Sleep apnea, Cpap and allergies......

[Fjolnirsson]

So, from the sleep apnea thread, it seems as though quite a few here have sleep apnea. Any of y'all have trouble with your cpap due to allergies?
I went in for my sleep study May 26th. Once they put me on the Cpap, I slept for 5 beautiful hours. Seems I had been averaging a "waking event" every miute and a half, and while asleep, my oxygen level was never above low 70s. No wonder I felt like crap all the time.
So, I got set up with a machine and mask, and went home that day. I had more energy than I'd felt in years. Life was wonderful. My appetite was improved, I didn't ache everywhere, and I was looking forward to my new life of normality.
I slept 5 more hours with the machine on Saturday evening, and 4 on Sunday evening, before pulling the mask of due to the old "can't breathe" feeling(not being used to sleeping in a mask) , and Monday was great! I was a ball of fire! I began to think of all the things I could accomplish.
Monday evening, allergy season arrived. My nose locked up, and I couldn't use the machine. I spent the next week trying every allergy medication I could find, trying to relieve my congestion. No dice. The doctor gave me Prednisone and Flonase. The prednisone helped enough for me to breathe, but no luck with the cpap. The flonase worked for a couple days, then quit. My allegies have tapered off, but I still can't use the gorram machine. The problem lies in the air pressure. I can breathe in fine, but breathng out against the pressure causes my nose to lock up. Anybody else have this trouble? The doc set the machine for the maximum difference possible. I've set an appointment to try for a bipap, but that's 2 months out.

[TarpleyG]

I find that just leaving the mask on will clear up my nose after a few minutes.  I know it feels like you're going to suffocate but you won't.  Try getting nice and relaxed, put on the mask, and concentrate on breathing in and out.  I usually fall asleep before I even realize my nose cleared up.

Another thing you could try although some will advise against it.  If you have a humidifier, get some of that Vick's Vaporub and mixed it in with warm water.  Not too much though and make sure you clean the humidifier out the next morning.

Greg

[280plus]

I do a TINY puff of Afrin in each nostril every night. Keeps me clear all night. I don't use it at all any other time because I don't want to get "hooked"...

[Sergeant Bob]

Another thing you could try although some will advise against it.  If you have a humidifier, get some of that Vick's Vaporub and mixed it in with warm water.

You're right. I would advise against it. I'd be worried that it would leave a film inside the hose, which would be real hard to get clean.

In addition, I've read that you should not use any petroleum products as it could be harmful to the silicon in the mask.

[Sylvilagus Aquaticus]

Not only that, but petrolated products WILL cause aspiration pneumonia.  It's not adviseable to put such things where they can get up your nose.


In a humidifier, that's not so bad. Directly into the nares...well, you're asking for trouble.
Regards,
Rabbit.

[280plus]

I have found that if I have a head cold and I put vicks in the little cup in the humidifier it drives the cold into my chest.

Oh, I forgot to mention, Breathe Right strips work pretty good too.

[brimic]

Just let the pressure blow the congestion (snot) out of your nose the wrong way and everything will be fine.