CPAP Blog

I’ve been reading Dr. Michael Breus’ WebMD Blog called Sleep Disorders for months and only just discovered their video section. In their Video Section, they have hundreds of short clips on a variety of health topics, ranging from ADD/ADHD and Cancer down to Depression, Diabetes, Health for the Heart and Women’s Health.

Most interesting to readers of this blog will be the Sleep section. It is Dr. Breus himself in this video about Sleep Apnea and CPAP treatment who introduces this sleep disorder and its recommended form of therapy in a 2 minutes ‘quick guide’. In this clip, they follow a patient from initial consultation, via a sleep test in a very comfortable clinic, to being fitting with CPAP. At the end they follow up with the guy’s family and learn about the changes it has made to their lives.

In another video, they take you through the process of diagnosing obstructive sleep apnea. They compare an in-hospital overnight stay to a wrist-worn diagnostics device which can be used in-home.

Other videos on WebMD discuss Restless Leg Syndrome,  your body clock and how fat kills. The WebMD site is a highly recommended source for sleep apnea patients and all those with an interest in health.

CPAP is making sleep apnoea sufferers around the world sleep again. Within a 24 hours window, these three stories reached my inbox. In each, a sleep apnoea patient describes their CPAP fortune. If you suffer from sleep apnoea, read these success stories. It could be you getting your life back too!

In TampaBays10: Woman finally enjoys a good night of sleep

So now she and Victor can enjoy the day, after both get a great night’s sleep.

“Oh, I feel great!” says Maria. “Thank the Lord, yes.”

In the Sand Mountain Reporter: Pruett won’t run again

 After the second stroke, doctors believe they were brought on by a sleep disorder called sleep apnea.

“I now sleep with a CPAP machine and feel great.”

On Lower Hudson Online: A diagnosis that can keep our roads safer

 ”Once the patient is treated, they feel like they have a new life,” Bergstein said. “It transforms their sex life, their family life, their work life.”

While Mosa conceded going to bed hooked up to a machine with a mask on isn’t sexy and it takes some getting used to, she said she won’t travel anywhere without her CPAP machine.

“If I don’t have the CPAP, I can’t sleep,” she said. “It’s amazing, what a difference it’s made. I’m clearheaded, and I’m more ambitious to do things. At this point, it’s part of my life.”

If you find more links to similar stories, please post them in the comments.

As evident in the various CPAP forums around the globe, travelling with CPAP equipment is a hot topic, causing concern for many users. A little (black) box with wires and tubes does look a bit funny, especially in the wake of air travel related security alerts.

The best way to avoid trouble is to discuss your needs with the airline beforehand and to bring a doctor’s note explaining you are a patient in need of this device. If you fly overnight and need the machine to work, check with the airline that the plane, and your seat, is equipped with a power socket. Also find out what type it is as you may need an adapter. If no power source is available, look into a portable battery pack to power your machine.

If you check in your CPAP machine and mask, make sure it’s packaged very well. You won’t be the first one to find machine or mask broken in transit. Sourcing a replacement in a foreign country can be a nightmare and will cause a bad start to your holiday or business trip. Pack the mask in a solid box, like a hard plastic lunch box and bring some spares of those parts most prone to wear and tear. Some fuses for the machine can be handy too. Preparation is key. Also have the telephone number of your equipment provider and manufacturer handy for prompt assistance. Looking up contact details of a local supplier at your destination can be a savior too.

With a bit of forward thinking, trouble can be avoided.

You can discuss particular airline experiences in the various forums:

http://forums.cpap.co.uk/showthread.php?t=125

http://forums.cpap.co.uk/showthread.php?t=108

http://www.britishsnoring.co.uk/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=457

In the New York Times this week, journalist Joe Sharkey wrote a lighthearted piece involving air travel and CPAP. According to his experiences, many security personnel are familiar with CPAP already:

One screener was evidently in charge of ensuring that passengers knew they had to remove those portable CPAP devices (for continuous positive airway pressure) that have become popular travel accessories for the growing number of people diagnosed with sleep apnea, a common ailment in which airways tighten, interrupting sleep.

“Take all CPAPs out of your carry-on bags,” the screener kept saying.

Behind me a woman put her backpack on the roller belt. Wearing latex gloves, the screener pressed on a small bulge in the backpack.

“Is that a CPAP, ma’am? It looks like a CPAP,” the screener said.

“It also looks like a chicken sandwich, which is what it is,” the woman replied wearily.

How was your experience when travelling with your CPAP equipment? Which airline did you fly with?