One Year in.

My first year on XPAP is coming to a close.
I have used the machine almost every night, and my AHI is finally settling down to where I am getting under 5 fairly regularly. I have played with the pressure, and found if it is under 9, (which is my CPAP prescription) I don't get enough air, and if it goes over about 10, it wakes me up, so I use 9-10 Auto, and it seems to work.
At first, I would take it off in the night, sometimes without even knowing it, but I kept putting it back on. A couple weeks ago, I was sick as a dog, I didn't think I could breathe through it, so I went to bed without it, and woke up in the night and had it on! That is conditioning.
I am an outdoorsman, and I spend quite a few nights in the boonies. I don't have a battery yet, but after falling asleep all day my last time out, I am going to get one. I can't over state the difference it has made in my life. I am really ten years younger than a year ago.
Thanks to all of you for helping.

Congrats on becoming 10 years younger! Good to read reports like this - I'm sure it's encouraging to those just starting their journey.

salton wrote: I am an outdoorsman, and I spend quite a few nights in the boonies. I don't have a battery yet, but after falling asleep all day my last time out, I am going to get one. I can't over state the difference it has made in my life. I am really ten years younger than a year ago.
Thanks to all of you for helping.

Good luck with the batteries. There's a big difference if you camp in a camper on your truck bed (and can recharge every day) or if you like tent camping. Most battery packs won's last more than a few days tent camping out in the boonies... and that's if you don't use the humidifier. People with more smarts than me regarding battery packs will probably chime in if you start a thread specifically addressing battery packs and camping.

I usually only go for a couple of nights, seldom more than 3. If it would work for two nights, that is two more days I can feel good!

salton wrote:I usually only go for a couple of nights, seldom more than 3. If it would work for two nights, that is two more days I can feel good!

Here's a super long write-up on batteries for camping or whatever, all from our own 'Go To' expert John B Fisher. I doubt anyone could be more thorough
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=89123&p=817999&hili ... es#p817999

Just go to the top of the thread and look at the table of contents first.

Thank You. Yes I saw that already. Very good stuff. I will review it thoroughly before I make my decision. I just started a job today, so with luck I will be able to get hooked up pretty soon. It is almost Fishing time!

I just used a regular car battery for five nights in a row, with the heated humidifier on. It worked fine. I put the battery on the charger tonight, and it said it was at 9% and the voltage was down to 9.5. It would not have made it through tonight, probably, but at least I know I can use it for my two night trips with no worries.

salton wrote:I just used a regular car battery for five nights in a row, with the heated humidifier on. It worked fine. I put the battery on the charger tonight, and it said it was at 9% and the voltage was down to 9.5. It would not have made it through tonight, probably, but at least I know I can use it for my two night trips with no worries.

thanks for the followup...

salton wrote:I just used a regular car battery for five nights in a row, with the heated humidifier on. It worked fine. I put the battery on the charger tonight, and it said it was at 9% and the voltage was down to 9.5. It would not have made it through tonight, probably, but at least I know I can use it for my two night trips with no worries.

Unfortunately a regular car battery is is not designed for that sort of deep discharge. One such event probably won't kill it (unless it was old to start with) but it only has a few of those deep discharges in it. A Deep Cycle battery, often sold as a "Marine Deep Cycle" or "RV Battery" is what you want. It can look just like a starting battery but it must have the words "Deep Cycle." If not abused, and draining to 9.5 volts counts as abuse, it can last hundreds of cycles. These batteries start at around $75 at Walmart, etc, and of course you can spend many times that amount for more power and spillproof technology.

If you're using an inverter, you can get a DC power cord (from cpap.com, of course) that will power your pump directly for about $25; this can reduce power use by a third or more. And many people find they don't need a humidifier while camping - that can take 4 times the power of the pump. Your machine can auto-adjust the humidity provided based on the ambient level. If you had to fill the tank every day you used a lot of juice to evaporate the water; if not much water was used, maybe you don't even need to bring the humidifier, or you can use it in passive mode, turned off.

If you want something lightweight that you can carry in, there are lithium based batteries that only weigh 5 pounds, and might give you 2-3 nights without the humidifier. They start at about $300.

I have had a few deep cycle batteries. I would go for the lithium pack if I was hiking in. I almost never go for more than two nights anymore, and don't stray far from the truck, so the bulk is no problem. I am in the car business, so car batteries are very easy for me to get cheaply, and I don't think I would come close to draining it so far.
As for the Humidifier, I am a little hesitant to take it because I am afraid it will tip. On the other hand, our average humidity is around 9%, so it can be hard without it.