Truck driver 20 days into this "adventure" Some help please?

[grandcherokee]

First off Hello! Very nice to have a helpful site as this.

I need to prove compliance to get my physical card to be legal to drive a truck again. How is this done? I sometimes take the mask off while asleep, will this trigger something in the data and tell on me? I have been forced to be off work for 1 month till I am reviewed, I am very worried, I have a family to support and my Fiancee is disabled so I am the main income for our family. If I have it powered on and I accidentally take the mask off or it leaks what will happen?

[NEW YORKER]

I am no expert but have been on CPAP since 2002 and I can tell you that when I first started CPAP I had taken off the mask in my sleep in the beginning. Alot of people do. In fact it is always an issue for newbies. Did you read the WIKI at the top of the page, the one with the light bulb? They say that is where newbie should start because there is alot of info about CPAP and you just might find some answers there?

[NEW YORKER]

Just recently a newbie had the same problem:
viewtopic/t52379/MY-FIRST-PROBLEMTAKING ... K-OFF.html

[NEW YORKER]

and yet another person with the same issues?
viewtopic/t52396/I-am-a-WORTHLESS-OSA-patient.html

[bigk]

I understand compliance is defined as >4 hrs per night for 70% of nights.

Leaks will switch the machine off in many cases. If your machine has a leak alarm, switch it on so you can re-fit the mask.

Rather than focussing just on the "bare minimum" compliance, how about taking it seriously and doing it properly? The you won't need to worry.

CPAP Therapy will improve your life. Stick with it.

[Slinky]

I seriously doubt that the "standard" acceptable compliance of 4 or more hours per night, 5 or more nights a week will suffice for professional drivers. You might want to check w/truckerdad at apneasupport.com

[Janknitz]

If you read the suggested threads, there are all sorts of tricks to wake you when you remove the mask. But the bottom line is that you are probably removing the mask in the middle of the night either because it's uncomfortable or it is leaking when your pressures go up, or both.

Talk to your sleep lab and ask for help in making sure that you have the most comfortable mask for your face and sleeping style and that it is adjusted so it doesn't begin leaking when the pressure increases (the mask needs to be adjusted with the pressure up and you lying in your normal sleeping position).

Don't delay--if you need a different mask, generally you can return the mask you have only within a 30 day window. Your time to meet the compliance deadline is probably also running out. This takes some work and attention to get your therapy optimized so you can safely go out on the road again. It's vitally important to get this right--you have an enormous responsibility when driving a rig, and optimizing your treatment is part of that responsibility.

[Guest]

If you are a truck driver on CPAP and having problems reach out to the Truckers for a Cause Chapter of A. W. A. K. E.

We are a patient support group for truck drivers with sleep apnea. The compliance issues Grand Cherokee was postin about are a typical type of questions we deal with all the time.

There are two problems. First is getting your numbers correct so you can pass a DOT physical.

Second is getting your treatment right so you get better. If you're off work your going to be worrying so much about everything else and might loose your CPAP if you loose your job due to non-compliance.......

Are you using the CPAP in the truck or at home?
How much humidication are you using... does your mouth or nose feel dry when you wake up?

[redback]

Hi there,
In the first few nights of cpap I awoke to find the mask lying on the bed beside me.
My problem was that I needed to train myself to sleep on my side. I also had to slightly increase my pressure after I got home.
If you are feeling stuffy you wont get enough air through the mask and you will be more likely to take it off.
Stuffiness can be caused by too much or too little moisture. I have recently switched off my humidifier because in my new house I discovered that I was waking up every night due to too much moisture in the hose. Experimentation is required.

For me, my biggest issue with cpap was that I now had to seriously deal with sleep as an issue which I had to apply energy and thought to. Pre-cpap I never thought about sleep.
This was a life-change for me. My advice, as someone who knows exactly what you are experiencing, is that it things will only improve if you take command of the situation. Nothing will improve unless you take positive steps. It will not get better on its own.

I am glad to say that with a little perseverance and a lot of reading this website that cpap has massively improved my quality of life. Keep at it.

George

[Mimmie]

I had problems with pulling my mask off in the beginning too. I would wake up and it would be beside me blowing up a storm. Then I found out that there was an alarm that would wake me up when I did the mysterious removal. That helped some. After 2 weeks I finally just stopped doing it for some reason. I guess I just got used to it being there. I hope it works out for you.

[JohnBFisher]

... I need to prove compliance to get my physical card to be legal to drive a truck again. ... If I have it powered on and I accidentally take the mask off or it leaks what will happen? ...

Others provided ideas and pointers on keeping the mask on.

Most machines now record how much the machine was used. How this is done depends on the machine. Some have software you can purchase (or obtain) to print out the compliance information. In fact, even the most basic machines provide compliance data. You already registered. You can not add your machine information to your registration. We can then use that to tell you more specifically how to obtain your compliance data.

Here's how to register your equipment:
wiki/index.php/Registering_Equipment_in_User_Profile

And here's another link that might be interesting (Truckers and CPAP):
wiki/index.php/Truckers_and_CPAP

Best wishes!

[Arakis]

I was told by my RT that ALL of this Compliance BS was actually started because of Truck Drivers. One Bad Apple...can spoil a bunch. Sorry Grandcherokee, No Offence. This is what I was told, they would just let the machine run the required time while they were driving instead of sleeping.

I would also imagine that some less than honorable suppliers were charging for machines that were not needed or not being used and allowed to just run unfettered. Now all the machines detect if there is no resistance to the pressure. So now, all of your Data and information is stored on the SD card and Viola! Compliance is born!

Ben

[SleepyT]

First off Hello! Very nice to have a helpful site as this.

I need to prove compliance to get my physical card to be legal to drive a truck again. How is this done? I sometimes take the mask off while asleep, will this trigger something in the data and tell on me? I have been forced to be off work for 1 month till I am reviewed, I am very worried, I have a family to support and my Fiancee is disabled so I am the main income for our family. If I have it powered on and I accidentally take the mask off or it leaks what will happen?

Welcome GrandCherokee....you have found a wonderful site! Lots of help here. I drive for a living too (FedEx) so I know how important it is to you to get back to it! The way compliance is done is through the card that came with your CPAP machine. The doctors will be able to read it and tell how often you used your CPAP. As another poster mentioned....there is a standard they are looking for...so trying to find a way to keep that mask on is key. You will probably have to take a MWT as well (I did!). It's a maintenance of wakefulness test....royal pain in the you know what....but must be done. Once you get through these hoops....you should be cleared for driving. The really great news is....you should begin feeling better soon! Good luck with everything....and continue to read and educate yourself about sleep apnea. You will be your own best doctor.

[Jacklynn]

A wonderful job. Super helpful inrfomation.

[Kellsie]

Unbelievable how well-wirettn and informative this was.