Hold On to That Old Mask

I am 1 of those people who don’t like clutter. When I’m finished using something I’ll throw it away.  In the early years of my CPAP journey, I would toss all of my old supplies. This would include the headgear, mask, tubing, and filters. Most insurance companies will cover new supplies every 3 or 6 months.  This regular fulfillment of my supplies has given me confidence that there would never be any issues. Until the day may come when I may need to hold on to that old mask.

Tips for saving CPAP supplies and old masks

Well, I was wrong. Accidents happen and things break. I woke up 1 morning and the tubing fell behind my bed and got too close to my baseboard heater. We all know plastic doesn’t stand a chance when it comes to hot temperatures.  The tube melted and there was now a hole in the middle of my tube.  I called my durable medical equipment supplier (DME). They offered to send me a new tube but I would have to pay out of pocket.  They said normal delivery times run 7 to 10 days.  I knew that I didn’t want to wait that long so I turned to Amazon.

Amazon was able to deliver my new tubing in 2 days. This was good news to me because only missing 2 days of my CPAP was a lot better than missing a week or more.  If you are like me, missing a few nights of sleep without my CPAP is not easy.  The old adage we don’t know what we have until it’s gone rang true for me when it came to missing my CPAP. This whole fiasco made me rethink my process of tossing my old supplies.

My new CPAP supply savings plan

I started saving a set of my old supplies every time my new supplies came in. I would give them a thorough cleaning and make sure they were dry.  Then they would go into my CPAP bag until my next order arrived. I would then repeat the process. The headgear was 1 piece that I would compare and would only keep the least worn.  My durable medical equipment supplier always sends extra filters.  That was the only supply I wouldn’t save. It’s also the 1 piece of my supplies that never could really break.

My system of saving supplies has served me well over the years. It’s not often, but I have had occasions where my headgear would rip or a mask would be ruined beyond use.  Having a backup set of supplies helps me rest easily. That’s both literally and figuratively. Using CPAP has been so entrenched in my sleeping routine that I try to cover all my bases and make sure that my equipment and supplies are in working order. Saving CPAP supplies, old masks, and tubing has helped me keep my sleeping routine.

Do you hold on to that old mask?

How about you?  Do you have a similar routine of saving old supplies for emergency use?  Have you experienced a situation where something broke and you weren’t able to use CPAP?  How did you handle that situation? 

If you don’t have a backup plan I hope my routine of saving a backup set would work for you.  A few minutes of extra cleaning can save you some sleepless nights in the future. Good luck!