out how low my oxygen level is when I'm asleep. However, I'm frustrated with this problem with gas and don't know what else to do about it. I take a couple of gas relief pills before I go to sleep but it doesn't seem to help. I just want to sleep through the night for once. I would appreciate any advice on how to address this problem.
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SuperSleeper wrote:
Hi KAK, welcome to Apnea Board!

This is called "aerophagia" - Sometimes simply making sure that you sleep with your head aligned with your body can help with this. If you want to elevate your head in bed you should do that with a wedge pillow or with bricks under the headboard, so that your head is not tilted in relation to your body. If you sleep with several pillows it may cause your head to tilt forward and block your airway, forcing air into your stomach. You don't want your head to tilt forward at all.

If you are mouth breathing, even with a nasal pillows system, reducing the pressure of the CPAP won't help swallowing air at all, and will decrease the effectiveness of your treatment.

Some other tidbits:

Keep the CPAP machine lower than the bed. Some additional things that will bring on this condition are eating bran, vegetables, beer or soda, eating quickly, eating with your mouth open, and drinking while eating.

Maybe others can add more info.
.............................................................................................
Post Reply Post Reply
#2
RE: Swallowing Air; New Bipap User Having Trouble With Bloating
KAK,

I have been on a bipap with ASV just short of 5 months. Like you, I was diagnosed with severe complex apnea. When I started, my high pressure was set at 25. I was constantly swallowing air, as well as feeling like air was being forced into my lungs like water from a firehose. I couldn't get to sleep at all, much less stay asleep. I contacted the R.T. I was assigned from the DME company and after several visits, with my pressure being lowered each time, the aerophagia stopped. My high pressure is now set at 14 and I am doing fine with it. I'm actually able to sleep, which has not happened in a very long time. For me, it was a case of the pressure being too high. My sleep doctor, like yours, was concerned about decreasing the pressure too much, but when it comes down to it they need to find what works for you. It seems to be a lot of trial and error. If you continue to have this issue you aren't going to want to use the machine at all, so what do they have to lose by decreasing your pressure some more and seeing if it works. If decreasing your pressure allows you to stop swallowing air, feel rested and keeps your AHI at a good level, then who cares what your pressure ends up being. My experience, although brief, shows that the pressures they set in the sleep lab are not always the ones that work once your home trying to use the machine full-time. I hope this is helpful and encouraging.
...............................................................................................
KAK wrote:
I have been recently diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. I have been using the bipap machine for a few weeks and continue to have trouble. I had a full mask to begin with that didn't fit well and leaked. I have switched to the nasal pillows which is a lot more comfortable and seems to stay in place. The problem I continue to have is swallowing too much air. I wake up every couple hours with extreme pressure in my stomach and chest. I sit up and excessively burp for half an hour or more before finding enough relief to lie down again. My stomach is bloated and I stay uncomfortable all day. The doctor has adjusted my levels down three times already and is concerned about lowering it any more. I started out at 19/15 and am now down to 15/12. I'm very concerned about treating the apnea since I found out how low my oxygen level is when I'm asleep. However, I'm frustrated with this problem with gas and don't know what else to do about it. I take a couple of gas relief pills before I go to sleep but it doesn't seem to help. I just want to sleep through the night for once. I would appreciate any advice on how to address this problem.
.................................................................................................

SuperSleeper wrote:
Hi KAK, welcome to Apnea Board!

This is called "aerophagia" - Sometimes simply making sure that you sleep with your head aligned with your body can help with this. If you want to elevate your head in bed you should do that with a wedge pillow or with bricks under the headboard, so that your head is not tilted in relation to your body. If you sleep with several pillows it may cause your head to tilt forward and block your airway, forcing air into your stomach. You don't want your head to tilt forward at all.

If you are mouth breathing, even with a nasal pillows system, reducing the pressure of the CPAP won't help swallowing air at all, and will decrease the effectiveness of your treatment.

Some other tidbits:

Keep the CPAP machine lower than the bed. Some additional things that will bring on this condition are eating bran, vegetables, beer or soda, eating quickly, eating with your mouth open, and drinking while eating.

Maybe others can add more info.
.............................................................................................
[/quote]

Post Reply Post Reply
#3
RE: Swallowing Air; New Bipap User Having Trouble With Bloating
(04-03-2012, 03:52 PM)zonk Wrote: [parts of this thread copied from our old forum]
...............................................................................................
KAK wrote:
I have been recently diagnosed with severe sleep apnea. I have been using the bipap machine for a few weeks and continue to have trouble. I had a full mask to begin with that didn't fit well and leaked. I have switched to the nasal pillows which is a lot more comfortable and seems to stay in place. The problem I continue to have is swallowing too much air. I wake up every couple hours with extreme pressure in my stomach and chest. I sit up and excessively burp for half an hour or more before finding enough relief to lie down again. My stomach is bloated and I stay uncomfortable all day. The doctor has adjusted my levels down three times already and is concerned about lowering it any more. I started out at 19/15 and am now down to 15/12. I'm very concerned about treating the apnea since I found out how low my oxygen level is when I'm asleep. However, I'm frustrated with this problem with gas and don't know what else to do about it. I take a couple of gas relief pills before I go to sleep but it doesn't seem to help. I just want to sleep through the night for once. I would appreciate any advice on how to address this problem.
.................................................................................................

SuperSleeper wrote:
Hi KAK, welcome to Apnea Board!

This is called "aerophagia" - Sometimes simply making sure that you sleep with your head aligned with your body can help with this. If you want to elevate your head in bed you should do that with a wedge pillow or with bricks under the headboard, so that your head is not tilted in relation to your body. If you sleep with several pillows it may cause your head to tilt forward and block your airway, forcing air into your stomach. You don't want your head to tilt forward at all.

If you are mouth breathing, even with a nasal pillows system, reducing the pressure of the CPAP won't help swallowing air at all, and will decrease the effectiveness of your treatment.

Some other tidbits:

Keep the CPAP machine lower than the bed. Some additional things that will bring on this condition are eating bran, vegetables, beer or soda, eating quickly, eating with your mouth open, and drinking while eating.

Maybe others can add more info.
.............................................................................................

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