Ear Surgery - Cannot use CPAP for weeks/months!? What should I do?

[Cpapaya]

If 8-cm of positive pressure (0.113 psi) would "blow-out" your new ear drum, just forget about sneezing or coughing or flying.  This is a doctor that clearly has no concept of what CPAP pressure really is.  CPAP is a very low pressure that stents the airway. It is not high pressure and is irrelevant to this surgery.

Yep, the surgery note also said all of these things - no sneezing, coughing or flying. This is an additional concern for me because the surgery is taking place during allergy season. Hoping to handle that through medication, but even still, no blowing the nose is going to be something else.

I'm hopping that it won't be as long as the max time. I think I could handle none of this for a couple of days, a week even, at least when I'm awake - how do you even prevent yourself from sneezing when you are asleep?

[Sleeprider]

You don't, and you also have to realize that obstructive apnea creates thoracic and upper airway pressure depending on the location of obstruction. Even though the airway obstructs, the effort to breathe increases and this causes significant negative pressure below the obstruction.

[Foxafillion]

I just barely underwent the procedure and had my 1 week follow up. Yes it really is that delicate of a surgery and they do tell you to do whatever you can not to sneeze at all, try not to cough, I’m not even supposed to run or lift anything more than 30 lbs  and if you do have to sneeze to open mouth sneeze and sneeze through your mouth as much as possible. I’ve got moderate apnea and not using the cpap has impacted my mood and energy. My doc suggested I wait a week after surgery before using again which ended  2 days ago and I gotta say I still have not been able to wear it without the cpap pressure causing bad ear pain after only a minute or 2. I tried it twice now but it’s worse than the apnea for me. Good luck friends, seems like sleeping on an incline is just about all you can do. Kinda wish I had that inspire device in me to avoid having to worry about the pressure

[accetableplaintain]

Id do what your doctor recommends