Sleep Apnea And Your CDL

My story is a tad different but I still wonder about my options. A couple years before I decided on a career change to trucking, I had a sleep study done. I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea with an AHI of 6. An AHI of 5 is a diagnosis. Decided not to get the cpap machine and forgot about it. So when I went for my DOT exam I had to reveal the diagnosis. The doc gave me two choices. Get the cpap machine or get another sleep study. I took the path of least resistance and got the cpap. I have been using the machine for 5 months now, see no improvement, and wake up more than before to unwrap the hose from around my neck. Its a pain in the arse. Sometimes I wake up in the morning and I have taken the mask off during the night. I wonder about the compliance issue. Do they look at the whole prior year? Seems weird that you get turned loose with a cpap machine and don't get checked for compliance for a year. Kind of like an alcoholic promising not to drink and is told we will check you in a year for compliance.

 

Did he get a copynof the sleep study from the sleep center? Did he request you bring in the machine to be read after the first two weeks? If not how do they know of the correct pressure setting? You need to go to your personal physician and let him know exactly what happened to get you on the machine and get re-evaluated by somebody who actually knows your medical history.

Again. Do not answer any questions on the history that are not definatly true. No way for the DOT doc to know if you do not release your personal medical history to him. I will never do that. If the DOT Doc wants to call my doctor he can. But my medical records are protected by HIPPA and will only be released to a treating physician. A DOT doctor is not treating you only giving a basic physical. Now on that note. If you flat lie and something happens and a lawyer subpoenas your medical records successfully and can say your diagnosed condition that was untreated may have caused the issue then you are screwed. But if your personal doctor did not say you had to have a CPAP then a DOT doctor has no business telling you to get one.

Again id go see my personal doctor and let him make the decision then have him consult with the DOT doctor.

 

My personal doctor set up the initial test at my request. I had no choice but to reveal the diagnosis. I guess my question is about the severity of my sleep apnea. At what level is a cpap a requirement? The only concrete answer I have heard is " the examining doctors discretion". The DOT docs are just covering their own #####.

 

My experience prior to even getting my cdl was told two tests up front. first was to see what the numbers were to be able to diagnose or not. Second(if needed after diagnosis) was to get the "dosage" correct on the machine. Basically to see what level air was best for me at that time. Its since increased. No different from going in to see your doctor several times after a diagnosis to determine which med or what dosage med to prescribe.


IMO if a sleep study is required as a condition of provisional employment(like the DOT physical) it should be required to have the company pay for it. THEN they may be a little more selective in how they determine who they want to get tested. Having been diagnosed prior to driving I didnt have to take the quiz SNI uses to determine who gets sent. But looked at the questions. I think the guys who have it and would benefit from being treated, that are of "normal" size weight get the shaft in this regard. Puts THEIR health at risk if they need this therapy. The questions tend to be biased toward a larger person.

 

That's because larger people tend to have it a lot more than smaller people due to to the extra fat around the throat and heart and lungs. It's not biased if it's facts people.

 

true, BUT in the interest of safety and driver health there needs to be some questions related to all possible symptoms than the leaning toward weight BMI etc.

 

Being forced to use a CPAP when one is not genuinely needed is absolutely detrimental to one's sleep. That's my issue with Crete's program. There are drivers that fall on the "do not need" side of the random line they set but are forced into buying and using a machine anyway. It's like taking oral meds if you don't need them...they can do more harm than good.

I don't have a problem with larger drivers being a primary focus, as size seems to be the number one indicator. But consistency of application does not exist in this industry, and until it does, SA and CPAP usage is going to get a bad rap.

 

When I took the questionnaire I answered them negative because I am not one who sleeps during a movie or after a meal and all that stuff but I did tell them that I did not know about snoring as I was asleep and I did not stay awake to see if I snored. Then came the tape measure and guess what I was quarter inch over the maximum allowable.

As you stated Mickeyrat68 it needs to be revised to fit everyone not just larger people.

48packard it will get a bad rap until it is revised.

 

What about the power lifters and body builders? The spend an extraordinary amount of time doing shrugs and other exercises to build up their neck areas. Yes, it seriously needs to be revised.

 

No doubt ,eh? My problem isn't with 'Does sleep apnea exist' it is the one size fits all protocol,and in some instances:Follow the money..Drs who recommend a sleep study-have a vested interest in the sleep study center across the street..

Why not then-as sleep apnea does exist-have a universal test for everyone applying for ANY kind of license as- if I am hit by a Big Truck while walking I'm a mangled corpse-but if I'm hit by a 2000lb car I'm still just as dead...But still good lookin?? OK.OK...Might be to late in the game for that anyway..

My main problem with all this is does the D.O.T. and the medical establishment care how well we sleep while working?? Truly I think not..They care about covering their ### (DOT) and making money. (Hospitals)

BTW..I'm 54yrs old 6'1" 275lbs with (had it calipered) body fat of 29%. Just got my 2 year Medical Card Monday....I sleep great.In yo face!!