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CPAP and the Great Outdoors
#1
CPAP and the Great Outdoors
Greetings all,

I am about to embark on night #4 with my ResMed S9. So far so good! My question is that I enjoy hiking quite a bit, and have taken several long-distance hikes in the past. Now that I am tied to a CPAP machine, does anyone know what my options are relative to taking a machine on the trail with me? I doubt I can carry a machine and a power supply over a 5-7 day trip off the grid. I'm not interested in adding too much weight to my pack. What are my risks if I simply travel without the machine for a period of, say, up to two weeks? Thanks for your thoughts. -twl
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#2
RE: CPAP and the Great Outdoors
Hi twloughlin,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
There are a few threads here on the board about camping and CPAP.
Hang in there for more responses to your post and it's good to hear that you are doing well with your CPAP therapy.
trish6hundred
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#3
RE: CPAP and the Great Outdoors
Ive gone a few nights without Cpap then i need a recharge

have a look here this might help you

http://www.nwhikers.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=7980796

http://www.backpacker.com/community/ask_buck/250


Transcend Travel CPAP Machine
Save over $280 on the Multi-Night battery and Solar Panel Charger with the purchase of a Transcend Travel CPAP Machine. Click the ‘‘Customize & Buy" button below to view all battery discounts.

The Transcend Travel CPAP Machine is one of the world's smallest, lightest CPAP machines. It weighs less than 1 lb and is quiet, with a 29 dB sound rating. The Transcend Travel CPAP Machine is now compatible with all CPAP masks. Optional battery packs allow for use anywhere. Take this CPAP camping, boating or travel - wherever power is out of reach. The Transcend Travel CPAP Machine is a great travel or every night machine.

Manufactured by Somnetics.
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#4
RE: CPAP and the Great Outdoors
I definitely would not even consider going without treatment for one night, much less 2 weeks and I say that for the very same reasons that we use our machines every time we sleep. JMHO
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#5
RE: CPAP and the Great Outdoors
(02-14-2014, 10:38 PM)twloughlin Wrote: Greetings all,

I am about to embark on night #4 with my ResMed S9. So far so good! My question is that I enjoy hiking quite a bit, and have taken several long-distance hikes in the past. Now that I am tied to a CPAP machine, does anyone know what my options are relative to taking a machine on the trail with me? I doubt I can carry a machine and a power supply over a 5-7 day trip off the grid. I'm not interested in adding too much weight to my pack. What are my risks if I simply travel without the machine for a period of, say, up to two weeks? Thanks for your thoughts. -twl

You probably ought to ask your sleep doc about that. I suspect your risk depends on your particular situation and ahi percentages. Also, it might be that if you sleep in other than a pure supine position you might have less trouble. Like strapped to a tree perhaps. Or a bear.

Ask the docs.
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#6
RE: CPAP and the Great Outdoors
Thanks for the responses. I am considering them all. Does anyone have any experience with the Z1 Travel CPAP machine? The machine is 10 oz., the battery pack 9.8 oz, so a total of about 1.4 lbs. Apparently no solar option to charge the battery. -twl
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#7
RE: CPAP and the Great Outdoors
(02-15-2014, 10:59 AM)twloughlin Wrote: Thanks for the responses. I am considering them all. Does anyone have any experience with the Z1 Travel CPAP machine? The machine is 10 oz., the battery pack 9.8 oz, so a total of about 1.4 lbs. Apparently no solar option to charge the battery. -twl

I have a Z1.
You might want to take a look at "The HDM Z1" thread.

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#8
RE: CPAP and the Great Outdoors
Hi johnnyashe,
WELCOME! to the forum.!
trish6hundred
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#9
RE: CPAP and the Great Outdoors
(02-15-2014, 01:31 PM)johnnyashe Wrote:
(02-15-2014, 10:59 AM)twloughlin Wrote: Thanks for the responses. I am considering them all. Does anyone have any experience with the Z1 Travel CPAP machine? The machine is 10 oz., the battery pack 9.8 oz, so a total of about 1.4 lbs. Apparently no solar option to charge the battery. -twl

I have a Z1.
You might want to take a look at "The HDM Z1" thread.

Thanks for pointing me to that thread. Nothing there sounds encouraging at the moment, but perhaps there is hope for the future on the Z1. Thanks
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#10
RE: CPAP and the Great Outdoors
First off thanks to everyone. There apparently is no easy answer to this question. Further research and inquiries seem to indicate it's a matter of how much risk you want to take. Let me give a larger context to my initial question and see what reactions there may be.

I have not had my CPAP for a week yet. My first indication I might have OSA came this past August, with a noted rise in blood pressure. Yes, I have snored for many years, but of course it just seemed like something age brought on. So apparently I've been living with OSA for some time now, hard to say how long precisely.

My sleep study produced some anomalies, according to the therapist. I've never had morning headaches, don't fall asleep at the wheel (I love driving), don't fall asleep watching TV. I took naps now and again, but not every day. I work as an actor/acting teacher, so I often put in a full day's work at one job and then more time at night in rehearsals or performances. In my sleep study, my longest apnea was 58 seconds, but my oxygen level fell to only 85%, which is admittedly low, but the therapist who did the study said most people show levels of 60% or lower when they stop breathing for that long. I also did not exhibit any gasping for air, excessive body twitching, or other external symptoms. Apparently my brain simply starts me breathing without any body involvement at all.

I am nearing retirement age, and was looking forward to planning and going on longer hikes, such as doing the entire Finger Lakes Trail, which is nearby, and is 550 miles long (about a four-week trek). The need for CPAP now forces me to re-think this idea. There does not appear at this (admittedly early) point to be any good solution to providing CPAP while on such an extended hike. The state of solar charging is not yet up to the task of charging a battery for 6-8 hours of use on a daily basis, and of course the point of being on the hike is to get away from civilization. My thought right now is simply to take the risk for four weeks and live as I have been living up until last Tuesday. Yes, I may have the same sort of symptoms I had prior to CPAP, but is that worth it to have the experience I was planning? I certainly have felt the difference these past 4 days, and no doubt the therapy is quite helpful. I fully intend to keep it up when home. But it seems to me some trade-offs have to be taken into consideration if I wish to fulfill my plans. I mean, it took them two months from the initial diagnosis to getting the machine; I could have died in those two months while waiting for therapy. Am I willing to take the same two-month risk to accomplish the hiking goal? And there are other not-yet-considered options: oral appliances, alternative sleeping positions (I respectfully reject being tied to a bear, thank you), et.al.

Such are my thoughts at the moment. I have some time to work all this out, as I ain't going nowhere right now. Perhaps after three months of therapy I may sing a different tune. Comment as you please. -twl
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