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ABF | Who pays for the sleep apnea study?

KK, thanks for the advice! I just got a 2 year card. That will take me to 6 months from retirement. I had already decided I am not jumping through the hoops of being tested for something I do not have. I understand they issue a 3 month card when they want you to have the test done. I have talked with my doctor about it & he feels I don't have sleep apnea. However, I do have my tonsils. Perhaps I will get that surgery out of the way while I am still working. 2 months off at the end of my last year....might not be so painful lol
 
Homesick said:
So the general census is to do the study. The only downside I have heard so far is the price. Does that sound correct? A CPAP machine is a good thing except for the price? I am not asking for professional reasons but personal. Forget all the DOT regulations. For an individual’s personal health, is it worth the money, time and energy to get the study and the CPAP machine?
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I went in because of my snoring. Everything about mine was and is elective. To me the out of pocket was small $275.00, to sleep all night and feel GREAT. I sleep like I did 40 years ago.
 
vongrimmenstein said:
OK. You try the mask but you can't sleep with it. Next option would be throat surgery to remove the skin in the throat that obstructs the air flow. Will Central States pay for it after getting a mask. Better yet, if you can't get an extension on your 90 day med card, & you are disqualified, and can hold a dock bid are you still employed? If you are on a drive bid & medically disqualified are you out of a job? If you are a city driver & disqualified, & ABF will not open a dock bid for you, does the American Disabilities Act come in to play here? Will the answer vary from local to local based on the mood they are in? Lots of questions & no answers.

Here is a better question? First sentence Central Region Local Cartage Supplement Agreement Article 47 Examination & Fees (Physical mental or other examinations required by a government body or the Employer shall pay for all such examinations for all regular & probationary employees). So someone please explain why we are paying for the sleep test & not ABF, based on Article 47. I do not see any gray area in that sentence. Show me the errors of my thinking.
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They are getting around this at least here in Maryland by sending you to your own doctor for a referral. Since they are not the referring doctor the company is off the hook. I checked into this 3 ways to Sunday and was told the samething by BC/BS our insurer.
 
vongrimmenstein said:
Raven, I am glad for you that your sleep study found a problem & things are bettrer for you. Let me try the flip side. Where was all this concern 10 years ago? Fat truckers back then. Fat trucker now. Why no testing back then? There is a strong effort by Concentra Clinics in Indy to force the sleep studies on drivers with 17 or larger neck & BMI above 31. But the other clinics are not forcing this on YRC or many of the other companies in this market. ABF claims they are not behind this; the clinic is pushing the early tests that are not mandatory. Do the Doctors or clinic owners where DOT physicals are performed have any financial interest in the clinics’ that give the sleep test? If you are 6 feet 0 inches weigh 250 pounds according to the US Center for Disease Control you are Obese. According to DOT guide lines you have to have a sleep study. It is proposed now. Mandatory come January 2014. I can promise you if I have to take a sleep test, I and I alone will choose the testing site, especially if I have to pay for it. Not the Doctor at the clinic where the physical was performed.
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you will be able to select your own testing site since it will be you doctor giving the referral. Also if this is proven to help the industry what does 10 yrs ago matter? It's helping now.
 
Kennesaw Kid said:
Actually....you would be better off in the long run to have the surgery....If you still have your tonsils and adenoids, they will be removed and your airway opened up....you will have the worst sore throat you have ever had for 2 weeks....you will not be able to have anything but fluids and will loose 25-30 pounds during that time and you will NOT have to use a c-pap.

Your BMI will be lowered....your blood pressure will drop...and your airway number will change too....not to mention your neck size will drop....by the way, you are STUCK on the machine for life (They Don't tell You That, as it is a money maker for the medical industry) unless you do the above surgery.....you have to keep coming back to the Dr. every 90 days to get checked....if the card does not show it was used for a Minimum of 4 hours per day on 5 out of 7 days they will take you out of service.

Your insurance keeps paying for this....the insurance also pays for the surgery...I opted for the surgery and lost allot of weight....BMI is 29....airway is wide open and the BP is 122/78.....just a suggestion....go see a ENT ( Ears, Nose & Throat) Doctor and get the check up by Him!.....KK
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not sure about where your at, but I've been on the machine for 8 months now and haven't been asked for any 90 day checkup yet. Only thing I was told by concentra was to bring a print out of my usage when my 1 year physical is due.
 
Ok night owl. Now address the issue of not being certified after a 90 day card expires & you can not get another 90 day card. If you are on a dock bid when 90 days run out, are you still working if you can hold the bid? Can the Local step up & keep you working? Or do they keep this problem @ arms length? If you are a city driver & the 90 day expired, are you out of a job? If a dock bid comes up, can you work if you can hold the bid? What if they want to force the entire dock to the street, do you lose the bid because you can't cover it? These will be issues down the road @ different barns. I am posting on this subject to see if I can get a response from other barns that might have this problem. For me this won't be an issue, but it can be for others.
 
Brother Von,...If you are medically disqualified,....for any reason,..you will go on Disability,....unless there is a non-CDL position open,...excluding bid positions....(can not bump less senior men between bids.). Given the shortage of qualified drivers out there, it would behoove a Terminal Manager to contract with a doctor who would place you into a rehab program,.....an ongoing treatment program,....to allow you to keep on driving, provisionally,...as long as you kept up your "treatment" of the problem. I don't think any CDL-qualified driver will get medically disqualified for sleep apnea......they will prescribe breathing masks, surgery, nose-plugs,.....harness to hang by your knees from the ceiling,......anything,...to keep you driving. However,...if you are ....."diagnosed" .....with sleep apnea,......in the event of an accident,....that..."diagnosis"....alleviates quite a bit of responsibility from the company....for being contributory to the cause of the accident....( i.e....dispatch rules, no good sleep in motels and bunkhouses, pushing guys longer than 10 hours a day continuously, no established sleep patterns on a road board......).....That's primarily what this push for ...."sleep apnea"...is really all about.....alleviation of company responsibility for working guys to death and fatigue-caused accidents......Hey!....It's the perfect "disease"....they diagnose you while you're asleep........
 
nightowl said:
not sure about where your at, but I've been on the machine for 8 months now and haven't been asked for any 90 day checkup yet. Only thing I was told by concentra was to bring a print out of my usage when my 1 year physical is due.
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Yeah....and if your Dr. has not seen you every 90 days to check your machine AND progress....they will not validate his report.....you need to go to the DOT website and read up on the language.....The company Doctors are not on your side....follow the money......KK
 
Brother Albag..........I like your Avatar.......Remember:.."When the Going gets Weird.......the Weird Turn Pro." HST
 
Hey KK, do you know the link for this? I've found some things on sleep apnea but not about the 90 day follow ups...thanks
 
Kennesaw Kid said:
Yeah....and if your Dr. has not seen you every 90 days to check your machine AND progress....they will not validate his report.....you need to go to the DOT website and read up on the language.....The company Doctors are not on your side....follow the money......KK
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KK are recommending the surgery over the CPAP? You are the only person I know who has done the surgery so the question is; are you satisfied with it? Do you regret getting it done? Thanks.
 
Homesick said:
KK are recommending the surgery over the CPAP? You are the only person I know who has done the surgery so the question is; are you satisfied with it? Do you regret getting it done? Thanks.
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Good question, Brother Homesick. It seems the C-PAP machine is a temporary solution,....and an uncomfortable and cumbersome one at that,.....and the surgery is a permanent solution...What Say, Brother KK?....any drawbacks or regrets? For those of us over age 60,...snoring, and night time wake-ups are the norm.........I could use a good nights' sleep without wrapping my face in plastic and tie-down straps.........
 
canaryinthemine said:
Good question, Brother Homesick. It seems the C-PAP machine is a temporary solution,....and an uncomfortable and cumbersome one at that,.....and the surgery is a permanent solution...What Say, Brother KK?....any drawbacks or regrets? For those of us over age 60,...snoring, and night time wake-ups are the norm.........I could use a good nights' sleep without wrapping my face in plastic and tie-down straps.........
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Have you tried wrapping your face in a steaming hot beaver lately? It always works wonders for me.
 
ABFer said:
Have you tried wrapping your face in a steaming hot beaver lately? It always works wonders for me.
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No sir, I have not thought of face wrapping in a " hot steaming beaver ". But if I do, I will be sure to post a Life Guard to prevent drowning in said beaver fluids. Your turn. von
 
Well maybe my intent was not fully understood and I can see how unclear my post was. I use the beaver wrap before retiring for the night, it's not utilized all night long. As for the life guard-it really should not be needed.
 
Intent

ABFer said:
Well maybe my intent was not fully understood and I can see how unclear my post was. I use the beaver wrap before retiring for the night, it's not utilized all night long. As for the life guard-it really should not be needed.
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No, I actually understood your intent, just trying to insert some levity to the situation. von.
 
ABFer said:
Have you tried wrapping your face in a steaming hot beaver lately? It always works wonders for me.
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Do you have a recipe for that? Could I use rodents other than a beaver?....say a marmot...or something exotic ,...like an xebec....if I was feeling daring? Does the beaver have to be steaming hot,...or will a barely warm one do? How about if I wake up at night and go to the fridge and get a cold, leftover one? Are they still any good?.. Would the steam from a beaver affect my complexion?.....And......most importantly......what does the beaver have to say about all of this?....
 
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