Success story and travel question

[Purples]

I last posted in early October when I was still pretty new to having to use a CPAP machine. I was pretty miserable but gained a LOAD of support and information from you lovely lot. So again, thank you.

I'm pleased to say that almost 2 months later:
- It honestly doesn't feel like "pressured" air puffing at me any more, just a gentle breeze (I really didn't believe I'd ever say that!).
- I don't get the gassy blown up stomach any more.
- In fact I don't get ANY bad side-effects any more.
- I'm sleeping like a baby, getting LOADS of oxygen and my energy levels are like I've never known. I used to drop like a stone after lunch - now not tired until bedtime. Amazing!

If you're new and getting used to the machine and reading this, please do take some hope from my experience that it can be TOTALLY chalk & cheese experience after a couple of months.

I'm off on holiday tomorrow to Thailand & Malaysia (lucky girl!) and have a quick travel question for you clever lot. I bought a battery pack so I can use the machine on the flight (I've done all the notifying the airline, have medical paperwork, etc). It comes in its own cumbersome bag. Can I just put it inside a "bubble wrap bag" in with the machine? Will any of the airline checking people care? First-hand experience appreciated.

Thanks again for the support and info last time. Hope the positive news story helps someone.

Purples

[ChicagoGranny]

a gentle breeze

CPAP creates a pressure, not a breeze, gentle or otherwise.

[BlackSpinner]

a gentle breeze

CPAP creates a pressure, not a breeze, gentle or otherwise.

Bah - It feels like a hurricane when I take it off. Perception is everything.

[palerider]

a gentle breeze

CPAP creates a pressure, not a breeze, gentle or otherwise.

no, the cpap creates a gentle breeze, the resistance of the face to that mask creates the pressure.

you can't have pressure without resistance.

[palerider]

a gentle breeze

CPAP creates a pressure, not a breeze, gentle or otherwise.

Bah - It feels like a hurricane when I take it off. Perception is everything.

it doesn't count when it's taken off, that completely changes the dynamic, since when you take it off, the machine goes full blast trying to pressurize the whole room.

[ChicagoGranny]

the resistance of the face to that mask creates the pressure.

If you want to get technical, you need to edit in "the resistance of the face, the airway and the lungs to the mask the interior of the hose and the blades on the blower."

a gentle breeze

CPAP creates a pressure, not a breeze, gentle or otherwise.

Bah - It feels like a hurricane when I take it off.

Doesn't everyone press machine power off before they take off the mask?

[Purples]

Wow! Who's have known that an innocent phrase like "gentle breeze" could have been the focus of the replies What I meant is that it used to feel, when I had the mask on, that I had air blowing at me and it felt unpleasant. Now two months later it doesn't *FEEL* like that any more - i.e. isn't unpleasant, just feels like a breeze on my face. Was trying to let people know it gets better!

Aaaaaanyway, any advice in the travel question greatly appreciated as I fly tomorrow!

Thanks in advance,
Purples

[rick blaine]

Hello again Purples,

Thanks for the news about your progress. Cheered me up nicely.

I haven't taken a lithium battery on a plane that wasn't already slotted into something - ie, a Toshiba laptop - but my sense is: if you have the airline's blessing, and the paperwork to go with it, and you've been cleared to take the battery out and use it in the cabin, then how you get it from the airport front door to the airplane's cabin shouldn't matter.

If you want to wrap it in a short length of bubble-wrap and then pop that into your ResMed case, I can't see who would object.

But as I said, I haven't had the experience. Perhaps someone who has will be along shortly.

Have a great trip.

[ChicagoGranny]

Wow! Who's have known that an innocent phrase like "gentle breeze" could have been the focus of the replies

Hang around a while. You get numb to it.

[Chevie]

It comes in its own cumbersome bag. Can I just put it inside a "bubble wrap bag" in with the machine? Will any of the airline checking people care?

I would put it in the medical bag with the CPAP machine. Regulations allow you to carry on one medical bag which does not count toward the carry-on allowance. It would seem to be more likely to be questioned if carried in its own bag.

I assume you know not to check any medical equipment needed to get through the night.

[palerider]

the resistance of the face to that mask creates the pressure.

If you want to get technical, you need to edit in "the resistance of the face, the airway and the lungs to the mask the interior of the hose and the blades on the blower."

that's enough dumbness from you today.

a gentle breeze

CPAP creates a pressure, not a breeze, gentle or otherwise.

Bah - It feels like a hurricane when I take it off.

Doesn't everyone press machine power off before they take off the mask?

no.

[palerider]

Wow! Who's have known that an innocent phrase like "gentle breeze" could have been the focus of the replies What I meant is that it used to feel, when I had the mask on, that I had air blowing at me and it felt unpleasant. Now two months later it doesn't *FEEL* like that any more - i.e. isn't unpleasant, just feels like a breeze on my face. Was trying to let people know it gets better!

Aaaaaanyway, any advice in the travel question greatly appreciated as I fly tomorrow!

Thanks in advance,
Purples

that's just grannies way of "contributing".

I'd put the battery with the cpap, more convenient that way.

[CapnLoki]

a gentle breeze

CPAP creates a pressure, not a breeze, gentle or otherwise.

no, the cpap creates a gentle breeze, the resistance of the face to that mask creates the pressure.

The two concepts are clearly related. However, the CPAP pump is designed to produce a pressure. You wouldn't say a bicycle pump creates a breeze, it creates a pressure. An electric outlet is known by its voltage (electrical pressure), the current it supplies depends on the resistance of the receiving device.

[cands]

The FAA seems to be a good 'go-to' organisation for how to fly with Lithium Ion batteries.

When in doubt, my suggestion would be to follow their guidelines:

https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/h ... /?hazmat=7

[chunkyfrog]

I was out all day, and wondered if I had missed anything.
Question answered.