Do you know what sucks? Not breathing in your sleep. It's called Sleep Apnea, and it's not as uncommon as I want it to be.
By the time you read this, I'll have been on CPAP for about three months and a BiPAP for about a week.
It has a bunch of parts - there's the unit itself, an attached humidifier (that I need to keep filled with distilled water), a hose, and a mask. If I don't use the humidifier, it dries my nose and mouth out. The mask clips tightly to my face, creating a seal through which air is (theoretically) not able to escape (except through the vents). Unfortunately, there are a few spots where the seal isn't great and I keep waking up with air in my eyes.
Do you know what's almost as bad as not breathing at night? Not being able to randomly wake up, roll over, and kiss your wife without unclipping and then removing a mask, being careful not to get tangled in the hose. At which point, she's already awake from the commotion and there's no surprise in the kiss.
I hate that.
I even have to travel with the damn thing, and I don't trust airline baggage handlers with delicate equipment. At least the government says it doesn't count against my carry-ons. And the TSA has to let it through.
Not that I trust either group - I've got a doctor's note to help me through security and onto the airplane. I'm going to have it laminated.
Because I can't just leave the machine at home - after all, it's keeping me alive, right?
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