CPAP and physical question..

I'm just gonna have to make sure I use it the way I'm supposed to for 90 days or just find another job that doesn't use that particular DOT clinic. It doesn't help that my current DOT physical expires in just 2 weeks. .

 

Sleep apnea sucks I got checked for it and I'm 6ft tall and weighs 179 lb so I'm not overweight but they said I had sleep apnea. I started using a machine I used the dreamwear nasal mask it's way easier to deal with than a full face mask. remember sleep apnea is not always about someone being overweight or out of shape even skinny people have it. I will say this I used to wake up in the morning with headaches and since I started using a CPAP machine I no longer wake up with headaches. As far as. Compliance goes it is a pain in the ### I've had my machine stop reading data on the card I go in to get it read to take my physical and it's blank thankfully I've been using it for a couple years and my doctor knows that I'm a good user so he doesn't require it no more, he just asked when I still using it. If you have trouble using it try a different mask eventually you'll find one you can handle it's definitely a life-changing experience but if it adds a few years on to your life and you don't kill nobody driving down the road well that's just a bonus.
best of luck but whatever you do don't go get another physical and tell them that you don't have sleep apnea because if you ever get in a wreck they will throw you in jail for lying on your physical report which a lot of people do about high blood pressure and sleep apnea.

also another piece of advice is if you have any type of health problems that could affect your physical don't wait till the last minute I always take my physical two to three months before it expires just to get it out of the way and in case anything doesn't check out right I have time to fix it

 

The song Sixteen Tons come to mind.

Ive also got verified trachea damage from Limestone, Granite, Cement in that order. And the company to their credit quit sending me to Bettinger off 30 to fetch the Lime. None of the other companies ever gave a ####, you were either here earning a wage they will be more than happy to pay less of to a newbe So what's your pleasre? Employed or unemployed?

 

I use one and have to show the past 30 days compliance to get my renewal. Since the records are now accessible nationwide, you are always going to have to show compliance. My doc said that FMCSA is cracking down on the doctors over this issue. No, I don't know the laws governing this.

 

Like others said compliance is usually 4 hours night/day. Seems like they should give OP 3 month card to get compliance and keep driving. That's seems to be what other trucking companies are doing. Prime had new CPAP drivers and they would let them keep driving as long as they used it every night.

When I got a CPAP I was between jobs. The sleep doctor wanted to see 30 days of usage before he would sign off saying it was working. Plus they made me do Maintenance of Wakefulness Test. They have sit in dim room to make sure you don't fall asleep.

 

Having the humidifier and a heated air hose helps a lot i think in a truck. The CPAP air can be cold and dry without them.

 

You're so right about that I tried mine without the heated hose or the humidifier because I got tired of killing my battery but the air was too cold I couldn't sleep right.
I just told my company hey I got to run the truck if that's going to be a deal-breaker I'll go look for another job. I'm sure they don't like it but they told me do what I had to do.

 

That's what I thought. I had this issue once before when I first started using this thing, and I was issued a 3-month card so I could get back in compliance and keep on working. Now, with my current card expiring in just 2 weeks I'm not going to be able to work, and when I told her that she seemed like she couldn't give a $#&* less. ..

 

You're right. They do. What killed me is a lot of times I would only use it 2-3 hours a night. I still thought she'd issue me a 3-month card at least so I could keep working and get back into compliance. As I said before, my current card expires in just 2 weeks, and when I told her that she seemed like she couldn't care less. ..