Will I lose my license?

Well, I sure am glad I posted here instead of just shrugging it off. I'll let you know how the Dr.'s appointment goes tomorrow.. I have a feeling that things will happen quickly and very suddenly.

For those of you in Ontario: how was the ADP process? I'm an ADP registered vendor (only for ambulation aids) and I know they can be a real pain in the butt. I'm currently sitting at 3 months to have an application approved and 6-8 weeks after that for to be paid. Mind you, this is for walkers. On the client side of things, was it a relatively painless (and quick) process? Worst come to worst, if I AM diagnosed and need equipment beyond ADP coverage, I can set up accounts and buy things at cost.

It's nice to hear from Ontario folk that, as long as you're compliant, they don't automatically yank your license. While I make a healthy living selling scooters and mobility equipment to seniors who have had their driving privileges revoked.. I also see how absolutely devastating that loss of freedom can be. I'm absolutely fine while driving.. if I wasn't, my (very nervous passenger) wife wouldn't let me drive! I hope this doesn't also affect other things, like life insurance. "Conditions" on life insurance policies always make me laugh.. because in the end, we're all terminal patients.

Thanks again - this definitely won't be the last you hear from me, unless the wife finally comes through with her promise and smothers me with a pillow ..

OldLincoln wrote:

Kiralynx wrote:Uh-huh. Turkey, almond flour dressing, brie spinach, apple-cranberry-pecan compote, homemade cranberry sauce, mock sweet potatoes, almond muffins, and egg nog ice cream. The ice cream is because my folks say my pumpkin pie is just too rich after the rest of the meal!

Uh.... Hon, what time's dinner??!!

Mmm.... probably around 4p GMT-6. <g> Provided I wake up in time to get the Turkey on. But I can't have TOO many people over. The local farmer wasn't doing turkeys this year, so I only have a 14 pound one, instead of the 30 pound one we had last year.

Oh, and believe it or not, all that is permitted on my diet, and last year, I ate as much as I wanted and still didn't go over the day's calorie count.

I also live in Ontario. I had lost my license (as in misplaced) and when I went for a replacement I worried if my doc had sent a letter to the Province (It was never mentioned to me.), and if I would have to note on my application that there were changes in my health status. I really didn;t want to make note of the apnea, thinking there might be hassles involved. (I have never had daytime or driving sleepiness issues.) So I went online to a govt website and investigated the issue. There was a section for doctors about mandatory reporting, and they had a form that drs could print out and fill in. They listed examples of conditions/illnesses that needed to be reported, and "UNTREATED Sleep Apnea" was listed. So it was/is my thinking that the dr only has to report if he/she feels that the patient is not pursuing treatment.
Trice

Hi, from an ex-med. secretary in Toronto neurologist's office - unless something's changed radically there (I'm in NS now), the only time someone's license was in dispute was if they were epileptic (and noncompliant with meds), or if they were old and gaga. I never heard of anyone losing a license just for being dx'd with apnea. I do think the consequences of NOT being treated could cause some trouble, but that's all as far as I know.

I used the ADP in 2002 when I got my first machine. It was painless and quick--then. A lot has changed in health care and services since then, in Ontario. If one has a good provider it can be no problem but- they are not all good providers.

Update: Went to my Dr. this morning and the appointment went well. She echoed your sentiments in here to put a little (lot) of scare into me and called sleep apnea a "100% fatal diagnosis if left untreated". As for the licensing issue, she said that severity of diagnosis and compliance with treatment were both the determining factors, and that I shouldn't worry about having my license revoked *at all*.

I've got a referral to a sleep clinic in Kingston (Dr. Carlisle), but she was unable to provide me with an actual ballpark for the appointment. She's also ordered full blood work for me. I've also been told to lose weight as it can aggravate any sleep apnea condition. I'm a tad overweight, and probably just need a kick in the arse like this to get things started.

Hey, I'm really glad I joined this forum. Nothing but pleasant people and good comments here.. I'll definitely be sticking around!

You won't lose your license because you will do the necessary things to avoid this from happening. First you see your Dr and tell him you want go to a sleep center and be evaluated. Second you check your insurance coverage. Third you stay in contact via this site and go to others to ask questions and learn what you have, how to treat it, what the dangers are if left untreated, etc. You'll need to learn about cpap machines and headgear. You need to be in the right head or you'll see it as a nuisance and not do what you need to do. Left untreated your health will deteriorate and you'll die. Good luck, keep at it.

My biggest concern is, in going to the doctor, that I'll have my drivers license revoked.. or have strange conditions put on it.

I don't have the answer to your basic question. But I would think you could do some basic internet research of your motor vehicles rules and go in with some idea of what to expect. In my case, I am an air traffic control supervisor in the US with strict medical clearance. I have only "mild" OSA too, diagnosed just in Aug 08. I don't think I had much more than usual sleepiness that might also be caused by 25 years of shift work and quick turn-arounds. I Don't fall asleep at the wheel or at work. Being treated for elevated blood pressure in August (which had been a solid 120/80 for all the previous years), the flight surgeons office asked the direct question if I had Sleep Apnea. Having gone for the sleep study the week prior, I had no choice but to answer the question. Thus started my CPAP odessy, as I was at that time still on the fence about treating my mild diagnosis. The flight surgeon forced that issue, pulled my medical and required I demonstrate compliance and tolerance to therapy. After about a month (a very difficult month) getting situated on CPAP I was returned to full air traffic duties. I'm still working out the therapy and it is gradually getting better, but I can demonstrate tolerance and compliance, and while I can't say I feel significantly better yet, I don't feel worse. Based on what I've learned here, as my treatment improves I will actually feel the benefits.

As you see on this site, CPAP is anything but smooth sailing. My point is, I needed to comply for my livelihood and there are mechanisms in place to do that. I know controllers with hypertension, diabetes, and other ailments that are medically controlled and followed-up on in a systematic/regular manner, and they work without restriction. I don't know about other transportation industries but I would think the Canadian ATC system operates in a similar fashion in this regard. I would also think the motor vehicle rules also allow for licensing of people with various treatable and treated conditions. I see by your posts you're continuing to pursue the diagnosis and treatment. I would just encourage you to keep going and don't worry about any consequences other than the associated health issues. The rest will fall into place. Better to start now into your CPAP adventure, and be that much further down the path later on, than to wait.

Oh, one last thing. Welcome to the site and stick around. It is definitely without a doubt this site and the amazing people on it who helped me get my medical qualification back in fairly short order, and are helping move onto a more beneficial therapy from there. Good Luck and dont' give up

Another from Ontario!

I have severe OSA. 106 AHI per hour. O2 stats dropping to 72 for as long as 92 seconds at a time. My brother died in his sleep of untreated OSA.

I was diagnosed 3 years ago next month. I have been complient ever since. i was never threatened with loss of license, but am sure if I had not been complient for my saftety and the safety of those around me it would have come to that.

Please do everything you can to get treatment started asap.

My journey with Cpap/Apap hasn't been an easy one, but knowing the severity of this sleep disorder and seeing what it did to my brother scared me into doing all i could to make it work.

Best of luck with your journey. The people on this board were instrumental in helping me get to where I am today with my OSA treatment.

Life is Good!

ChrisC1 wrote:Here in Ontario, I'm not sure if my doctor is obligated to report to the MTO if I go in for a consultation

Simple, ring up the MTO and ask them, you should be able to do that anonymously.

In some jurisdictions the motor traffic authority (whatever its called) does very definitely want to know if you are suffering from OSA and undergoing treatment (the United Kingdom is one specific example where that does definitely apply) while in others it doesn't seem to care (so far).

You should also want to check out your motor vehicle insurance coverage carefully (both direct accident cover and any third party damage cover if that is a under different policy), as there may be caveats about coverage applying if you are driving with a known or suspected medical condition which you did not disclose to them.

Just ignoring the issue is NOT a viable option for you, from both a potential personal economic impact and a broader community responsibility point of view.

Cheers,

Bill

That's an easy choice. If you don't go to the doctor your going to die. Then you won't need a licence for sure. You have the classic symptoms and are starving your heart , brain and kidneys of oxygen while you sleep. A cpap can probably help a lot and there is alway surgery. I just had it and it wasn't that bad. I don't want to die yet, How about you? All the men in my family have had this. They all died young, so I hope to break that cycle. I told my uncle and brother about it. They got tested and they have apnea too. So unless you want your wife to be a widow and your kids to be fatherless if you have 'em. It is a no brainer, get checked out. You'll be glad you did.And you will feel better too after you take care of it. I too like some people on here almost see it as being reborn. The energy and the way you feel so much better, life is better and everything is better.

billbolton wrote: ......Simple, ring up the MTO and ask them, you should be able to do that anonymously.

......

I would not be giving government workers any ideas.

That is correct that one can only lose his/her licence if they are not compliant as to the treatment of sleep apnea. The c-pap machine that I have been on has made all the difference in my life. My blood pressure is now normal, I have lost weight, no longer wake up to migraine headaches and I no longer walk around tired and burned out all day. After being on the machine for 10 years, however, I have recently been having problems with waking up with my right ear plugged if I go to bed with my sinuses partially plugged. Normally, my ear "pops" after being awake for awhile and my hearing returns to normal. Today, however, my ear has been plugged all day. I was thinking about going to bed without my c-pap machine tonight, but after rereading the comments posted her, I think I will still use my c-pap machine, but just turn down the intensity of it a little.

atomickitty3000 wrote:

ChrisC1 wrote:Here in Ontario, I'm not sure if my doctor is obligated to report to the MTO if I go in for a consultation.. which makes this difficult.

I was diagnosed with OSA a few months ago (my sleep study showed that I was having 52 apneas an hour) and I live in Ontario. My doctor did ask me not to take any long road trips until I got my CPAP but she did not take away my license, so I doubt that would happen.

My brother-in law is a long haul trucker and drives across Canada and the US. He has sleep apnea and uses a CPAP unit in his sleeper. There are no regualtions nor acts that prevent him from driving. Many states and provinces only require that he keep a log showing the hours he drove and his rest periods. Some states and provinces have a maximum amount of time you can drive...sleep apnea "treated" is not a problem.

I live in Alberta and although Highway Traffic Acts differ from province to province, I doubt that no one loses their license because of sleep apnea. It's not like Epilepsy or a heart condition that cannot be predicted in terms of an event.

Don't put off getting treated for fear of losing your license.

Just got a survey and a consultation appointment with the sleep lab for Jan 8th. It had the following note in it:

["Information note: if you are concernd that you may lose your license if you have sleep apnea please do not be worried. Sleep apnea is one of many medical conditions that doctors are obliged to report but once you have been through a sleep clinic it will be properly diagnosed. If you have it then it will be treated and you will no longer be considered a risk. Your best protection is to be properly investigated and, if necessary, treated. you will then be protected from any risk of losing your license through some other doctor reporting you because of your symptoms. I will be happy to discuss this with you in the interview if it remains an issue of concern."]