2 nights no power - no cpap - THANKS SANDY!

[sleeptimeinNY]

So 2 nights and no power and no back up batteries, so 2 nights without using the CPAP. And I actually miss it!! I can't even believe I just said that. I'm quite tired!
Anyway, hopefully our power will come back on soon.... but who knows, because so many people on Long Island in New York are without. What a mess!
Good luck to everyone in the Northeast without power.

Ruth

[chunkyfrog]

During an 8-day power outage, our water bed stayed reasonable the first 3 or 4 nights.
After that, we had to zip the sleeping bags together.
We built a fire in the fireplace for the first time and the cat went NUTS!
"Meow, Hey you guys, there's a FIRE here! meow, we need to do something--now!"

[nanwilson]

So 2 nights and no power and no back up batteries, so 2 nights without using the CPAP. And I actually miss it!! I can't even believe I just said that. I'm quite tired!
Anyway, hopefully our power will come back on soon.... but who knows, because so many people on Long Island in New York are without. What a mess!
Good luck to everyone in the Northeast without power.

Ruth

Suggestions....
car battery
better yet....a boat/marine battery
a relative/friend that has power
motel that has power
share a generator with a friend/relative
next time be prepared

[SleepyToo2]

Hey, Nan - a tad unfair, I think. Preparation for something that has never happened before is a little difficult! Also, when one thinks of power outages one typically thinks of a night at most. For this event, they started talking about a 1-2 week outage quite late in the story that I heard. Battery back-up for that length of time is not easy, and you need a source of power to recharge. I had thought I would go to my company offices, but they were without power until late today. A generator would have been fine, had we not been in one of the coastal communities that got flooded and/or "drenched" in sand. Then, no generator would have worked. Plus, we probably would have evacuated (taking CPAP with us) anyway.

What I have learned is that we should all have a deep cycle battery, plus the cables recommended by the CPAP manufacturer, and a battery tender charger that will condition the battery as well. A supply of distilled water is also needed if we have to have humidification, although we probably can't use that with our battery packs.

I lost power during Irene, but not during Sandy. I was still not prepared as well as I might have been - I have learned from each outage.

Ruth, do you have a recliner that you could sleep in? It might help a bit. Sadly, there is not much else I can recommend until you can get somewhere with power. It is going to be uncomfortable/painful to be without the breathing support. Also, keep an eye on your friends/neighbors to see if they get power back sooner than you do - then a sleeping bag on their sofa or floor with your PAP machine might be preferable to going without. If you are able to get some kind of battery pack that allows you to run your machine (you do need the cables), you may be able to get it recharged at an evacuation center.

Good luck, and let us know if there is anything we can do to help.

[JO'M]

Fingers crossed power is restored soon. My local hydro company was sending crews down your way to help out.

[eeckel]

Is provent a reasonable option for these events?

[Dazed and Confused]

Before I got my CPAP, I took a tennis ball, put it in a t-shirt (dead center/back)wrapped a rubber band around it. Then wore the shirt at night. This helped me stay on my side. Not as good as CPAP, but not as bad as nothing. I wish you the best!

[nanwilson]

Sleepytoo2
I'm sorry you feel I was being unfair, but I had no intention of coming across as unfair. I was merely suggesting ways that someone could find ways to get power in this disaster, and to be fully prepared when a "next time" rears its ugly head. There will always be a next time, it may not be as bad, but there will be other power outages along the way. When I was younger we were flooded out..... and I have been caught in the middle of a tornado before and from that moment on, I have always had a contingency plan...."just in case".
I feel for the people caught in this terrible disaster and hope that everyone is able to get back to their homes and a normal life....very soon.
Nan

[Lizistired]

Is provent a reasonable option for these events?

You would need to try Provent and see if it works for you. If it does, it would be an option.
I think there is a period of adaptation to it too. I would probably rip it off the first couple of nights!
Someone here used it recently for a trip or something. I don't remember hearing the results.

Sleeping with an oximeter in alarm mode is another option if one has serious desaturations.
As for trying to sleep upright, when I fall asleep in the recliner, my head falls forward or to the side.
I actually do better if I sleep on my stomach.

[2 B Sleeping Soundly]

Is provent a reasonable option for these events?

You would need to try Provent and see if it works for you. If it does, it would be an option.
I think there is a period of adaptation to it too. I would probably rip it off the first couple of nights!
Someone here used it recently for a trip or something. I don't remember hearing the results.

Liz, I believe the forum member who used Provent on a trip was Pats viewtopic.php?f=1&t=54079&p=728751#p728751

[pats]

Is provent a reasonable option for these events?

You would need to try Provent and see if it works for you. If it does, it would be an option.
I think there is a period of adaptation to it too. I would probably rip it off the first couple of nights!
Someone here used it recently for a trip or something. I don't remember hearing the results.

I've used Provent this year both for a trip to the Andes, and for a less demanding trip to London, about two weeks each time. It worked very well for me. Unlike several others on the Andes tour, I never needed to hit the oxygen concentrator in the hotel lobby in the morning.

There is definitely a learning curve. The first week or so of getting used to it at home, I started the night wearing Provent but with my APAP mask next to my pillow. When I woke up in the night and ripped off the Provent I switched to APAP for the rest of the night. After about a week I could use it all night.

Anyone thinking of Provent as an emergency back-up should not just get a prescription. They should use it long enough to know they can sleep all night with it, and that it works for them.

[sleeptimeinNY]

Thanks for the replies everyone!
Still no power. It's getting old and cold now.
As far as being prepared, since I've only been on CPAP since last March, I hadn't thought about a prolonged power outage and then when I started reading the whole blog about the deep marine cycle battery, etc.,
it went right over my head and it seemed sooo complicated for me!!
After this is all over with (hopefully sooner and not later) we will probably look into getting a generator.

I am trying to sleep on my stomach (which is what I used to do pre-CPAP) and will try the tennis ball thing to stay off my back. Funny thing is is that with my CPAP on I NEVER sleep on my back (mask leaks too much) and
now I without it I have woken up to find myself on my back.

Might try to get into a hotel this weekend. But there are not a lot of them and not sure if they are full or not.

Thanks for the help with the power crews from Ontario Canada!!

Ruth

[Lizistired]

Nasal strips might help too.

[msradar65]

Sleepytoo2
I'm sorry you feel I was being unfair, but I had no intention of coming across as unfair. I was merely suggesting ways that someone could find ways to get power in this disaster, and to be fully prepared when a "next time" rears its ugly head. There will always be a next time, it may not be as bad, but there will be other power outages along the way. When I was younger we were flooded out..... and I have been caught in the middle of a tornado before and from that moment on, I have always had a contingency plan...."just in case".
I feel for the people caught in this terrible disaster and hope that everyone is able to get back to their homes and a normal life....very soon.
Nan

Nan I think you were right on the mark and not being unfair. Having lived in Hurricane, tornado or Tsunami alley all my life its all about preparation. Its amazing how the original posters attitude of entitlement came though...when people say we have never had this problem before.

Hurricanes come with plenty of warning. Have a plan and a backup plan to that too!

I say read up and plan....your neighbors to the south have lots of experience!!

[archangle]

I do fairly well sleeping on my side without CPAP. Hugging a body length pillow with my arms and grabbing it between my knees helps keep me in position.

For me, sleeping in the recliner doesn't seem to help my apnea.