Cpap And Moving To Another Company.
Topic 30692 | Page 1
You're going to leave Prime, Inc. over a CPAP need?
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.
Hey all. Currently a driver for Prime and I was roped into the cpap scam. 37 years old, never felt sleepy at the wheel, never had problems sleeping, but prime tells me I need a cpap. I've been using it the past 4 months and staying compliant but I'm leaving the company soon and was wondering how will all this carry over to my new job.
I know I could go get a 2 year med card no problem and the company I'm going to doesn't really give a **** about cpap and compliance so I'm wondering how all of this could follow me around, if at all. I know none of these physical places share records and the Dr I went to at my 60 day mark wrote me a 2 year with apnea but prime policy wouldn't allow more than 1 year.
I feel like once I leave, it'll be nothing more than a memory but I'd like to be sure. I'm even considering shelving the unit now until my last day as I'm already on a 1 year card and I'm pretty sure cardinal sleep doesn't report to their Dr's office if you're out of compliance, do they? Thanks in advance!
Double ditto what PackRat said!!
In addition, Chris G. ~ ... Besides doing searches on here, our Primate extraordinaire has a video, on EXACTLY THAT:
Here ya go: Kearsey / Prime~!
And/or, email her here: (It's in her bio:) truckingalongfun@gmail.com
Doesn't your personal physician have any way to do a 'look?' .. ie: medrecords?
I'd check.. with something like 'HireRight' .. (one freebie a year, methinks) and ... take a look see. Were I you, I'd stick it out with Prime... for LONG LONG times... before jumping off, only to have the NEXT company slam you with a sleep study and a CPAP.
Money Grab?? (NVM.. comments deleted!)
Best wishes; hope we helped!
~ Anne ~
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 think all of larger companies have the sleep apnea on their radar. Probably insurance and liability issues have a lot to do with it. Is it a scam? Maybe, but there is no way to fight that battle, so just forget about it. And yes, if you have had a sleep study with a sleep apnea diagnosis, it will follow you around. Just recently I had two companies ask me this during the interview process. The worse thing to do is lie, because they will discover the lie.
Remember the old saying? "if you can't beat them, join them". I'm scheduled for a sleep study this weekend and if I test positive, I'm getting a CPAP and using it so this all becomes a moot point. Why? because I want to drive.
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.
You're going to leave Prime, Inc. over a CPAP need?
Nope. Getting a raise. No cpap is just a bonus.
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.
You're going to leave Prime, Inc. over a CPAP need?
Nope. Getting a raise. No cpap is just a bonus.
I would be VERY CAREFUL about just quitting CPAP treatment. (Coming from the insurance side of the medical field, and a CPAP User myself.)
If you have a diagnosis of sleep apnea (regardless of Obstructive/Central) and you do not use your CPAP, and get into an accident, the attorneys will have a FIELD DAY raking you over the coals. It's a bit different for Joe Schmoe non commercial driver, because his medical records are difficult (not impossible) for attorneys to bring into court. As a CMV driver, if you are in an accident, the attorneys can EASILY get your medical card info.
The long and short of it? If you were prescribed durable medical equipment, you had to meet certain criteria. The "standard measure" is the apnea-hypopnea index, usually referred to as AHI. In order for you to have received a diagnosis, your sleep study showed an average number of apnea events (stop breathing) and hypopnoea events (decreased blood oxygen levels) of greater than 5 events an hour, averaged over the course of recording. These events pull you around the sleep stages and out of normal sleep patterns, even without you being aware of it.
I never showed "classic" apnea symptoms, like snoring, constant fatigue, fogginess. I had a morning headache. I am fat. Imagine my shock when 6.5 years ago, I went through a sleep study based on family history of apnea, and I wound up with an AHI of 48. That is on average, my body partially woke itself up, 48 times. That's pretty darn close to once a minute. The data also showed that I never went into REM sleep, and the light and deep sleep stages were way out of balance too. After this long of treatment, my face is no longer puffy and red, I no longer feel the need to nap all day long, unexplained weight gain has pretty much stopped, and I look younger at 40 than I did at 30.
What does this do long term? It causes brain damage. Irreversible BRAIN DAMAGE. You are starving your brain of oxygen, a little at a time. My mom? At 60 she has early onset dementia, 100 percent attributed to untreated sleep apnea greater than 20 years.
But yeah. Go ahead. Call it a scam. Just stay out of a truck if you can't treat a medical condition that could directly affect those in vehicles around you.
CMV:
Commercial Motor Vehicle
A CMV is a vehicle that is used as part of a business, is involved in interstate commerce, and may fit any of these descriptions:
- Weighs 10,001 pounds or more
- Has a gross vehicle weight rating or gross combination weight rating of 10,001 pounds or more
- Is designed or used to transport 16 or more passengers (including the driver) not for compensation
- Is designed or used to transport 9 or more passengers (including the driver) for compensation
- Is transporting hazardous materials in a quantity requiring placards
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.
DAC:
Drive-A-Check Report
A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).
It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.
Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I'm a bit confused about the part where you said "Prime tells me I need a CPAP." Prime could have certainly required you get tested for sleep apnea based on certain criteria - weight, BMI , neck size - but it would have been the results of your sleep study that would have determined whether or not a doctor prescribed you a CPAP , not anything Prime would have done.
For the record, I have been a CPAP user for 12 years. When I did my sleep study in 2009, my AHI was 131, meaning I literally stopped breathing more then twice a minute. Being on CPAP has likely saved my life, and is giving me the opportunity to begin my second career as a truck driver. I just earned my CDL last week and had my Prequal with Swift today, and will be starting with my mentor within the week.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
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.
BMI:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
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.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
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Hey all. Currently a driver for Prime and I was roped into the cpap scam. 37 years old, never felt sleepy at the wheel, never had problems sleeping, but prime tells me I need a cpap. I've been using it the past 4 months and staying compliant but I'm leaving the company soon and was wondering how will all this carry over to my new job.
I know I could go get a 2 year med card no problem and the company I'm going to doesn't really give a **** about cpap and compliance so I'm wondering how all of this could follow me around, if at all. I know none of these physical places share records and the Dr I went to at my 60 day mark wrote me a 2 year with apnea but prime policy wouldn't allow more than 1 year.
I feel like once I leave, it'll be nothing more than a memory but I'd like to be sure. I'm even considering shelving the unit now until my last day as I'm already on a 1 year card and I'm pretty sure cardinal sleep doesn't report to their Dr's office if you're out of compliance, do they? Thanks in advance!
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.