[at-l] Apnea

[mbm73 at mindspring.com (Mike & Betty Middleton)]

My husband has sleep apnea, and was having lots of problems concentrating,
staying awake in the daytime, and having headaches.  His is a severe case,
and he has been on a cpap machine now for about 10 years.  So far, he has
not developed any high blood pressure, and his driving has improved a lot
since he uses the machine every night when he goes to sleep.  We were
beginning to get into hiking and was thinking about some backcountry
overnights when we discovered he had it.  We tried to research if there was
anything available that would run his machine if we hiked on a trail and
camped overnight, but didn't find anything.  Not using his cpap at night is
not an option, since if he misses a night or two on it, he gets terrible
headaches and wouldn't feel like hiking anyway.  We did find that there is a
car adapter that can attach to your lighter in the car, so when we camp in
national forests where there is no electrical outlet,  he sleeps in the van
and uses the adapter.  I can either join him on a cushy 4 inch air bed or I
can put up a small tent.  Either way, the adpater enables us to camp in less
developed areas which we enjoy.  It is definitely better than being limited
to camping only in state parks or campgrounds with electricity that tend to
be overlit at night, and filled with motorhomes.  He does have problems at
times with dryness and congestion from the use, but its still better than a
very sleep deprived person trying to function in daily life.

That's why I'm so glad that I was able to find women hikers and backpacking
friends  through the internet.  That enabled me to continue my development
as a hiker and backpacker, and get enough experience that I can be a
confident solo backpacker when I want to go out, and no backpacking friend
is available.
Swallowtail