CPAP apnea machines on the road

I have sleep apnea and use a cpap machine. Like another poster mine can run on 12volt so that is what I use. I have been using cpap for years and no issues. I sleep well and stay awake all day.

The Feds are going to stick there rule making selves into this for DOT. I just want to know about the intern at the hospital that is working the end of a 36 hour shift with just a short nap or two when it was slow enough to get one. Where is the rule for them when we go into the emergency room with something really wrong??

Oh well.

 

You should check with the company where you bought your CPAP machine... I think you can get in inverter that you can plug in the cigarette lighter so you can get power from the car.

 

There are a host of issues about dealing with sleep apnea in a truck.

We have a support group run by drivers for drivers with sleep apnea.

http://www.awake.truckersforacause.com/

We have monthly conference calls to cover topics on sleep apnea.

The November 16 meeting will cover What you need to know about having sleep apnea if you are getting surgery or going into the hospital....

The Janiuary meeting is tentatively going to cover invertors and power supply options for running CPAP's in a truck. We have CPAP rep covering how you can mess up that expensive CPAP if you run it on the wrong kind of 110-V power.. (pure versus modified sine wave.. cheap truck stop versus GOOD invertors...) and then an ivertor rep going over who to wire them in right.

 

There are some interesting threads on this board on this exact subject
Using our search feature I found these, there are more
Sleep apnea
Driver Sleep Apnea
Driving with sleep apnea
sleep apnea

 

Help can you keep your cdl medical card if you have it my husband was only given a 3mth med card and told to prove he didnt have it we are scared to find out if he will loose his lic and medical card we will loose everything if anyone knows what we have to do please post it we have an eval tomorrow with pulminary dr

 

if the doc says you must be tested you must or no med card / cdl

do not be afraid

if he actually does have osa and gets the machine it will make him a new man

once treated you will get a 1 year med card as long as you stay in compliance

osa can cause congenital heart failure over time and contributes to high blood pressure , diabetes , and hyperthyroid and last but not least death(i knew someone personally) i myself recieved a pacemaker because of osa and i have a 1 year card

another bonus once on the machine...... no more acid reflux

 

There are already some other threads on here that you may want to search for. But my understanding is that being diagnosed with sleep apnea is not a problem. The problem is going to be if he is willing to treat it and how he responds to the treatment.
I use a CPAP machine myself, I currently work for a local company that is aware that I have the machine I have never tried to hide it and it has never been a question on my DOT physical. However, from what I understand if you have been diagnosed they are supposed to make sure you are treating it and that you are controlling the symptoms. Normally this is done with a CPAP or BIPAP machine. The do the same thing and I can't even remember the difference. Most of the machines in use now have a data card. After you have used the machine for a little the prescribing Dr. Or the company that provides your machine can take that card and download the information. From that your Dr. can tell if you are using the machine and how effective it is being. That Dr. Can then give you a letter to take to the Dr. That is doing the DOT physical. Since your husband has already had his first DOT I would suggest checking with that Dr's office to see if they have a form letter, or they should at least be able to tell you what the letter from your pulmonary Dr. should say. I think it is supposed to be something with % of successful treatment or something but don't remember how it goes.
If he does not have a machine yet the pulmonary Dr. will probably do that. They are a little aggravating to get used to. But, really helpful in the long run. If he has trouble getting used to the mask don't be afraid to keep after the provider until they get him fitted with something that he is comfortable with. As a matter of fact I would get the provider to commit to as many fitting as are necessary. They are going to make money off of you and a good provider will not have a problem with that. And even then it will take a little time to get used to it. I tend to sleep on my stomach so I wanted something as small as possible and that would allow me to turn my head. I finally settled on the "Swift" L.T. Swift is the brand an L.T is the model there should not be a . Between the L and the T but I had to do that cause I'm entering this on my blackberry and it is screwey.
Another hint if you don't have an inverter or don't want to have it running all the time ask your Dr. Or you provider about 12 volt compatible machines. Most if not all makers do a 12 volt adapter its just that some are a lot more expensive than others and insurance normally does not cover that, although if they don't I would ask for override authorization in the case of a patient that spends soooo much time in a truck. Or you can try to get the machine provider to throw it in with the machine. Like I said before they will be making a lot of money off of you.

 

Thanks for all the info. I have applied for training and wondered if that would keep me from CDL. Did'nt want to go and then get sent home. I have had my cpap for 9 yrs. I have no trouble staying awake all day and most of night. what should I take with me to the physical to show my treatment is effective?
Also the recruiter at DS didn't seem to know any thing about medical (dweeb). so, maybe someone here can answer this. I had a heart transplant 10 yrs ago and have none of the cardiac problems listed on DOT list of DQs. How much will this screw my chances of getting a job? I know medical insurance probably won't cover me, thats cool I get VA, and only see dr 2x yr.

 

There are a number of threads on here about this subject look for some of them. But, no the CPAP should not keep you from a job. You should take a clearance letter from your Dr. Showing that your treatment is effective. This should be done by your Dr. Downloading the data card from your machine. But look for the other threads there is a lot of good info.

 

Semi and Linnie

FYI - check the FMCSA medical review board site for the guidelines on sleep apnea.

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/rules-regulations/TOPICS/mep/report/Sleep-MEP-Panel-Recommendations-508.pdf

Surgery is not acceptable treatment to keep your DOT medical card.

Skunktruck... check out http://www.awake.truckersforacause.com/

under surveys select Sleep Apnea Self Checker for Truck Drivers.... it is a self-evaluation system using the EXACT questions and BMI calculations from the proposed FMCSA sleep apnea guidelines