Hello!
I'm planning on attending driving school next month, and am having difficulty with either my CDL physical or a specific doctor-- I'm posting here to find out which.
I passed all the requirements just fine except for sleep apnea, which I've had for years and have (in my own opinion) successfully treated with a doctor-prescribed bi-PAP. I use this gadget most nights, but sometimes am either too congested or toss and turn too much to keep it on. When I went to take my physical, I was told by my doc that I needed to turn in a 30-day record of my sleeping habits as recorded on the bi-PAP's datacard. I tried to do this yesterday, but the number came out far too low to "pass". Another medical pro-- not my doc-- told me that I needed to use the machine every single night for at least four hours in order to get the number high enough. And... I'm sorry. That's just not doable with me sneezing and tossing and turning a couple nights a week. If I try, I'll die of sleep deprivation.
So... I'd be very grateful if someone could tell me if my doc is following standard procedure? Do all CDL doctors demand this 30-day record? If not, how would I find one that doesn't? Also, once I'm driving are the DOT people going to be pulling that card and checking to see if I've slept "properly"?
Thank you all in advance!
I'm planning on attending driving school next month, and am having difficulty with either my CDL physical or a specific doctor-- I'm posting here to find out which.
I passed all the requirements just fine except for sleep apnea, which I've had for years and have (in my own opinion) successfully treated with a doctor-prescribed bi-PAP. I use this gadget most nights, but sometimes am either too congested or toss and turn too much to keep it on. When I went to take my physical, I was told by my doc that I needed to turn in a 30-day record of my sleeping habits as recorded on the bi-PAP's datacard. I tried to do this yesterday, but the number came out far too low to "pass". Another medical pro-- not my doc-- told me that I needed to use the machine every single night for at least four hours in order to get the number high enough. And... I'm sorry. That's just not doable with me sneezing and tossing and turning a couple nights a week. If I try, I'll die of sleep deprivation.
So... I'd be very grateful if someone could tell me if my doc is following standard procedure? Do all CDL doctors demand this 30-day record? If not, how would I find one that doesn't? Also, once I'm driving are the DOT people going to be pulling that card and checking to see if I've slept "properly"?
Thank you all in advance!
