CPAP in Hospital

So I was feeling poorly last week and they sent me home from work. 7 miles of the 15 and I had to pull over. I called my wife and she came and took me to the ER. She wheeled me in, and they took one look at me and took me straight in. I could not put a sentence together, or ID simple objects, my right hand and right side of my face were numb, and my vision was narrowing. They had me into the stroke protocol before they knew my name.
It turned into a typical episode of "HOUSE" by the time it was over, but this is a CPAP forum, so I will talk about that.
My second night in, Christi brings in my CPAP and I used it. First thing the next morning it fell off the night stand. It had lots of water in the tank, and landed in such a way that water should have gone into it, so I unplugged it.
The Hospital sent their respiratory Therapy department in the next day to set me up with a loaner. The two 17 year old kids wheeled this thing in I thought they had an old Arc welder from Auto Shop. They popped on a hose and put a nasal mask on me that felt like I was in the nose of some sort of antique airplane, and it weighed about eight pounds!
Twenty seconds of that and I had enough. I told them off a bit. I told them that crap like that is why people don't use the machines. It is torture, not therapy. So they fit me with O2 so if I got any air, at least it was high in value.

So, after a few days to dry out, my machine still works, so Christi brought it back and stuck it in the night stand drawer so it was safe this time. So it was about three in the afternoon, and I was lying there dozing in and out from a Morphine induced stupor, and in comes the Respiratory department to check on my Oxygen. When they saw I had my CPCP on,you should have seen their faces. HE checked my O2 and it was 99%. He could not believe how quiet the PR sys1 is. And it was in a drawer, so you couldn't hear it at all with all the other monitors beeping and wheezing. I was feeling a little cranky, so I didn't even show it to him, I just told him they should all be like that.
SO I learned a very valuable lesson. Do not rely upon sleep therapy from the hospital staff. they worked in the Cafeteria last week, and the only qualifications thay have is they are physically able to push carts over the lip of the elevator door.

salton wrote:So I was feeling poorly last week and they sent me home from work. 7 miles of the 15 and I had to pull over. I called my wife and she came and took me to the ER. She wheeled me in, and they took one look at me and took me straight in. I could not put a sentence together, or ID simple objects, my right hand and right side of my face were numb, and my vision was narrowing. They had me into the stroke protocol before they knew my name.
It turned into a typical episode of "HOUSE" by the time it was over, but this is a CPAP forum, so I will talk about that.
My second night in, Christi brings in my CPAP and I used it. First thing the next morning it fell off the night stand. It had lots of water in the tank, and landed in such a way that water should have gone into it, so I unplugged it.
The Hospital sent their respiratory Therapy department in the next day to set me up with a loaner. The two 17 year old kids wheeled this thing in I thought they had an old Arc welder from Auto Shop. They popped on a hose and put a nasal mask on me that felt like I was in the nose of some sort of antique airplane, and it weighed about eight pounds!
Twenty seconds of that and I had enough. I told them off a bit. I told them that crap like that is why people don't use the machines. It is torture, not therapy. So they fit me with O2 so if I got any air, at least it was high in value.

So, after a few days to dry out, my machine still works, so Christi brought it back and stuck it in the night stand drawer so it was safe this time. So it was about three in the afternoon, and I was lying there dozing in and out from a Morphine induced stupor, and in comes the Respiratory department to check on my Oxygen. When they saw I had my CPCP on,you should have seen their faces. HE checked my O2 and it was 99%. He could not believe how quiet the PR sys1 is. And it was in a drawer, so you couldn't hear it at all with all the other monitors beeping and wheezing. I was feeling a little cranky, so I didn't even show it to him, I just told him they should all be like that.
SO I learned a very valuable lesson. Do not rely upon sleep therapy from the hospital staff. they worked in the Cafeteria last week, and the only qualifications thay have is they are physically able to push carts over the lip of the elevator door.

Wow Salton, what a story. How are you doing?

49er

I have a list taped to my bedroom mirror so the wife doesn't forget anything. She's had to use it a few times. It says:

Cpap Equipment to Take to the Hospital (put into bag):
• Cpap machine (on bedstand)
• Cpap mask
• Orange extension cord
• Wipes
• Cpap pillow

Sheriff

salton wrote:So I was feeling poorly last week and they sent me home from work. 7 miles of the 15 and I had to pull over. I called my wife and she came and took me to the ER. She wheeled me in, and they took one look at me and took me straight in. I could not put a sentence together, or ID simple objects, my right hand and right side of my face were numb, and my vision was narrowing. They had me into the stroke protocol before they knew my name.
It turned into a typical episode of "HOUSE" by the time it was over, but this is a CPAP forum, so I will talk about that.
My second night in, Christi brings in my CPAP and I used it. First thing the next morning it fell off the night stand. It had lots of water in the tank, and landed in such a way that water should have gone into it, so I unplugged it.
The Hospital sent their respiratory Therapy department in the next day to set me up with a loaner. The two 17 year old kids wheeled this thing in I thought they had an old Arc welder from Auto Shop. They popped on a hose and put a nasal mask on me that felt like I was in the nose of some sort of antique airplane, and it weighed about eight pounds!
Twenty seconds of that and I had enough. I told them off a bit. I told them that crap like that is why people don't use the machines. It is torture, not therapy. So they fit me with O2 so if I got any air, at least it was high in value.

So, after a few days to dry out, my machine still works, so Christi brought it back and stuck it in the night stand drawer so it was safe this time. So it was about three in the afternoon, and I was lying there dozing in and out from a Morphine induced stupor, and in comes the Respiratory department to check on my Oxygen. When they saw I had my CPCP on,you should have seen their faces. HE checked my O2 and it was 99%. He could not believe how quiet the PR sys1 is. And it was in a drawer, so you couldn't hear it at all with all the other monitors beeping and wheezing. I was feeling a little cranky, so I didn't even show it to him, I just told him they should all be like that.
SO I learned a very valuable lesson. Do not rely upon sleep therapy from the hospital staff. they worked in the Cafeteria last week, and the only qualifications thay have is they are physically able to push carts over the lip of the elevator door.

Why the heck would you use the hospital's mask when you had your own with your CPAP machine?

When I was in the hospital as an ER patient I was brought a relatively new PR System1 Auto to use. It was set to my pressures but I was given an uncomfortable mask. The choices were limited.

Why the heck would you use the hospital's mask when you had your own with your CPAP machine?
Because wife took everything home with her, and they brought the machine into my room at 1AM. I could have used my mask the next night, but with no breath pressure relief, or whatever you call it, I cannot even take five minutes. I felt better waking up gasping for air.

It's too bad that only the folks who were in the room are likely to know how useless their equipment is.
Somebody needs to pressure the hospital to invest in newer machinery.
Lord knows they charge enough money!
I hope for your continued and speedy recovery.

Thank you for your well wishes.
I am recovering very nicely, and have been checked for and or flushed or treated for nearly every affliction known to man. They had the whole family freaked out over me having a stroke. My family lives in Missouri and I live in California, so you can see how that complicates things. Fortunately they didn't all fly out to pay respects.
They did cat scan, and took six gallons of blood and then announced it was a TIA not a stroke. Then a few more tests, and an MRI. All the time, I am throwing up, my head is pounding, and all I wanted to do was sleep or die. Either would have worked. Happily, they had Morphine. I have never been a fan of pain meds. They tend to make me feel queezy and edgy, and I would rather take an Ibuprofen than a Norco. But, Morphine, well, it gave me the will to live. Or the ability to recognize the will, or something.
So after a few days, I have the Doctor telling me he thinks it is just Migraines, and he is going to send me home the next morning.
I was OK to go, believe me, but my wife and one Doctor, a Lady Neurologist would not buy into it. My wife did not want me back until they could say why this happened, and the Lady Doc wanted to do a LUMBAR PUNCTURE. Now, I am no Macho Man when it comes to medical procedures, in fact notoriously the opposite, so I was in no hurry to go there.
I talked with a friend on the phone who has had several punctures done, and he encouraged me to do it, my wife wanted me to do it, but the Doctor on my case says it is a waste of time and an unnecessary risk. The Lady Doc came to my room that night in her civilian clothes and her purse in her hand, on the way home. She said to me, Migraine does not explain what happened to you. There is only a small chance that we will find anything, but you could have Encephalitis or meningitis, or something else we cannot see without the procedure. I strongly advise you to let me do it.
What could I say to that?
So the next morning, the Doctor is there when the lady doc is getting ready to stick me, and he asks me again if I am sure I want it done, because I almost certainly "Don't have anything." They were actually having quite a battle between them. He wanted to stay and hold my hand and she booted him out.
So, I had Meningitis and Suedo or whatever you call it, tumor syndrome or something that causes inter-cranial pressure to increase.

Sheriff Buford wrote:I have a list taped to my bedroom mirror so the wife doesn't forget anything. She's had to use it a few times. It says:

Cpap Equipment to Take to the Hospital (put into bag):
• Cpap machine (on bedstand)
• Cpap mask
• Orange extension cord
• Wipes
• Cpap pillow

Sheriff

You left the "taser" off of the list?

Sheriff...
Add to wife list to empty the humidifier before moving anything!

the oldie wrote:Sheriff...
Add to wife list to empty the humidifier before moving anything!

Don't use the humidifier... thank you for indicating another "pain in the butt" reason for not using a humidifier....