altitude changes - should I change anything?

[Beth T.]

I am new to CPAP -about 5 weeks now. It is a process for sure. I have a few issues which I will post about in other threads but was wondering about travel and changes in altitude. I live in the Dallas TX area and will be traveling next month to Las Vegas for a week for work. I have my temperature on my humidifier at about 73 degrees and need to tinker with that some. Any advice about chaniging things re settings or humidity while traveling at different altitudes? I am also going to southern Colorado for a week in early June. About 7500 feet altitude. I always have trouble with dry nasal passages while there. I guess just raising the temp level so the humidity goes up would bethe first thing to do.
any experiences or suggestions?
So glad to have found this forum - it helps so much to not feel alone in thei journey...

[JudgeMental]

Hello & Welcome..CPAP therapy is indeed a trip. However it is a good trip toward feeling better and have a more healthy body.

I wouldn't worry about any altitude changes while you travel. The new machines are made to automaticly compensate for altitude changes. Your concern may be with the adjustments to your humidity, when you visit Colorado. Vegas is dryer then Big D but I doubt that you will tell the difference in the CPAP humidity there. If you have had trouble with dryness before in Colorado, then you might just kick your humidity button up a notch or so. Don;t be afraid to experiment with the humidity controls. THey are there for your comfort as well as the EPR or flex adjustments.

[TheDuke]

I have traveled in the Rockies at elevations such as you mention many times, and
I have used my BIPAP equipment at altitudes up to 10,500 feet and noticed absolutely no problem. The machine specifications indicate automatic altitude compensation is built in, though not stated for really high altitude. My current machine is a relatively elderly Respironics BiPAP Plus with no data output.

TheDuke