Going Four Nights Without Using the CPAP

My husband and I recently had to fly down to Florida to go to a doctor's appointment. Besides sleep apnea I also have several health conditions, one of those being Myasthenia Gravis (MG). So, we went to see am MG specialist. There are none in the state we live in.

Planning ahead

We had to be at the airport at 5 a.m., and we live 2 1/2 hours away from the airport. All the bags were packed, showers were taken the night before, everything was ready. The bags were even out for our CPAP machines. All we had to do was get up, pack the CPAP machines, have a cup of coffee, and take the rest of the coffee with us for the drive!

But at that time of the morning, we weren't really thinking straight. Jeff (my husband) had gone to work the day before and had a 14-hour day. It wasn't until we got to the airport that we realized that we had forgotten to bring our CPAPs. We were going to have to just make do without them.

We were confident everything would be fine.

The first night

That first night, it was a little rough trying to get to sleep. We both did a lot of tossing and turning. Normally, we both try and use our CPAPs at least 6 to 8 hours a night every night.

There was a whole lot of fidgeting going on. We were so restless.

In the middle of the night, we were both still not sleeping. Jeff said to me, "I really miss my mask." I had to agree. And I said that the air would have been good right then.

Well, we were both talking about different masks! I was talking about my nasal pillows that I use with my CPAP, but he was talking about a light-blocking sleep mask that goes over his eyes. We both wear one of those, too!

Needless to say, neither one of us got much sleep that night.

The rest of the trip

On the other three nights, Jeff was able to prop himself up on some pillows. He also put his arm over his eyes, like he used to before ever using the eye mask. So, he slept decently -- not great, he said, but OK.

I, on the other hand ... well, like I said, I have several health issues. Among them are spinal issues that will require me to have shots in my back. (I have not done this yet, my first one is coming up.)

Even while using the CPAP with nose pillows, thanks to my spinal problems I haven't been sleeping well for the last month or so. Most of the sleep struggle is because is I can't lay flat. But I also know if we hadn't forgotten to bring our sleeping gear, I would have rested a whole lot better, even with the back pain.

Dealing with insomnia

Many people with chronic health conditions have insomnia as well. But insomnia is a whole lot worse when you're in a hotel room. At least at home you know where things are. And can go and do what you want to do. For me the longer I go without using my CPAP the worse my insomnia gets.