DOT Physical and Sleep Apnea

Well I have been using a cpap machine since Wednesday. Is my sleep better? Very much. They said I didn't just have severe apnea. It's like super severe. I was told I wasn't even sleeping. What I thought was sleep was like snoozing. I didn't make it into rem sleep. My blood oxy count was very dangerous when sleeping.

The first night I must have went into deep sleep because the alarm barely work me. That is very unusual for me. Normally i wake without an alarm. The night went by much quicker as well. I didn't wake up each hour.

I can't go to Roehl training till I've been using this for 14 days. There was a mixup with that little piece of info. The plan was to be getting used to this while training. Oh well it is what it is. The doc will allow me to drive now with a trainer but Roehl wants 2 weeks use. I hope after 2 weeks they will allow me to come up cause doc won't clear me to drive on my own for 30 days. Will see. Right now I'm scheduled to come up labor day.

Doc is still messing with me on cpap. It cuts air down at times during the night to see what pressure causes apnea. That bothers me but I understand it's temp. I'm trying to get my sinus's used to the air. The humidity kinda plays with me.

I've learned a lot about this. Apnea has killed so many people without them even knowing it. I would have been one of them. So even if I never drive for Roehl this has been worth it. You really do see a difference in your sleep and your energy level.

Here is the great news. This cost me nearly 6 grand. My school bus insurance covered the whole thing. Not only that but the bus company has been so good to me. Instead of being off not driving they have me serving as a bus monitor making the same wage. This will allow me to use my 22 paid days off I have saved when I train at Roehl. If Roehl doesn't work out I can go back and keep my job. You can't beat that. They still want me to drive for them the week I'm off on the 14-7 plan.

I'll miss their insurance that's for sure. I just need more pay. They had a custodian job open up. I told them if they would put that job together in a package with bus driving I could afford to stay. They're talking it over but I'm not holding my breath.

Part of me hopes they don't because I think I would like being over the road. I took a bus of people to Indianapolis once. Coming home a giant thunderhead developed to my south. Then a train entered the picture. So as I'm driving I'm looking over a beautiful field of corn seeing the train with lightening flashing in the sky. Not only that the setting sun made the cloud glow red. That image is stuck in my mind. I'd like to see more things like that.

 

I've been wearing that silly mask for over 2 years. Yea, it's a bit odd at first. However, it took hardly anytime at all for me to get used to it. If a mask isn't your thing, they have this apparatus called air pillows. The strap goes around your head and these (pillows) go up against your nostrils. I have one and use it as well from time to time. Putting on my mask now is normal and routine at bedtime. Couple of things to keep in mind;

• Who see's you sleep?
• It comes off in a flash when a romantic moment occurs!
• If you do have SA you will be able to really feel the difference in energy.
• Hospital patient, hell, I feel like a fighter pilot!

It's really not that bad.

 

i was diagnosed with sleep apnea dec 30 2011 i got my cpap on jan 13 and it does work. you get used to it in a couple of days and it is routine after a while. i have a pre-hire with roehl, schneider, and tmc and i am still waiting on stevens. i will finish my 160 hr refresher course with a PTDI school in march so i will have plenty of time to get used to it and my insurance covered all of the test but not the machine. i asked the tech if she knew of any companies or charities that would help and she didn't, but she told me they have some that were donated to them and if i would like to try one come on in. i went in for the appt and i was thinking the whole time i would be getting one of those big noisy ones and she gave me (free) a nice shiny quiet one with a new mask and hoses and a water tank with hoses that fits nicely underneath it. i would like to thank the Lung and sleep center in Waterford MI for this. so if you take the test and have SA ask the Nurses if there is any help!

 

This might be a multi post for me, I have had a dis located nose sence my teens, i have always had problems breathing through my nose so i breath through my mouth always it leaves my mouth dry and sometimes a sore throut, and i,m told i snore lightly.....

 

Some say its like heavy breathing not a loud snore, I have never slept more then six hours a night sometimes less and have been known to lay down for and extra hour or so before work,not sleep though, and i have been known to nap when not working.......

 

Including falling asleep while watching tvwith freinds around, there have been times when i get sleepy while driving and know when its happening, I can fightvit off in about a half hourthen I,m good the rest of the day, or I will pull over and just ......

 

Set there with eyes closed for a few minutes til it passes never actully sleep,which is what i do most times, I,m not heavy with avg neck size, my BP is always good unless in a doctors office, I HATE doctors and needles, I do get extremly stressed but....

 

.have never been stressed while driving it actully relaxes me to drive, I try to eat right and exercise when i can i also smoke about a pack a day two when driving has been noticed before, so what is the tail tail signs of this apna thing, i never ....

 

Toss and turn.when i sleep and my ex used to tell me i have rapid eye movement when sleeping i,m told thats REM sleep. Could i have apna, sorry for all the post my stupid phone only allows 255 charitors at a time, #### i never could spell that word, end.