transport-sleep-apnea-scam

chunkyfrog · Post by **chunkyfrog** » Sat Jun 01, 2013 1:47 pm

No, an exceptionally WISE woman.
But you are the bitter one; refusal to take care of your apnea will hurt your family far more that it will you.

Wulfman... · Post by **Wulfman...** » Sat Jun 01, 2013 2:14 pm

49er wrote:Ok, what am I missing? A sales rep diagnosed Trudger with sleep apnea and you all are accepting that diagnosis from behind a computer screen without any reservation whatsoever? If this same sales rep had said that Trudger didn't have apnea, in my opinion, you would be calling this person a quack and urging him to get a 2nd opinion. You can't have it both ways.

If there can be misdiagnoses of apnea by trained medical professionals, I would be personally suspicious of an apnea diagnosis by sales rep who has every incentive to diagnose apnea. And again if this was a true safety issue, Trudger's company and other ones would be implementing a complete overall of policies that would enable drivers to get their rest without financial penalty.

Den - Why is it necessary to call someone a moron because you disagree with what they have posted? I thought you were better than that.

49er

In light of the subsequent postings........I rest my case.
From reading his further posts on the truckers' forum, I wouldn't be surprised if he gets sued for libel by Marten.
I imagine a person can go "doctor shopping" for a diagnosis like they can for pain medications.

I looked at this situation for the trucking company's side.......it's their (legal) "ass in a sling" if their drivers are in wrecks from being too tired and sleepy. They're just doing what would be prudent to CYA in that situation. I'm sure their lawyers are advising them in this regard, too.

Oh, well...........

Marten Transport.... +1
Driver.................. -1

Den

.

BlackSpinner · Post by **BlackSpinner** » Sat Jun 01, 2013 2:15 pm

Trudger wrote:What a bitter woman

ROFLMAO

Nothing bitter about me. I had a successful programming career rescued by the use of a CPAP machine. I am now retired. I am also an artist and the caregiver of my aged parents. Life ain't perfect but I am not living with my head in the sand, putting innocent peoples lives at risk. I KNOW the cognitive difference using a cpap machine can make. And it was bloody easy for this almost skinny woman to use it. Nothing to it, big boy, just put it on and go to sleep and wake up with more cognitive abilities. Of course with you that might not happen, nothing between those ears for it to improve probably.

chunkyfrog · Post by **chunkyfrog** » Sat Jun 01, 2013 2:59 pm

Go for it, BS, poke a stick at the troll.

NateS · Post by **NateS** » Sat Jun 01, 2013 3:18 pm

U. S. Department of Transportation
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration

Driving While You Have Sleep Apnea

A study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania and sponsored by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the American Transportation Research Institute of the American Trucking Associations found that almost one-third (28 percent) of commercial truck drivers have mild to severe sleep apnea.1

What is Sleep Apnea?

Sleep apnea is a breathing-related sleep disorder that causes brief interruptions of breathing during sleep. These pauses in breathing can last at least 10 seconds or more and can occur up to 400 times a night. Sleep apnea is a serious, potentially life-threatening condition that often goes unrecognized and undiagnosed.

Risk Factors for Sleep Apnea

Sleep apnea occurs in all age groups and both sexes, but there are a number of factors that may put you at higher risk:

A family history of sleep apnea
Having a small upper airway
Being overweight
Having a recessed chin, small jaw, or a large overbite
A large neck size (17 inches or greater for men, 16 inches or greater for women)
Smoking and alcohol use
Being age 40 or older
Ethnicity
Symptoms of Sleep Apnea

Loud snoring
Morning headaches and nausea
Gasping or choking while sleeping
Loss of sex drive/impotence
Excessive daytime sleepiness
Irritability and/or feelings of depression
Disturbed sleep
Concentration and memory problems
Frequent nighttime urination
Diagnosing Sleep Apnea

In order to diagnose sleep apnea, your doctor may send you to a sleep center for testing. You may be asked to spend a night at the center, where experts will monitor your sleep.

How Can Sleep Apnea Affect Your Driving?

Because sleep apnea affects your sleep, it also affects your daytime alertness and performance. Untreated sleep apnea can make it difficult for you to stay awake, focus your eyes, and react quickly while driving. In general, studies show that people with untreated sleep apnea have an increased risk of being involved in a fatigue-related motor vehicle crash.

Many sleep apnea patients say they never fall asleep while driving. That may be true. But remember, you don’t have to fall asleep to have a crash. You simply have to be inattentive or less alert — and with untreated sleep apnea; you are not as sharp as you should be.

Can You Still Drive if You Have Sleep Apnea?

Yes! While FMCSA regulations do not specifically address sleep apnea, they do prescribe that a person with a medical history or clinical diagnosis of any condition likely to interfere with their ability to drive safely cannot be medically qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle (CMV) in interstate commerce.
However, once successfully treated, a driver may regain their “medically-qualified-to-drive” status. It is important to note that most cases of sleep apnea can be treated successfully.

Because each State sets its own medical standards for driving a CMV in intrastate commerce, check with your local Department of Motor Vehicles for regulations in your State.

What Should You Do Once You Learn You Have Sleep Apnea?

You and/or your doctor should contact the medical qualifying examiner to determine your fitness to operate a commercial motor vehicle and to get help with treatment.

What Level of Sleep Apnea (mild, moderate, severe) Disqualifies a CMV Driver?

The disqualifying level of sleep apnea is moderate to severe, which interferes with safe driving. The medical examiner must qualify and determine a driver’s medical fitness for duty.

What are the Obligations of a Motor Carrier Regarding Employees with Sleep Apnea?

A motor carrier may not require or permit a driver to operate a CMV if the driver has a condition — including sleep apnea — that would affect his or her ability to safely operate the vehicle.

It is critical that persons with sleep apnea fully use the treatment provided by their doctor. They should not drive if they are not being treated. Being effectively treated, and complying with that treatment, offers the best hope of a commercial driver with sleep apnea to secure the ability to do his or her job safely and be fully alert.

Reference
1. Pack A.I., Dinges D.F, & Maislin G. (2002). A study of prevalence of sleep apnea among commercial truck drivers (Report No. DOT-RT-02-030). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Transportation, FMCSA.

DISCLAIMER

The materials contained on this page were developed under a contract with the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) and are being disseminated by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in the interest of information exchange. The FMCSA assumes no liability of the contents or use thereof.

The materials contained on this page do not establish FMCSA policies or regulations, nor do they imply an endorsement or partiality by FMCSA of any product, the NSF, or the conclusions and/or recommendations contained in the materials. Trademarks or manufacturers’ names may appear herein only because they are considered essential to the object of the materials.

Find this page at: http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety-securit ... Apnea.aspx
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1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC 20590 • 1-800-832-5660 • TTY: 1-800-877-8339 • Field Office Contacts

http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/safety-securit ... Apnea.aspx

Sleep2Die4 · Post by **Sleep2Die4** » Sat Jun 01, 2013 3:20 pm

chunkyfrog wrote:I was soured on chiropractors forever when I heard a student mention that he had to take a marketing class.

I have been in business 60 years and this is how I always did marketing:

Marketing is the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering, and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners, and society at large.

- American Marketing Association

But I am not so naive as to think that others don't see "marketing" as a chance to scam someone.

Sleep2Die4 · Post by **Sleep2Die4** » Sat Jun 01, 2013 3:32 pm

Nates

It is important to note that most cases of sleep apnea can be treated successfully.

Nate, In the case of Trudger, "can" doesn't seem to be the issue. "Will" is his soft point.

BlackSpinner · Post by **BlackSpinner** » Sat Jun 01, 2013 3:43 pm

chunkyfrog wrote:Go for it, BS, poke a stick at the troll.

It annoys the hell out of me that he was getting all the help possible, the study paid for and everything and all he did was commit fraud because he was too much of a whimp to make it work. People here have gone without all sorts of stuff to get a study, get a machine and figure out how to help themselves by themselves and this asshole who is OFFERED and probably lots of help if he only had the balls to ask for it and try it. Instead he commits fraud, buys a medical certificate and is out there on the road endangering peoples lives because he is to scared to wear a mask.

NateS · Post by **NateS** » Sat Jun 01, 2013 5:03 pm

BlackSpinner wrote:
chunkyfrog wrote:Go for it, BS, poke a stick at the troll.
It annoys the hell out of me that he was getting all the help possible, the study paid for and everything and all he did was commit fraud because he was too much of a whimp to make it work. People here have gone without all sorts of stuff to get a study, get a machine and figure out how to help themselves by themselves and this asshole who is OFFERED and probably lots of help if he only had the balls to ask for it and try it. Instead he commits fraud, buys a medical certificate and is out there on the road endangering peoples lives because he is to scared to wear a mask.

Tighter, doc! Pull it tighter!

Awkkk!
Okay, that's better!

Todzo · Post by **Todzo** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 3:47 am

Trudger wrote:I'm still here, I have thick skin. lol

Ah, the wild wild web. Were you you before? Are you you now?? We have no way of knowing.

Trudger wrote:Ok, the first thing to say is that I do not have sleep apnea, after being tested by a REAL M.D.

Since the in lab sleep test is – in the lab rather than where you actually sleep – has a lot riding on it's outcome – only looks at a single night – frankly the results of such a test are not to be trusted.

At least there may be less “first night effect” during a second test.

Trudger wrote:As a professional driver that has drive many hours on crowded public highways, getting proper rest is paramount to your safety and mine.

Sounds like those medical professionals have some work to do.

Trudger wrote:Calling me a moron or other names/? You're entitled to your opinion, this is America. Have a great day.

You forgot to mention all of the emotionally distracting pictures and all. I think we do have professional trolls.

Now if we only could find some professional medical people.

mollete · Post by **mollete** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 6:23 am

Trudger wrote:To let you know, even though I'm not obligated to, my sleep study showed only 7 times of no breathing, with 43% of time spent in REM sleep. I dreamed too.

The whole of point OSA treatment (at least as far as the trucking industry is concerned) is to reduce excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS)(I mean, maybe they care if you stroke while driving, or perhaps they figure you'll pull over in those few critical seconds that you may still have some body control).

However, a 43% REM sleep time indicates a staggering sleep debt. There's something real fishy here...

mollete · Post by **mollete** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 6:25 am

Todzo wrote:Boy! I sure wish I wasn't such an asshole!!

That makes 2 of us.

PST · Post by **PST** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 7:02 am

Trudger wrote:Robots.

The funny thing about the "robots" remark is that it would be difficult to find a collection of people anywhere on earth with more skepticism toward the sleep apnea treatment establishment than here on CPAPtalk. Much of the day-to-day discussion focuses on the way physicians, manufacturers, and sellers of equipment often fail to act in our best interests, sometimes because of ignorance, sometimes because of laziness, sometimes because of conflicting financial interest. To be part of this forum is, almost by definition, not to be a robot. This is a place for self-motivated problem solvers, not people who accept deferentially whatever they're told.

chunkyfrog · Post by **chunkyfrog** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 7:22 am

Some folks just don't "get it"
(boot to the head)

49er · Post by **49er** » Sun Jun 02, 2013 7:24 am

PST wrote:
Trudger wrote:Robots.
The funny thing about the "robots" remark is that it would be difficult to find a collection of people anywhere on earth with more skepticism toward the sleep apnea treatment establishment than here on CPAPtalk. Much of the day-to-day discussion focuses on the way physicians, manufacturers, and sellers of equipment often fail to act in our best interests, sometimes because of ignorance, sometimes because of laziness, sometimes because of conflicting financial interest. To be part of this forum is, almost by definition, not to be a robot. This is a place for self-motivated problem solvers, not people who accept deferentially whatever they're told.

Which is why I am shocked that people are accepting without any skepticism whatsoever that home study tests that alot of trucking companies are using has a 100% accuracy rate. According to this American Academy of Sleep Medicine site, http://yoursleep.aasmnet.org/Topic.aspx?id=75, there is a 15% false positive and a 10% false negative rate.

Yes, Trudger may not be telling the whole story but in looking at the big picture, I would be quite concerned about these false positives and negatives. Also, in doing more research, it seems that only people who fit the stereotypical overweight profile are being screened for sleep apnea which means that there are still alot of potentially dangerous thin drivers on the road.

And again, as Shawn has pointed out, implementing safety programs in the trucking industry isn't just about screening drivers for sleep apnea. If they aren't getting adequate rest, it makes the screening programs pretty worthless in my opinion.

Molette - Come on my friend, why do you have to insult people who post things you don't like?

49er

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