travel plans to kenya

we are planning a trip to kenya and will spend 3 days in an area where there is limited power. i'm pretty sure there is power in our room until about 9 or 10pm then they shut it down for the night.

my question to y'all is should i invest the $300 for the battery back-up? the product description makes it sound like it should be able to go all night, provided i'm able to recharge it during the day.

but, since this is a rare event, just not bother with the cpap for those few nights? my AHI at titration was 27. my nightly averages at 8cm pressure is usually around 2.something. so, it seems to me a few nights without it might be ok.

i've been 100% compliant since i started 4 months ago and i hate to break that streak (yes, i'm very competitive), but i'm not sure i can get reimbursed the cost of the battery supply.

Fishhead, you've seen this same question posted before, it recurs frequently. Most of us like living too much to risk sleeping without our machines. Buy the battery, several recent threads about batteries (one on camping). One's bound to work for you.

The up side of just forgetting about cpap for a few days is it would be less hassle. One downside would be feeling bad at an already physically taxing time just due to the travel. You could always go ahead and get a dental device and practice stomach sleeping to mitigate your apneas if you decide to not use your cpap, but you'll likely still feel the effects. Ideally you would continue your treatment and the inconvenience would be offset by feeling well, not worrying about it, and enjoying this tremendous travel opportunity.

If you want to enjoy your holiday, I'd say make plans to have battery backup available. It might be worth asking the place you're staying at whether they can provide you with a 12V battery each evening, which they can charge again the next day. Many people in Africa use batteries to watch TV and to charge cellphones, often carrying them quite long distances to recharge them.

fishhead wrote: just not bother with the cpap for those few nights?

How much are brain cells worth to you??

Kenya dig'it?

carbonman wrote: How much are brain cells worth to you??

Kenya dig'it?

once again, thank you, carbonman, for putting it in perspective.

and thank you all for your comments. i think i already knew the answer, just needed a little a push.

On a side note...

First thing I thought of when I saw "Kenya":

http://www.weebls-stuff.com/toons/kenya/

It's very silly, but always puts a smile on my face.

well, i ordered the battery back-up this afternoon - it should arrive in a few days.
and, my insurance provider says it's covered!

now, if i can sleep through the safari sounds during the night, i'll be ok!

thanks again everyone for your input.

Lucky you! What a great adventure you have in store! When I was planning my trip to Egypt with similar electricity issues listed as possible, I was told on a travel forum that it might be possible to recharge using the tour vehicle cigarette lighter during the day if moving from one location to another. I never needed to do that, but it might be good to get the proper cable connector for this, to give you more options. Don't even think about going a night without your cpap! And have a wonderful journey!!

fishhead wrote:well, i ordered the battery back-up this afternoon - it should arrive in a few days.
and, my insurance provider says it's covered!

COOL! ....and covered by insc. Can't beat that.

.....ah..and have a great time.....and....ah.....
...don't take a lot of time.....and.....ah.....
...don't spend too much.......but....ahhh...
...bring me something nice.

Kenya dig'it?

Kenya is supposed to use the same power plug as United Kingdom, Ireland, Cyprus, Malta, Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong ~ 230 volts at 50 Hz.