Test some truckers for sleep apnea based on BMI

Careful. There is a device you can buy that is for snorers that just holds the jaw forward - cost online is about $40. I bet the dentist will be a bit more.

 

any idea which companies require testing?

 

BE REAL CAREFUL about oral appliances for sleep apnea if you drive truck.

We had one of the top sleep doctors in the country Dr. Barbara Phillips who was on the FMCSA MRB when they made the sleep apnea reccomendations talk to us about oral appliances.

There are some snake oil salesman trying to make money off drivers on this. The oral appliance foks are some.

Oral appliances for treatment of sleep apnea in a CMV operator should only be conidered as a last resort form of treatment when CPAP has failed.


Truckers for a Cause Chapter of A. W. A. K. E. a patient support group for truck drivers with sleep apnea.

 

So if u have sleep apnea and get the cpap machine can us still drive over the road?

 

As long as you're using it as you should, and it keeps sending back the data saying so, then yes.

 

Thanks HealthyDRiver!

 

As usual some doctor got a grant from the goverment, or medical equipment manufactor, or drug company, blowed the money and turned in a halfbaked study. Long before we knew about sleep apnea it was called the Smiths disease, and it affected all,fat or skinny. Evidently it must be hereditary. But then i,m not a doctor and not supposed to notice things like that. The list of failures by DOT or Fmcsa since Ive been driving; 1. Drug testing, more out here now than when it started. 2.CDL given out or sold by dmv workers in every state. 3. No control over Companys 4. Screwed up the hours of service and logbooks. 5. already screwed up physicals, and now wanting to add more BS to it. About the only thing they have done well is to take money away from what little I have left over after my company is thru stealing from me!

 

Anyone know if schwend requires you to have a sleep apnea test?

 

FMCSA has already throwed out one study, and the other was done in a 50 mile radius of State College,PA. I think only 4 percent was actually serious sleep apnea. If the study had been done around Paducah, KY we would have to be tested for cancer also. The BMI was thrown out by the military back in the 70s. Of course we have to give govt leaches more welfare, uh, research money because I think it might rain next monday and get my wifes umbrella wet!

 

Well I'll tell ya what. I just lost my job but was lucky to find another within a day. Did a drug screening with no problem. Went to do the physical, waited in line for 2 hrs before they called me in to do the normal physical. Sat me in a room for 2 more hrs, did an xray of my back (???) sat me back in the room for another 2 hrs. This nurse comes in with some survey with all these random questions. One or more were quite ridiculous. One asked if I ever got tired after a big lunch. I put rarely to sometimes. Another asked if I ever felt sleepy while reading a newspaper or magazine. I put somtimes to often. ( I hate reading unless its interesting) After I finished the survey the same nurse walks in an hour later with a tongue depresser tape messure and the blood pressure deal. She then tells me that the dr will see me in a bit. At this time I realize that I have been waiting for roughly 5 hrs. I decided to take a nap. Bad decision. The dr walks in after Ive been waiting for 6.5 hrs. Not only am I hungry I am very very angry. He tells me that according to the BMI scale I am way over the waiver. I may need to get a sleep study. Well I had one 2 yrs ago. 1 year to old. I am 5'11'' 320 lbs with a score of 45. I cant afford the test anymore. No insurance. No cash. No job. The company I was gonna work for said they would pay for the test until they found out it was gonna be $1200. Now Im really screwed. I guess Im flipping burgers for the next six months while I hit the gym take some thermogenics and starve myself until I get the money to pay for it... or, I lose about 100 lbs or more.

But I started thinking. What about all the other drivers that are way over their weight. Whats going to happen to them? Are they all gonna have to pay that $1200 just to prove that they dont have apnea. That $1200 could go to a couple of bills in my house. BTW! Whats going to happen to the ones who dont have insurance and cant afford the machine, the dr, the specialist, or their bills? Is the government going to give those a handout? Why not? Is it not the government who came up with all these silly laws for us to follow? Maybe its just me. However, I have to find something else as a trade now because of this crap. I love driving. Ive done it for almost 10 yrs now. I have a family with a baby on the way and I am so friggin stressed out about this whole ordeal. If the obeisity doesnt kill me the stress will. I guess Its back to the cotton fields of West Texas. I'll get back to you when I figure out if $300 a week pays the bills.

I didnt mean to ramble. Just needed to get it off my chest. Sorry.

Sacrifice