Sleep apnea dot certification question.

As you know a sleep study is made to determine if you have it or not and then there is a titration period within the study to see what pressure helps you sleep. I will be going through my two year nightmare this coming friday.

The study isn't governed by the FMCSA, it is governed by the physician who is overseeing your treatment and more importantly if you are getting your treatment paid for by an insurance company, then the insurance company has a limit to what the cycle is going to be.

For example I am on really a three year study cycle because the doc sees the usage, the progress made and so on but because my insurance has to have one done at least every two years, then it is done every two years. This time I need a script to get my supplies, the doc said "can't write one until the study is done thanks to BCBS" so here wee go with a horrible night of sleep (for me it is because I can't move much with the wires on and the first part is without any air in the system or low low pressure but overall it isn't all that bad).

Hope that answers the question.

 

Well I'm not sure where exactly this is stated in the rules and I am sure there is no doctor/clinic who is well versed in the rules, because like any other government controlled program, the rules are bloated and written by someone/some dept. trying to show their prowess of the English language and their high intellect!

I have had my CPAP since 2005 without an additional sleep study. I just got a brand new one last month to be in compliance with the new rules (printout). Whenever I need anything, I just call the doctor and they fax a Rx over to the supply company. I haven't had any issues whatsoever.

I have also done a couple of orientations recently but not taken any of the jobs offered. All their clinics wanted was a printout of the last 30 days showing you using the machine at least 70% of the time (70% compliance in the last 30-days is their terminology).

Bottom line is, there are no fixed rules as to when your study has to be repeated, that's up to your doctor. But you'll need to have a 30-day printout from your CPAP machine proving 70% usage compliance to recertify for your DOT physical once you have been diagnosed in most cases, not all. The clinic by my house simply *asks* the question, are you in compliance.

If you're new to the CPAP world, make sure you get the cheapest machine with the least amount of functions!! This way if you can't sleep with it (like me) you can just turn it on under your bunk for six hours a day and no one will be the wiser! The more expensive machines monitor your *breathing in and out* and flag anomalies and *shallow breathing episodes* -- trust me when I tell you, you don't want one of these!! Especially if you work for one of the larger companies -- they will use any reason whatsoever to disqualify you! Since May of last year, these clinics are now taking on a lot of responsibility and are looking very closely at chronic disorders...

 

Anyone know of any starter companys that dont ask about sleep apnea ? just got booted from stevens because the doc wanted a stress test that i cant afford. he also said i would have to be on a cpap, diddnt say anything about a sleep study ? dont know why he was so concerned about my heart. I let him know it was checked a year ago an all was good. It was my high BP that was giving me all the problems. but now its under control with meds.

 

High BP is a symptom of heart disease, that's why he wants the stress test. If you have high blood pressure, you should be getting a stress test every year or so anyway to see how advanced the plaque in your arteries has gotten. You cannot be on a CPAP without a sleep study, you probably got that one backwards. A DOT GP Dr does not have the ability or authority to diagnose you with sleep apnea. Only a respiratory MD can make this decision based on the findings of an actual sleep study printout.

If you are not having apnea related problems, do not let them force you into a sleep study! Problems being, insomnia, headaches, snoring, etc. Tell them you get a full night's uninterrupted sleep and have no signs and symptoms of sleep apnea. No doctor can force you to do anything if you handle it the right way and if signs and symptoms are not physically obvious. In your case, high BP is an obvious symptom of heart disease, and he can require a stress test. But just because of your size (I'm guessing your a larger man) they cannot require a sleep study based on your neck size -- that is simply a DOT guideline, not a requirement.

 

So to answer your question, most if not all of the companies out there doing CDL training will require their own clinic to do a physical, even if you have a brand new one. Most of these clinics are very cautious about who they clear and how. It also seems like they all misinterpret the neckline measurement to be the rule instead of an option, so if you're overweight, most of these clinics are going to want a sleep study. They are supposed to look at your neck size vs your height. For example, if you're 6' and you have a 19" neck, you might be candidate. The clinic should ask you questions to see if you have signs and symptoms, however most of the larger company clinics are skipping this basic diagnostic step and just requiring it.

 

Can't you just tell them you don't snore? I mean jeeze how can you tell if you snore if yer asleep?? Lol

 

Like I said, tell them you get a full night's uninterrupted sleep and have no signs or symptoms of sleep apnea.

 

high bp is high bp. not necessarily an indicator of heart disease.

 

Whether or not it's a high salt intake, obesity, diabetes, stress, insufficient intake of potassium, calcium, and magnesium, lack of physical activity, or chronic alcohol consumption matters not, they all have the same effect, plaque and a hardening/narrowing of the arteries commonly known as heart disease.

 

High BP is also an indicator for Apnea, as is neck size, as is the anatomy of ones throat, as is BMI, as is snoring... It is not strictly neck size.

www.aafp.org/afp/2011/0501/od1.html