I have a cpap machine because of sleep apnea. Im afraid to disturb the other passengers. Should I still use it?
Are you asking about noise? I don't know much about them. However, my sister, who uses one and accompanies me on bike tours, often shares a motel room with me. I've never notice any noise. In fact it is a major improvement over the snoring before she got the machine.
Now if I could just figure a way that she doesn't have to drag all that distilled water on the back of her bike.
I agree with the snoring thing. I had that problem too. I also stopped breathing multiple times during the night. I kept disturbing my husband by hitting him during the night. Im glad I got the cpap machine because it is saving my life. My husband says there is a big improvement & we both get a good nights sleep. As far as the distilled water is concerned, she should buy a small bottle of drinking water or soda, then after she drinks that put the distilled water in it. Thats what Im doing when I go on my trip.
I suggest first testing how much water is typically used each night and then make sure that the bottle is big enough to hold what water is needed on the train and possibly the first night at a planned hotel. For other hotel nights, distilled water gallon cost less than a dollar at most grocery stores or up to $1.50 at in-town CVS stores (which always seem to be the most expensive). In any case, I use as much of the unneeded gallon for drinking water except what I pour back into the bottle for the return or next leg of a trip.
I clearly mark my distilled water bottle so it doesn't get used up or thrown away while traveling. I found a "drinking water" bottle at Wal-mart that holds about a five day supply (your mileage may vary) and use that.
Note: Li-Ion battery packs are available for CPAP machines for when there is no power. Mine provides up to 3 nights but none of them are powerful enough to support the humidifier.
Note: If you don't have distilled water, it won't hurt anything to use regular clean water once in a while. And a few days (I have gone for a week) with no humidifier/water won't hurt but your nasal passages will be dry.
Note: After accidentally leaving the full water bottle in my carry-on on a plane trip and have it go through without a problem, my guess is the fact that it is distilled may make it invisible to DHS's machines which makes it look like the bottle is empty.
As to Jamie's question about using it on a trip - DO NOT GO ANYWHERE WITHOUT IT! Your life may depend on that machine. The water is optional - the machine is not. Snoring is a lot noisier than a CPAP as are the paramedics who might be called if you stop breathing.
CPAP - used every day since my second Katrina Red Cross trip in 2005. I got it just before that trip but being new at it, I left it home - I was the only person to get a full night's sleep that first night where all the newly arrived RC volunteers slept in one big room. Everyone else complained about someone snoring but I didn't have the guts to own up to it.