Posted by Captin Cannuck on September 02, 2008 at 19:22:14:In Reply to: CPAP - travel to Canada. No problem posted by daldei on August 18, 2008 at 13:03:05:
Thanks a lot for your report. I am Canadian and have travelled through many Canadian Airports with CPAP. The staff are very familiar with CPAP devices as lots of Canadians are using them.
You have a very good point about the need for extention cords. I carry one right in my CPAP bag so that in the event of a hotel set-up where the CPAP is not near the bet, I will be able to use the cord.
In a pinch, I understand that when distilled water is not available, the next best thing is water that has been boiled (such as that from a kettle). Some advocate bottled water, but I am leary of that. The reason is that bottled water contains a lot of minerals. That is exactly what you want to avoid. Minerals leave deposits. This is why distilled water is used in CPAP devices, humidifiers and even electric irons. Having said that, I will be the first to admit that I am not shy about just using tap water. I figure that the shelf life of my CPAP machine is only about 5 years and the occasional use of tap water will not be the end of the world. Choosing between that and not using the humidifier is a no-brainer for me. I will always choose the tap water (or bottled water) every time. I would never go without the humidifier even using the wrong type of water. To be honest, I doubt it matters that much.