CPAP Rotation

[kevin_standlee]

I use a CPAP machine (technically a VPAP) to deal with sleep apnea and have done so for years. It was life-changing, but it does mean periodically doing maintenance and replacing accessories on the machine. In December 2019, I lost the mask on my machine during our road trip (remember those?) between Loscon and SMOFCon in Albuquerque. It's a good idea to change the mask annually or so, and this was the weekend for it.



From left to right is a new just-out-of-its-packaging mask, the one I replaced in December 2019 with an emergency shipment to Albuquerque, and finally a very much older mask that has been sitting in my box of CPAP supplies since I changed it out maybe three years ago.

I retained the year-old mask as an emergency spare (although I have an unopened mask as well), but that really old mask is now discarded.

I also bought a new CPAP hose as well as additional consumables, like the filters.

Comments

[wild_patience]

Have you tried the nasal pillows? (Forgive me if I asked this before and you already answered.) I prefer that style. With the type you use, I would get a very annoying whistling sound when I shifted position in the night. The nasal pillow style is soft and more comfortable for me.

[kevin_standlee]

I've never tried any other style, but have never had a problem with these. I may have gotten accustomed to shifting the mask in my sleep if it starts to whistle.