Night time Coughing

[allielb83]

I've successfully been on CPAP therapy for 1.5 years for UARS. I also have asthma and take a steroid puffer daily plus Singulair. In that time I've had a few colds, asthma flare-ups etc and no problems tolerating CPAP therapy. For the last 2 months however I've been waking up almost nightly with coughing spells triggered by CPAP. It is a dry "itchy" cough and it stops if I take the mask off and starts almost immediately when I put the mask back on. I generally have been getting about 4 hours of mask use per night. Sometimes, my puffer helps resolve it. I'm washed all my bedding, my mattress and pillows have dust mite covers. My humidity is as high as I can get it without having "rain out" and I have a heated hose. I feel I'm an old pro at managing my asthma but this is really stumping me. I'm not having daytime asthma symptoms and am doing my usual gym, cardio workouts, etc. Any suggestions? TIA! Let me know if there is information you need from me.

[surferdude2]

If you haven't already done so, try reducing (or doing without) the humidifier for a test. Considering that the problem stops as soon as you start breathing room air, which is likely much dryer than the humidified air you get from the flow generator, that seems like a logical thing to try. Using a humidifier may turn out to be a damned if you do and damned if you don't situation for you.

Stick around for other comments and perhaps someone can chime in that has been there and done that.

Best regards,

Dude

[trish6hundred]

Hi allielb83,
You might try turning your humidity back a notch or two and see if that will help.
Hang in there for more ideas and much success to you as you continue your CPAP therapy.

[allielb83]

Thanks. Might have seemed obvious but I didn't try turning the humidity down yet. I'll do that tonight but am keen to hear other input too

[PaytonA]

I wanted to give you some input but you took away all of my input with the things that you have already done. I think that Surferdude's suggestion makes a lot of sense. There may be a sweet spot for above and below which is not so good so if turning the humidifier off causes a problem, I would suggest that you try some intermediate humidity settings too.

Good luck and I will keep thinking about this to see if I can come up with something else.

Best Regards,

PaytonA

[allielb83]

Thought I'd post my update in case others are struggling: I cut the humidity almost in half last night. I also noticed a pocket of dust/dog hair in behind the unit (Whoops) so I dusted well, although my filter is new. One or both of these changes resulted in success and no coughing last night! Hopefully it keeps up and I can catch back up on missed sleep. Thanks for the suggestions.

[surferdude2]

WhooHoo..Thanks for the update. I love a success story!

[TheManseHen]

Hi Allie,
Well glad you got some improvement there. I was going to say before you said changing settings helped...(as a fellow Asthmatic with well controlled asthma and C-pap) What changed 2 months ago?

Also even though cpap seems to bring it on, could be just something aggravated by the c-pap or even night-time air changes...something not asthma like but lung flora and fauna.

Also, you mentioned finding the dog hair, I do hope you don't have the machine on the floor, that is the worst for getting particulate stuff into it so I hear...have you tried one of those special filter thingies they cell at Vendor no 1 (and other's I'm sure) that has additional filter external to the machine? I've considered getting on for extra measure.

It does seem odd that a temp/hose/humidity setting that has always worked, would stop working for you all the sudden.

Have you started using a different scent/brand of soap to clean parts? Might you consider using Control II stuff to be sure nothing is growing in the tubing/hose etc? (That said the control II stuff has a scent apparently and I myself worry that it would bother me as I'm scent sensitive.

Hope you get complete end to the problem!

Susan

[allielb83]

Thanks so much TheManseHen, for the thoughtful response. I really can't think of any external factors that changed two months ago (we don't even have a real tree at Xmas), I racked by brain all along! It really only occurred with the mask on. I have some endocrine stuff going on with med changes for that and my body has been through a lot (including my hair fall out uuugh), so could be related to that. None the less, the humidity change helped as I'm going on night two with no coughing.
I don't have the machine on the floor- that would be BAD and a recipe for disaster wouldn't it! Its on a dresser thing I have that I rigged an open shelf on.

[TheManseHen]

Thanks so much TheManseHen, for the thoughtful response. I really can't think of any external factors that changed two months ago (we don't even have a real tree at Xmas), I racked by brain all along! It really only occurred with the mask on. I have some endocrine stuff going on with med changes for that and my body has been through a lot (including my hair fall out uuugh), so could be related to that. None the less, the humidity change helped as I'm going on night two with no coughing.
I don't have the machine on the floor- that would be BAD and a recipe for disaster wouldn't it! Its on a dresser thing I have that I rigged an open shelf on.

Sounds like you have done all the right stuff. So glad the humidifier reduction has helped. I'll have to remember that if I hit an odd period of cough etc.

Susan AKA The Hen.