Med card question

I was thinking Trump squashed the sleep study require ment for DOT. Well,he squashed the "Requirement,but it Doesnt "stop" your doctor from "recommending.it.Which they do and now youre pretty much "Stuck". At least looking at renting an expensive machine till you "prove" you dont have sleep anea.Also $160 a month to read the parameters on the memory chip.Buddy at work whos 64 just went thru this racket.They told him $2500 later that he didnt need the machine and didnt have sleep anea.They "discriminated " against him because of age, a big neck and a commission on "pushing" these machines that are overstocked? Just my thoughts.

 

You put a lot of things up on this post, let us take them point by point.

We can go back and forward on this topic all night, but I am getting tired and think it is time to close it out.

 

It was Congress that made the FMCSA change this well before Fortyfive came in office. However, you are correct about the other!

 

It's all good. Sounds like you're fighting the good fight, carry on.

 

I do want to say one thing directly to you. I don't doubt for one minute you are any less committed to a safe highway system and keeping dangerous drivers off the nation's highways then I am. I also want drivers that have OSA to get treatment no matter what that treatment turns out to be. I just don't like what some Medical Examiners have chosen to do since the FMCSA dropped those guidelines. I honestly don't think you and I are that far apart on this. I simply want the crooks gone. I also advise drivers to do three things. Make sure you see a physician at least once a year. make sure your blood pressure is OK. Make sure your blood sugar is under control and discuss sleeping problems (if any) with said Physician. this can go a long way in keeping our roads safe and the crooks at bay!

 

I'll say this from the cheap seats, you two did provide for a thought provoking debate of sorts of a very good quality.

Boils down to one little question. Who minds the shady doctors.

My regular doctor has provided for various problems in my life time when necessary but you would not hear a word anywhere about all this sleep stuff.

In the recent past approximately 2008 when Obama care was rammed through by a singing congress... the result was grostesque and simply leached the joy out of him. He said specifically he had Uncle Sam in the laptop on this hand that he has to tap into. (Asking the three questions related to mental health and guns, which has never been asked before. My answer? Pointing to his waiting room turkey hunting and mentioned that it's about two weeks off yet isnt it? That made him sit back.

(Magazines went away a time later...)

Once it is understood that it is me and Doc in that room alone alls well.

Now with ER, Truck DOT exams and any other bigger problems unfortunately Uncle Sam is in that room. That alone is worth a 20% boost in BP.

 

Forget that doc. Take some time off to get that weight down. It really impacts the BMI chart.

Ive had three different doctors give me three different attitudes ranging from nice at BMI of 19 (= 180 pounds_ up to frowns and pointed comments at 260 some years ago.)

A side track. My last clinic before they threw me out rather than educate... they prescribed doses of medicine excessively and my weight would fall. When you start going from looking decent towards a skeleton relatively speaking it's crying out for a change. So we did that. Changed for the better and got the educating.

I am not suitable for a Sleep Apnea conversation because we did not depend on it for generations and we are not going to start now. It would be something else that usually takes our lives in the end. So any doctor who herds people towards that kind would consider me a absolute non compliant. I don't have too much trouble sleeping when it's time to do it. Been too many years running night. It's only 2 am and Im bright eyed and bushy tailed. Come morning light we will see about that rest at rush hour like always.

 

DO NOT under any circumstances make such an accusation against an ME to another ME. If you can get a 2nd ME to give you a 2nd opinion that is great. Make sure you tell that 2nd ME about the first Physical.

Are you sleeping well? Do you have the classic symptoms of OSA? I highly recommend you go see your Private family Physician and get this person working for you. It might mean you get a sleep study.

Yes, if you are overweight losing a few pounds is always best. Just also make the lifestyle changes too.

 

I got the sleep test to prove I did not have it, because they would keep telling me I had the standard warning signs. I was surprised when sleep doctor said I had sever sleep apnea. They score a sleep apnea test by counting how may times a person stops breathing. 1-4 times per hour is normal and not sleep apnea, 5 and above is sleep apnea 30+ is Severe sleep apnea. Someone has to stop breathing for 10 seconds or more to count as 1 sleep apnea Event.

You can record yourself sleeping and listen to see or hear if your gasping for are. When someone stops breathing they usually gasping for air once the start breathing again. You can blood oxygen levels they should be like 98% or something. When someone has sleep apnea it drops when they are sleeping, it can drop down into the 80% or 70%. That why people wake up more tired or don't feel good in the morning until they get breathing normal again. If someone has vivid dreams. I had dreams about death and wake up sweating some. Now and on CPAP I almost never have the crazy dreams anymore. I can relaxed and sleep now. When they talk about waking up it not like you wake up open eye your eyes. Your brain is up all night working trying to keep someone breathing. Because your brain know you choking.

Just for an example if someone stop breathing 15 times per hour at 10 seconds long that 150 second or 2.5 minutes per hour of not breathing. If they sleep 7 hours that 17.5 minutes per night of not breathing. So people can see the problem of sleep apnea that's the sleep apnea scale 5 to 30+ Eventa or AHI per hour.

So you have decided for yourself. I went to my regular doctor to see what he thought first.