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CPAP tubing and SD card

HBS60

Active Member
Time of past OR future Camino
August 2024 (planned)
Greetings (again!)
I decided to carry my big, bulky cPAP machine…in my new 48 liter backpack I just bought for that reason.
I do have two questions: I’m supposed to clean the tubing once a week by soaking in warm water with mild dishwashing detergent such as Dawn, then hang it to dry all day, then reconnect the tube to the machine at night. This might be logistically difficult if I arrive in the evening, I’ll I pack and set up the machine and while I could wash it then, it won’t be dry by bedtime. That’s assuming I have a place to do it hygienically. The only way I might be able to do this is by taking a rest day for that purpose, hopefully I can then check in at a hotel where I could do this, unless other cPAP users here have ways of cleaning their tubing that I may not be aware of.
About the SD card, the machine gathers all kinds of info like aparición episodes, leaks, etc, and I’m supposed to upload this data to monitor compliance. Will I be able to get to a computer to do this?
thanks!
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
I would speak to your sleep physician or CPAP provider about both of these and see what options they might have.

I drape my tubing over the head of the bed when I arrive where I am staying. It might not be completely dry, but that doesn't worry me that much.

I don't worry about compliance statistics, other than know my sleep physician will review them when I visit. Will these be retained on the machine until you get home and can download all those collected while you are away?
 
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For the first 6 months of use, my insurance my company required me to upload the statistics. I did that and they have not asked me for anything now for 2 years.

My husband's machine automatically uploads his data to the cloud no matter where he is and he can see it on his phone. His machine is from the VA and he has to periodically recertify with them to continue to get CPAP supplies. They review his data when he takes his machine in for annual function tests.

I don't wash my CPAP stuff on the Camino.
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
I didn’t wash my CPAP tubing at all. I wouldn’t worry about it.
 
On the Camino I use a small travel cpap machine and not the big bipap machine I have from the VA. The travel machine saves my daily data and when I get home I down load it. That way I can provide it to the cpap folks if they want it. As a long time cpap user who has been compliant with the amount of use expected by the medical folks, they said not to send that downloaded data in unless asked during recertification. They know I use one of my cpaps. I've used a cpap since 2008 and carried on all my caminos. I'm just lucky I guess since the medical folks seem to understand my desire to camp, hike, walk on a camino, and go places without electricity (requires a battery).
 
HBS60 said:
About the SD card, the machine gathers all kinds of info like aparición episodes, leaks, etc, and I’m supposed to upload this data to monitor compliance. Will I be able to get to a computer to do this?
Click to expand...
Possibly this could be done with a smartphone and a thumb drive adapter. What is your current procedure at home?
 
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3rd Edition. More content, training & pack guides avoid common mistakes, bed bugs etc
Perhaps you could wash the tubing in the morning before setting out and then hang it to dry from your backpack while you walk? Heaven knows, I've seen enough pilgrims with socks and other items of clothing hanging from their backpacks to dry while walking. Then you can reconnect it at night.

I suspect that you can upload the data upon your return.
 
Some CPAP devices have a companion phone app that is free. They usually require the machine to have power for an hour after use every morning to upload the data. If traveling, I can pack my machine and it uploads when I plug it into power the next evening. I now have the heater turned off in my machine settings, no longer put water in the humidification chamber, and use a SoClean device daily. Much less time and less skin irritation, less coughing.
I also used a small travel CPAP on Camino with a universal power adapter. We had a few extension cords but did not need them.
Good luck.
 
I can say this model of machine (from the OP's photo) uses the SD card to upload. I have the same machine. We were told not to use those cleaning devices as they degrade/damage the machine over time.
 
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The 2024 Camino guides will be coming out little by little. Here is a collection of the ones that are out so far.
That degradation/damage is yet to be proven medically, unless there is some recent new data. There has been no company recall machines. One should do what one feels is in their best interest based on advice given.
 
BigT said:
That degradation/damage is yet to be proven medically, unless there is some recent new data. There has been no company recall machines. One should do what one feels is in their best interest based on advice given.
Click to expand...
Agree, go with what your provider says which is what we are doing.
 
As others have said, go with your provider's recommendations. I have both a heavy home use CPAP and a lighter travel model which I took on two caminos. The data from both has always magically gotten from the machines to my provider without any effort on my part. In my opinion, any extra moisture in tubing that's not completely dry will become humidity in your lungs, which the larger machines all have reservoirs to add. I've seen a lot of different opinions about cleaning CPAP's. Over the years, I have gradually decreased the frequency of cleanings and currently go a couple of months between tube/reservoir cleaning. I rinse out my mask more frequently. Works for me - may not for you. Buen Camino!
 
Let us pick up your suitcase once you arrive in Europe....
...and ship it to Santiago for storage. You pick it up once in Santiago. Service offered by Casa Ivar (we use DHL for transportation).
I carry my ResMed ( S10 ) machine, and have purchased the reservoir block as an optional piece of equipment. Approx. ( $70 Cdn.) This removes the reservoir, making the machine 5 cm shorter and 84 gm lighter, not much of a weight difference but easier to fit in the back pack. I have used the small travel battery option, Model Z1 but the rechargeable battery only lasted two years before it would no longer take an eight hour charge. A replacement battery was over half the price of a new machine. Not near as quiet as the full size model, but much quieter than my snoring!
 
Thanks for all the replies!

I think I’ll be able to manage the tubing cleaning thing by trying to do it on rest days, which I can try to do at a private accommodation/hotel, etc. I’ll ask my sleep dr about the SD card, but so far neither the medical people, or the insurance people, or the medical supply people, have been any help, particularly about the travel-sized cPAP, which I would love to have, but these are very expensive. I did consider renting one, which would be around $300 USD, but that’s just for a rental (full purchase price is around $900) and I’ve been told in no uncertain terms that insurance won’t cover a travel cPAP. Being that I also have to purchase a suitable backpack, suitable shoes, not to mention the cost of flying, this is adding up very quickly. I did buy an Osprey 48 L Kester for $200, very nice, spacious backpack that would accommodate the cPAP machine with plenty of room to spare. As I see it, $200 for a backpack that i get to keep is a lot cheaper than $300 for a travel cPAP rental that I have to return. I will consider buying a travel sized cPAP in the future, when I dont’ have to deal with the up-front cost of a first-timer.

I’ve been experimenting with putting items like clothes I’ll be likely to wear, my medications bag, etc, and it seems I’ll be able to pack it all with minimal weight, but we’ll see. The cPAP machine is in its own case that I can pull out of the backpack and take it as carry-on, so I can check the backpack as luggage (I plan to get a duffel bag to prevent the various loops, hooks, etc from being snagged in the conveyor belts and to include my trekking poles). I think (or at least I hope) that this is do-able!

One more concern: I was told by the medical supply company that under no circumstances should I connect the machine to a power strip with multiple outlets, or to an extension cord, which will be a problem if I also have to charge my cell phone. Anybody has had this issue?

Thanks for the replies, y’all have been very helpful! I still have tons of questions about different topics, but I’ll keep reading these boards where I’m already learning so much!

Buen Camino, y’all!
 
In some places, you may have no choice, but to use an extension cord. It will depend on where the outlet is located. In more more modern albergues, there may be a plug right in the headboard. At other places there may be only one or two beds with a plug near. I have had to use an extension cord several times, so take that as a caution. It has never damaged my travel machine and I actually use a power strip with my machine at home and I have the same home machine that you do. I was never given that guidance from my supplier, but still follow whatever guidance they have given you as best you can. Just check for sure that it is a dual voltage machine and that you can plug it in directly with a plug adapter and don't need some kind of power converter.

I usually use a plug adapter for my travel machine that also has two USB ports for my cell phone so I don't take up the entire outlet with my machine and a couple of phones can be charged at the same time. For my husband and I together I carry and have used a two outlet extension cord that I attached to the bunkbed with rubber bands so we can just use one outlet and have both machines plugged in. I usually take the top bunk and can put my machine in the bed with me. Sometimes there are limited places to set your machine next to you and I have also have had to use my backpack as a "shelf" for my machine on the floor next to the bed so you are not sucking up too much floor dust. I try not to lean the pack next to the bed to discourage any possible bed bugs, too.

As you are fluent in Spanish, just be sure to ask the hospitalero when you are checking in to be near an outlet. Some non-English speakers use a card written out to notify the hospitalero that they need access to electricity for a machine.
 
Camino Way markers in Bronze
The one from Galicia (the round) and the one from Castilla & Leon. Individually numbered and made by the same people that make the ones you see on your walk.
I also benefit from cap machine. My machine calls for using distilled water. On a recent trip to southern Spain I used tap water. No ill effects. Good luck.
 
I have a ResMed 11, which I was delighted to find is a few ounces lighter than the version 10 that it replaced. And luckily, no more SD card; it automatically uploads the info to the magic fairies who analyze it and send it to my doctor.

I clean my tube once a week in the shower using mild Ivory dish soap, and the face piece gets washed every couple of days. I took an empty eye dropper bottle and filled it with Ivory dish soap, then bought a padded camera case that the CPAP fits in, along with the hose, part of the mask, an extension cord, and the plug adapter brick. On Camino everything was plugged in together (CPAP, phone, watch, earphones, extension cord) and we did just fine. The components were only washed in the evenings when I showered but then each morning the pieces were disassembled and (I hope) mostly dried on their own. I found a bottle of distilled water for the first few days, but then was in places with no pharmacy so I just bought bottles of water and used that instead. (I kept one pocket of my backpack for “clean water” so that I wouldn’t make a mistake and drink it!).

PS - I ended up sending my bag ahead because the dang machine with accessories was over 6 pounds and my bum knee just couldn’t do it.

I take Celia the CPAP everywhere. She is large and inconvenient like me, but I can’t sleep without her!
 
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