Guest guest Posted March 10, 2011 Report Share Posted March 10, 2011 I had the exact same experience. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea and had to buy a CPAP machine. I practically ran to my GI doc and told him " Look Doc, you need to see all of your achalasia patients get one of these machines. The air being forced down your throat makes it impossible for the fluid/food to come up and choke us any longer! He was amazed but I don't know if he took me serious enough to go through with it. For those of us who suffer with the night time choking it is the answer we need. Of course you should always continue to sit up as well as you possibly can. I have two CPAP machines in perfect working condition I had thought of putting on Craigs list. One was used only once. They both come with masks and tubing unused and new I believe. We paid quite a bit for them but don't need them any longer. If your interested email. It could change your life. Joann > > I bought (via Craig's List) a CPAP machine over a year ago. It has made such a difference in my ability to sleep with Achalasia. Before the CPAP machine, I would often wake choking on saliva or food coughed up in the night. Even though I sleep on a wedge and other pillows, I'd still have fairly frequent trouble, and if I'd slip down at all in the night, I'd really cough and choke from the fluids in my esophagus. > > With the CPAP, it is pretty amazing. That air pressure seems to keep the fluids down and away from my trachea. I rarely (if ever) wake up coughing in the night if I have the CPAP on. > > I recently spent a couple nights at a relatives house, and I didn't bring the CPAP with me, but I was wishing I had because it all came back with the fluid and feeling like I'm drowning and waking up coughing. > > Anyway, just thought I'd bring it up in case the info is helpful to anyone. CPAPs are " presription " items, meaning that a doctor has to prescribe in order to buy it. I didn't want to undergo the sleep testing stuff and didn't think I had sleep apnea, so I found a used one on Craig's List and bought it (my cost for a good one, gently used, was about $100). Tubing and masks and such can be bought online without prescription (getting the best fit may be a bit tricky - I found the nasal pillow type mask works best for me). > > I am hoping to bring this use of the CPAP up with my PCP or my gastro and see if they will prescribe one for me, so that I can get one covered by my insurance. > > Anyone else use CPAP and find it helpful with Achalasia? Anyone able to get a doctor to prescribe them one? > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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