Brief trip to the Northern Bush, to take or not take CPAP?

I've volunteered with my work to do a job way, way north a few days. (Crazy stuff.) Leaving bright and early tomorrow. I'm quite enthused, but having just done my first week on CPAP I'm disappointed at the thought of stopping for a few nights. Now, I'm almost tempted to bring it.
Itinerary: 1 night in an inn, 1 night in the bush (no electricity, water etc. and no battery pack) in a "shelter" of sorts then back to another night in the inn. Plan A was to leave it home, my apnea is considered mild and would likely not suffer too much ill effect other than feeling fatigue, headache and perhaps a bit b**chy. lol. It would save the trouble and worries over the well-being of the unit. Plan B is to bring it along, and at least make use of it during the stay at the inn. It would be packed up and just toted along for the "survivorman" day/night. I like the idea of as much continuity of therapy as possible, but am a little paranoid of damaging or losing this new, expensive machine.
Thoughts?

If you are coming back to the inn then maybe you can arrange to leave it there.
Time to invest in a travel cpap. You will need as much energy as you can manage for this.

Sandra
Take it with you, one night at the inn and one night on battery.
Take a look on the threads for battery back to find what is best for your machine.
I have a 12 volt deep cell marine battery and an inverter that I use.
Cheers
Nan

Sandra wrote:I've volunteered with my work to do a job way, way north a few days. (Crazy stuff.) Leaving bright and early tomorrow. I'm quite enthused, but having just done my first week on CPAP I'm disappointed at the thought of stopping for a few nights. Now, I'm almost tempted to bring it.
Itinerary: 1 night in an inn, 1 night in the bush (no electricity, water etc. and no battery pack) in a "shelter" of sorts then back to another night in the inn. Plan A was to leave it home, my apnea is considered mild and would likely not suffer too much ill effect other than feeling fatigue, headache and perhaps a bit b**chy. lol. It would save the trouble and worries over the well-being of the unit. Plan B is to bring it along, and at least make use of it during the stay at the inn. It would be packed up and just toted along for the "survivorman" day/night. I like the idea of as much continuity of therapy as possible, but am a little paranoid of damaging or losing this new, expensive machine.
Thoughts?

I gather that your employer does not know about your use of cpap. If it did, it likely would not allow you to take this assignment, or at the least, would insist that you take it with you AND would ensure that you had the necessary power supply for it while there. Your employer assumes liability or you and your health while on company business. The workers compensation insurance program also would have something to say about your plans.

I have worked extensively in the northern "bush" and one of the axioms that we always followed was that once in the bush, plan on being there longer than you originally planned for. Northern travel relies heavily on weather conditions and you could be storm stayed - even in summer. That single night you speak of could well be two or three nights. We always carried tents, sleeping bags, and food even when on day-outings.

There are solutions for this type of situation. cpap.com sells several different battery solutions, some of which are highly portable. There is no reason for you to venture into the unknown without the necessary equipment to ensure your health. Having a battery on hand for back-up at home also is a good idea.

I know, this advice comes too late to help you with your departure early tomorrow. However, it is you who asked for advice too late.

My recommendation is that you take your cpap with you. Along the way, try to find a Canadian Tire store where you can purchase a small battery (maybe one of the emergency type units) that will power your cpap for at least a few hours (without humidifier). Also, you should check on this board for back up power requirements for your S9.

Sandra you will need 133 watts of power a battery with a 400 watt inverter will work fine a modified sine wave will operate the S9 just fine to get a longer run time on the battery you will want to turn off your humidifier so that it will operate in pass over mode or dis connect it and connect your hose direct to the flow generator

enjoy your time in the back country, bottle me up some cool air (if you fine some) and send it my way going for 115 heat index today

Chris

Do whatever you have to do to take it. Seriously.

Take it and see if you can leave it in safekeeping at the inn. I guarantee you will be miserable that one night without it and will be very glad to have it when you return to the inn.

I would be worried it would get damaged if its an expensive machine.

good suggestions on getting the travel pap as soon as you can.

If you feel great when using it, find a way to take it if you can.. and protect it as much as possible.


If it were me, I would be doing the happy dance I had an excuse to leave it at home.


edited because I think of words faster than I can type them, I obviously need more sleep!

Check out cpapauction.com for an inexpensive travel pap. I just bought a brand new S9 with the H5i heated humidifier for $525. It arrived today and tomorrow I will start reading all the advice from this forum as to where to download the software, etc., etc.

Good luck. I have spent a lot of time in the bush in Alaska working for the National Park Service and Alaska State Parks.

Ed

Awesome! Thanks you very much for posting your opinions, tips and information. Much appreciated. Just started therapy last week and it's all so new to me. I'll take my little buddy up with me, and yes, begin searching for a way to power it up when/where there's no power. (And yes, late post, but I sure would have asked sooner if *I* knew sooner. Last minute opportunity.)