Travel Advice

[bayourest]

In my experience no one from TSA announces anything about a cpap or anything else personal coming through....Just tell the agent when you enter security that you have a cpap machine and they tell you to open the case and put it on the conveyor. they looked at it. that is it. No one on this forum has said that they have experienced any problems with travel from TSA or airlines so I think you can breathe easy

[plr66]

I don't care if people recognize the machine as CPAP and I am not embarrassed that I need it. It is a violation of my privacy. If we have TSO clerks announcing "we have a CPAP coming through", what stops them from announcing "we have someone with a colostomy bag coming thru" or "we have HIV meds coming thru"?

Yes, perhaps a violation of your privacy. But compared with the other TSA procedures, I view this as the very least of those "violations" (eg: compared with body scans). I continue to recommend that you just let it go, since you are "not embarrassed by it or care whether people recognize the cpap." You can dwell on it or just choose not to get worked up over it.

And just so no surprises, contrary to bayourest's experience, it has been most common on all my flights for the TSA to state out loud "breathing machine here," so that one officer can come over quickly to take it aside to swab it. The swabbing is no longer being done as far as I know, so this may not happen to you.

[sleepingatlast]

I don't care if people recognize the machine as CPAP and I am not embarrassed that I need it. It is a violation of my privacy. If we have TSO clerks announcing "we have a CPAP coming through", what stops them from announcing "we have someone with a colostomy bag coming thru" or "we have HIV meds coming thru"?

Yes, perhaps a violation of your privacy. But compared with the other TSA procedures, I view this as the very least of those "violations" (eg: compared with body scans). I continue to recommend that you just let it go, since you are "not embarrassed by it or care whether people recognize the cpap." You can dwell on it or just choose not to get worked up over it.

And just so no surprises, contrary to bayourest's experience, it has been most common on all my flights for the TSA to state out loud "breathing machine here," so that one officer can come over quickly to take it aside to swab it. The swabbing is no longer being done as far as I know, so this may not happen to you.

So you privacy isn't as important as being felt up by someone you don't know? If they didn't force same sex pat downs, I might agree

[Slartybartfast]

FWIW, something happened a few months ago. TSA stopped asking me to take my CPAP machine out of the bag and passing it through the x-ray machine separately. They ask if it's a laptop, and I say, "No, a CPAP machine." Last three times, they say, "Ok, just put it on the belt." So evidently the rules have recently changed.

[gasp]

I have traveled a great deal with my machine. My Respironics bag is nice in that I can unzip it and expose the machine in the bin. There are usually security attendants before the x-ray machine and they are the ones I casually and with an upbeat attitude (versus anxiety or strained voice) mention I have a CPAP (term they're most familiar with - I have an APAP but say CPAP anyway). They then alert the people who test the machine and everything goes smoothly.

Before I leave the last hotel or home, I make certain the humidity chamber is absolutely dry so there aren't water droplets in the chamber when it goes through security. Same for the hose. The hotel hair dryer works good by holding your hand at the end of the tube providing protection from the plastic of the tube and the hair dryer. Another 'trick' I use is swinging the hose over my head like a rodeo cowboy to force water out of the hose. I ALWAYS remove the hose cover so they can see inside the tube.

I also carry a copy of my prescription.

Check the airline's website before flying and see if they have a page regarding their policies on CPAPs. Most airlines allow you to carry them onboard. I have never been on an airline that hasn't allowed me to carry it onboard and it doesn't count toward the number of bags I can carry on which is normally 2.

How do they handle this dissemination of information? I would think that depending on how this was handled, it could be a HIPAA violation. I understand that if I tell the TSA clerk that is not a violation. I don't want my medical condition being announced to all those going thru the "security" process.

After I let them know the person I told just picks up their shoulder radio and asks for the appropriate person to inspect the CPAP. If they don't have radio units, they find the person they need and sometimes they do raise their voice. But I've never seen anyone around me be alarmed that someone (me) has a CPAP. They're just trying to get through the line themselves and not paying attention.

[mk9]

I have taken my CPAP machines with me for over 10 years. I always used a very old Respironics mega-brick machine as my traveling machine and kept the ultra-gigantic ResMed/Sullivan monster at home. Every time I went through security they took the Respironics off and swabbed it. I figured that was normal. Just a couple of months ago I got a new S9. So far I've only flown once with it but the experience this time was different... they didn't give it a second look as long as it was in a bin. Apparently the TSA people recognize this machine.

BTW I'm working on reducing weight and volume for traveling and found that the basic S9 flow generator, power brick, and extension cord fit nicely in a small insulated lunch bag I found for $5 at Target, with some room left over. It's easy to take it out for inspection, and the bag provides some cushioning and weighs maybe 2 ounces. This is the best carrying method I've found. It takes up much less room than any of the alternatives I've seen or tried so far.

I also just got the 30 watt AC adapter and am rather disappointed with it. There are a couple of weird tradeoffs ResMed made. First, although the brick itself is very much smaller and lighter than the 90 watt version, it has a 6-foot proprietary low-voltage cord on it as the 90 watt unit does also, and that cord is seriously about as heavy as the brick itself. It is a "wall wart" -- it must plug directly into the outlet. This means that it is usually going to cover the entire outlet and its reach is limited to 6 feet from the outlet. If you want to solve either of those problems you will need to get an extension cord anyway. These are all backwards tradeoffs if the goal is small and light, which AFAIK is the only reason for making this adapter in the first place.

[billbolton]

This means that it is usually going to cover the entire outlet and its reach is limited to 6 feet from the outlet.

Which is pretty much ideal if you are attempting to use it from an at-seat mains power outlet on an aircraft.... which may be a clue as to its primary design purpose.

Cheers,

Bill