CPAP and White Water Rafting

[tearendt]

I am relatively new to CPAP use. I started this past May and have been nearly 100% compliant. While I have the usual congestion....leaking...and restlessness during sleep that others stuggle through I am trying my best. This forum has helped greatly for learning more about each issue. My question is whether or not there is any major concern stopping treatment during weeklong periods while on vacation. Next May we will be doing a bucket list 7 day trip down the Colorado river thru the Grand Canyon. There will be no power..... no batteries to last long enough..... no room..... and consequently no CPAP. Having lived for 64 years without it, I'd like to not worry about stopping for a week and then re-starting. Also are there insurance implications when being non-compliant for periods of time.
Thanks, Tim

[cosmo]

z

[BlackSpinner]

I am relatively new to CPAP use. I started this past May and have been nearly 100% compliant. While I have the usual congestion....leaking...and restlessness during sleep that others stuggle through I am trying my best. This forum has helped greatly for learning more about each issue. My question is whether or not there is any major concern stopping treatment during weeklong periods while on vacation. Next May we will be doing a bucket list 7 day trip down the Colorado river thru the Grand Canyon. There will be no power..... no batteries to last long enough..... no room..... and consequently no CPAP. Having lived for 64 years without it, I'd like to not worry about stopping for a week and then re-starting. Also are there insurance implications when being non-compliant for periods of time.
Thanks, Tim

A lot of that depends on your O2 levels. Mine drop to 56%. There is no way I am doing one night without it. No trip is worth that much. Most insurance require a 70% use of 4 hours per night in the first 90 days.


I would suggest a trial run keeping a detailed diary and using an oxymeter. You also don't want to feel like total crap for the entire journey due to lack of sleep and if you snore as bad as I do the other will maybe leave you behind half way.

[tearendt]

Thanks to both of you. The Provent looks interesting and I may investigate using an oral device. After my sleep test I remember the doctor mentioning that even though I have sever apnea (66AHI)... my ox level remained good. You are right about the snoring issue.... I don't want to be left behind or give some wild animal my location during the dark canyon night.

[Sir NoddinOff]

I am relatively new to CPAP use. I started this past May and have been nearly 100% compliant. While I have the usual congestion....leaking...and restlessness during sleep that others stuggle through I am trying my best. This forum has helped greatly for learning more about each issue. My question is whether or not there is any major concern stopping treatment during weeklong periods while on vacation. Next May we will be doing a bucket list 7 day trip down the Colorado river thru the Grand Canyon. There will be no power..... no batteries to last long enough..... no room..... and consequently no CPAP. Having lived for 64 years without it, I'd like to not worry about stopping for a week and then re-starting. Also are there insurance implications when being non-compliant for periods of time.
Thanks, Tim

I'm also into rafting, mt biking, hiking and other wilderness sports. I can typically go without my machine for about 3-4 nights, mostly resorting to sleeping pills, if necessary. I don't like to do that, but as you implied, it's not convenient to carry a huge battery along. As soon as I get back home I return to my regular CPAP every night usage pattern - plus I never have any difficulty. Will this work for everybody? Probably not, but sometimes you just have to adapt as best you can. Having the freedom to start and stop CPAP, is one of the main reasons I paid for my equipment out of my own pocket. Car camping or RV camping is another whole topic where you can use your CPAP, if you're clever.

[tearendt]

Has anyone tried an oral device with any success for short periods of time?

[Jason7]

If you have room to take just the blower half of the S9 (and leave the humidifier at home), you can look into solar power. I met a fellow safari traveler in Africa who put together a solar power charger. I believe they also sell one for the transcend cpap. A solar power charger is just a flat sheet that folds up. If you search on this forum and/or google you can find a lot of information about this.
Jason

[BlackSpinner]

If you have room to take just the blower half of the S9 (and leave the humidifier at home), you can look into solar power. I met a fellow safari traveler in Africa who put together a solar power charger. I believe they also sell one for the transcend cpap. A solar power charger is just a flat sheet that folds up. If you search on this forum and/or google you can find a lot of information about this.
Jason

Except that he will be at the bottom of a canyon on a RAFT on WHITE WATER most of the day. I would not take electronics I valued on that trip or anything else I wouldn't be happy to find at the bottom of a river! I have gone camping by canoe (pre cpap) and I have friends and family who have done the white water rafting thing. Dry is very much not an option.

[cosmo]

Has anyone tried an oral device with any success for short periods of time?

You mean the nasal device ? I tried to nap with it today. Was not successful. Don't think I will try it again. I trained myself to breathe from the nose. They want you to breathe from mouth to fall asleep. Then hope you will close it when asleep.

I think any form of cpap is better than the Provent.

[JohnO]

There will be no power..... no batteries to last long enough..... no room..... and consequently no CPAP.

In your case, perhaps you won't have issues without CPAP for a few days. As others suggested, get a recording pulse oximeter and try a night at home without CPAP and see how low your SpO2 goes.

I'd bet there are plenty of people who take a DSLR camera and a couple of lens in a waterproof padded case on their rafting trips. Assuming that is the case, a travel CPAP might be a good fit:

Here are links to a couple of machines:

https://www.cpap.com/cpap-machine/proba ... chine.html

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/transc ... etics.html

Our hosts cpap.com also lists some battery or solar charger options for the Transcend unit.

There are some interesting battery options here too.

http://www.thebatterygeeks.com/v/vspfil ... _Packs.asp

Again, you may be fine without your machine, but there are some compact options out there too.

John

[Sir NoddinOff]

Except that he will be at the bottom of a canyon on a RAFT on WHITE WATER most of the day. I would not take electronics I valued on that trip or anything else I wouldn't be happy to find at the bottom of a river! I have gone camping by canoe (pre cpap) and I have friends and family who have done the white water rafting thing. Dry is very much not an option.

So true. I've white water rafted the American, Merced and Yuba rivers in California with maximum rapids - the river guides always say the same thing while sitting bankside as we get the rafts prepared: "If you're planning on bringing your Smartphone or digital camera or any other electronics along, you may as well just throw it in the water now to save time, because that's where it will end up anyway". A CPAP machine wouldn't stand the proverbial snowball's chance in hell on any sizable rapids, especially in the Grand Canyon. LATER EDIT: All my raft trips were only day trips. I suppose for longer mulit-day trips they carry waterproof containers lashed to the raft. Still I don't know if they'd be willing to carry a CPAP plus sizable battery?

[tearendt]

Thanks for comments. We will be traveling very light for these 7 days.... so I'll forego the CPAP unless I can find a small windup one. My small camera is waterproof.
Tim

[cosmo]

http://www.thebatterygeeks.com/Battery- ... s-s/85.htm

Rent batteries and a travel cpap machine.