Disability: Sleep Apnea

by Ben G
(Mich)

i was an over the road truck driver until 3 years ago... to drive a truck you have to do a dot physical. i had always passed my yearly physical until that year.

They started to worry about drivers and sleep apnea. i never heard of sleap apnea before so i had no idea i had it but the doctor doing my physical had me do a sleep study, when the results came back - it supprised me.

The sleep study doctor told me i had the worst case of sleep apnea he had ever seen. he also found i had something called pickwickian syndrom, which is when your neck is so thick it restricts you airways and that contibuted to the severity of my sleep apnea.

i got on social security disability as a result and it is a major pay decrease so it is hard finacially but i find it harder on me health wise as i am not very active and that has caused me to gain quite a bit of weight, and that makes the sleep apnea even worse which in turn makes me even less active because i am tired all the time now.

The apnea has gotten so bad it is affecting my health in other area's as well, my memory is real bad now and becuase of the weight gain i am slightly diabetic.

i am also conserned with my heart as sleep apnea is bad for your heart as well. that is my dissability story and i hope it helps someone out there.

Comments for Disability: Sleep Apnea

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Sleep Apnea
by: Ms Lavender

I have had sleep apnea since 1988...I have used a C-Pap machine since then every night. Even though I lost a lot of weight, I still have it and will probably always have it.

My advise is to get rid of any junk food and try to eat more veggies and chicken or fish. It's hard to deal with but it will help you out a lot. If you have "silver Sneakers" in your area join it and try to exercise as much as possible in the swimming pool.

I'm limited in activity also but I try to exercise in my chair or on the bed. Even keeping your house cooler will burn more calories and will take off more pounds. Try eating a little less each day and always eat before going grocery shopping as everything looks so yummy when you are hungry.

Good luck with living with sleep apnea...make new friends who also have it so you can chat back in forth. It helps having someone out there who struggles daily with it and who cares about you.
Sleep Apnea - The Pitts
by: JohnA

Boy, do the comments about sleep apnea bring back memories and they are not nice ones.

It's amazing how this condition can impact person's well being. Not only does one wake up tired, fall asleep at the most inopportune times it has other serious implications most folks don't think about.

Prior to my diagnosis, I was constantly depressed and took all sorts of medications to alleviate the condition. None of them worked. And this went on for years.

Then when I was visiting my brother, his wife asked me if I had ever seen a doctor about my snoring. Apparently I was keeping the whole household awake with it. When I got back home, I spoke to my doctor and he had me go through a sleep study.

Sure enough, the study indicated I had sleep apnea and a CPAP machine was prescribed.

After my first night of good sleep, which took a few days to achieve because I wasn't accustomed to wearing a mask, the depression went away immediately. And since then, I have not had any problems.

For some folks the implications can be quite serious and can lead to stroke, heart attack, high blood pressure, type II diabetes, obesity and in rare cases esophageal cancer due to acid reflux.

So, if your wife/husband says you're snoring really bad, you stop breathing for periods of time, wake up constantly without realizing it, etc., the you better see a doctor and talk about things. It's no laughing matter whether for the patient and the family. Everyone is impacted one way or the other.

Best Regards To All!!!!
Breathing Aparatus
by: Tom

My brother-in-law had the same problem. His sleep doctor put him on a sleep breathing machine that he uses faithfully. Since he began sleeping with it, his health has improved, his attitude shot up unbelievably, and he took a new job as a tour bus driver. His weight stabilized and his energy improved almost overnight.

I'm shocked that the doctor didn't tell you about it and prescribe it if your condition is that bad.

Ask about the breathing machine. It could do wonders for your health, your sleeping, your energy, and your attitude. Look it up on the Internet for more information.

Good luck.
Courage to overcome
by: Nina from London

It can't be easy to cope with sleep apnea. Wondering if there are ways to limit the effects or be able to control it? It takes courage to deal with this type of condition. Hope that you will be able to do this.

Sincerely, Nina
Sleep Apnea
by: Anonymous

I have had my apnea under control for a number of years.

When I went to renew my DOT medical they said I had to have my CPAP machine recertified every year and I had to have a sleep study every year in order to renew my medical certificate. At that point, I finally gave up and stopped driving.

My question to the DOT certified medical examiner was, what will happen to all the overweight, older drivers? His answer was that the DOT wanted those drivers off the road.

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