Several readers had questions after I posted yesterday’s blog about my experience so far with my CPAP machine and about my daughter’s cataract surgery. I’ll try to address them as best I can.
One person asked what kind of CPAP machine I have and if it took very long to get it because their spouse has been waiting over six weeks for theirs after being prescribed. I have a ResMed Airsense 11, and due to a backlog on the machines as a result of a large recall of an earlier model, as well as supply chain difficulties, I had to wait over three months to get it,
Someone else asked if I got to choose the model of the CPAP machine or the mask style. No, I just got a call one day saying that the machine had come in and to come to pick it up and be fitted with a mask. I lucked out in that the first mask they tried for me works fine, although the supplier assured me that if it didn’t, I could try different ones until they found the right style and fit for me.
Another question was about the maintenance of the CPAP machine. Every week Terry soaks the hose and mask in Dawn dish soap for a while and then rinses it thoroughly and hangs it in the shower to dry. At the same time, I empty the water reservoir and rinse it out and wipe it dry before putting it back in the machine. I also wipe the mask down every day with baby wipes to remove oil from my skin and make sure it fits correctly without any air leaks.
The final question about CPAP was from someone wanting to know if distilled water was required in it and if we had any problems finding it locally since it seems to be in short supply in some places. There is a lot of debate on online forums about whether or not you really need to use distilled water, and I think part of it might depend on the mineral content of the water where you live. However, our supplier recommended distilled water, and that’s what I use. We happen to be in one of those areas where it’s hard to come by quite often, so Terry ordered a Megahome countertop water distiller from Amazon. She distills a gallon every few days or as needed, which she also uses in her AeroGarden.
Moving on to the subject of cataracts, a reader asked if there was some kind of hereditary issue that resulted in both myself and Tiffany having quick onset cataracts and needing surgery. No, that wasn’t the case. Years ago, I had gotten a piece of metal in my eye, and the scar tissue that resulted from it formed the cataract over time. We are not sure what caused Tiffany’s, although one medical professional was of the opinion that the repeated electrical shocks she received after her heart stopped beating and she flatlined five years ago may have had something to do with it. I had never heard of that, but some of the research I have done supports that theory.
At any rate, when I talked to Tiffany yesterday, the patch was off her eye and she was amazed at how well she could see. After wearing strong glasses and contact lenses most of her life, and the rapid progression of her cataracts, she told me she never realized the world was full of so much vibrant color.
And finally, here’s a chuckle to start your day from the collection of funny signs we see in our travels and that our readers share with us.
Thought For The Day – Today I laughed until my abs started hurting, so I skipped the gym.
Nick Russell
World-Famous, New York Times Best Selling Author, and All-Around Nice Guy!
When I was using tap water with my CPAP machine, a film of scale built up on the metal plate on the bottom of the water tank. Since I switched to distilled water, no scale. Like Nick said, it might depend on the mineral content of your water.
All it took for me to only drink distilled water, was one look at the bottom of the distiller at the end. The gunk was disconcerting and ugly. I I hgave been doing this for 3 yrs now and probably use it at least 5 times a week. Now if I taste water from the faucet it has an ugly taste me. I am also in Florida and this is first time in my life I have had county water.