Pat downs because of CPAP machines

Sharon
Be very careful buying anything off of Craigslist or E-bay. You can probably get a good deal at Cpap Auction.

Sharon --

If you search this site or start a new thread about your therapy you'll find that you'll get plenty of help to teach you how to set your machine's pressure and other functions.

Sharon1225:

He ordered a new one for me recently, but he didn't give me a prescription to take home.

This bothers me, a lot. A general practitioner, or specialist MD's always give you a written prescription, or call the pharmacy of your choice to order the prescription you need. I have to ask for a prescription to take with me when I have an eye exam or visit my sleep doc. They want to use a service they like, or perhaps get a kickback from. The written prescription belongs to you, and the choice where to get the item is totally yours also. The office manager for my sleep doc gets a little annoyed because I do not hand over the written prescription to her. She claims it must be in my file. Well, she should have the doc write another one for the file, they do work together. Last visit I told her to make of photocopy and give the original back to me.
Is this a common problem for all of us or is it only a few docs doing this?
Bill

I'm joining this conversation late (as usual for me), but I want to share my experience in Abu Dhabi last year. I was searched and patted down fully by a woman ( I think it was a woman) in full Abaya, covered from head to toe, in a private room. I could only see her eyes (I think it was a Her, there was a LOT of eyeliner). I am extremely sensitive about being touched, as many of us are for various painful personal reasons, but after years of travel, my desire to live is stronger than my aversion to having another human being physically search me.

I carry my CPAP machine in its own bag as a "third" carry-on, and have had run-ins with the TSA folks a few times, mostly because I insist that they change their gloves - Jeez, do they have to pay for their own gloves or something? You'd think they were made of gold, they way they fight about putting a new pair on!

Anyway, I have always found a wealth of information on this site, and just like everywhere else, we can choose to take what we need and leave the personal differences behind. That's me, Ms. New-Agey, love the world.... I have learned so much here that has helped me, and thanks to that I can now get a good nights' sleep - something that eluded me for may years. Thanks ,,,, Pat

In the US, the sleep doctor has to provide you with a copy of your CPAP prescription. Most sleep doctors fax a copy of the script to the DME -- mine also faxed my prescription to me. My sleep doctor's office later sent me a CD with my sleep study and a pdf of my script.

I have two serviceable CPAP machines at this time. if all goes well, I will have a (very expensive) servo ventilator type machine by the end of this week. Unfortunately, I am having to get this machine through DME/Insurance, and I am having moderate DME problems (more on that in a different thread once I have 'won'). Unless insurance absolutely insists on taking that machine for reimbursement purposes, it is staying home. One of the two other machines will be shipped ahead of time to where I am going, along with my Renaissance Fair gear. That way, I don't have to hassle with the machine on two of the three legs of this trip. I might even ship the other backup machine to the other location so I don't have any hassles at all. Just take the mask with me from place to place.

To return this thread to topic, every time there is an 'incident', there are more rules. Or, the search gets a little more invasive, and closer to 'unreasonable search and seizure'. The terrorists know that, so they can 'win' even if they fail. Somewhere, a line needs to be drawn that says, 'enough is enough'. No pursuit in life is 100 percent safe, and I resent the government's attempts to try and make it 100 percent safe. It may be eventually, we will be put to sleep with drugs before the trip and travel unconscious. With no luggage whatsoever, of course.

My solution is to let everyone who is competent to carry a weapon on board, carry a weapon. Works virtually everywhere else (Of course, that is not foolproof, either. But I would feel far more comfortable on board if I was armed-- and I knew the person sitting next to me is armed as well).

And yes, I have seen old ladies in wheelchairs treated like thugs by security. And this was pre-TSA!

I'd like to buy some used XPAP machines, to fill with pipe bombs, I already have a supply of Flying Nuns. They have been brainwashed into thinking they are getting the 72 virgins at the end of their flight. Jim

And yes, I have seen old ladies in wheelchairs treated like thugs by security. And this was pre-TSA!

I am a very frequent traveler, and in my experience TSA on average treats people better than the pre-TSA people who manned the security checkpoints. Yes, the searches now can be more intrusive, but so too has become the threat. And although I sometimes get a bit annoyed when I have to go through the checkpoints, have my CPAP swabbed for explosives, and so forth, I understand there is a reason for this.

And even if someone has the words "I am a Catholic" or "I am a Protestant" tattooed on their forehead, they should not expect special treatment. If they got it, the bad guys would know exactly what they needed to do to get someone past security (and no, I don't mean literally get the aforementioned tattoos, rather recruit, for example, some elderly white looking person (maybe someone sympathetic to their cause and terminally ill) to carry on a bomb--shoe or otherwise. There are plenty of messed up people out there (how about Tim McVeigh or the 53-year old white guy who ran his plane into the IRS building in Texas?) and all it takes is one.

Well shoot, my 87 year old mother got patted down every time she flew because of her artificial hip and knee. She got a kick out of it. No biggie. TSA is a fact of life so there is no point in getting upset about getting pulled aside for a pat-down.

A comment on prescriptions: if you've ever ordered anything from CPAP.com, there is a copy of your prescription online which you can see and down load when you log into "Your Account".

I have been searched while traveling on military business in a commercial airport. Keep in mind the reservations were made by the military travel office, I had an active duty ID in one hand and military orders in the other.

I look at it as TSA agents are doing what they are paid to do and trying to discourage evil people from even trying. I don't understand why they said I couldn't bring toothpaste bc it was in a large tube but but it was less than 3oz. Even rolled up to the end. But they took it.

Oh well. Somethings I can fix, somethings I can't.

Ha, I have a terrible fear of flying and have flown maybe 5 times in the last 20 years. Prior to boarding, I would pop a couple of valium (flying before take-off). So, someone giving me a pat here and there would not be an issue. Hell, I'd look forward to a full body massage if the security dudes were willing?

Regards,
Rick

Maple Leaf wrote:Ha, I have a terrible fear of flying and have flown maybe 5 times in the last 20 years. Prior to boarding, I would pop a couple of valium (flying before take-off). So, someone giving me a pat here and there would not be an issue. Hell, I'd look forward to a full body massage if the security dudes were willing?

Regards,
Rick

You wouldn't prefer one from a Dudette?

Jaylee wrote:

Maple Leaf wrote:Ha, I have a terrible fear of flying and have flown maybe 5 times in the last 20 years. Prior to boarding, I would pop a couple of valium (flying before take-off). So, someone giving me a pat here and there would not be an issue. Hell, I'd look forward to a full body massage if the security dudes were willing?

Regards,
Rick

You wouldn't prefer one from a Dudette?

Well yes I would!! But.... a massage therapist hands have no gender....

Regards,
Rick

timbalionguy wrote:I have two serviceable CPAP machines at this time. if all goes well, I will have a (very expensive) servo ventilator type machine by the end of this week. Unfortunately, I am having to get this machine through DME/Insurance, and I am having moderate DME problems (more on that in a different thread once I have 'won'). Unless insurance absolutely insists on taking that machine for reimbursement purposes, it is staying home. One of the two other machines will be shipped ahead of time to where I am going, along with my Renaissance Fair gear. That way, I don't have to hassle with the machine on two of the three legs of this trip. I might even ship the other backup machine to the other location so I don't have any hassles at all. Just take the mask with me from place to place.

To return this thread to topic, every time there is an 'incident', there are more rules. Or, the search gets a little more invasive, and closer to 'unreasonable search and seizure'. The terrorists know that, so they can 'win' even if they fail. Somewhere, a line needs to be drawn that says, 'enough is enough'. No pursuit in life is 100 percent safe, and I resent the government's attempts to try and make it 100 percent safe. It may be eventually, we will be put to sleep with drugs before the trip and travel unconscious. With no luggage whatsoever, of course.

My solution is to let everyone who is competent to carry a weapon on board, carry a weapon. Works virtually everywhere else (Of course, that is not foolproof, either. But I would feel far more comfortable on board if I was armed-- and I knew the person sitting next to me is armed as well).

And yes, I have seen old ladies in wheelchairs treated like thugs by security. And this was pre-TSA!

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I agree, Tim. Our government is looking at "things" and should be looking at "people." There is a specific group which declared war on us. Every person who has tried to blow up a plane since 9-11 belongs to that group. Part of the goal of 9-11 was to damage our economy and disrupt our travel. They are being successful at the latter. One had a bomb in his shoe, so we all walk through security barefoot. Another set off a bomb in his underwear, so some airports have started making us have full body scans. Eventually, one of them is going to have explosives in a body cavity.

Sharon1225 wrote: One had a bomb in his shoe, so we all walk through security barefoot. Another set off a bomb in his underwear, so some airports have started making us have full body scans. Eventually, one of them is going to have explosives in a body cavity.

And just how is having a gun on board an airplane going to help with that? Just what we need - a shoot out several thousand feet in the air in side a delicate shell with very sophisticated electronics controlling the flight - yeah great idea!

Security is about prevention - not about peoples pride.

Far better idea - get everyone to totally strip and wear provided disposable overalls after walking naked past bomb sniffer dogs.

You may want to play roulette with your lives but you are not the only one on board the plane plus the plane is an extremely valuable piece of equipment and so is the training of the people flying it. The company that owns it is not going to allow you to play roulette with it.