Sleep Apnea

Any ideas as to how you will wean yourself off it?

 

Additional weight loss. My sleep apnea has decreased significantly after losing 30 pounds. If the DOT were to adapt recommendations of only requiring CPAP use for those with an AHI of >20, then I would no longer need to use the CPAP. My AHI was 59 when the first sleep study was done, which is considered severe sleep apnea. I plan to lose more weight and hopefully get my AHI to <5 without a CPAP. The below link discusses what the FMCSA is considering for future regulations regarding sleep apnea.

http://www.sleepapnea.org/asaa-blog/fmcsa-mrbmcsa-joint-committee-recommendations.html

 

Don't really care about the regs.
The moment they try to make me take the test I will quit.

 

Concentra is part of the Humana network. Yes it makes them money but it even makes them more money by saving Humana insurance claims not paying on related health conditions known to be associated with sleep apnea like diabetes and hypothyroidism. It's worth it to find and treat the root of a problem. With more studies and modernization of medicine it's hitting the spot light more and more. Many driver's are in denial. If they have it they need treated if they want better health. If by chance they don't have it then they have peace of mind.

The more I progressed with it I found myself taking more naps during the day. If you all notice the trucks in the rest areas during the day not all are night drivers. Many are untreated sleep apnea cases taking nappy time. It takes one to know one!

 

TomOftx.... wow that is really awesome.. losing 30lbs is no easy task.. gretat job..

 

I personally think the sleep apnea is a scam also. I think sleep apnea is very real but it is also being way over diagnosed and I have a hard time believing you can use BMI or neck diameter as a sole determining factor for having it. Whatever happened to going to a doctor when you were having symptoms and being properly diagnosed? It also seems that Concentra is becoming a monopoly on the DOT phyisical scene so they will be able to push any agenda they want to. As was mentioned above, I know it is very real but I'm having a hard time believing the percentages they project that have it.i guess if I were in a for profit business the selling treatment and equipment for sleep apnea I would tell everybody they have it also to boost my bottom line. I am really getting irritated with the entire American medical industry though as a whole. From being forced in OweBama care, to the advertisements for every new wonder pill that comes on the market that I should run to my doctor and ask for, to the scum bag lawyers that want to sue the drug makers for every wonder pill they come out with, etc. Hell nowadays you see a commercial telling you to diet, but go see a doctor first, exercise, but go see a doctor first. See a doctor before having sex to be sure your healthy enough. It used to be going to a doctor once a year was a good thing, now if your not running to a doctor one every two weeks something is wrong with you. I guess I'm a bit of a caveman, if I don't have blood squirting out of me, or a piece of bone protruding through my skin, I don't go to doctors. Sometimes I get the sniffles, sometimes I get a cough or sore throat, but amazingly after a couple days they go away, non of them have ever killed me yet. Hell, I still get boners without seeking a doctors advice or taking a pill for , and I'm 42 and very overweight. I just took my physical and got my two year medical card, but I suspect two years from now they will force the sleep apnea testing on me, and that's when I'm turning in my keys and calling it a day. Then again I also keep seeing trucking jobs being advertised for $14.00 an hour and burger flippers pushing for $15.00 an hour, so maybe by then me will all park our trucks and just go work in the fast food industry.

Adam

 

If you qualify for WIA, you should be able to get into another school. If there isn't one around you, find a school that has dorms (Westwind in Cuba MO has rooms).

Failing that, would it be financially possible to sign up for ACA, pay the premium and have the new insurance pay for it? It may take a bit of time, but it might be possible.

Finally, the cost you are being quoted does seem way overpriced. My sleep study cost half what they are quoting you. If they are telling you there is only one place you can go, my bet would be they are violating some kind of fiduciary duty to you; in the same way that your real estate agent can't tell you to only use one home inspector.

(any chance you are a veteran? The VA will do a sleep study on you, give you all the equipment, and put you on Modafinil all for free)

 

Concentra are scam artist....

 

How does this apply to most drivers who are NOT insured by Humana?

Concentra has been pushing this sleep apnea diagnosis issue outside of the current FMCSA regulations. None of the doctors at Concentra are Board Certified in Pulmonary or Internal medicine, so who are they to make such a diagnosis other than one motivated by money? What next, expect a driver to undergo a colonoscopy because it will save an insurance company money in cancer prevention? Whether or not treatment for sleep apnea may benefit a driver does not give a medical clinic/doctor the right to create their own physical qualifications for drivers that try to supersede the FMCSA. If they can, then there is no limit to what additional medical testing will be demanded in the future.

As a driver who is treated for sleep apnea myself, I understand the necessity and benefit from treatment. I have an issue with unqualified doctors making claims about ones health in order to make/save money for the clinic or parent company.