I don't have Sleep Apnea

But I DO need to use the CPAP machine.

What I have is known as Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS), "a type of sleep-disordered breathing associated with arousals from sleep. The symptoms and causes are similar with obstructive apnea, but the patient doesn't stop breathing in sleep; he wakes up before any attempt of breathing cessation." 

Not only are the symptoms and causes similar to apnea, so too are the consequences of non-treatment, and the treatment.  UARS is treated with CPAP therapy.

So, rep guy (who is a respirologist) addressed my concerns about the excessive dry mouth. (Although the unit seemed to be performing properly for me, there were numerous leaks each and every night during the past week.)

I apparently had numerous apnea and hypopnea events each night, but he wasn't convinced that the readings were accurate, due to the high level of leakage.

But the readings did convince him that the pressure was not sufficient for my needs so he increased it (but only by one for now).

He wrapped the tube with a cover to help prevent condensation since I need the humidity set at a higher level than might be optimal (he assures me that will change as I learn to breathe through my nose).

By the way, he was agreeable to allowing me to follow the strategy I proposed (putting further testing on hold until September) but he ended up convincing me to try the unit for one more week before putting that strategy into play.

I came away from today's meeting with a much better understanding of why I have a history of difficulty with anaesthetic and my fear of same is now much lowered.

When he was explaining that I have UARS, he commented that I would present a challenge for anaesthesia.

Naturally, I jumped on that, and told him that anaesthesia most certainly is a challenge for me.

He said that he meant that getting a breathing tube down my throat would probably be difficult because of the physical obstruction presented by my airways.

I told him about my experiences waking up from surgeries not being able to breathe, and he assured me that those incidents would not repeat themselves.  Now, immediately that I arrive in the recovery room, a respirologist would be waiting for me, ready to hook me up to my CPAP machine.

Our discussion convinced me that this is a therapy with which I should continue.  My survival could depend on it.