CPAP and Medical Card

Hopefully this is the right forum for this but I have a question regarding getting a DOT medical card if you have a CPAP machine. I've been trying to get a DOT medical card so I can get my CDL permit.

I figured this wouldn't be a big deal, as im fairly young, don't have high blood pressure, im not overweight etc. I do however have what is considered to be "mild" sleep apnea, and I have a CPAP. Anyway I have medical insurance with my current job so I call up their occupational health people and tell them I want to get a DOT physical, no big deal until they see on my record that I have a CPAP. Well, problem is the CPAP that I have has been recalled by the manufacturer for potentially giving its users lung cancer (what the #### right?) so i stopped using it. Apparently you have to prove that you use it a certain percentage of the time to be able to get a DOT physical, which im not because my doctor advise that i stop using it until its replaced because I have a mild non life threatening form of sleep apnea. Anyway, now I'm kinda in limbo here cause the sleep doctor doesn't know how to handle this situation and they wont certify me for my physical cause im not using the machine.

My real question is this: if i just go to an out of network doctor, and pay for this DOT physical out of pocket, could i get past all this nonsense by just not telling them that I have sleep apnea? I do not have a large neck so im not going to be flagged as needing a sleep study. I'm assuming they would have no way of knowing that I have apnea as long as im not going to a place that is in my medical network?

Is this a bad idea? What should I do?

 

I mean yeah they will replace it eventually, but it has to come from the same manufacturer, and there are millions of these units in circulation that have to be replaced so I'm going to be waiting for awhile.

Anyway, yeah I'll just do what you guys mentioned. I don't really like doing things this way but I can see this is going to be a problem otherwise.