Stopped Using Humidifier, No More Chest Pain

I posted here several days ago about using a humidifier with the CPAP and getting some sort of cold/bronchitis not long after starting it. I was told to use the humidifier because I was waking up stuffy (from the AC's cold air). I was told by the tech that gave it to me to use the humidifier to prevent the stuffiness. I kept using it even though I continued to have chest pains, which lasted most of the day.

It got to the point that I went to the hospital yesterday to make sure I wasn't getting sicker or something else was happening. I was told that my lungs were clear and from the x-ray everything seemed alright. Still, last night, I decided I wasn't going to use the humidifier anymore. I woke up this morning, stuffy again, but have almost no chest pain. My apneas also have seemed to go down and I got a pretty good sleep as well.

Other than being stuffy for a while in the morning, are there any risks involved with just NOT using a humidifier? I feel as though I have had problems with humidifiers in the past long before using one with the CPAP. As I said, this morning I have almost no chest pain, just stuffy, which I can deal with until it subsides. I have posted on another forum and gotten so many conflicting opinions on what the heck the problem is.

I was using bottled water with the exception of one night where I had to use tap water. Some people, including my tech, told me it was no big deal. Others told me it was a major problem. I decided to just eliminate the humidifier entirely and not have to worry about it at all.

Will I be alright NOT using it, aside from the stuffiness in the morning?

It won't harm you, but you may get uncomfortable at times - especially in the winter when it gets very dry and cold. You'll be breathing cold dry room air, which may cause you to wake up due to discomfort. I forgot to fill the reservoir one night and it was a pretty miserable night. As a couple of us told you before, you should try using distilled water in the humidifier, not spring water, not bottled drinking water, not tap water. You can get gallon jugs of distilled water at the grocery store for under a dollar. Try that for a few nights before you give up completely on the humidifier.