Does anyone have a back up plan in case of being stranded..

[Jaylee]

in case of weather?

Sorry, it all wouldn't fit in the subject line.

I don't live that far from work, but it is far enough that a bad snow and poorly maintained roads can leave me stuck at work or at someone else's house near my work. I can sleep at my job comfortably and have a few people nearby I can stay with.

I finally got a backup machine ( ) and I have an extra hose and mask that I can put in my car on days when the roads/weather might be bad.

Would it be okay to leave my machine and mask in the car? It rarely gets below 0 here during the day time. I can't actually remember a time when it did get that low. it is usually in the 20's during the day. I do not really have a safe place in my work to put it, as I am a teacher. I might clear off the top of a storage closet and stick my things up there, away from the kids.

Also, would it be okay to fill the humidifier tank with regular tap water or bottled water instead of distilled in a pinch like that?

Thanks.

Does anyone else have a back up weather plan? If so, please share.

[jazzer4]

Jaylee where did you get your back up machine?
That is "the last" thing on my "to do c-pap list".
I finally have my extra hoses and plenty of un-workable masks
and my power back-up plan finished.

I'am always afraid to leave my machine in the car, as the case might be mistaken for a computer. It's black and slender.
I have had to take it to the Dr. with me and then run errands.
I cover it up with a blanket and worry the whole time.

Not sure about the temp thing. But I wouldn't want to be left in a cold car all day....

[Jaylee]

It was a machine used for 40ish nights from the auction site. I wasn't the person who actually bought it, it was a gift, so I am not 100% sure how that whole process words.

I will bring it in the school with me and put it up as high as possible. I don't think I would like being in a cold car all day either.

[Jaylee]

I do not have back up power, though. How did you set that up?

[scrapper]

When I travel, I buy bottled drinking water or in a pinch, use tap water. I rarely leave my cpap in the car as I live in MN where it's frequently colder than 0--but do wrap it up in a blanket so it's not seen as a computer when it is in the car....

I never pack up my main cpap bedside-- I have a second one in a case all ready to go, along with extra pillows for the mask, teflon repair tape, an extension cord, and extra phone charger.

[jazzer4]

I do not have back up power, though. How did you set that up?

It's a long story and it wasn't easy.
The gist is that I used the 6 batteries in my golf cart. Go figure. I had mobile power just sitting there.
Now if I ever want to go on a picnic in the dark in my neighborhood I can take the cart. I'll have lights and a radio to enjoy while eating our food out of a basket.
Or, I can now put Christmas lights on my cart. (Like I ever would)
Pretty cool huh?
Oh, and it will also run my machine.
All this for only $475.00. (I already had the 6 batteries)

[idamtnboy]

I can sleep at my job comfortably...

Really????????????? You've had practice??

Do you realize how funny that sounds on first reading? Got a good laugh out of it!

[Jaylee]

I can sleep at my job comfortably...

Really????????????? You've had practice??

Do you realize how funny that sounds on first reading? Got a good laugh out of it!

I am a teacher, we have a book nook lined with a cushy mat and 4 gigantic pillows. And yes, I did sleep for several hours there once when I was very sick with a migraine and it wasn't safe to drive home. So that is how I know I can sleep comfy there.

[Jaylee]

I think I would be more comfortable sleeping in the book area than I would be at a co-worker's house.

[Muse-Inc]

Having gone thru this rare snow then ice event and worrying about power backup, I realize that the loaner recording pulse ox with alarm provided a real sense of security. The first thing I'm getting when I's sure of steady income is one of these for myself. While it won't prevent events (which will produce fragmented sleep for sure), it will alarm when I start desatting. Of the 2 -- events, desats -- I'm guessing the desats have the most serious health impacts as I can survive fragmented sleep but oxygen starvation causes the fight or flight flood of stress hormones that jack up BP to outrageous levels with resultant noctria & daytime hypertension. This is of course just my opinion So, when I'm forewarned of potential stranding as you put it I will be toting the pulse ox.

[idamtnboy]

One of the best descriptions of the discomfort of being stranded I've ever heard was from a guy who worked at the nuclear test site in Nevada. They were stuck out there, miles from the city, because of weather or a crash project, I don't recall. "There we were, stuck out there for 10 days and no change of shorts!"

[jweeks]

I'am always afraid to leave my machine in the car, as the case might be mistaken for a computer. It's black and slender.

Hi,

I do a lot of photography, and I am always afraid to leave my camera stuff in the car. I wanted some way to lock this stuff up. What I came up with is a lockable plastic tool box that I found at Walmart. I lock it to a bicycle cable that is looped around a cargo loop in the trunk. Granted, this isn't going to absolutely prevent someone from ripping me off, but it will keep the casual smash & grab type of break-in from getting my camera bag. I added a 2nd lock box so I can protect my laptop and CPAP machine.

Something like this might work in school. I have seen locking plastic storage boxes that are used by businesses to store stuff like computer tapes and files that you can get at office supply stores. All that would be needed is to find a place loop the cable through so the box doesn't walk away.

I'd be concerned about leaving a CPAP machine in your care full-time. It seems like it might be bounced around a lot.

-john-

[WestCoastCdnGrl]

I'd keep the CPAP in the classroom (out of reach of the kidlets) because a) it doesn't like being alone in the cold; b) it's an expensive piece of equipment and c) God (Buddha, Allah, FSM etc) forbid that someone spin out of control and hit your car with the machine in it... then you'd be hooped!

As for the water.... why not do what countless numbers of people do during hurricane season... just keep the supplies you need together in a box (the lockable box previously suggested is s good idea) in the classroom with a gallon of distilled water and your machine and a simple repair kit in it... when the threat of snow/ice/w.h.y. has passed, just use the perishables that haven't been used (in this case, the water) and put the rest away until the next winter. That way, you know that you have a fresh supply of distilled water at the ready and you won't have to worry about what tap water may or may not do to the water chamber of your machine.

[WestCoastCdnGrl]

Oh, and thanks for the emergency preparedness reminder... I really should look into getting a CPAP kit together to go with my earthquake kit... I'm still quite new to this whole CPAP business (and I thank everyone here for helping me figure it out as I go along... you all have been excruciatingly helpful to me!)... will definitely look into getting a small travel size APAP machine that has a battery back up to use in emergency situations (and that I can take to work in the event that a 'quake hits Vancouver and I'm called in to work to help out - I work in a trauma hospital in the Metro Vancouver area).

(they say that Vancouver is over due for "the big one," yet we're all complacent that it won't happen in our collective lifetime... OTOH, I was much more diligent about getting my hurricane kit together when I lived in the Caribbean... at least we knew when the 'canes were coming... earthquakes are hard to predict).

[fuzzy96]

with any modern electronic device i would not leave it in the car if possible. especially in extreme temperatures. heat can casuse warpage in plastics. if it is cold outside and you bring it inside it will get condensation in it . just like your ice water glass condensates on the outside.. if you apply power to it your chances of frying the delicate circuits are great. allow it to acclimate to the area you are in for a couple of hours. this wait time may defeat the whole idea of carrying a spare with you.