Travel Tip: Clean your machine to avoid embarrassment

kurtchan · Post by **kurtchan** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 7:11 am

I just returned from a week's vacation in the Midwest (yes, some of us do travel from the eastern seaboard to Ohio to sit on the beach!) and wanted to share my experience with the CPAP as carry-on baggage.

On the outbound flight from NYC LaGuardia to Cleveland, as I was taking off my shoes and holding up my belt-less pants with one hand, I casually mentioned to the security screener that my carry-on bag had a CPAP in it. He barely acknowledged my comment and ushered me through without opening the bag.

A week later, in preparation for the return flight, the screener at the Cleveland airport called for a bag check and had a technician take every piece of equipment out of my bag, swab it for explosive or drug residue, and then re-pack it. As I was waiting, I said to the technician "You must see a lot of these machines come through." She replied, "Oh, yes. About one for every flight now. But, I have to tell you, that yours is the cleanest I've seen in a long time. I can't tell you how grimy and dirty most of the machines are -- so bad that I'm glad I don't have to touch them without gloves. I just can't imagine how it helps people to breathe if they're taking all this dirt into their lungs!"

One more thing to worry about when travelling with a CPAP!

Kurtchan

NyNurse33 · Post by **NyNurse33** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 8:03 am

That falls along the line: Make sure you have on clean underwear before you leave the house!!

kurtchan · Post by **kurtchan** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 8:10 am

Oh, Melissa, your mother would be so proud to hear you say that! Another old adage in my family was "Always clean the house before you go on vacation -- just in case there's a fire while you're gone. What would the firemen think?!?!"

Kurtchan

roadwarrior · Post by **roadwarrior** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:38 am

Funny, I get that comment all the time. Mine always looks brand spankin' new as it should. For some strange reason a lot of hosers out there must not take care of their hygene habits, or for that matter can you imagine how many days they must wear the same underwear. It's scary!!!

mikemoran · Post by **mikemoran** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:41 am

They wear the dirty underwear so the less than pristine odor emanating from their CPAP will seem pleasant by comparison. LOL

cpapjack · Post by **cpapjack** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 9:58 am

mikemoran wrote:They wear the dirty underwear so the less than pristine odor emanating from their CPAP will seem pleasant by comparison. LOL

That's just nasty.

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chdurie2 · Post by **chdurie2** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 11:24 am

You really care what some airline inspector thinks of your machine cleanliness? Similarly, no one really cares about whether you're wearing clean underwear or not--that's your business, i think, just as it's your business whether you want to carry a dirty or clean cpap machine. I would hope you would want clean cpap machine or underwear for yourself, not to impress an airline inspector.

Caroline

kurtchan · Post by **kurtchan** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:20 pm

Caroline,

Believe it or not, I DO care what the airline inspector thinks, just as I care what my family, my friends or my co-workers think about my personal appearance, my home and my office -- all of which are a direct reflection of the person that I am. I keep my CPAP in good shape because it's an expensive piece of necessary medical equipment that I pray will last until my insurance will pay for a new one, but if the condition of my CPAP is the only impression I'm going to make, then I'd just as soon have it sparkling clean.

Kurtchan

birdshell · Post by **birdshell** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 12:55 pm

I agree with Kurtchan about presenting oneself to others. It is important, and I just cannot stand a dirty anything very well. Although it is always easier to live with my own dirt!

However, my aunt and my mother were raised in part with their aunt living in their home during the last years of WWII. She had been a nurse and a physician. I personally think she had OCD, or at least tendencies. Gotta love her, but her legacy (from the nursing days without antibiotics) linger on.

It actually is amazing that my aunt smokes, but one can never smell it in her home because she is so CLEAN about it all. I wonder if other factors really cause health issues. Many people are not clean by my great-aunt's standards, but have no 'ill' effects that I can observe.

Interesting thread upon which we may ponder.

roadwarrior · Post by **roadwarrior** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 2:38 pm

Well, I guess I have no problem expressing my disgust with some of my fellow mans (and women's) social habits. There are few things that disgust me more than seeing someone's car drive by with what is obviously major handprints and goober all over their windows (probably would find empty coke cans and year old french fries in the back seat floor as well). While in some regards I may tend toward OCD, I'm not so fanatical that I can't appreciate someone that tends to the most basic of personal care. Keeping a CPAP clean is as basic as not keeping a tooth brush in close proximity to a toilet (some of you may not know that the spray caused by a flush will contaminate it). I had the displeasure of visiting a so called friend of my wife's once, and having to use their bathroom. I gotta tell you, this bathroom in question would have been served better by bombing it and starting over. I'm shocked how poorly so many people take care of themselves. Sure it's their choice......just wish I didn't have to witness it so often...

chdurie2 · Post by **chdurie2** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 3:02 pm

roadwarrior:

I hope others are as understanding of your imperfections as you are of theirs.

Caroline

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 3:07 pm

roadwarrior wrote:Well, I guess I have no problem expressing my disgust with some of my fellow mans (and women's) social habits. There are few things ... Keeping a CPAP clean is as basic as not keeping a tooth brush in close proximity to a toilet (some of you may not know that the spray caused by a flush will contaminate it). I had the displeasure of visiting a so called friend of my wife's once, and having to use their bathroom. I gotta tell you, this bathroom in question would have been served better by bombing it and starting over. I'm shocked how poorly so many people take care of themselves. Sure it's their choice......just wish I didn't have to witness it so often...

Dang! What kind'a toilets do you use? ... and how do you manage to flush without getting sprayed with all that nasty stuff and getting yourself all contaminated?

- roberto

chdurie2 · Post by **chdurie2** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 3:10 pm

very good, roberto. very good.

caroline

hornplayer · Post by **hornplayer** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 3:47 pm

An airline baggage technician with a distate for dirty things should probably find a another profession.

sleepyinsunnyvale · Post by **sleepyinsunnyvale** » Mon Sep 11, 2006 3:50 pm

Gee wiz....Bring back the spam!

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Travel Tip: Clean your machine to avoid embarrassment

Travel Tip: Clean your machine to avoid embarrassment

With ya!