CPAP questions for getting off of it

I have lost weight and noticed over last year and into this year I have drastically dropped my events per hour to mainly under 4. Every now and again if I lay weird it will jump up but that’s rare.
Am I able to show my DOT examiner this and possibly be taken off the yearly exam for it? I’ve read that under 5or6 events per hour is normal. Over 6 constitutes “sleep apnea”

 

I would consult my sleep doctor first and see what they say. You would probably have to test and present the findings to the Medical examiner.

 

You have two paths going forward. You can seek out another examiner. But be careful to mention your CPAP use. You can also take the sleep study again and see what happens with the same examiner. This situation is almost a "Hobson's choice" situation. Walk with caution!

 

I mean idc if I’m on it. At this point I’ll use it 90days beofre my reUP and then pack away. My sleep study was done outside of DOT but while I was getting ready to start it. When I was doing my dot they mentioned me needing to be tested due to weight ect and told them I was already starting it. I’ll go with another sleep study and see what that brings up. Thanks.

 

I am currently in the same boat as you and what my Pulmonologist is telling me is that they monitor my usage and when I go in for my follow ups, they let me know whether I’m getting better or getting worse. When you get to the point where you don’t need it, your doctor will give you a letter to present to the medical examiner stating that you don’t need to be on your CPAP and are free to drive a truck without it.

 

Not sure how you would know the number of events is better without doing another sleep study to show you no longer need the cpap.

 

The number the cpap machine shows is how good the cpap is working. 4 Events or less means the cpap is working good and fixing the sleep apnea. If someone is on cpap and the events number is still above 4 then they might need more air pressure.

I think all you would need is another sleep study to see if losing the weight fix the problem. You can also record yourself sleeping and then listen to it and see if you hear yourself stop breathing or gasping for air. It would give you some idea if your 4 events or less before getting another sleep study.

 

I was trying to imagine this.
While driving, or sitting at home, just listening to a recording for 6-8 hours of someone sleeping - and trying to stay alert enough to notice the gasping or lack of breath.

I can't think of a more boring day.

 

Ha ha ha. I went to sleep lab they did not need 6-8 of sleep to see if I had sleep apnea. They can tell from like 30 minutes to 1 hour. If someone sleeps 30 minutes and has 2 Events they can just double the number for 1 hour.

I had it bad, so it was really obvious. If someone records 1 hour and only hear 4 or less Events then they probably don’t have sleep apnea anymore. It’s Events per hour they count, unless something has changed,since last had my sleep test someone has to stop breathing 10 seconds to be 1 Event.