Soon to start CPAP - Question on dehydration

[picante]

When I had untreated sleep apnea I had some mild GERD, and it vanished when I had been on CPAP for a month or two, and now I have an old supply of antacid tablets that I never use.  But I shouldn't get your hopes up, so I think it's safest to say that you can reasonably expect a lessening of those symptoms.  To some extent, it is an objective thing: the more you use CPAP, up to that ideal 100% of sleeping time, the better you'll be excreting carbon dioxide and the less of that poison will be hanging around in your system ... with predictable results.  I don't know why a lot of doctors don't tell patients about that.

Thank you! I've been confused ever since my dentist told me I had reflux, and narrowed sinuses. Judging from my periodontal disease, this started over 10 years ago, but I've never had heartburn! Some heart "sensations" starting 2 years ago: a feeling of low pressure and a cold sensation in my chest. Sort of like feeling a hole instead of the normal feeling of my heart doing its thing.

My stomach acid must be quite low. I suppose I'll find out soon - going to the gastroenterologist next week. I have neuro-visceral pain in my gut that starts while I'm eating, before any food makes it out of my stomach. The sinus inflammation starts slightly after the gut-ache.

I wonder if that could all be from GERD. I'm thin, very thin -- from not being able to eat enough.

[picante]

As far as temps, humidity settings, and pressures... you can adjust these when you're home.

While you are there ser Essentials from On to Plus. This has no effect on hour therapy, but provides a more complete sleep report on the user screen.
Humidity settings are user settable. If you don't see a manual setting, then go i to settings by pushing the home button and control knob at the same time, clickmon settings and scroll down to comfort. You might as well learn now, you can't run to the DME every time you want to adjust something. Here is a tutorial

Thank you, that's very helpful! Lots to read! This forum is an incredible resource.

[Fats Drywaller]

I wonder if that could all be from GERD. I'm thin, very thin -- from not being able to eat enough.

Yikes, sorry to hear it!  That sounds scary.  It also sounds, just guessing, like you should probably be drinking milkshakes, protein drinks, high-calorie stuff, whatever your system can accept.  Is there any good alternative to an IV glucose drip for you?    A visit to the GE soon also sounds like a good thing, definitely.  Please don't do a Karen Carpenter on us.

BTW, there's an interesting recent post here by jaw2004, a nurse, about how sleep apnea affects everything imaginable.  It's absolutely essential to treat it with CPAP/ASV and to keep on treating it.  For some patients that may be, as the mathematicians say, both necessary and sufficient; for others who have additional disorders it may not be sufficient but it's certainly necessary.

[Fats Drywaller]

P.S.: Have you had a cardiac ultrasound scan done? It's a good idea for all sleep-apnea sufferers, especially if insurance will cover it.

[SarcasticDave94]

When I had untreated sleep apnea I had some mild GERD, and it vanished when I had been on CPAP for a month or two, and now I have an old supply of antacid tablets that I never use.  But I shouldn't get your hopes up, so I think it's safest to say that you can reasonably expect a lessening of those symptoms.  To some extent, it is an objective thing: the more you use CPAP, up to that ideal 100% of sleeping time, the better you'll be excreting carbon dioxide and the less of that poison will be hanging around in your system ... with predictable results.  I don't know why a lot of doctors don't tell patients about that.

Thank you! I've been confused ever since my dentist told me I had reflux, and narrowed sinuses. Judging from my periodontal disease, this started over 10 years ago, but I've never had heartburn! Some heart "sensations" starting 2 years ago: a feeling of low pressure and a cold sensation in my chest. Sort of like feeling a hole instead of the normal feeling of my heart doing its thing.

My stomach acid must be quite low. I suppose I'll find out soon - going to the gastroenterologist next week. I have neuro-visceral pain in my gut that starts while I'm eating, before any food makes it out of my stomach. The sinus inflammation starts slightly after the gut-ache.

I wonder if that could all be from GERD. I'm thin, very thin -- from not being able to eat enough.

Not intending to play doctor: I am curious, hope you don't mind me asking, did you have an EGD test yet? EGD stands for esophagogastroduodenoscopy. The doc uses this as a diagnostic test to take images of the esophagus and stomach. I recently had this to determine acid reflux damage, they also took biopsies to further investigate. Mine was all negative. Apparently something involving what I call acid erosion can cause cancer. They were concerned for me that I may have fallen into that category due to severity of acid reflux.

[picante]

P.S.:  Have you had a cardiac ultrasound scan done?  It's a good idea for all sleep-apnea sufferers, especially if insurance will cover it.

Yes, recently. I didn't have the apnea diagnosis yet. It's also a good idea for anyone with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, but it took me months to find a doc willing to order it! The docs are not up to date on ME (they still think it's Chronic Fatigue Syndrome -- a wastebasket diagnosis), and I bring each specialist stuff to read on it. (So far all of the women docs read, none of the men do.)

It looked pretty good, with an ejection fraction of 60. My main concern was whether my heart was pumping enough volume. According to the ejection fraction, it is. The rest looked OK, too.

[picante]

Humidity settings are user settable.  If you don't see a manual setting, then go i to settings by pushing the home button and control knob at the same time, clickmon settings and scroll down to comfort.  You might as well learn now, you can't run to the DME every time you want to adjust something.  Here is a tutorial  https://www.apneaboard.com/resmed-airsen...setup-info

While you are there ser Essentials from On to Plus.  This has no effect on hour therapy, but provides a more complete sleep report on the user screen.

Thanks, Sleeprider, I'm going to use that tutorial. Today.

I've had the Resmed AirSense 10 (for Her) for 2 nights. My airway/sinus hydration status seems a bit better than without the machine! I set humidity at 8.

Thursday night I was awake a lot, working on getting the mask to seal (Dreamwear FF), figuring out all the factors that make it start leaking. I had a full 8 hours on the machine, even with getting up twice.

The problem I need to resolve -- and fast -- is air in my stomach & guts. Yesterday I could barely eat, I had such a constant gut-ache. As I've been losing weight since spring, I can't afford to make it worse! My BMI is 17.0 at the moment. 

I used the machine last night for only 4 hrs 45 min. because the stomach pain was already out of all reason. I need to be able to eat, for cryin' out loud. Today the guts are a bit better, the brain fog is worse.

This is why I'm not waiting until Monday. I'm just going to use the clinician's menu and switch it from constant pressure (12 cm) to Autoset and try that out this afternoon for a bit.

Any suggestions? BTW, my AHI was 4.8 Thurs. and 1.2 last night. (Down from 40 during my sleep study.)

[Fats Drywaller]

Suggestion: If you haven't already done so, search (on AB and maybe elsewhere too) for "aerophagia": discussions and possible preventive measures.

Trying a range of pressures is probably good, but don't set it too low ... if the Rx is for 12, I would try, just for instance, a range of 10 to 14 at first and see what happens.

[Sleeprider]

Thanks, Sleeprider, I'm going to use that tutorial. Today.

I've had the Resmed AirSense 10 (for Her) for 2 nights. My airway/sinus hydration status seems a bit better than without the machine! I set humidity at 8.

Thursday night I was awake a lot, working on getting the mask to seal (Dreamwear FF), figuring out all the factors that make it start leaking. I had a full 8 hours on the machine, even with getting up twice.

The problem I need to resolve -- and fast -- is air in my stomach & guts. Yesterday I could barely eat, I had such a constant gut-ache. As I've been losing weight since spring, I can't afford to make it worse! My BMI is 17.0 at the moment. 

I used the machine last night for only 4 hrs 45 min. because the stomach pain was already out of all reason. I need to be able to eat, for cryin' out loud. Today the guts are a bit better, the brain fog is worse.

This is why I'm not waiting until Monday. I'm just going to use the clinician's menu and switch it from constant pressure (12 cm) to Autoset and try that out this afternoon for a bit.

Any suggestions? BTW, my AHI was 4.8 Thurs. and 1.2 last night. (Down from 40 during my sleep study.)

I really need to know the breakdown of events in that AHI.  Yes I have suggestions and have helped a lot of people overcome aerophagia and apnea, but I need to know more.  Either post a chart, or tell me what kind of events you are having.

[picante]

Suggestion:  If you haven't already done so, search (on AB and maybe elsewhere too) for "aerophagia": discussions and possible preventive measures.

Trying a range of pressures is probably good, but don't set it too low ... if the Rx is for 12, I would try, just for instance, a range of 10 to 14 at first and see what happens.

Thanks, and you're right, I set it too low: I had 10.8 events/hr, total time 1:12. I had the range at 5-14, and it took 20 minutes to ramp up to 5! I thought it would ramp *into* the range, not to the bottom of it. I guess I'd better learn something about the algorithm . I was just too tired, and needed a rest.

Most of the time I wasn't sleeping. Whenever I looked at the pressure, it was 10.6, until the last time when it was 13+.