Sleep Apnea Legislation - Speculation, Diagnosis, Treatment
Topic 2068 | Page 1
Eric, welcome to the forum!
You can rest your fears about the sleep apnea keeping you from passing the physical. There are a lot of commercial drivers on the road with their cpap machines by their side at night. That is exactly how one gets around the sleep apnea problem - he uses his cpap machine, and that makes it all fine and dandy with the D.O.T.
Be forewarned though, you may have to purchase a different machine to comply with the rules. Most companies are willing to do this for you as a payroll deduction with a small amount taken out each week so that you don't have to come up with all the money up front. I'm not even sure if you will have to purchase a machine or not, but I think the machine needs to be able to be monitored in some way or another by your employer.
Always be up front when speaking to a recruiter or a company physician concerning your condition and I think you'll find it a non-issue in the end.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
CPAP:
Constant Positive Airway Pressure
CPAP is a breathing assist device which is worn over the mouth or nose. It provides nighttime relief for individuals who suffer from Sleep Apnea.
Thanks, Old School! Have to tell ya, I have been sweating it just a bit. :-)
I was talking to a friend of mine that just finished school in TX, he said he ended up shelling out some $1200 just for the machine, then tack on another $600 for the sleep study. Ouch! I found this place where you can get your basic CPAP for as little as $260. They are set up to comply with the monitoring guidelines. CPAP for Truckers
CPAP:
Constant Positive Airway Pressure
CPAP is a breathing assist device which is worn over the mouth or nose. It provides nighttime relief for individuals who suffer from Sleep Apnea.
I was talking to a friend of mine that just finished school in TX, he said he ended up shelling out some $1200 just for the machine, then tack on another $600 for the sleep study. Ouch! I found this place where you can get your basic CPAP for as little as $260. They are set up to comply with the monitoring guidelines. CPAP for Truckers
I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2012, the machine is small, two part, comes with a carrying case, and quit. I drove a school bus for many years and as long as I used the CPAP 70% of the time I'd passed the DOT physical.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
CPAP:
Constant Positive Airway Pressure
CPAP is a breathing assist device which is worn over the mouth or nose. It provides nighttime relief for individuals who suffer from Sleep Apnea.
I was talking to a friend of mine that just finished school in TX, he said he ended up shelling out some $1200 just for the machine, then tack on another $600 for the sleep study. Ouch! I found this place where you can get your basic CPAP for as little as $260. They are set up to comply with the monitoring guidelines. CPAP for Truckers
I was diagnosed with sleep apnea in 2012, the machine is small, two part, comes with a carrying case, and quit. I drove a school bus for many years and as long as I used the CPAP 70% of the time I'd passed the DOT physical.
The CPAP machine also comes with a SMART card that can give information on usage.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
CPAP:
Constant Positive Airway Pressure
CPAP is a breathing assist device which is worn over the mouth or nose. It provides nighttime relief for individuals who suffer from Sleep Apnea.
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Hi all,
I am currently studying for my permit and will be attending school in a couple months (or less hopefully) with either WIA Federal Retraining, or on my own dime if I cannot get funding. I know I need to go through all the medical stuff, and I had not been too worried about it until...
I started hearing and reading about the forced sleep apnea testing. There is a lot of discussion about the dangers of driving with untreated sleep apnea, and I definitely agree with them. I had a friend who was tired and didn't pull over when he started getting the feeling. The end result was a near miss, but it got his attention... and he was just driving his car to to normal office day job. Go get a sleep study done. If you need treatment, get it. I can save your life or that of your loved ones.
Now back to my concern. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea about 7 years ago. I have been under treatment using a CPAP , and take it with me anytime I am staying over night someplace. My quality of life has never been better. I have also lost almost 40 pounds in the last year or so. Yeah, I am a fluffy 280 now and working to continue getting that down as well. I do not have high blood pressure. Lifestyle changes by walking 2.5 mi/day (working in some jogging), going to the Gym 3x/week for some weight training, eating more protein rich foods, fewer carbs, etc, etc.
So the question is, and I have not been able to find an answer anywhere, if I am being treated for Sleep Apnea, what are my chances of passing a DOT medical exam? I know, totally long winded to get to that, but I wanted to put it out there. Thanks for letting me jabber on.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
CPAP:
Constant Positive Airway Pressure
CPAP is a breathing assist device which is worn over the mouth or nose. It provides nighttime relief for individuals who suffer from Sleep Apnea.