[Equipment] Have you modified anything?

[PaulaO2]

Have you modified any of your gear?

"Homebrewed" a chin strap? A hose holder? A hose warmer?

Built a special shelf for your machine so it won't fall off? Built a cabinet? Drawer?

Has your wife, husband, or significant other helped you make, change, alter, create something with your CPAP gear to make it better?

I want photos of it!

ApneaBoard has a wiki site and once a year or so, I get a wild hair to take on a project involving you, the members. A while back we did photos of real people wearing real masks. Because this is what ApneaBoard is all about. Real People sharing what they have learned, what they have done, and how they have progressed and grown as we all travel down life's path with a CPAP tagging along.

If you have any modifications you want to submit, here is the process:

Take a photo of it. Duh.
Then choose one of the following:

ONE:
Post it as an attachment in this thread.
As soon as I see it, I will download it and remove it from your post. This will lessen the demand on the poor forum server.

or TWO:
Post it as an attachment in a PM to me.

or THREE:
Upload it to an online photo service such as Photobucket and send me the link by one of the above two methods.

Eventually when I have enough (and/or I get around to it) I will create the wiki page and you will have bragging rights!

There are just a few rules (so far) that will prevent your modification/creation from being shared. The first and most important is if the modification/creation is considered dangerous or otherwise unhealthy. So any modification to mask vents, for example, will not be accepted.

Second, please make the photos clean. No accidental or purposeful nudity. If it is safe for SuperSleeper's 8yr old grand daughter to see it, then you may share it.

Any questions? Ask away!

[PaulaO2]

Bumping this up.

This would include any of the home-made "bumper" shirts folks have made with the tennis ball pockets on the back of shirts.
And homemade mask liners.
And anything else like that.

[Shastzi]

I made a few custom items with CPVC pipe to consolidate things and make stuff easier to maintain.
I also made my own centrifugal blower to dry tubing and water tanks with. (it's a lot quieter than the raft inflator devices)

[PaulaO2]

There you go! Send me pics and the write up of how you did it and why and all that. If you don't mind of course. The instructions are in the first post.

I look forward to seeing it!

[drgrimes]

Paula, I had a couple of good ideas but can't come up with pics. So I think they are simple enough I can describe.

1. I don't use mask liners any more but.....Take some elastic thread and sew a strand of it around the perimeter of the liner, just pulling it tight enough to make it pucker all the way around. The elastic will hold it on your mask so it's easier to put on and really nice if you have to pull your mask off in the middle of the night. I gave the one I had to my DME. He said he wanted to have some made for his customers.

2. I've mentioned this in several other threads, but it's my simple, functional, and CHEAP alternative to any kind of chin strap. You can use almost anything. All you do is roll up something soft and fluffy about the right diameter to place between your chin and chest. I've tried everything from a dog toy, roll of wash cloths, and now i'm using a sock....clean of course.

Take a pair of sock that are rolled inside each other and work them down into the middle of a single sock. It looks like a snake that ate a rat. I take the loose ends and tuck them inside my Tshirt and it holds it there pretty well. One could also fashion a light elastic strap around the neck if need be. I hated having any more straps on my face. The chin straps slipped off, or didn't work unless they were uncomfortably tight.

So THERE, that's my two cents worth. Hope someone can use one.

[got your write up; thanks! - Paula]

[PaulaO2]

Cool ideas! But I need pics. As soon as you get your camera back, take care of that for me, will ya? (I'd bat my eye lashes at you but it makes me dizzy)

I will, however, take the write up and keep it safe for later. Thanks for the work though! You did good! Good boy!

Edited to add:
Actually, now that I've read it, just a photo of the first one is needed. I am very visually oriented and I can't "see" how this is done. But then, I use nasal pillows so I don't have a mask to go by.

[drgrimes]

Batty eyes AND dizzy.....oh my. I will do as you say. Pics soon. I will have to make another mask liner since I gave mine away.

[PaulaO2]

I am at the point now where I think: if I had a blonde moment and a senior moment at the same time, would I just go catatonic or solve the world's problems?

Anyway, I'll put all the text into a nice file then start the wiki page when I have enough.

[sir_sleeps_alot]

Paula,

I took a picture, I wrote a post explaining it, but when I tried to send it, I got a message saying the file size was too large. If I try to re-send via PM, will I run into the same problem? Is there a certain file size you are looking for?

Thanks,
SSA

[PaulaO2]

There is an attachment size limit based on membership level.
http://www.apneaboard.com/forums/Thread-...08#pid3908

I'm not sure if it applies to PMs or not, actually. Try it and see!