Help please, first few days, Sinus issues

<Lee> · Guest

Hello everyone. Well, I had my sleep study with the CPAP on Tuesday and I was able to sleep the whole night through with the mask..only waking up once when a heart monitor thing fell off and then I anticipated them waking me up. Initially I woke up and felt fairly good for the first part of the work day..by the end however I felt AWFUL! I was more tired that I ever have been AND to top it all off my throat was hurting because I was experiencing sinus drainage down my throat which makes it painful to swallow.

My first night at home with the machine I ended up pulling the mask off several times which I didn't do in the lab and I'm not sure why. And each day since I feel more tired than ever as well as having the sinius drainage which I have NOT been able to get rid of even though I take FLonase and Entex since I've had troubles with my siniuses.

I called the doctor Thursday and asked him if the CPAP could have brought on the drainage problem considering I DID NOT have it when I went into the lab and it developed the first day after using it. He seemed to think it was a coincidence and it should go away.

Well, I still cannot sleep the entire night with the mask in place...I'm TIRED..AND I have still have the painful sore throat due to the drainage.

I'm not sure what to do now???

Lee

sleep talker · Joined: 19 Mar 2003 Posts: 1543 Location: MN

Were you given a HEATED HUMIDIFIER with the CPAP machine?

<Lee> · Guest

Yes, I have a respironics machine that has a heated humidifier. I know this may sound crazy BUT I wonder if that first night in the lab with the CPAP IF it actually pushed/blew all that stuff down my throat and I continue to have the problem.

<HH> · Guest

Recommend having the heat on the humidifier turned up to the point where there is warm air going into your nose. This is the only way I avoid SInus Hell. It also takes a heating hose in a lot of cases. recommend you check it out by a search on this board and order one from Australia. You doctor probably will not know about the hose, but a lot of people on the board use and love it - including me.

LuckyLinda · Joined: 16 Jan 2005 Posts: 11

[QUOTE]Originally posted by <Lee>:
[QB]Yes, I have a respironics machine that has a heated humidifier. I know this may sound crazy BUT I wonder if that first night in the lab with the CPAP IF it actually pushed/blew all that stuff down my throat and I continue to have the problem.

Lee,

I am wondering if perhaps you started with a bit of a sinus infection and the new addition of breathing heated humidity has actually allowed "all that stuff" to start draining out of you head?

My sinuses have drastically improved since starting CPAP. I have to believe that breathing the filtered,warmer, humidified air via CPAP is healthier than breathing the winter time dry household air during my pre CPAP days.

Gross out alert....I do cough up a small bit of gunk every moring shortly after getting out of bed. But I figure better out than in!

I would advise you to give it some time.

snork1 · Joined: 16 Dec 2003 Posts: 1415 Location: Kirkland, WA

If you have ongoing sinus problems, CPAP WILL make them all the more obvious. Since you are using a heated humidifier, which often solves "CPAP sinus problems" for many people, and still have trouble, you might want to get your sinuses checked out by an ENT in addition to your sleep doc.

I went through a year of CPAP hell before I finally went to an ENT in ADDITION to my pulmonary sleep doc. The ENT found massive deep sinus infection and a number of mechanical problems that were preventing CPAP from working for me.

I had extensive sinus surgery and its a brand new world now. I can actually clear out my sinuses when I get a head cold and can actually breath in and out through my nose, including with CPAP.

If an ENT glances up your nose with a flashlight and starts talking surgery, RUN, do not walk away. Sinus surgery can be fairly major and requires careful investigation including sinus endoscopy and a CT scan or similar, at the very least.

dg216 · Joined: 09 Jan 2007 Posts: 1

I also have experienced the same prob with the respronics with heat humid i have drainage and at times I get dizziness. really a bother any ideas? been to an ent before all this he sees not prob?

Less Sleepy · Joined: 07 Aug 2004 Posts: 3333 Location: Northern Virginia

Dg216, I guess I'm old school (former teacher here), but I can't quite figure out exactly what you said. Mind cutting out some of the abbreviations?

Did the ENT you saw actually do a thin fiber endoscopy on your sinuses? This involves local anesthetic to quash the sneeze and gag reflexes, and passing a fiber-optic scope about 1/8 inch in diameter through your nose, all the way to your throat.

I started CPAP with a non-heated passover humidifier. The heated humidifier made all the difference for me. Make sure it is working. I understand that the Respironics humidifiers have to be turned on seperately from the flow generators. Does the water level in your humidifier go down substantially over night - to the point of running nearly dry by morning? If the water isn't down by at least half by morning, your humidifier wasn't working overnight.

goatlady65 · Posted: January 10 2007 Post subject: sinus stuff and cleaning

I have been meaning to ask this question for quite a while. So glad to get some answers finally. I too struggle with the gunk every morning, quite gross. I have a heated humidifier and if I put it too warm, I hate having it on...
I've been in treatment for almost three years now, and I'm still clenching my teeth Sad

My face feels each morning like I've been hit with a two by four, some mornings are okay, but most my jaws and either side of my nose feel awful....
My pressure is high, wondered if that was it??
question about cleaning, what are you guys/gals using? I'm using vinegar but wondered if there might be bacteria between the air filter and the hose that goes into the humidifier, the machine I'm talking about. I always wake up with a sore throat and sinus 'stuff'.

Bonnie

Less Sleepy · Joined: 07 Aug 2004 Posts: 3333 Location: Northern Virginia

What kind of machine do you have, and what is your pressure? I use Bi-level PAP (VPAP III) at 17 inhale, 13 exhale. A bi-level machine can make high pressures easier to tolerate. Also, do you have a problem with mouth leaks? That might explain your sore throat every morning. As far as cleaning, I'm pretty relaxed about it. About once a month, I thoroughly clean my reservoir and soak in vinegar solution. It should be only distilled water in your reservoir, and that doesn't support the growth of bacteria. Bacteria do need water, but they also need food, and distilled water doesn't have any.

goatlady65 · Posted: January 10 2007 Post subject: cleaning

Hello Less Sleepy,
I use a bi-pap with a pressure of 16, not sure what the ramp is. I don't think I have any leaks, maybe from the rotten humidifier.. I'm sure it's a defect as I've replaced the rubber thing already and in no time I have air leaking again. I'm cleaning mine every two weeks with vinegar and am using distilled water. I'm just not sure what I'm doing wrong.... Not a huge problem I guess, better than when I didn't have a machine Wink

Bonnie

Less Sleepy · Joined: 07 Aug 2004 Posts: 3333 Location: Northern Virginia

What is your exhale pressure? The 13 cm in my pressure setting is my exhale pressure, 17 is my inhale pressure. If you only have one pressure in your prescription, you are not using Bi-PAP. You may have a BiPAP machine, but it is operating as straight CPAP.

Also, your operator's manual should tell you how to make adjustments in the timing of your ramp, but not the starting pressure. I actually have my ramp time set to 0 and start at my prescribed pressure.

What brand of machine do you have? If it is VPAP III with integrated humidifier, you have to very carefully seat the gasket, or it will fold and leak. I tuck it into the top part first, then very carefully seat the bottom into it, looking all around to make sure I'm not getting any folds into it. It is a bit of a pain, which is one reason I don't bother to take it apart to dry more than about once a week. Leaks in your humidifier shouldn't be causing you to have a dry mouth and sore throat.

guest · Joined: 03 Apr 2006 Posts: 353

Try doing a good sinus wash in the evening, that will remove a lot of. It will be going down the bathroom sink instead of the back of your throat.

This is going to be gross
I look at the mucous that washes out and I can tell how healthy my sinuses are. If your rinsing enough and the air humidity is right, alleries under control. the mucous will be small in quantity, clear and colorless. Anything else means your nose is not happy.

I asked my ENT how to never have another sinus problem and he told me to wash my nose with saline 4x/day. I'm going on month 3 with no problems. I had sinus infections for 7 months of 2006.

bearcatx16 · Joined: 09 Jan 2007 Posts: 5 Location: East Central IL

DivinMercy · Joined: 24 Mar 2007 Posts: 2 Location: Northern Indiana