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I was diagnosed with OSA in September while being investigated for a chronic cough which I've had for 8 years on and off. I started off with the CPAP when the cough wasn't too bad and did really well with it, sleeping better and wearing it all night.
When the cough kicked back in with a vengeance in mid-November I have not been able to endure the CPAP. After about an hour of sleep I will have the first coughing fit and I can't breath with the mask on so have to take it off. Initially I tried to persevere and keep the mask on but it got wet on the inside and it was like trying to sleep with your face in a puddle!
The coughing usually means getting up and I'm no nearer to a diagnosis on what's causing it but the combination of that and the CPAP is meaning less sleep than ever. Once the mask is off I try and relax until the cough subsides and usually end up falling asleep without it. The coughing wakes me up several times a night (it is improving a bit now after various treatments) and I'm not getting a deep sleep without the mask.
My GP has referred me back to the hospital today to see what they can suggest but I wondered if anyone else had a similar problem and how they had overcome it. I'm seeing my GP on Friday as well. Hopefully someone can suggest something!
Views: 55
This must be awful for you Juliet, as you need your sleep to cope with your other health issues, yet at the moment things seem to be worse. At least you know using CPAP hasn't actually caused the cough, and that's obviously a different problem, and one which I hope your medics can get to the bottom of for you.
Regarding your CPAP therapy....my first question is to ask if you're using a humidifier? I'm guessing you are with you mentioning water in the mask. However, I just want to be sure in case it's the coughing that's causing the water vapour. If you're not using a humidifier, then that's your first course of action. If you are, then you need to do two things:-
I don't know what mask you're using at the moment, but perhaps the hospital have some others for you to try which would allow you to cough easier whilst this is being investigated. Ask them if they have the Respironics FitLife (you can look at it here) or they may have one of the older Respironics Total Face masks in stock. These masks both cover your full facial area and should at least allow you to cough without interrupting the seal.
Let us know how it goes and good luck......
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