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Inmate Central Inmate Central, where civil and family-friendly discourse about off-audio topics (other than religion and politics) is welcome. |
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In Reply to: Anyone here use a C-PAP? posted by Muzikmike on April 28, 2007 at 14:40:12:
Itchy schnozz (Hey, I grew up in Wisconsin, ok?) would make me think of 3 things:1. New mask is different style than old mask, applying external or internal direct pressure to nasal skin and/or nasal lining mucosa, causing mechanical irritation. If new mask is the same model as the old mask, please disregard. If new mask is different, consider return to old style. (not Old Style, which is a beer I drank far too much of while growing up in Wisconsin)
2. Dry nasal mucosa can itch like the dickens. If you have a humidifier for your CPAP, this is not likely. If you don't, has the air in your house been drier recently (increased use of forced-air heating, nighttime bonfires in your bedroom, etc)? Drier air = drier nose = itchy nose. Your old mask probably leaked like a sieve. Your new one is probably putting a lot more airflow through your nose. Even if the relative humidity of your room air hasn't changed, the increased airflow could be drying the mucosa, with the same result. Bottom line, a humidifier might help, if you are not already using one.
3. Allergic response. There are a lot of possibilities here. Contact allergy to mask material is not likely if your mask is silicone. If your mask is made of woven cat hair... maybe try a different model. If you haven't cleaned or changed the tubing or filters in awhile, there's lots of dust and bugs and stuff (scientific term: crapola) that can grow inside. You might want to consider a "Spring cleaning" for the machine. Speaking of Spring:
Have things started blooming back there? Do you have any daytime stuffiness/itchiness? If so you may be having a good ole' allergic rhinitis to environmental allergens. A couple possible helps here would be Claritin (over-the-counter) and/or an inhaled nasal steroid (prescription). You might also check if your machine has the option for placeing a HEPA filter on the outflow side. Please note: a rumble filter will not work nearly as well, here.Depending on the severity of your OSA, and the location or locations of your obstruction, a jaw repositioner might be a nonsurgical option to get you off the machine. Some people tolerate these just fine; some folks get some pretty big jaw joint and muscle pains.
Surgery is also a possible option. Surgery varies from mild to wild, again based on the severity and location of the obstruction. The key here is to get the obstruction corrected at whatever level of the airway is involved : inside the nose = septoplasty; pretty easy surgery. Soft palate = radiofrequency shortening and stiffening ( piece of cake. I've had it done, but only good for mild cases). Uvulopalatopharyngoplasty (UPPP for short - worst sore throat of your life for about 2 weeks... but that's why God invented Percocet) Recent literature suggests the laser-assisted uvuloplasty (LAUP for short) has a poor long-term success rate. If the obstruction is at the level of the tongue, there are surgeries to move the chin forward (pretty easy) the entire lower jaw forward (pretty easy, but think possible numb lip and no solid food for 6 weeks) move both the upper and lower jaws forward (pretty easy compared to thoracotomy or joint replacement, but think possible numb lip, no solid food, and really stuffy nose for awhile after surgery) or taking a big wedge out of the back of the tongue to make it smaller (think "holy mother of crap, how did I let them talk me into doing this?")
Bottom line with surgery is: find a surgeon who is familiar with figuring out where the obstruction is happening, and familiar with surgical correction at all levels. Getting your soft palate operated on is not gonna help if the obstruction is in the nose or at the tongue base!
Best of luck to you in sorting out your machine!
Greg Kasten
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Follow Ups
- A couple of thoughts... - Gak! 00:58:58 04/29/07 (1)
- I discovered what it was! - Muzikmike 11:59:47 04/29/07 (0)
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