For a few days I couldn't use my machine at all - sore throat, mouth breathing which made the sore throat worse, sinus infection that got worse with the air pressure and humidity. I think the sore throat might have been making it harder to get a seal too.
After the cold got a little better (but not done yet), I just didn't start up the machine again. I seemed to feel ok, and I didn't want to take a chance on making the cold worse again.
But after a couple of weeks, I realized I was feeling really tired during the day. I wasn't waking up gasping at night, but I must have been getting interrupted a lot anyway.
So three nights ago I started up again. After 18 nights of no cpap.
Huge difference in how I feel during the day. 1.9 AHI the first two nights and 4.4 last night. Still showing a lot of leaks on the graph, but feeling much better, so I kind of don't care about the leaks...
I went from barely getting through the afternoon (and snacking constantly) to waking up refreshed and getting through the day with no problem.
I don't know what I'll do if I get a bad long-running cold like that again, but I know I won't go 18 days straight with no cpap.