Serious nasal pain with CPAP

I need to go back a very long time. I am a 58 year old male. In 1979 I began having serious pain in my nose. To describe it would be almost impossible. I always said it felt like I was being stabbed in the nose from the back of my head. I did have a deviated septum, which was surgically corrected in 1981. That did not stop the pain. I was then put on a steady dose of Amytriptiline. I know it is an old anti-depressant but in correct doses can be used for pain management. In my case we started low and went as high as 150mg. That theoretically got rid of the pain but I was falling asleep the next day. It was like being in a constant coma. We got it down to a manageable 50mg per day, taken at bedtime. I was on that for more than 25 years. During that time several things were tried to alleviate the pain. They put swabs probably 4 inches up my nose in an effort to put freezing agents on the issue. That did not work, although it might have been even more painful. Then they decided to sever the trigeminal nerves. The nerve on my right side was done first. I was put to sleep and the needle inserted into my face, and the nerve was burned. One month later, I had the left side done. In this case, they apparently missed the nerve they were looking for and the nerve going to my left eye was severely damaged. I did not lose sight in the eye but I did lose all feeling in it. So I still had the nasal pain and now I had the issue whereas when anything got in my eye, I did not know it until the cornea became scratched. It has been a constant problem since then. The Amytriptiline was causing me bowel problems so in about 2005 I asked my doctor if I could go off it. He said the only reason for me being on it was quality of life so that was my own decision to make. I chose to stop... and discovered the pain in my nose was almost completely gone. I wondered how long it was gone without me knowing because of the Amytriptiline.... In any case.... Recently I was diagnose with sleep Apnea. Apparently I was stopping breathing 19 times per hour. I now have a machine that does not heat the water. I went from 19 to 2 almost immediately. HOWEVER... that pain in my nose is back with a vengeance. The pain is excruciating and debilitating, and is just as bad or worse, and in exactly the same place as it was in 1980. I cannot function with it. Eyes water constantly, runny nose... a box of Kleenex per day. I do not believe the benefits of the Cpap outweigh the pain I am suffering with it. My machine does not heat the water. I have been using nasal pillows but tonight will switch to a small mask. Is nasal pain like this common with cpap, or does cpap exacerbate already existing issues? This needs to get sorted out. I am getting less sleep and am more tired than I was before the machine and the pain is excruciating and constant. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. RickD

Rick, Pain is not normal with CPAP. Can't even begin to guess where the pain comes from but the alternative to CPAP is a dental appliance which helps eliminate OSA. From what I understand, an AHI of 19 falls into the range where an oral appliance would be effective. Hopefully one of our resident sleep dentists will give you some advice but it seems like PAP therapy may be the wrong path for you. At least talk to a sleep dentist. I kind of think the the lack of heated water in your machine has much to do with these problems but again, I am not an expert. What type machine is it?

I came here looking because I have the worst nasal pain. It’s so bad I pull the mask off

Howdy,

This is unlikely to be related but perhaps it's worth knowing about:

Electrical Short Causing Nose Pain

Oh, that's really sad to hear. I have obstructive sleep apnea, and my doctor suggested using an auto-CPAP. I have been using it for almost two years, and I have had no problems like nose pain or infection. Instead, I get a restful night's sleep. The Auto CPAP really saved my life. If I stop using it, I feel terrible when I wake up and have a dry mouth and a very sore throat, and also, my snoring interferes with my wife's sleep. I think your mask straps are too tight, or you bought a small-size mask. If it's not the real problem, try using auto CPAP. It's more comfortable than regular CPAP.