CPAP on Overnight Flight?

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
Ron439
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CPAP on Overnight Flight?

Post by Ron439 » Sat Oct 17, 2015 7:06 am

My husband and I will be taking a big vacation in February ... got some time to plan here. Seems like every time we'll get on an airplane, it will be an overnight flight. Ronnie has used CPAP therapy for over 10 years now, and we're used to traveling with the equipment, but I'm a little concerned about these several flights where we'll be sleeping on the plane. Not sure I can deal with him snoring and disturbing everyone else without the machine, but it may be difficult for him to use his ResMed inflight. I need suggestions! Should I look for a tiny "travel" machine? Saw a nifty unit on cpap.com that looked promising, but not sure I want to shell out the $700+ ... have decided health insurance is worthless so I won't even bother trying to go thru them. They jack up the price of the equipment, force you to pay rental for a certain length of time instead of buying it outright, and it ends up costing more in the long run.

I recently saw an ad somewhere about controlling sleep apnea without a machine. What a load of bull, these people were selling a $150 chinstrap!! And wait, if you don't leave the page and buy now, you can have it for $75! LOL, such a deal!! Anyway, it got me thinking. Since Ronnie first started CPAP, his mouth breathing (and thus snoring) has reduced significantly when he's in his recliner -- before I kick him out of the living room and send him to bed. Maybe we could survive this thing if we simply keep his mouth shut. Should I possibly look at a chinstrap? What about maybe a cervical collar, the kind they sell for travelers? Could that hold the jaw in place? Or do I break down and look at machines??

I have four months to figure this out, but it's been on my mind a lot. Always better to plan ahead. I appreciate any pearls of wisdom!
Posted by Ronnie's wife Cyndi!

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LSAT
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Re: CPAP on Overnight Flight?

Post by LSAT » Sat Oct 17, 2015 7:54 am

Ron439 wrote:My husband and I will be taking a big vacation in February ... got some time to plan here. Seems like every time we'll get on an airplane, it will be an overnight flight. Ronnie has used CPAP therapy for over 10 years now, and we're used to traveling with the equipment, but I'm a little concerned about these several flights where we'll be sleeping on the plane. Not sure I can deal with him snoring and disturbing everyone else without the machine, but it may be difficult for him to use his ResMed inflight. I need suggestions! Should I look for a tiny "travel" machine? Saw a nifty unit on cpap.com that looked promising, but not sure I want to shell out the $700+ ... have decided health insurance is worthless so I won't even bother trying to go thru them. They jack up the price of the equipment, force you to pay rental for a certain length of time instead of buying it outright, and it ends up costing more in the long run.

I recently saw an ad somewhere about controlling sleep apnea without a machine. What a load of bull, these people were selling a $150 chinstrap!! And wait, if you don't leave the page and buy now, you can have it for $75! LOL, such a deal!! Anyway, it got me thinking. Since Ronnie first started CPAP, his mouth breathing (and thus snoring) has reduced significantly when he's in his recliner -- before I kick him out of the living room and send him to bed. Maybe we could survive this thing if we simply keep his mouth shut. Should I possibly look at a chinstrap? What about maybe a cervical collar, the kind they sell for travelers? Could that hold the jaw in place? Or do I break down and look at machines??

I have four months to figure this out, but it's been on my mind a lot. Always better to plan ahead. I appreciate any pearls of wisdom!
Make sure you fully understand how your health insurance works. Many policies allow a 10 month rental, but then you own the unit without additional charge. Health insurance does not pay what the DME charges. They have an agreed upon amount that they pay and if you have a co-pay it is calculated on the reduced amount that the insurance pays.

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Re: CPAP on Overnight Flight?

Post by SewTired » Sat Oct 17, 2015 8:44 am

First, if your Resmed is loud, then there is something wrong with your machine. They are virtually silent. While I personally have never traveled by air with a machine, I know a few people who do. Some are actually able to plug their machine in at the seat (depends on the plane). However, the airline expects you to provide your own battery power. In either case, you will need to disattach the humidifier. If you absolutely cannot do without a humidifier, there is an attachment to your hose you can buy.

Be sure to notify the airline 48 hours in advance that you will be using a medical device in-flight. Some don't care, others do.

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Re: CPAP on Overnight Flight?

Post by chunkyfrog » Sat Oct 17, 2015 11:16 am

The most economical way, in my opinion, might be a good, used unit, like a Respironics,
or an Intellipap, along with a third party battery pack. Both will run ofF normal 12VDC.
If you want to use the same unit in the hotel, get the humidifier, and a plain hose.
(if he is using a heated hose now)
I see you have already looked into battery power for the Resmed--can we say "yikes"?
I have an Intellipap Autoadjust along with the cpap.com power supply.
Brand new, I spent around $800, but with a used machine, you could save a pile of money.
This way I have a backup in case of a power outage or failure of the primary machine.
And my Intellipap will run off the lighter socket in the car, in case we need to nap at a rest stop.

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russatore
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Re: CPAP on Overnight Flight?

Post by russatore » Sat Oct 17, 2015 11:52 am

Hello everyone !!
I do travel at least twice a month on long haul night flights between Europe and Asia and I have been using my CPAP with full compliance since February this year. The treatment itself has turned my life around for the better and that wouldn't have been possible without this wonderful forum and the folks who are here; So much so that I can't even imagine spending a night without CPAP and I have made sure I have plenty spare units ready in case anything happen.
But, going back to the topic: At the beginning I tried complying with airlines rules and regulations and I still remember those first few flights where I was making sure to inform the airline prior departure, making sure I had a doc. certificate translated in english but they just couldn't make me spend all those cash on a bulky battery when I could have plugged in the machine in the socket in my seat.
To cut the long story short, nowadays I just carry the machine with me on board and plug it in and no one has never asked me to use a battery or if I did inform the airline in advance.
I was told in one of my red eyes flights from a crew that the use of the battery would have been necessary if, in case of strong turbulence or unexpected problem on the power supply line, the captain would have switched off the power in the seats sockets.
So if I where you I would just make sure the airlines you will be using are fitted with modern seats featuring a socket and then whenever about to doze off just plug in your machine and enjoy the flight and the rest and the vacation
Just my two cents worth

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Ron439
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Re: CPAP on Overnight Flight?

Post by Ron439 » Sat Oct 17, 2015 6:50 pm

SewTired ... don't get me wrong ... the new ResMed was an amazing upgrade! It's so quiet, I love it! But I was thinking it would be too bulky to try to use on an airplane. Thought maybe I'd look for a lower profile option.

LSAT ... I will look into the insurance option. Health insurance is a raw subject for me these days, the new healthcare system is not friendly to small business owners and we've been cancelled 4 times this year. But I think we're safe till the end of the year. When I bought the ResMed, I did it privately, so we should be eligible for another machine.

And I hadn't even thought about notifying the airline ahead of time, figured I'd just do what russatore suggests! I am not 100% sure, but I think all our planes have power options.

Thanks, everyone!! Seems like I was looking at https://www.cpap.com/productpage/z1-aut ... chine.html or maybe https://www.cpap.com/productpage/transc ... etics.html?? Thought something tiny would be one he wouldn't mind using.
Posted by Ronnie's wife Cyndi!

WindCpap
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Re: CPAP on Overnight Flight?

Post by WindCpap » Sat Oct 17, 2015 7:26 pm

I have overnight flight coming up on Tuesday. I won't be bothering with the CPAP for it. You can't use the humidifier, and I got nasty chapped nose the one night I forgot to fill my humidifier.

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Ron439
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Re: CPAP on Overnight Flight?

Post by Ron439 » Sat Oct 17, 2015 7:31 pm

WindCpap, would you consider another option, other than the CPAP?
Posted by Ronnie's wife Cyndi!

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Re: CPAP on Overnight Flight?

Post by WindCpap » Sat Oct 17, 2015 7:38 pm

Like what?

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Ron439
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Re: CPAP on Overnight Flight?

Post by Ron439 » Sat Oct 17, 2015 7:49 pm

Wondering about a chinstrap or neck collar to try to keep the mouth closed?
Posted by Ronnie's wife Cyndi!

WindCpap
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Re: CPAP on Overnight Flight?

Post by WindCpap » Sat Oct 17, 2015 7:51 pm

And how would that stop my sleep apnea? Mouth breathing is a symptom of sleep apnea, not a cause.

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chunkyfrog
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Re: CPAP on Overnight Flight?

Post by chunkyfrog » Sat Oct 17, 2015 8:09 pm

Great point, WindCpap
Probably a good reason why so many of those gadgets don't work!

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Re: CPAP on Overnight Flight?

Post by 49er » Sun Oct 18, 2015 6:21 am

WindCpap wrote:And how would that stop my sleep apnea? Mouth breathing is a symptom of sleep apnea, not a cause.
When I have used a neck collar, I obtain lower pressures and get the same low AHI that I would if I didn't use it and had to stick to the higher ones. So no, it doesn't come close to stopping sleep apnea like a machine would but if that was your only option, it would be better than nothing.

Never heard of a chin strap stopping any apnea. In fact,I would think it could worsen them by pulling the jaw back if it isn't put on correctly.

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Re: CPAP on Overnight Flight?

Post by curems » Sun Oct 18, 2015 6:44 am

WindCpap wrote:I have overnight flight coming up on Tuesday. I won't be bothering with the CPAP for it. You can't use the humidifier, and I got nasty chapped nose the one night I forgot to fill my humidifier.
Lansinoh might solve the chapped nose problem.

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Re: CPAP on Overnight Flight?

Post by LollyD » Sun Oct 18, 2015 10:23 pm

I sprung for one of the tiny machines. I used it when I had the luxury of a lie-flat seat, it works upside down or whatever with the multi-night battery. The flights were long, across the Pacific. As the reviews said, the humidifier for this machine is heavy and bulky, so it went in the luggage for hotel and cruise ship use.

For domestic flights without the flat seats, I just forget about it and figure the night will be tough, with or without the XPAP.

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