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Power Cuts!!
Over the last week I have had two power cuts at home. The first one only lasted for two hours and the second one (today) lasted for 7 hours...brrrrrr just starting to heat up now :) The power cuts took place during the day which was fortunate but I was quite concerned as to whether I would be able to use my CPAP machine should the power cuts have continued over night. I began to think about what I should do sleep wise and decided the best course of action would be to sleep on a comfy chair or in bed with a stack of pillows to ensure my airway stayed open.
What would you do in this situation? It is quite concerning when you are so reliant on CPAP.
Thanks
Julie
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!!
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Kath Hope on
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I guess this is to do with the terrible winds people are experiencing in parts of the country at the moment Julie (up to now, we've not been too badly hit in East Yorkshire). People in parts of the US suffer quite frequently from power cuts and many have batteries for their CPAP. However, it's an expensive option for the odd time we may need them, so I would ensure I did everything 'by the book' to limite the apnoeas if any power cuts were expected, ie no eating or drinking alcohol within at least 3 hours of bed, try to sleep on a slight elevation (like more pillows you stated), ensuring my airways were as open as possible, and do my best to make sure I slept on my side (which fortunately I do anyway). I would ensure my nasal airways were free from stuffiness too.
The good news is that for the majority of us, our masks are vented so we wouldn't suffocate. However, it would feel rather claustrophobic and uncomfortable, and we would more than likely wake up (this happened to me once when a fuse went in the socket). Also, a lot of the CPAP machines have alarms on them which would wake us up too.
Hope it doesn't happen during the night for you Julie, but this is an excellent topic for others to read.
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Permalink Reply by Tigers Fan on
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Night before last, I woke up and realised my machine had just started pumped compressed air at me. Oh! I thought, must have forgotten to press the start button and fallen sleep - and fell asleep again. It wasn't until the morning I realised we'd had a black-out and later learned that it had lasted a couple of hours.
I guess the safety vent valve worked just fine, as designed! Flap!
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I've been know to forget to press the start button too on occasions LOL. However, my machine's now set to start automatically when I put the mask on (one less thing to think about at bedtime).
Interestingly, once I got used to CPAP there were occasions that I actually thought the machine wasn't switched on, but when pulling the mask away from my face to check I realized it was. Amazing how our bodies get used to all that air blowing. Newbies to CPAP won't believe this just yet, but they will soon :)
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Permalink Reply by Julie on
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I am absolutely amazed that something hasn't been invented that can be plugged into the mains and supply electricity during a power cut, albeit one electrical item at a time, I mean we can charge up a car to run for approximatley 50 miles. Is there a battery in the UK that can be used as a back up to CPAP? I have a feeling that this sort of weather will be with us from time to time and it's not restricted to winter months.
I had a power cut abroad once and did wake up during the night. Just went back to sleep and it wasn't a problem but to go to bed knowing that the CPAP isn't working just as you go to bed does cause a little hyperventilating :D
To be honest we tend to take electricity for granted and it's only when you lose it that you realise how much we rely on it.
The wind is getting up again tonight so hoping that the power doesn't go our for the 3rd time! Think I'd rather have the snow...
Kath, loving your auto start machine.... as my niece would say..... coooooool
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Yes, I'm amazed too Julie. Probably people are working on this at the moment.
What machine do you have, as a lot of them have the facility to auto-start, but they just need setting up to do this?
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It's a ResMed's S8 Escape machine... probably antique, lol Think I need to consider buying myself a new machine, all singing all dancing although I'm not one for replacing items when the old ones are working fine.
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LOL - sorry don't think yours does, but something to look forward to when yours ends it's useful life as most of the new models do.
Julie said:It's a ResMed's S8 Escape machine... probably antique, lol Think I need to consider buying myself a new machine, all singing all dancing although I'm not one for replacing items when the old ones are working fine.
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Permalink Reply by Philip on
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Don't laugh, but my wife sowed a piece of the round pre formed pipe insulating material into a sock into the back of a tee shirt for me, when I was somewhere where I had no power for CPAP. It made me sleep on the camp bed on my side all night. I knew from my sleep study that my apneoa only happened when on my back. I slept well, with no apneoa I was aware of.
It worked so well that I bought a belt with three pockets that accomodate three blown up bags. By deflating the bags, it all folds very small and flat in a suitcase.
If I had a power cut, I would use the belt.
Phil
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LOL Phil (whoops, sorry....you said we weren't to laugh). Joking apart, your wife came up with a novel idea and much cheaper than those other products out there too :)
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Phil, sounds like your wife is a genius although I'm still struggling to visualise the pice, sock and tee shirt all sewn together.... I don't suppose you have any pics to share??? Maybe your wife should patent this for emergency use ;)
I'll maybe just strap my husbands golf shoes to my back, that'll soon stop me rolling onto my back!
Thanks for sharing Phil.
Julie
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Yes, I thought it was an antique, lol If my machine gives up the ghost then I'll be in touch!!!
Kath Hope said:LOL - sorry don't think yours does, but something to look forward to when yours ends it's useful life as most of the new models do.
Julie said:It's a ResMed's S8 Escape machine... probably antique, lol Think I need to consider buying myself a new machine, all singing all dancing although I'm not one for replacing items when the old ones are working fine.
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Hi Julie.
Sorry I did not explain myself very well. The preformed round pipe insulating foam (the grey stuff from DIY shops) was cut to a length of six inches and placed in a (washed) sock. The sock was then tacked onto the back of a t shirt at the waist and between the shoulder blades (so the foam was running up the back rather than across it). It could have been sown onto nightwear, but would have had to been washed more often than a t shirt over nightwear. You can buy similar products.
Must admit I prefer the vision of spiked golf shoes for a laugh though.
Phil
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