This Has Gotten Scary

General Discussion on any topic relating to CPAP and/or Sleep Apnea.
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Setj
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This Has Gotten Scary

Post by Setj » Sun Apr 13, 2014 10:15 am

Only a mere four months using CPAP and I have become anxious about the safety of my machine when traveling. There is a fear that something could happen to it in transit and I would have a miserable or worse night.

I travel a lot and always keep an eye on the luggage bin on the plane or on short flights stuff the CPAP under the seat in front of me. Last week a client picked me up at the airport and opened his car's back door for me to put in my bag and CPAP bag. When we got to his office I had to insist it go into his locked trunk and he was hesitant to accommodate me. But I did not budge until it was locked away.

And to think of all the years before now I slept without one!

Do you feel vulnerable and dependent on the machine?
Seth

(I made a typo when I registered the user name. :oops: )

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chunkyfrog
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Re: This Has Gotten Scary

Post by chunkyfrog » Sun Apr 13, 2014 10:16 am

Oh, heck yes!
It is medical equipment, after all;
--and I never dreamed how much better my life is because of it.

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BlackSpinner
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Re: This Has Gotten Scary

Post by BlackSpinner » Sun Apr 13, 2014 10:27 am

I bought a new machine when it was getting near its 4th birthday because the idea of sleeping without it was/is terrifying. I now use the old one for travel.

Of course you want it locked away. That was about $3000 (retail) worth of medical equipment sitting on the back seat in full view of a thief!

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chunkyfrog
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Re: This Has Gotten Scary

Post by chunkyfrog » Sun Apr 13, 2014 10:43 am

If it's in a decent-looking case, some dope-addled fiend may think he can sell it for drugs.
He'll probably get enough for a couple of aspirin--but he won't find that out until you've gone through hell.
--and he won't bring it back. If the cops get ahold of it, months may pass before you would ever see it--
--and it may reek of crank and weed by that time.

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Bill44133
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Re: This Has Gotten Scary

Post by Bill44133 » Sun Apr 13, 2014 11:05 am

I don't blame you one bit. I have given up all over night travel. I am waiting until I get buy a backup machine then I will consider travel.
Guard it with your life. Terrible things happen if you sleep without your machine. I have no desire to even try..

In my view its not scary its your life

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herefishy
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Re: This Has Gotten Scary

Post by herefishy » Sun Apr 13, 2014 11:17 am

Next time that happens, just tell your client the bag is full of gold - that should get him to understand your concern.

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Goofproof
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Re: This Has Gotten Scary

Post by Goofproof » Sun Apr 13, 2014 11:54 am

It's a machine, a machine we need, no need for drama. Two options, stay home, get spare machines (I have 3), they will fail, be prepared.

Stress will do almost as much damage as no xpap machine. The way to survive life is to have a plan, fate treats the prepared better than the un-prepared. Jim
Last edited by Goofproof on Sun Apr 13, 2014 6:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Use data to optimize your xPAP treatment!

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jencat824
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Re: This Has Gotten Scary

Post by jencat824 » Sun Apr 13, 2014 6:07 pm

I was this way almost from the first moment of my CPAP therapy, 14 year's ago. At the time I traveled a lot for work & used to check it at hotel desks instead of leaving it in my room. I eventually relaxed some, but I don't think I felt secure until I got a back up machine.

Just make sure YOU are comfortable that your equipment is safe. If you want to get a 'travel/back-up' machine, you might want to watch CraigsList for a gently used unit or check out secondwind.com.

After you sleep with therapy, the thought of sleeping without it is scary.

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jaye8898
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Re: This Has Gotten Scary

Post by jaye8898 » Sun Apr 13, 2014 6:59 pm

Goofproof wrote: Stress will do almost as much damage as no xpap machine. The way to survive life is to have a plan, fate treats the prepared better than the un-prepared. Jim


This is excellent advise. Being a writer of horror stories, my imagination takes me to a place where the power goes out......for a long, long, time, due to one of those surges or whatever (need to research the tech stuff ) What would happen? How would those of us who need this equipment and others who need ventilators survive? It's amazing in the few short weeks that I've been back on cpap, I am totally dependent on it. I can't imagine ever sleeping without it again. I'm worried ( not really but concerned) that I don't have a generator or battery!! So yes, if you don't carry it with you, it definitely needs to be locked up!!!

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djhall
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Re: This Has Gotten Scary

Post by djhall » Sun Apr 13, 2014 8:32 pm

I think the question becomes meaningful unless you are significantly more concerned about the CPAP than you would be with anything that had a similar effect if lost or stolen and a similar potential for theft or damage. A CPAP is usually around one to two thousand dollars to replace, is a hassle to get replaced on short notice, would result in several days reduced productivity from non-restful sleep if lost, looks valuable, and is easily carried away. My laptop would cost less and be an easier purchase to arrange if I had to replace it, looks valuable, is easily carried away, and would result in several days reduced productivity from having to re-install missing data and programs. I treat both fairly similarly in my protectiveness of them. I don't find that the least bit worrisome.

Now, if I was leaving my laptop in the car with the windows down, and had thousands of dollars of cash and jewelry sitting on the bedside table, while my cpap was locked in the hotel room safe.... yeah, I'd think that was cause for concern.

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Sir NoddinOff
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Re: This Has Gotten Scary

Post by Sir NoddinOff » Mon Apr 14, 2014 5:38 pm

Over the last couple of years on this forum I've read some real horror stories about machines getting lost in transit, blowing up during a power surges, dying unexpectedly, getting dropped, getting stolen and on and on. Travel stories in foreign countries are always the most interesting... ummm... I mean tragic. I'd like to be able to tell you a phrase to search for in CPAPtalks search engine when looking for these stories, however there is no common denominator that I can think of. Each tale seems to be unique in its own misery. All that being said: I do have a backup machine for those in-house emergencies, of which I just had a big one last month

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BlackSpinner
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Re: This Has Gotten Scary

Post by BlackSpinner » Mon Apr 14, 2014 6:03 pm

Setj wrote:Several mentioned a backup machine. How would a backup machine help on a trip? I will surely not carry two machines.
At least when you get home your good machine is waiting. I use my old S8 for travel.

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71. The lame can ride on horseback, the one-handed drive cattle. The deaf, fight and be useful. To be blind is better than to be burnt on the pyre. No one gets good from a corpse. The Havamal

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jencat824
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Re: This Has Gotten Scary

Post by jencat824 » Mon Apr 14, 2014 6:06 pm

Setj wrote:Several mentioned a backup machine. How would a backup machine help on a trip? I will surely not carry two machines.
Backup machine won't help on that immediate trip, but when you get home, you will have a machine waiting for you. A lost or damaged CPAP takes time to get replaced. You should have your RX, but it will still take several days, possibly a couple of weeks to get it replaced.

Also you should have a copy of your RX with you when traveling. In larger cities you may be able to get a short term rental if you can find a large DME who offers that option.

Overall, I guess I probably just scared & stressed you, sorry for that. I'm only sharing info to help you have a 'plan of attack' for travel & at home.

Having said that, I wish you many safe & uneventful trips with your CPAP.

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zoocrewphoto
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Re: This Has Gotten Scary

Post by zoocrewphoto » Mon Apr 14, 2014 10:57 pm

I recently bought a backup machine via craigslist. I like the idea that I still have my good machine at home.

I travel a lot, always by car, so I haven't been on a plane with a cpap machine. I put my laptop and my cpap machine inside a zipped tote bag so that it neither one looks valuable. I do leave it in the car while stopping at restuarants, shopping, etc during a trip. But when I am at an all day event such as the pet fair I was at yesterday, I brought the tote bag in and kept it under the table. I see no reason to tempt anybody by leaving a bag that looks like a laptop bag, visible to anybody walking by the car.

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Who would have thought it would be this challenging to sleep and breathe at the same time?

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70sSanO
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Re: This Has Gotten Scary

Post by 70sSanO » Tue Apr 15, 2014 9:05 am

I don't travel a lot, but I have flown with my machine and I always carry it on. The TSA also gives it extra attention and I put it under my seat or in the overhead right above me.

I do think about it but not to the degree that maybe I should, because on trips I also bring along a ukulele (Not Tiny Tim but Jake Shimabukuro). I worry more about getting the uke stolen out of a hotel room more than my expensive CPAP machine. I go to some great lengths to lock up my ukulele. I have used bike cables, even a hardened bike bike chain that I loop around the uke's hard case and then through the furniture in the room. If it is in a rental car I chain/cable it in the car. This thread got me thinking about what I can do to protect my CPAP machine and at the very least I will probably bring my backup along on trips.

There are things you can do if losing your machine is that troubling to you . I see that there are travel machines that are now available and they look incredibly small. The mindset has to be to get a small machine and a small secure case that can be locked up. Once you have a good setup you can lock it to anything solid whether it is in a car, hotel room, or ???

But remember, if someone wants something they will take it. You just want to make it as difficult as possible so they have to work harder than they are willing to work and decide to go elsewhere. Go online and look up security pr0oducts, boxes, cases, to see what is out there. Also check out what bike locks, cables, or chains are offered and the sold secure rating. I've had to buy bike locks and it is amazing what people will do to get through a lock. Check out youtubes that show how easy some products are to defeat. I even stumbled onto a lock picking forum that will make you lock at padlocks totally different and really does confirm that locks only keep honest people honest.

John
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