Can I skip some days?

bluetrout wrote:My only sign of apnea: atrial flutter. No snoring, .

So basically your apnea affects your heart (and your other internal organs) but because you think you don't get sleepy doing without it is ok.

THINK this over carefully - you are deciding that because you have no other outward signs it is ok to do without it and potentially damage your heart.

ETA: and you will do this deep in the backwoods far from any medical facilities.....

Good point, Blackspinner!
You have a medical emergency out in the boonies,
the outcome is way more likely to be a sad one.

chunkyfrog wrote:
If you are driving at all, you put lives at risk--can you live with that?
If so, go for it; but please share your itinerary. I want to be someplace else.

+1

You don't show your machine in you profile. So I don't know if my solution will work for you or not.

My Respronics machine will run off 12V with the Respronics cable. I made a box with a cable running directly to the battery box on my trailer. It has a cigarette lighter plug on the end for the CPAP, it also has USB ports to charge phones and a volt meter.



I have 2 6V golf cart batterys on the trailer and can run the CPAP for 2 or 3 nights before needing to run the generator to recharge, depending on if we run the furnace.

Gary

A couple of years back, an acquaintance of mine traveled for a Christmas holiday with family, and skipped bringing his xpap.

Sad to report, he died.

And then there's my case.

I began xpap in December of 2005, and somehow by a combination of luck and perseverance I have been 100% compliant. I've never missed a night. I have no intention of putting my bod through the thoes of strangulation and suffocation. (And shortening my highly enjoyable life.)

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JNK said:

In their experience, they may be unaware of the people whose condition might NOT worsen with a few nights/days without treatment.

Of course we are aware that many people get away without ill effects skipping CPAP here or there. But the problem is, the only way to find out that you are NOT a person whose condition remains stable with a "few" (14 is a few?) nights/days without treatment, is the hard way.

Lets see...I think I'll skip CPAP and let my O2 readings drop on weekends.

We camp a lot too. Have taken our generator in the past, but recently invested in a portable battery for it. Can't wait to try it!! That being said, I don't dare go without mine for even one night. I figure if I quit breathing 71 times per hour during the test, what would I do now? I personally like to breathe

Janknitz wrote:JNK said:

In their experience, they may be unaware of the people whose condition might NOT worsen with a few nights/days without treatment.

Of course we are aware that many people get away without ill effects skipping CPAP here or there. But the problem is, the only way to find out that you are NOT a person whose condition remains stable with a "few" (14 is a few?) nights/days without treatment, is the hard way.

It was a condescending remark. OK to call him out on it.

if your trailer has a 12 volt battery ,just hook up an inverter and use your machine, I tried that on a motorcycle camp trip and I was just exhausted, not safe, get yourself set up for travel you'll enjoy your vacation much more. even if you buy one of the high dollar inverters from your machines manufacturer, its worth it, but you can get by just fine with a cheapo from harbor freight or wal mart. what I would suggest is don't use your humidifier, it uses a lot of power and drains the battery faster. enjoy your trip and sleep tight.

Is it OK to skip?
Not in my opinion or experience.
About 2 weeks after I started therapy, I came down with a horrible cough which was so bad I couldn't keep my mask on or sleep with or without my therapy. That lasted for 10 days/nights until I could use it again. It was an excruciatingly LONG time and my daytime sleepiness came back quickly and I realized how much the therapy was working for me. Consequently, I have never slept without it since.
At some point, most of us have trouble sleeping without our therapy and when someone comes on the forum and claims they can skip nights, I suspect they have never really accepted or adapted to it in the first place. Yes, it's easier to do it in the first few weeks/months, but somewhere in the future, those of us who truly use and depend on this therapy can't sleep without it.

By the way, I have personal knowledge of someone who skipped a night.......and it was his LAST night on earth.


Den

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Okie bipap wrote:You can use either a band aid or a piece of molesting on your nose to prevent the red mark.

I strongly suggest moleskin instead of molesting.

I don't really care what you do in Oklahoma.

If you're new a few nights without CPAP probably don't present too much more of a risk than you had before you started CPAP, but there is some risk.

If you're on insurance, you probably have to meet compliance requirements or you'll get screwed by your insurance. Basically, you have to be "compliant" for 21 days out of each month for 30 or 90 days. "Compliant" means you used the machine for 4 hours a day. If you aren't compliant, they won't pay for the machine or therapy.

Once you get used to CPAP, sleep will probably be hell without it.

As to the risk, there's some risk for each night without CPAP. You could have a heart attack or stroke. The risk per individual night might be small, but it adds up. Think of it as being like driving when drunk. The risk on any one night may not be that high, but it adds up. Similarly, the risk of heart attack or stroke may not be that high but it adds up. Apart from the risk of immediate death, there's also the long term cumulative effect. Think of that as being like a night without CPAP is like smoking 4 packs of cigarettes.

How much harm comes to you depends on how bad your apnea is.

archangle wrote:How much harm comes to you depends on how bad your apnea is.

And, what other health issues you have besides sleep apnea.

Sheffey wrote:. . . condescending . . .

I sincerely apologize if I was among the top 25 condescenders in this thread.