Medical Issues

[Eagle007]

Without breaking the rules of confidentiality, has anyone dealt with scouts or scouters that must wear a CPAP mask/machine? What do they do with respects to overnight camping?

[resqman]

For adults, they usually stay home. Often loosing significant weight will resolve the need for CPAP.

 

 

[Eagle007]

In today's world of fast food I think we could all stand to give up some yardage on the old belt. Ha, ha. Thanks.

[dg98adams]

I'm a CPAP user and an ASM in my son's Troop. Skinny guys use 'em too (I'm not in that category).

 

I can do with or without it. Although, without I can snore the roof, er... top of the tent off.

 

There are some CPAPS with batteries or if you are a hard core, you can lug a 12v battery/power charger-thingy.

 

I saw a Scouter lug his to the dining hall to recharge it after 4 days at summer camp.

[Eagle92]

I've seen both the battery pack, and I saw someone with a VERY long extension cord that went from the check in building, which was his office for most of the weekend, to his tent.

 

 

I think I read somewhere on this site about someone having a car battery rig fro summer camp.

[Twocubdad]

Search some of the old threads. Sometime in the past year, maybe back in the summer, there was a thread where all the guys who use these thing went through all the technical stuff, the gear they use, model numbers, etc.

 

It's doable. Not for backpacking, but summer camp for sure. These things were all over jamboree this summer.

[GKlose]

It's funny, but of the five guys that I know that use a CPAP, not a single one of them is significantly overweight (well, one could lose about 10 lbs, but the others are all fairly lean). One of those guys didn't tolerate CPAP well, and had his entire jaw realigned, tonsils shaved, all sorts of things. After it was done, he said that he wished he hadn't done it.

 

There is an old thread, as others have pointed out -- one example was a CPAP machine that uses rechargeable batteries (the "Everest" model), and another example was a portable/rechargeable battery (made by Black and Decker) connected to the DC input on the CPAP machine. Another example was a 12v deep-cycle marine battery and another was the non-CPAP route (an "oral appliance" worn instead of using a CPAP). There are pluses and minuses to each. You can see some of these things on www.cpap.com (the Everest, for example), and there is an interesting online forum called www.cpaptalk.com, where there are quite a few threads about camping and backcountry solutions.

 

To me, the bottom line is that there are reasonable solutions for weekend camping and summer camp situations, and not-so-good solutions for backpacking (the oral appliance, maybe). But I'll raise a caution about one thing -- the cpaptalk.com forum is fairly brutal. Camping without some sort of therapy (CPAP, oral appliance, etc) is not acceptable. One risks cardiac arrest and possibly death, and that would put a damper on any Scouting event.

[Scoutfish]

Not having ever had to use a CPAP myself, and seeing one used once at a pack campoutby an adult..there were no issues at all.

 

But then again, we had some parents who brought 6 qt coolers full of anti histamines, sinus/allergypils, creams,lotionds vitamin E oil, compression face masks, and nasal strips and even more stuff. She talked about her hypo allergenic latex foam pad and 100 percent latex foam pillow with a heppa grade pillow cover.

 

Snored like a freight train was aiming for camp.

 

Now, ususally, you wouldn't notice that kinda thing, but when a mom walked from her tent to the restroom..she looked like one of those sand people from Star Wars!

 

She started the routine about an hour before bedtime.

 

Nothing wrong with it, just that it made the CPAP un-noticable.

 

 

Truth be told, aside fromthe snoring, you had to admire the determination she had to still go camping!

[Basementdweller]

I am a very educated and long term cpap user and camper. I don't like the tone of your post, dealt with....... Most users can go a weekend without being on it.....I have done that too but don't recommend it.

 

 

there is no need for special provisions on the troop side. CPAP is my burden and I do not expect to force anyone to have to deal with it. There will be people who use it as a crutch, I say BS. I have hiked the Appalachian trail with mine and use solar panels to charge the battery's. A disturbing trend I am seeing at scout camps is extension cords running everywhere for cpap machines....... come on people be a little more creative and independent. I think running extension cords out to campsites is dangerous and unnecessary.

 

here is a link to a pretty good thread on the subject

 

http://www.scouter.com/forums/viewThread.asp?threadID=276370

 

 

I have offered before, if anyone needs help working out a system I have done for a number of scouters just let me know.

[Basementdweller]

Just another medical conditions is all

 

 

I backpack with mine......no problem. experimenting with lipo batterys currently.

 

I can go for an entire week at resident camp without having to haul my battery to be charged.

 

 

 

It really isn't that big a deal if you make the effort up front.

 

 

Drop your perceptions and excuses just continue living cpap isn't the end of the world

 

I am not one of your plus sized guys, medium size, but my grandfather died of congestive heart failure that was probably related to sleep apnea. I have resigned my self two wearing it the rest of my life. I have a few more pounds before I am going to be at the recommended weight to go to philmont......yes I am going and yes I am taking my cpap machine along.

[OldGreyEagle]

long time CPAP user here, I bring my battery to the dining hall, charge it during the day and use it to sleep at night. It works alright. At cabin campouts I plug in. First time I was used it at a cabin a scout saw it and asked if it made a lot of noise, t which an older experienced scout said it can't be louder than Mr GreyEagles snoring, that is epic

 

I didnt know Scouting had so many volunteers that medical issues were sufficient reasons to dismiss one who want to help

[Eagle007]

Bdweller: my apologies if what I said has easily offended you. That's not what I meant. I tried not to use first person - "the use of I" in this forum. So let me explain. I also wear a cpap and my question was one asked out of self-consciousness for sounding like a friggin bear vs. diesel engine when I don't wear it. I did a search on here and found several good suggestions "dealing" with cpap issues that I may have such as the battery issue while at summer camp or hiking. That is where I was coming from. And you nor anyone else wants me to camp with them without my cpap; that I can promise you. When I sleep without my cpap my family says the walls in my house expand and contract like a pair of lungs. I hope this clears up any miscommunication on my part for you Bdweller.

[Basementdweller]

Eagle.....No offense taken. to be real honest how can I be offended by someone I do not know.

 

I have run into scouters who have tried to exclude or assumed I couldn't do things because of the CPAP machine. THERE IS NO EXCUSE if you actually want to do the activity

 

My point is.......If you need help with a solution contact me and I will work with you to make it happen. Backpacking, canoeing and rafting trips are not a problem with proper preparations.

[Eagle007]

Thanks Bdweller. You're awesome. I will definitely contact you.