Any experience with paradoxical breathing?

[pezhead99]

I have extreme daytime fatigue despite favorable CPAP treatment results. My general breathing has always seemed laborious and I sometimes catch myself holding my breath and often struggling with fully exhaling. I was reading up on paradoxical breathing and noticed that OSA can be a cause. Does anyone have any experience or insights on this condition?

[PeaceLoveAndPizza]

Please post a few recent OSCAR charts (see my sig for a link to organizing them) so people can review and respond.

[Sleeprider]

Do you actually have a diagnosis for paradoxical breathing? It's pretty rare and lots of other problems can cause the problems your describe. One of the least expensive and non-intrusive tests you can obtain from your doctor is a pulmonary function test (PFT). It can diagnose serious pulmonary conditions like COPD, Asthma, Emphysema, and any deficiency in normal respiratory volume or inspiration/expiration imbalances. Your Oscar results show you have normal to high tidal volume, respiration rate and other factors, so your conclusion of PB seems very unlikely and I think that's a dry-hole for improving your fatigue or therapy.

[pezhead99]

Thanks for the reply. No diagnosis - just more desperation at this point. I have been working to eliminate other potential factors one by one. I will check into PFT - good suggestion. Thanks!