[CPAP] CPAP and allergies

[SnoreMan2012]

Hi,

I wanted to get some help from some of you. have sleep apnea and snore pretty substantially and would have never known if I had not been married. I have been seeing an ENT since late 2009.

I have undergone three surgeries- tonsils out, part of my soft palette removed and the straightening of my deviated septum. I have had fungus or something similar to it removed from my nose. I had a turbinate surgery in the past and will be having another one done in a few weeks. I tried using the mouthpiece to move my lower jaw forward but it was extremely uncomfortable.

So after all of these failures I decided to do a sleep study with the different types of CPAP masks. The nasal was my favorite but I could not successfully breathe through my nose even with the airflow having maximum pressure. I then tried the nose mask and again I was not able to breathe keeping my mouth closed. So then I tried the full mask and it was extremely uncomfortable. I still had problems breathing and when I had to take deep breaths the mask would vibrate due to my deep breaths. After one hour and 45 minutes with the three different masks, I told her I needed to have them removed.

The issue is not getting enough air through my nose. I'm pretty frustrated and I don't believe that this new turbinate surgery will help the problem. The x-rays indicate that I shouldn't have a problem with airflow, but that is not the case. I get allergy shots and I'm on the highest level of shots. I now only have to go every 3 weeks.

My ENT wants to have surgery as the last step and I appreciate that. I've read up about wearing nose strips, having thermostats added to the CPAP but I'm not really sold. I am always STUFFY every morning and I'm afraid my allergies and stuffy nose are not going to be a problem with the CPAP.

I've also noticed that sometimes I am stuffy on the right side, sometimes on the left yet sometimes I have good airflow out of both sides. I also have to clear my throat because of mucous and have read that may be a side effect of my allergy issues.

Obviously when we sleep we need maximum comfort and not being able to breathe effectively through the nose and not the mouth as a requirement of using CPAP is not going to allow me to get any decent sleep, if any sleep at all.

Can any of you offer any suggestions if this latest turbinate surgery doesn't work?

Have a great day!

[cbramsey]

Welcome to the forum!!! We are glad you joined us!!!

Did you have the UPPP surgery? My wife had that surgery and it did help alleviate her symptoms for awhile.

I know it takes awhile to find a mask that fits best. Work with your DNT and your DME to see what choices may be best for your situation.

[PaulaO2]

First, when in this process did you have your first sleep study? Before or after the three surgeries? If it is after, then your ENT ought to be up on malpractice.

Second, there's more to the CPAP than the air flow.

What do you have the humidifier set to? Have you tried turning the temp off, down, or up? Quite often, too much or too little humidity will cause stuffiness.

What was the pressure set at? Did they try lowering the pressure to let your body acclimatize?

Have you tried any of the nasal rinses? Many of us have had success dealing with the stuffiness using this method.

How long have you been using the CPAP?

I am going to assume you have attempted to remove the source of your allergies as much as you can.

I also have bad seasonal allergies but the CPAP keeps my nose clear at night. As soon as I take the mask off, however, I am clogged for a while. If it is bad, I use the nasal rinse and that clears it up. It is common for just one nostril to be blocked. It all depends on what side gravity was pulling. Your knife-happy ENT should have explained this to you.

[Sleepster]

Hi, I wanted to get some help from some of you.

Welcome.

So then I tried the full mask and it was extremely uncomfortable. I still had problems breathing and when I had to take deep breaths the mask would vibrate due to my deep breaths. After one hour and 45 minutes with the three different masks, I told her I needed to have them removed.

This is a common reaction to CPAP masks. You're trying them under the worst conditions. You should instead be at home in a comfortable setting. Our breathing is very much affected by our mood. When we're anxious we breathe deeper and more frequently. When we're relaxed we breathe less deeply and less frequently.

Try sitting at home watching TV, listening to music, or reading while wearing your mask. You'll be surprised at how qickly you can acclimate to something that is initially very uncomfortable.

Obviously when we sleep we need maximum comfort and not being able to breathe effectively through the nose and not the mouth as a requirement of using CPAP is not going to allow me to get any decent sleep, if any sleep at all.

Breathing through the nose is not required. There are a huge variety of masks available. Even oral masks.

My advice is to work with your doctor. Have him prescribe a good quality APAP and find a good equipment provider who will work with you on finding the right mask. It's normal for us to have to try several different masks before we find the one that works for us.

As to the nasal surgery, it may be a good idea. I've had three of them and they have changed my life. Also, I'd recommend you take an antihistamine such as the generic form of Claritin every night.

Since you've had sinus surgeries I presume you're familiar with nasal rinses. These are good to use whenever you have congestion associated with lots of mucous. If you're using a bulb syringe I highly recommend an upgrade to the NeilMed kit.

[SnoreMan2012]

Hi all,
Thanks for your responses. Thank you for your interest in my problems. I’ll address the comments the best I can.

CBRamsey, I’m not familiar with UPPP surgery. What types of problems did your wife have prior to the surgery and as a result of the surgery does she now snore?

Paula, I had a total of three different sleep studies. The first one was before I had any of the surgeries done. The second one was after all of the surgeries. The third one was recently and the purpose of it was to determine the success of the CPAP. I liked the nasal mask best but I couldn’t get enough air through my nose to breath properly. The nose mask was less comfortable and I still couldn’t breathe. The full mask was very uncomfortable and I could not tolerate it at all. I’ve also used the neti pot and even after clearing my nose, I still don’t have the necessary airflow. And yes, I go to the allergy doctor and get shots, and I’ve reached the strongest dosage that they give. And my ENT isn’t knife happy. He believes surgery is the last option and has been insisting on the CPAP for years. Finally I gave up and took his advice and tried it, but it lead to my situation now.

Sleepster, the RN who performed the sleep study told me I had to breathe through my nose and had to keep my mouth closed. What type of nasal surgeries did you have? Do you currently sleep with a CPAP?

Thanks for the responses. Hopefully we will get to the bottom of this so my wife and I can have a marriage where we sleep in the same bedroom.

Have a great day!

[trish6hundred]

Hi SnoreMan2012, I don't know the answers to your questions but I would like to say, WELCOME! to the forum.! Keep checking back into this board and I'm sure there will be more suggestions to help you. I'm sorry that you are having such a ROUGH time with CPAP therapy. Just hang in there, sometimes CPAP therapy can take LOTS OF PATIENCE.!

[Sleepster]

Sleepster, the RN who performed the sleep study told me I had to breathe through my nose and had to keep my mouth closed.

That applies to nasal masks only. There are other masks available and there are providers who fit you with the right type of mask, exchanging them multiple times and working with your doctor to get things right for you.

What type of nasal surgeries did you have?

In 1995 I had what they called then endoscopic sinus surgery. They cut away things like the front half of your ethmoid sinus cavities, widen recesses, and remove polyps. Three years later they removed additional polyps and then in 2000 they widened the frontal recesses in an attempt to get the frontal sinuses to drain better.

Do you currently sleep with a CPAP?

Yup. We all do. You can see the information in the column to the left of our posts.

[SnoreMan2012]

Sleepster, the RN who performed the sleep study told me I had to breathe through my nose and had to keep my mouth closed.

Ok, thanks again for your response. Let me rephrase one of my responses. I was allowed to only breathe through my mouth only with the full mask. However it was very uncomfortable.

I'm thinking that my nose will never be clear enough to use a CPAP. I wake up some mornings with tons of snot in my nose.

I also have a problem with a lot of plhem in my throat and wonder if it's related to the snot in my nose? Also it's weird how sometimes I can breathe clearly through my left nostril and my right is stuffy, and at other times my left is stuffy and my right is clear. Why is it that when one side is clear the opposite side is congested and later in the day the congested side is clear and the clear side is congested?

[zonk]

I've had the deviated septum and turbinate reduction surgery back in April. The surgery did improve day symptoms and now sleeping a bit better at night, last night over 7 hours which is improvement for me. Breathing filtered humidified CPAP air at night helps with any allergy also when going to bed congested as start the machine and breathing the pressured air, It open up the nasal passages and make falling to sleep a lot easier. I use Neilmed sinus rinse bottle with pre-mix sachet, it helps to get rid of mucus and clear the nasal passages once or twice a day and after the surgery at least 4 times or more a day. Full face masks are designed to breathe through the nose and mouth but didn't work for me. I prefer Activa LT nasal mask and chinstrap (loosely worn) to keep mouth closed.

[zonk]

Take a look at Nasal Breathing Video Series by Barry Krakow MD (Commercial Posts)

Un-stuffing Your Stuffy Nose - 8 chapters Ebook by Steven Y. Park, M.D
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...tuffy-Nose