We now have a new machine in the house – the BiPAP.  What in the heck is a BiPAP?  “BiPAP stands for Bi-level Positive Airway Pressure. It is a breathing apparatus that helps people get more air into their lungs.” (Wisegeek)  Essentially it helps mom out when she’s feeling short of breath.

It’s an interesting little gadget.  It tells you how much you’re breathing, it will shriek like a banshee if it has to do more work than it’s supposed to (ie. if you aren’t breathing on your own) and it adds a lovely “strangled robot” sound to the room.  No worries though – it’s not distracting and you get used to it.  It even has a water tank so you can humidify the air you’re breathing if you feel so inclined.  That can help ward off dry mouth and dry throat.

The only problem we’ve had with it is the nose pieces.  Bird and Bear had to bring several different kinds but we finally found one mom is comfortable with.  For the person having to use one, it does take some getting used to, but mom was down with it after the first couple of tries.