CPAP Toolbox -- Anything I missed?

sleepycarol · Post by **sleepycarol** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 5:11 pm

This morning I purchased a medium size make-up bag and plan to include items that have been mentioned on this forum as quick or inexpensive fixes for those troublesome quirks that seem to happen. Some of the items I have used and some I haven't -- but I feel its better to have them on hand than wish I had them in the middle of the night.

Items I have included:
Macks silicone ear plugs (I haven't needed them yet -- but you never know)
An Ace bandage to be used as a chin strap if needed
Polident strips to seal mouth if needed
Two different kinds of tape for mouth taping if needed
Velcro One Strap (has the fuzzy on one side and the gripper on the other)
Ayr Gel for problem areas around nares
A pair of pantyhose tights
Needles and thread
Soft elastic 3/4 inch for headgear fixes

Any other suggestions that would be benefical to include?

A kit like this might be a helpful Christmas present for someone on xpap.

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 6:43 pm

I use the white plumbers tape quite often. And don't forget the chapstick for your lips in case you need to tape.

Brenda

sleepycarol · Post by **sleepycarol** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 8:02 pm

Will have to add those to my kit.

Any more ideas?

RosemaryB · Post by **RosemaryB** » Sat Dec 15, 2007 10:37 pm

bdp522 wrote:I use the white plumbers tape quite often. And don't forget the chapstick for your lips in case you need to tape.

Brenda

Is that the teflon tape?

Just a reminder, it's not for your mouth . It's for any leaking joints in the mask, especially used by Swift users.

sleepie · Post by **sleepie** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 5:57 am

spare filters---hose---mask---

bdp522 · Post by **bdp522** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 5:58 am

Yep, the teflon tape. It comes in handy to fix leaky hoses and joints. I've gotten in the habit of wrapping a little around every connection to ensure leak-free nights.

Brenda

ozij · Post by **ozij** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 7:05 am

Small pair of scissors
Suction hook can be used on some surfaces
Chapstick to put on your lips before you use the tape
Small clean empty bottle for distilled water and if necessary a small funnel

A couple of ziplock bags to put an emptied but not yet dry humidifier bag into

An extnesion cord with multiple outlets (or is that inlets?), so you can connect all your equipment to the same cord.

O.

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sleepycarol · Post by **sleepycarol** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 9:53 am

Good ideas.

I hope some of these suggestions will help others in making their own kit if they want to. There is nothing more frustrating than waking up in the middle of the night and have a problem you can't resolve because you don't have the necessary material on hand. I suspect there will be instances of where you could have a problem arise and not be able to take care of it -- but the more likely you are to have covered some of your bases the more apt you are to be able to go back to sleep with your equipment in a reasonable amount of time.

RosemaryB · Post by **RosemaryB** » Sun Dec 16, 2007 8:45 pm

Duct tape in case you get a hole in your hose or your Liberty breaks.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 10:52 am

Carol, what a great idea! I've never had a mask break on me in the middle of the night, but so many have, this is just great! Thanks for posting it!

For me, I added a shelf with hooks below it to the wall beside my bed. I can hang extra masks, headgear and chinstraps up there for those times when I'm playing with various masks. Now that I've settled down to one configuration, it's primarily holding my loungewear, but I still find it handy. When I was moving between 3 masks a night, it was a life saver.

I have a plastic filing box that I keep my "spare" cpap equipment in, my travelling bag, etc. in the top shelf of my bedroom closet. I think I'll make myself a little "emergency" kit and stick that in there, too.

BTW, another little thing I've developed is a long narrow jewelry box that sits on the bookshelf with my cpap machine. It holds my PurSleep bottles (keeps them out of the light - which helps them last longer) and spare filters and NAII cannulas. If I suddenly flip out and get a leak going, I can reach over and grab a new cannula on short notice. Plus it works like a nightstand drawer to store my extra PurSleep pads, and filters for the machine. I just went to Marshall's and found a pretty box I liked that would fit the shelf.

Cheers,
Babs

krousseau · Post by **krousseau** » Mon Dec 17, 2007 11:32 am

Bandaid blister strips, paper tape, and duct tape are all in my kit
Mini clamps
Large safety pins
A small LED keychain light