? About DOT physicals (Sleep Apnea)

Much better than my post but they did have my quote in there!

 

That was a great article. Thank you for sharing it.

I sure wish there was a list on here of companies that do and do not require sleep apnea testing prior to employment. I personally feel that companies that are overstepping boundaries should be avoided until they learn that people will not tolerate that kind of mistreatment.

I really think if a company was concerned with a drivers health they would do a seminar or some kind of education about the risk factors of sleep apnea, the affects on your overall health, the benefits of treatment, and then encourage drivers to be tested by their own physicians. I also think if they want compliance they have to make it safe for drivers to be tested. A lot of drivers, it sounds like are fearful of being put out of service without a paycheck, and also fear being over monitored by their employer for something that their doctor should be monitoring.

People want to be healthy, and educating people goes a lot farther than dictating to people. Essentially the companies forcing this are saying they do not trust their drivers to be safe on their own and they do not see their drivers as being smart enough to make good decisions without it being forced. And, as was pointed out in that article, in the excitement of pushing this diagnosis on a lot of drivers they are misdiagnosing people.

It is hard to tell what the real agenda is here, but I truly do not believe it is safety. This has been going on for several years now. These big companies forcing the testing on new employees should be able to provide documentation proving what they are doing is making a difference. It is just irresponsible to make a change in policy like this and not document the outcomes for evaluation. If they are going to intrude on peoples private health care they should at least provide evidence that it is being done for a great gain.

 

Ok Guys, I have a few insights regarding sleep apnea and the sleep study.

Some things I DO know, First I will tell you from working for over 20 years with an oxygen company and sub acute nursing out of Ma. that EVERYONE has some form of sleep apnea. YES EVERYONE!!!
most of the sleep/oxygen facilities get these machines for less than $300.00 each. and turn around to sell them for well over 2K in most cases. IT IS A MONEY MAKER!!!

If you are so blessed with the responsibility of having to undergo a sleep study be sure it is done in your current work schedule. Many drivers drive at night. The biggest problem I have recently learned is that many of the sleep studies are invalid due to the timing of the study. Done while the driver is home trying to readjust to a wake during the day and sleep at night.( It's term is called shift workers disease.) Often confused with apnea. (On another note there are multiple sleep disorders in which a C Pap machine has no effect. Can even make symptoms worse.)
If the driver normally drives at night, and is home a couple days and performs this test he/she will fail. So will everyone else.

I also discovered there is no set standard, it is based on a company basis, the alignment of the stars, color of the moon...your guess is as good as mine!

His company threshold is 15 episodes per hour he came in at 20. I watched him sleep during his in home study that evaluation is totally wrong, and unfair, 20 episodes an hour for over 8+ hours (what they said) is bogus! At best it happened for less than 2 hours of his 8+ hours of sleep. In short they took the highest number and equated that for the WHOLE sleep time. I discovered that seems to be the general standard for all sleep studies. I only wish I had taken a video of his in home study because I was awake and watched him during.

Now since he has been forced to wear this crazy contraption! He is experiencing, (all of which are negative side effects) greater depression, lethargy, stomach bloating (due to air being forced into his lung & stomach and is quite painful) nose bleeds, sore throat. Never mind the effect on our relationship. Me not being able to sleep with the constant sound of running water from the air going through the mask, or either nose masks.

I will put it into his words... "It is like sleeping with a bag over your head while someone is blowing in your face!" Yes! as figured his sleep is WORSE!

When the suits who implemented this mandate discover that this blanket reform does more harm (or are forced themselves to comply to keep their jobs/ drivers license's) than good, will things change.

Unless a majority of truck drivers are all together forced off the road because of this, then it will take less than 1 week for the hole thing to be tanked. Because, well...we all know this country runs on those deliveries you guys make.

 

When given my sleep study, I assured them I wouldn't be able to sleep because of my normal hours. After they gave me the shot of ambien I realized I was wrong. But by then it was over.

 

Well right there the sleep study was invalid. The whole purpose is to see your "Normal" sleep pattern with out any drug influnance. You must insist on another sleep study.

 

I would rather get and ambien every night...LOL

 

You do know you can have surgery to fix the problem right? In and out, no hospital food.

 

The afford care act has probably made it unaffordable.

 

Yes we have heard that however we were also told it could take up to 3 months to get him back on the road. Since he would need recover time and redo his DOT physical, another sleep study. Why is there something you know that makes the process less than a month, because that is about all we could afford to handle.

 

Luckily for him his company has an excellent insurance. They for the most part pay for everything... Thank God!!! However this witch hunt must come to some kind of end.