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1 1/2 usage - swallowing and gag reflex problems - TKMomma60 - 02-19-2015
I've been using my machine for about 7 weeks now. At first great. Slept great. Started to begin feeling great. Full face mask and obviously sleep with mouth open. My mouth dry but my throat is so dry and I now have no gag reflex which in turn makes me have difficulty swallowing. It's causing me to tense my neck and shoulder area which then is giving me daily headaches. I haven't used for a couple days. I ordered a chin strap to keep my mouth shut. Has anyone suffered anything like this. I'm assuming its from that full force of air being blown through my mouth but not sure. I plan to talk to doctor about it but really need to know if anyone else has experienced this. I drink a lot of warm liquids throught day to help and even gargle with salt water. It's just so irritated and I believe inflamed.
RE: 1 1/2 usage - swallowing and gag reflex problems - Bompa - 02-19-2015
First of all Welcome to the Forum!
I never did well using a full face mask as I also am a mouth breather. I find that using a Nasal Pillow mask and a chin strap works well for me.
I'm not familiar with your machine brand but does it come with a humidifier?
That is also very helpful with reducing and sometimes eliminating dry mouth.
Hopefully one of our Members are familiar with your machine will offer you better
solution for you.
Take Care
RE: 1 1/2 usage - swallowing and gag reflex problems - TKMomma60 - 02-19-2015
Humidifier up as high as it will go. Have a regular doctors apt tomorrow. Plan to discuss with doctor. Im taking xanax on a regular basis now because I'm so tense in my throat neck area and headaches. I guess I need to make sure it's nothing else but seems coincidental after six weeks and air blasting down my throat. Ordered chin strap last friday and have yet to hear back if it's been ordered. Not real happy with the communication between my so called "team". Thanks for your response.
RE: 1 1/2 usage - swallowing and gag reflex problems - Crimson Nape - 02-19-2015
I am not familiar with your brand of CPAP. I Googled the name and only found a DME that has a name that is even close to your CPAP's name. Please advise where(location) you acquired this machine.
Here are some inexpensive ideas to try that should allow gravity to help in drainage:
1. If you are sleeping on your back,try to turn to your side.
2. Try tilting your upper body or bed by about 1-1/2 to 3 inches (38-76mm) minimum at the top.
I hope you can resolve your problem soon.
RE: 1 1/2 usage - swallowing and gag reflex problems - 3porpoise - 02-19-2015
(02-19-2015, 10:36 AM)TKMomma60 Wrote: I've been using my machine for about 7 weeks now. At first great. Slept great. Started to begin feeling great. Full face mask and obviously sleep with mouth open. My mouth dry but my throat is so dry and I now have no gag reflex which in turn makes me have difficulty swallowing. It's causing me to tense my neck and shoulder area which then is giving me daily headaches. I haven't used for a couple days. I ordered a chin strap to keep my mouth shut. Has anyone suffered anything like this. I'm assuming its from that full force of air being blown through my mouth but not sure. I plan to talk to doctor about it but really need to know if anyone else has experienced this. I drink a lot of warm liquids throught day to help and even gargle with salt water. It's just so irritated and I believe inflamed.
Hi TKMomma60,
Good that you have a Dr app't. first of all.
Have you noticed whether or not you feel bloated in the morning , burping, gassy? As in air swallowing or aerophagia.
Cannot find any info on your equipment .
Can you give us any AHI breakdown info?
3
RE: 1 1/2 usage - swallowing and gag reflex problems - trish6hundred - 02-19-2015
Hi TKMomma60,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
Hang in there for more suggestions, I hope you can get your problem straightened out, be sure to tell your doc about it. I've never heard of the brand of machine you mentioned in your profile.
Much success to you as you continue your CPAP therapy.
RE: 1 1/2 usage - swallowing and gag reflex problems - PaytonA - 02-19-2015
TKMomma60,
First a question. Is your humidifier a heated humidifier? Hopefully it is.
I use a full face mask and I fought with the dry mouth problem for a while. I was having trouble getting enough humidity without getting condensation in the hose and/or the mask.
I tried the chin strap route and I am afraid that it is like using a chin strap with a nasal mask or a nasal pillows mask. It works for some people but does not seem to work for everyone (like me). The only time that I really started making headway with the dry mouth was when I started practicing the tongue method for sealing off the mouth.
I do not know if you have read about this but the only truly effective method for sealing the mouth (preventing mouth leaking/breathing) is with the tongue against the roof of your mouth. This is especially true at higher therapeutic pressures. The best results are to place the tongue against the roof of your mouth towards the back of your mouth. It will also work against the roof of your mouth just behind your teeth. What some people do to attain this configuration is to close the mouth and suck the tongue up against the roof of the mouth. This just positions the tongue and then one must maintain the position.
My practice consists of getting into bed and then practicing keeping my mouth closed and my tongue properly positioned until I fall asleep. I do not think that I maintain all of this all night long but apparently enough of the time and with the help of the humidifier, I have not had a dry mouth problem for months now.
It also made things a lot easier for me when I got a heated hose. I do not know if your CPAP offers that option but there are add-on self contained heated hoses available. My Resmed heated hose on my S9 VPAP is set and forget and controls the humidity and hose temperature automatically. I did not have this feature for quite a while until I got my S9 model VPAP but I would not want to be without it now.
I hope that some part of this rambling dissertation is of some help to you.
Best Regards,
PaytonA
RE: 1 1/2 usage - swallowing and gag reflex problems - Mr. Van Winkle - 02-19-2015
Rotech, is the name of a Healthcare provider, do you see model numbers on the back of your machine or some other identification on the machine?
That could help us more .
You've come to the right site there's plenty of helpful folks here,
RE: 1 1/2 usage - swallowing and gag reflex problems - Mike1953 - 02-19-2015
Rotechn is the name of a DME not the name of your machine so until you can supply the name of your machine the humidifier and type of mask you have there is not much anyone here can do to help you.
RE: 1 1/2 usage - swallowing and gag reflex problems - TKMomma60 - 02-20-2015
Thanks for the info. I'm new and not trained very well yet with this equpment. I feel like I might be getting somewhere. Went to regular doctor today. She gave me acid reflex medication. I don't think thats the problem but willing. The prescription says helps with swallowing so that's good. She said my throat is very red and inflammed where I am referring too. Gland swollen to but this is not a cold sore throat feeling. I talked to a very informative individual at my medical company today who truely wants to correct this and had some great ideas and will talk to sleep doctor for some changes. I will ask for her from now on. Felt like I was getting passed back and forth before. Bringing machine to work next Monday and she will walk me through steps to change the humidity to a different level than I can now have. This humidity level will not change as it does now with humidity levels in house. She is also going to get permission from doctor to lower the pressure. I guess you can have it low and the machine knows if you need it higher and will bump up then back down. Going to do alot of gargling this weekend trying to get the redness / soreness away so hopefully I can get back on this next week. Still ordering the chin strap but she doesn't believe that will change the problem. Feeling positive right now. Thanks.