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Why not just connect your hose to your machine, without the mask attached, and run some air through it for 10 minutes? That should dry it.
Unless your leak is massive, it doesn't have to be a problem. If it is not bothering you and your AHI is still nice and low then you don't need to worry about it. If the leak is so big that the machine cannot tell if you are breathing, the data downloaded from the machine should tell you. I'm not familiar with Sleepyhead but I expect it would do the same.
I'm afraid that P10 of your is just going to get looser and leak more unless you do something. You say that you're scared to cut up the straps, but they will become completely useless if you don't. You could buy a new strap every 3 - 6 months, and ResMed would love you for it, but it will cost you a lot of money.
They can work. However, you can achieve exactly the same thing with a scarf and a few rubber bands/cable ties etc. for no charge. So perhaps try that before shelling out for anything.
That's the stuff. I've had a few patients use it to good effect.
A little further research revealed that hypopnoeas are only classified as either obstructive or central in paediatric studies. In adults they are just hypopnoeas. We don't do paeds here so I had not heard of that.When it comes down to it, the classification of an event is far less important than whether CPAP makes it go away.
With reference to getting married, whilst CPAP may not be terribly sexy, it is way sexier than a big old snore.
Short answer: weight loss is the best cure. It doesn't work for every one but it does for many. Failing that, CPAP is a very reliable way of stopping snoring. I'm unaware of anything else that is.
Your not thinking like someone who runs a big business. Why would you NOT change the headgear of a mask with something which needs to be replaced 3 times as often, resulting in far more sales and more revenue for your company? It's a no brainer. Remember that, ultimately, while a CPAP mask might be a means of increased quality of life and improved health for you, in our capitalist society it's just a way of making money from the manufacturer's perspective. The fact that it helps you is a side effect.
ResMed seem to have wedged their head further up their own posterior in recent years. They have a habit of replacing perfectly good products with worse ones, just so they have a new thing.
There are other companies which make Non Invasive Ventilation devices which are just as good (and sometimes better) at treating central apnoeas, obesity hypoventilation, type 2 respiratory failure and so on than the ResMed machines you list here.
Also, I think you may have some of your terminology a bit confused. CPAP (fixed or auto) is the standard treatment for hypopnoeas. You may be referring to hypoventilation, which is usually treated with a bi-level device of some sort. Central apnoeas are not always treated the same way. The best mode of treatment depends on the cause of the centrals and the way the patient responds. It's all a bit technical. In short, ResMed machines are not the only option.
