Well, There's Your Problem

[kevin_standlee]

On Sunday and Monday, I had the sniffles. I didn't think it it was a cold or worse, but just in case, on Tuesday I took a COVID test (negative). Both days, it was pretty bad in the morning and got progressively better each day. Thinking about what could be causing this under those circumstances, I grew suspicious of my CPAP machine. So just in case, I did an extra cleaning cycle on it, using the hospital-grade disinfectant that I have on the hose. I also did a thorough dusting on and sprayed Lysol in the area where the machine sits, and then vacuumed the rug and floor in the bedroom. Today, I woke up with no more sniffles or other signs of respiratory problems, so for now I'm going to assume that doing the cleaning fixed the issues.

Comments

[a_cubed]

Didn't you have something similar after Westercon? Maybe you need to add a more regular deep cleaning cycle to the CPAP machine and your bedroom.
Glad this seems to have cleared up the current issue, but reactions like these can get worse if you're not careful about trying to reduce exposure to the irritant.

[kevin_standlee]

Yeah, I should probably clean the hose a bit more often than I have been doing.

CPAP

[belak]

Ugh! That's a terrible feeling!

The instructions on most CPAP/BiPAPs suggest a daily cleaning.

Most do okay with a weekly good cleaning as long as you don't have a water chamber with your machine. Water chamber, even with distilled water, you're best to clean every other day at most.

Make it a regular schedule item, like taking out the trash or some other routine item to remind you to clean it.

Re: CPAP

[kevin_standlee]

I do not have a water chamber. Even though I live in a low-humidity area, I have never had a problem with drying things out. I do wash the mask daily.