I am scheduled to get my first CPAP machine, mask etc. on Tuesday. I have just been diagnosed with a staph infection in my sinuses. I am  now on antibiotics.  Will the infection contaminate the equipment? Will I need to clean it in a special way? Should I wait to start?

It would be good to clean your mask daily with soap and water until you get over your infection -- nothing special.  There is no need to sanitize it or do anything like that.

If your ears or sinuses are painful, you might want to wait a couple of days before you start using CPAP; you don't need the added drama of a sinus infection when first trying to get used to CPAP.

Thanks Bearded One! I was worried about the cleaning.  Fortunately my sinuses are not painful. I guess I'll see how I feel on Tuesday.

Just to complicate things further, I am going on a 6 day business trip on Wednesday. So I will only have 1 night at home with the CPAP before I take off.  Between the sinus infection and the travel, maybe I will wait until I get back to start, although I am really looking forward to starting and hate to put it off.

I think you should call your ENT, your doctor, or your sleep doctor to get an opinion from them before you try the mask. If you do have staph bacteria in your nose/sinuses it could push them into other areas of your head, throat, etc. Just my opinion and I hope I am wrong.


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REMstar Auto M series with A-Flex and humidifier. Plus an O2 concentrator

Oh, I hadn't thought of that. Thanks!  I'll check with the ENT.

Thanks America! Turns out you were correct. The sleep doctor said that the risk was small, but not worth taking. He directed me not to start using the mask until I have finished the 21 days of antibiotics.

So, now I am looking at my brand new CPAP machine, etc. sitting unused on the table and counting down the days until I can get started. Very frustrating.