Cpap died while traveling

When I first started CPAP, I forgot to pack a necessary component - power brick, power cord - on more than one occasion when traveling, and I ended up with a miserable nights (lack of) sleep - waking up what felt like every minute (possibly was every minute since my non CPAP AHI is close to 60) with major dry mouth, etc which affected my work the next day. This was NOT excessive worry, it was my reality of life without CPAP (nights in hotel rooms were always much worse for me than nights at home pre CPAP). So for me at least, it would absolutely be a HUGE deal, I definitely couldn't do it for more than one night. I quickly learned to keep a spare power brick and cord (purchased from a helpful DME in Toronto while traveling there and discovering that I'd forgotten the brick) in my suitcase, now I keep a travel CPAP complete with a mask in my roll aboard at all times.

One helpful trick I discovered on one of these early adventures... Most hotels keep a box full of spare laptop and cell phone chargers, left behind by other guests. While the chargers won't help you, if you forget the cord there is a good chance a laptop charger cord will work with your CPAP power brick, it's a standard cord.

Maybe others won't have this packing problem... I once managed to pack a slightly unmatched pair of dress shoes (same color, different styles) so I've had to learn to take precautions!

What was the brand of the machine?

What support did the machine vendor offer in the emergency?

Finally, the boyfriend who sold the CPAP machine should drop the girlfriend that can't stand the noise.

During my first week on cpap, I brought my brand new machine along to a professional conference.
The improvement in my mental acuity was unbelievable! These events require good sleep even more than normal work days.
Functioning without a machine is only moving at half-speed. (or less)

So what's the moral of this story?

If traveling in the US or a familiar country, just get on the Internet or call your DME and have one shipped? That sounds reasonable, especially on a longer trip. But what happens if you're in a foreign country or on a cruise, or spending time in some remote location - do you travel w/ TWO cpaps just in case????

I find it hard to believe that ONE night w/out treatment can do you in - another poster said that two friends passed away because they skipped ONE night, but that has to be a real rarity. Some people can't use a cpap when they get a head cold. Some users have it on for only half the night, or nap without it, whether intentionally or not. Obviously using CPAP is optimum, but to scare people into thinking YOU WILL DIE without it is not helpful IMHO.

onthefreeway wrote:I just find it hard to believe that ONE night w/out treatment can do you in - that has to be a true rarity. Many regular users have it on for only half the night, or nap without it, whether intentionally or not. Obviously using CPAP is optimum, but to scare people into thinking YOU WILL DIE without it is not helpful IMHO.

I agree with you!

ChicagoGranny wrote:I now have two deceased friends who skipped their CPAP for one night. The latest was this spring. He was fifty years old. His friends in the next room heard him snoring loudly all night. They woke about 4:30 and the storing had stopped. They went in to check on him and found his lifeless body.

Sounds more like additional factors, such as alcohol overdose.

Or was he on the downlow? Maybe God saw that and said "Whoa, none of that in MY House!"

ems wrote:

onthefreeway wrote:I just find it hard to believe that ONE night w/out treatment can do you in - that has to be a true rarity. Many regular users have it on for only half the night, or nap without it, whether intentionally or not. Obviously using CPAP is optimum, but to scare people into thinking YOU WILL DIE without it is not helpful IMHO.

I agree with you!

I also agree..I had septoplasty surgery 2 years ago and I was told not to use CPAP for 7 nights. I slept propped up in bed and often in a recliner without any problems. If I nap (occasionally) I do not use CPAP. I have a friend that has been using CPAP for over 10 years. He travels at least once a month and never takes his CPAP. I slept 68 years without a CPAP......I don't think missing a night would do me any harm.

so do you remember how you felt when you slept without your cpap?
do you think your mind was in the best shape it could be in?
because you did it you want others to experience the same misery?

i am not that way

Not sure who you are speaking to, "Guest."

This is just to say that one or two nights without a CPAP is not a catastrophe for everyone. I for one am not someone who wakes up singing and dancing, sharp as a tack and thrilled to be alive after using my CPAP. But I do wake up, and I'm happy about that. I'm envious of people for whom CPAP therapy makes a night-and-day difference in how they feel, think and function, but for some of us, it's just not that way. OBVIOUSLY, people should use their machines as prescribed, but sometimes it's not possible, and it's not the end of the world. Stressing about it can only make you feel worse.

Even I was surprised to learn my first sleep doc uses a CPAP but said he doesn't take it on vacation! Not the best role model, perhaps, but put my mind at ease should an occasion arise where I'm unable to use it.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22453648

CONCLUSION: Continuous positive airway pressure withdrawal is associated with the prolongation of the QT(c) and TpTe(c) intervals and TpTe/QT ratio, which may provide a possible mechanistic link between OSA, cardiac dysrhythmias, and thus sudden cardiac death.

I would say that whether or not you can spend a night without a CPAP probably depends on how severe your OSA is. Mine is pretty severe, and I can't even take a nap without choking and gasping for air. I absolutely would FedEX one in if this happened to me on the road.

So what's your point, Mr. or Ms. Sludge?
You have a bad head cold and can't use your CPAP, so realize you MAY DIE, and get your affairs in order?
Your CPAP goes out while on a cruise, so just jump overboard???
Note the use of the word MAY in the info you quote. It's like those endless side effects warnings you hear on TV commercials for commonly used prescription drugs.
Take it all with a grain of salt, do the best you can, and just CHILL.

My apnea is "only mild to moderate", but the immediate result of withdrawal is that
if I sleep without my cpap, I really, really feel like crap.
I will be miserable--and I guarantee that I will pull down everyone around me.

onthefreeway wrote:Your CPAP goes out while on a cruise, so just jump overboard???

Since I do not go on cruises (or for that matter, even use CPAP)(at least not in the way you might think) your scenario is academic.

onthefreeway wrote:So what's your point, Mr. or Ms. Sludge?
You have a bad head cold and can't use your CPAP, so realize you MAY DIE, and get your affairs in order?
Your CPAP goes out while on a cruise, so just jump overboard???
Note the use of the word MAY in the info you quote. It's like those endless side effects warnings you hear on TV commercials for commonly used prescription drugs.
Take it all with a grain of salt, do the best you can, and just CHILL.

Exactly! Well said. The worry of not using my mask for a few nights would more likely do me in. I didn't know I had SA for lots of years so obviously didn't have a machine... still here and I'm not exactly a spring chicken.

Different people/different opinions... but I know several people who post on this forum who agree with you, onthefreeway.