Marley's Ghost & The Drool Pool

...Nor did he believe it even now. Though he

looked the phantom through and through,

and saw it standing before him; though he

felt the chilling influence of its death-cold

eyes; and marked the very texture of the folded

kerchief bound about its head and chin,...

...But how much greater was his horror, when

the phantom taking off the bandage round its

head, as if it were too warm to wear in-doors,

its lower jaw dropped down upon its breast!

-- Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, Stave I, "Marley's Ghost"

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When I wear my CPAP, I also wear this cheaply made contraption/accessory that wraps under my chin and Velcros together at the top of my head. Then, I pull on the mask.

The device reminds me of the many images of Jacob Marley's ghost, come to visit Scrooge and sway him from the path he walks. When seeing "A Christmas Carol" films as a child, I always figured old Marley had some spectral toothache that was part of his purgatorial punishment. You know: tote these heavy chains for penance...and suffer this dental agony while you're at it.

Once I actually read Dickens's tale, I learned that the bandage was functional. It helped keep Marley's mouth from falling open.

That's why I wear mine, too.

The pressure on my CPAP (like the atmosphere of thousand worlds) is so intense, it would otherwise force my mouth open -- out of which would blast the CPAP-created chinook.

Feels a little like someone stealing your soul.

I didn't take my CPAP on a recent trip. Thus, I didn't have something to hold my jaw shut. And I discovered I now drool like a fool.

Man. My mouth can generate some saliva!

Saliva itself is not a bad thing. But, I'd just as soon turn it off while I'm sleeping, so I don’t wake in a pool of drool.