I need to buy a new CPAP mask in NYC. Where?
August 3, 2011 7:01 AM Subscribe
Where can I get a new CPAP mask today, in NYC? Preferably downtown Manhattan or Brooklyn.
I awoke in the middle of the night, found some little strip of plastic next to me, shrugged and put it on the hotel room floor, and went back to sleep. Or, tried to - within a moment, it was clear that I had been handling the strap-holder in my CPAP mask - without it (and it had been somehow torn straight off), there was no way to clearly tighten the mask to my face.
In other words, my CPAP mask is broken, and I need another. Where does one get such a thing? I work a little south of Union Square, near 11th St and University Place, so anywhere in the vicinity would be great; I'll also be heading to Kensington/Flatbush later tonight, so anywhere on the way from A to B would also be fantastic.
But so this helps people more generally in the NYC area for reference, where *does* one get a replacement in the city as a whole? Thanks so much for any help on this.
(Super-special Bonus CPAP issue: I've been finding I wake up in the middle of the night, take off my CPAP mask, and wake up a few hours later and put it on. No idea why I'm doing this. This happen to anyone else?)
I awoke in the middle of the night, found some little strip of plastic next to me, shrugged and put it on the hotel room floor, and went back to sleep. Or, tried to - within a moment, it was clear that I had been handling the strap-holder in my CPAP mask - without it (and it had been somehow torn straight off), there was no way to clearly tighten the mask to my face.
In other words, my CPAP mask is broken, and I need another. Where does one get such a thing? I work a little south of Union Square, near 11th St and University Place, so anywhere in the vicinity would be great; I'll also be heading to Kensington/Flatbush later tonight, so anywhere on the way from A to B would also be fantastic.
But so this helps people more generally in the NYC area for reference, where *does* one get a replacement in the city as a whole? Thanks so much for any help on this.
(Super-special Bonus CPAP issue: I've been finding I wake up in the middle of the night, take off my CPAP mask, and wake up a few hours later and put it on. No idea why I'm doing this. This happen to anyone else?)
You are looking for a place that sells medical supplies, in case that helps. They often have "medical supply" right in their name. If you can't find a local place, you can order masks--and parts! I recently discovered you can order just parts!--at cpap.com. I was able to order a part for my mask without a prescription; otherwise they (and I'm going to guess any other medical supply place) can transfer your prescription from wherever you got your current mask, or from your doctor, or from the place that did your sleep study. They have an overnight shipping option. This may be helpful to you as a last resort, so I mention it.
posted by not that girl at 7:24 AM on August 3, 2011
posted by not that girl at 7:24 AM on August 3, 2011
Also, for your other question, someone at AskMe recently pointed me to cpaptalk.com, which is a forum for CPAP users. Many questions asked and answered there.
posted by not that girl at 7:25 AM on August 3, 2011
posted by not that girl at 7:25 AM on August 3, 2011
I can't help with the spare parts in Manhattan, but I can confirm your Super-special Bonus CPAP phenomenon. I too will take off my CPAP in the middle of the night, only to wake up a few hours later without it on. I would say I do this maybe once a week, or once every two weeks, for a two or three hour period.
My guess is that it is just reflexive. It's not exactly part of the normal human condition to sleep with something atop your nose that is pushing high-pressured air into your airways. Seems like something a semi-concious person would instinctively take off.Are you new to a CPAP? I found myself doing this less and less as I became accustomed to the device. I was also bothered by the humidifier add-on to mine, so I took it off.
I wouldn't worry about this too much. Besides alertness/missed sleep, the major complication with sleep apnea is longterm damage to the heart caused by overexertion during sleep. But since you are generally treating your apnea with a CPAP, a few sporadic hours of non-CPAP sleep here and there isn't a major problem, just annoying the next morning when you are a bit grumpy from lack of REM sleep.
I suppose if it happens very regularly, and it bothers you, you could try a different mask. One that is either more comfortable or harder to take off, to deter you from doing it when sleepy. I actually haven't tried changing masks because I like mine, but I've heard that it's usually the first step in many CPAP problems.
Feel free to memail me if you want to trade any other CPAP tips.
posted by HabeasCorpus at 12:35 PM on August 3, 2011
My guess is that it is just reflexive. It's not exactly part of the normal human condition to sleep with something atop your nose that is pushing high-pressured air into your airways. Seems like something a semi-concious person would instinctively take off.Are you new to a CPAP? I found myself doing this less and less as I became accustomed to the device. I was also bothered by the humidifier add-on to mine, so I took it off.
I wouldn't worry about this too much. Besides alertness/missed sleep, the major complication with sleep apnea is longterm damage to the heart caused by overexertion during sleep. But since you are generally treating your apnea with a CPAP, a few sporadic hours of non-CPAP sleep here and there isn't a major problem, just annoying the next morning when you are a bit grumpy from lack of REM sleep.
I suppose if it happens very regularly, and it bothers you, you could try a different mask. One that is either more comfortable or harder to take off, to deter you from doing it when sleepy. I actually haven't tried changing masks because I like mine, but I've heard that it's usually the first step in many CPAP problems.
Feel free to memail me if you want to trade any other CPAP tips.
posted by HabeasCorpus at 12:35 PM on August 3, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by spicynuts at 7:16 AM on August 3, 2011