To Travel with CPAP machine or not?

Sorry to hear you are thinking of leaving it, because of a concern over possible germs....... vs known apnas, (even mild)

If you are really concerned, then put the cpap machine is a zip lock bag to seal it. Then or stop by any pharmacy and get the alcohol swabs that they have for people that give themselves injections, they are sealed and pretty cheap. Because they are sealed, you can take them with you. (they are not considered liquid....... I know I have them with me all of the time for allergy and other injections......

Then after the inspection you can open a few alcohol swabs and disinfect to your hearts content.

You mention the health crisis, even eboli can not be spread through a cough....... you have to have direct contact with bodly fluid (vomit, blood, stool.....) The nurses that have eboli in dallas (I live there and went to the same hospitol while he was there) had direct contact with all of these........ NO ONE ELSE HAS COME DOWN WITH SYMPTOMS, none of the 48 from the first contact, even people who shook his hand and had direct contact did not come down with it.

If it is putting the machine in teh tub, then do not do it...... simply unzip the case, and send it through the machine on it's own.


PLEASE PLEASE do not let this concern over possible contact with something stop your therapy.

If you are really concerned, then take some swabs, or when you get to where you are going pick up a bottle of alcohol and swabb things down when you get there......

a new tube sealed in the bag will not be opened, a mask in a zip lock bag will not be opened. If concerned the cpap machine in a ziplock would probably not be opened, and if they did you can ask them to put on fresh gloves........ Even then you can wipe it all down and disinfect it when you get there......

There are many many things to be afraid of in this world, getting a bad bug by sending your cpap machine through an x-raymachine (even in a plastic tub) is very very low on the risk list........

the known real risk the one we know you will have is some apneas without it...... yes you lived with it for years and you were fine....... but we KNOW FOR A FACT that these impact blood pressure, and many many other things...... these are real knowns.......

The real (you have apnea) and it impoacts your health should vastly outweigh concern over :
- a possible
- a maybe
- a what if

all of which can be mitigated with a few alcohol swabs to wipe things down when you get there.

It seems that you are letting a fear of an unknown possible thing outweigh a real known actual thing that can and is harming you.


OK OFF MY SOAP BOX......

Good luck with your decision.......

But think of this, you asked this board for advice......... everyone here has said take it with you.......

you were smart enough to ask for the advice, please use it.