Travels with CPAP?
06-26-08, 06:35 AM
#1
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Travels with CPAP?
Anyone here tour with a CPAP machine? I'm likely to have one soon, and I want to find out how practical it is to tour with one. Am I going to be limited to hotels or indoor lodgings on tour? Or are there batteries I can - UGH! - carry with me? I'm planning a cross country tour in 2009, and I don't want to scratch it because of a sleep disorder, or the treatment of a sleep disorder.
06-26-08, 06:50 AM
#2
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A friend of mine travels with his on a motorcycle, carries an extra 12V battery (motorcycle sized) that he charges on the bike while driving. None of this is practical on a bicycle of course. I guess you could hotel some nights, charging the battery, then camp other nights. But then you would be carrying the relatively substantial battery. With a trailer, this may be somewhat practical.
06-26-08, 02:43 PM
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I have sleep apnea. when touring strictly by bicycle, I found breath right strips work pretty well for me.
With a loaded bike. a cpap machine is too large. I haven't found a company that makes one small enough for bike touring.
With a loaded bike. a cpap machine is too large. I haven't found a company that makes one small enough for bike touring.
06-26-08, 08:05 PM
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Wow, that could be tough, my CPAP is fairly large and heavy and my apnea is pretty severe I could not imagine traveling without it.
06-27-08, 05:24 AM
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Another option to research is a orthodontic jaw extender (that's my term, I don't know if there's a technical name). My mother has apnea and had our orthodontist neighbor make her a retainer set (top and bottom) that connect via wires. When she's got both of them in, they push her jaw forward, which opens her breathing passages and has enabled her to stop using her CPAP. Your mileage may vary.
06-27-08, 11:40 PM
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I have sleep apnea so last year I went searching and found the AEIOmed Everest machine set up. It uses a built in battery to give you about 15 hours of use on a charge. I used it on my hunting trip last year and it worked great,recharged in about three hours using the truck lighter plug,so I think that you could recharge it on the road using a similar setup that people use to charge other electronic gear,steal the power at will. It's a quite a bit smaller than my old machine and would fit into panniers easily,about 5x9x7 plus hoses and wires,weight about 5-6 pounds(guess) ,more info at cpap.com ,look under cpap machines
