"please keep me updated about oximeters "
Sleep Apnea Forum Bringing Power to the Patient
New? Free Sign Up
Then check our Welcome Center to a Community Caring about Sleep Apnea diagnosis and Sleep Apnea treatment:
CPAP machines, Sleep Apnea surgery and dental appliances.
CPAP Supplies
Latest Activity
Update on My Sinus/CPAP Situation
Hi guys--haven't been very visible on SG for awhile. I've been busy working on getting well and seeking a variety of medical interventions to get past this intractable sinus infection I've had since starting CPAP.
To date, I've been on 3 antibiotic regimens, the first of which failed totally. Then had two 10-day rounds of Levaquin 500. That was slowly helping but not eliminating symptoms. Saw a local ENT who added both a 6-day steroid pack and an Rx nasal spray (I forget the name--it was some kind of steroid also). THAT whole combination finally did the trick. I've been symptom-free for the first time since August, for about a week now. Had a CT scan a week ago--saw ENT again today with films in hand--they show sinuses clear now, absolutely no structural problems, no jaw problems, nothing that's a risk factor for OSA. He DID acknowledge my tongue scalloping as evident of an oversize tongue which, per Dr. Park, is a marker for possible sleep apnea due to the way the tongue can fall back into the throat and block it while sleeping.
So the upshot of all this is, per ENT, I'm having allergy testing done on March 2nd. He wants to rule that out before he proceeds with whatever Rx therapy I may require to manage the sinus issue while I'm on CPAP. I will NEVER allow this sinus business to exacerbate to the level that it did for over 5 months!! It got unbelievably ugly......
I've never had any type of allergy, sinus problem, breathing problem, etc. before and I'm 67 years old. So if it turns out I now have an allergy or allergies, it'll be a surprise to me. But I'm not ruling out anything at this point. Something that's clearly related to CPAP use DID cause all this to crop up. Remains to be seen what needs to be done, but something does if I'm gonna remain compliant. And I AM going to be compliant again!
I've been off CPAP for nearly 3 weeks now because I was just too sick and couldn't tolerate it anymore. ( I'd been 100% compliant for 5 1/2 months prior, ever since I began treatment). I'd prefer to wait till after the allergy tests are done, but I'm really not comfortable with being off CPAP any longer. SO....I'm gonna give it a crack and see what happens. Makes me nervous, but I know I need it.
What I also know is that I need a re-titration to be certain my pressure's appropriate. Am not having much luck communicating with my sleep MD. Big practice--too many layers required to reach the doctor. Plan to remedy that tomorrow, one way or another. I have access to another sleep clinic that will accommodate my need for re-titration and will take that option if I don't make some headway with my own sleep doc tomorrow.
So.....there it is in a BIG nutshell!! Those of you who are newbies probably have no clue what I'm talking about--others who have been supporting me for quite some time will, I hope, understand why I've been off SG temporarily. Just too much going on, and I needed my energy to climb through all this treatment process. It's not over yet, but things are being ruled out now, and I'm feeling better for sure.
I so appreciate all the help I've gotten all these months from SG. And will be back just as before once I can kinda gather myself up and get a clear idea of how to proceed. It's been a long, miserable haul.....I'm grateful for the progress I've made and that I've had such good medical help and support from you guys. If it weren't for SleepGuide, I'd have quit treatment without a doubt. It's been here that I've drawn the strength to keep going as I now know I absolutely must. There's been many a night, when I was too sick to even get online, that I came to SG and just listened and lurked!!!, drawing energy from the ongoing support you all were giving each other.
I've said it before--I'm sayin' it again--SleepGuide Rocks!!!!!
I'll be back as soon as I can. Will know a lot more in a couple of weeks+......
Susan McCord :-)
Views: 233
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by amott1973 on
-
Ugh, sinus problems along with CPAP are a bear for sure. I have caught a hell of a cold (seems to be turning into bronchitis or something now) and last night wasn't able to use my machine at all. It was awful. I rely on it so much for a good night's sleep.
Just wanted to say hi and that I hope they find some answers for you. My old boss went through something similar with multiple rounds of antibiotics and all sorts of tests. They finally figured out it was a fungus. I had no idea that was even possible. She had some new meds and actually had a sinus surgery. It seems to have made a big difference for her. Hope you can find an answer too!
-
Permalink Reply by susan mccord on
-
Hi RL--I sure hope so. I'm interested in this particular post of yours. Do you remember Dr. Park, in that same post he made to me awhile back, that what I have is akin to "a migraine of the sinuses"?? I found that fascinating. I wonder if that's related to your "vasomotor rhinitis" issue?......hopefully, he'll see this and respond. I AM gonna google the vr business. I want to know what all the possibilities are.
You mentioned immune system. That's one of the things that puzzles me. I'm 67 and as I've gotten older it seems that mine continually increases in strength. I RARELY get sick, and have never had sinus/allergy/upper respiratory/asthma issues, EVER, till just days after I began CPAP. That's just about too much coincidence to be a coincidence as far as I'm concerned.
All I know about what Dr. Park said is that I took his thoughts about it to my PCP, who immediately followed through and I slowly began to improve. When I went to the ENT, he totally agreed with the protocol, did some further things that Steve Park had noted, and now I'm feeling as well as I have in forever. I don't have my usual energy back, but I'm up and moving and getting out, sx-free. The whole thing is just a mystery to me. But this migraine info combined with your vasomotor info fascinates me beyond words, now that I feel well enough to be fascinated by anything!!!!!
THANKS for your input!! I'm glad you're keeping in touch.....
Susan McCord :-)
RL said:It is good to get thoroughly checked for allergies if you have that option, but it may not provide a final answer or solution to the symptoms. As I have recently learned, there is something called Vasomotor Rhinitus. I have suffered from frequent sinus issues for several years, occasionally knowing it was a virus or even bacterial infection, and at times, allergies. However, the symptoms seem to persist despite addressing the bacterial infections with antibiotics, the allergies sources going away and doing saline nasal rinses. I was getting concerned about my chronic use of antihistamines, decongestants, and pain relievers (all OTC) as these all have side effects that could increase with long term use and contribute to other serious health conditions. My definition of a "good day" was one in which I felt decent without taking any of the mentioned medications. These good days were generally 1-3 per month. Having just had a cold virus prior to starting CPAP therapy, I immediately got a mild bacterial sinus infection, which was successfully treated with one series of antibiotics. In addition, I began taking a new Rx for generic flonase - a corticosteroid nasal spray. Having never taken this medication before, I did a little research on it, through which I discovered the term "vasomotor rhinitis". This is very interesting to me as this condition has the same symptoms as other types of rhinitis (bacterial, allergic) but is idiopathic in nature, with specific cause often being unidentified. The recommendation seems to simply be to avoid any "triggers" if you can identify them. Something Dr. Park said somewhere (sorry I don't remember exactly where) made me think of this also, something related to the swelling and sensitivity of nasal blood vessels. This makes more sense to me than anything else so far, for myself. I do occasionally have a virus or bacterial infection, but the vasomotor rhinitis condition better explains my ongoing nasal congestion and sensitivity. For me, there may be a migraine component as well. It would not be surprising to me, for you to find that the forced air, warm or cold, from your xPAP could trigger a vasomotor rhinitus reaction, as you state you never had this type of symptoms prior to CPAP use. If this were the case, it could make you more susceptible to sinus infections periodically, but the infections not being the original cause of symptoms and thus, symptoms not being eliminated completely with resolution of infection.
I have found some relief using the generic flonase every day, but am not sure what long term use of this medication would cause if anything. It has reduced but not eliminated my use of antihistamines and decongestants. I suggest you may want to do a google search on Vasomotor Rhinitus to get an overview of the condition, for help with understanding your own situation. One site I found with a good general overview is http://health.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/vasomotor-rhinitis/...
Another consideration for you may be that as we age, our immune system is generally considered to decline in strength, leading to greater vulnerability to many things we never had before. It may be helpful to learn about things you can do to generally increase and support your overall immune system.
It will be good to know if you do have an allergy component to your suffering, and I know you won't give up if that does not entirely resolve your symptoms. I can relate to your experience as I seek solutions to this seemingly endless sinus pain and discomfort. I don't think the CPAP therapy has made my condition worse, and not sure if better, but I have been able to stick with it through the ongoing sinus challenges so far. I expect you will find a balance with it in time.
-
-
amott1973 said:Ugh, sinus problems along with CPAP are a bear for sure. I have caught a hell of a cold (seems to be turning into bronchitis or something now) and last night wasn't able to use my machine at all. It was awful. I rely on it so much for a good night's sleep.
Just wanted to say hi and that I hope they find some answers for you. My old boss went through something similar with multiple rounds of antibiotics and all sorts of tests. They finally figured out it was a fungus. I had no idea that was even possible. She had some new meds and actually had a sinus surgery. It seems to have made a big difference for her. Hope you can find an answer too!
-
-
Hi Amott! Sorry to hear you're struggling with the cold business and CPAP--man, it's tough to know what to do when respiratory stuff kicks up. Been there, my friend. I'll hold good thoughts for your recovery.
Yeah, I recently heard something about (?) fungal infections too--if all this testing proves inconclusive for me, I'm gonna explore that one. I said something about it in a recent post I put on here--can't recall the context, but it IS an interesting thought and worth pursuing. Thanks--hope you feel better soon. Keep us posted.
Susan McCord :-)
susan mccord said:amott1973 said:Ugh, sinus problems along with CPAP are a bear for sure. I have caught a hell of a cold (seems to be turning into bronchitis or something now) and last night wasn't able to use my machine at all. It was awful. I rely on it so much for a good night's sleep.
Just wanted to say hi and that I hope they find some answers for you. My old boss went through something similar with multiple rounds of antibiotics and all sorts of tests. They finally figured out it was a fungus. I had no idea that was even possible. She had some new meds and actually had a sinus surgery. It seems to have made a big difference for her. Hope you can find an answer too!
-
Permalink Reply by RockRpsgt on
-
I too have sinus issues. Born from a car accidient and bad decisions in my 20s. they seem to get worse as it gets colder. I really do not have any problems in a warmer climate when most do. I juststarted using the netti-pot today. Interesting little device. I have only used it once, but I am feeling some relief.
-
Permalink Reply by Carl Speas on
-
I too have sinus problems. They were made worse by the surgery that was suppose to correct my sleep apnea. I use the neti squeeze bottle and it works great also.
Rock Hinkle said:I too have sinus issues. Born from a car accidient and bad decisions in my 20s. they seem to get worse as it gets colder. I really do not have any problems in a warmer climate when most do. I juststarted using the netti-pot today. Interesting little device. I have only used it once, but I am feeling some relief.
- ‹ Previous
- 1
- 2
- Next ›
© 2024 Created by The SleepGuide Crew.
Powered by
