Medical disclosure

i was the opposite, regarding the DOT medical questions.

i have had a "few" surgeries, and never mentioned 1 of them. i give them nothing. only my primary has all that info.

i always felt that the trucking companies are too intrusive into our lives as it is now, it's a job dam it, nothing else.

 

Most have had a surgery or a broken bone and the questions read "have you ever" had.

Well yeah I guess tonsil removal is a surgery so...

 

Answer the questions asked, as they are asked. Do not lie or withhold any information asked. But, importantly, do not provide information not asked. Have you had hernia surgery in the last five years and yours was six years ago, the answer is 'NO' and nothing else.

 

Well, if he asks a specific question......

 

Circumcision is not ‘surgery’ it is a ‘procedure’.
As a side note, circumcision is totally unnecessary.

 

I spoke to a Medical Examiner last summer about this issue. This person is a medical doctor and is also on one of the advisory boards behind the DOT and the FMCSA. The questions asked on the physical are not questions the carriers require or ask about. These questions are general questions required by the FMCSA. The FMCSA MEs don't give a tinkers #### about a surgery you had when you were 6 years old. They do, however, want to know if you have issues that can have an impact on your fitness to operate a CMV. When I was 16 I had a hernia repaired. I still have a scar. I was in Texas getting a physical and actually forgot that surgery and did not list it. The ME looked at my scar and asked me what happened. I said a hernia was repaired in 1974. He changed my answer and wrote that in.

Let me end on this. HIPAA has been discussed and debated many times on these boards. What has not been fully understood is there are some noted exceptions. Regulatory compliance and discovery requests in legal matters are two that need to be fully understood. If you have something physically wrong with you that you cover up during a physical, then have this issue to cause a serious accident later. Attorneys can and WILL go after your medical records using the discovery rules. I am not going to list them, but we all know there are some issues where a ME will look more closely at your fitness to operate a CMV. I highly recommend you not lie on those forms when it involves one of these items. Omitting an issue is also telling a lie!

 

I've had DOT exams where I never took of my shirt and some where I stripped down and also had a turn your head and cough, a doc looking for a pacemaker scar, etc. There is a national database for prescription medicine. but it's usually not consulted unless you are being prescribed abusable drugs like pain medication, etc. Be prepared to be examined wearing nothing but your shorts. I've heard some drivers get their exam at chiropractors since those guys are about as ant-doctor as most of us truck drivers. Basically, the doctor doing your exam will only know what you write on the form. If you have scars you need some explanation if the doc or nurse sees them.

 

If your good now, personally I don't tell them anything. I consider my medical as personal and I keep it that way.

 

This is basically what I tell healthy people. To be honest the ME doesn't really care much about your medical history unless you have a history of heart problems, a history of vision problems, or a problem with your Endocrine system (diabetes). That ME is was speaking to told me that he would not give me a medical with the 5 stents I have in my heart unless he had a letter from my heart doc saying I am clear to drive. This is what makes this situation so dang frustrating. The FMCSA is dumping more and more on the MEs and they in turn want letters. At its heart, this is why this thread was even started.