DOT physical and blood sugar....

A while back I got a DOT physical and because of my BMI I had to do a sleep apnea test. At the time, they just gave me a 4 month card and said after the test, even if I needed a cpap machine, they could redo the test and give me 1 year, 2 if I didn't need a cpap (don't need it). Went in this afternoon and redid the test except this time, they said the sugar levels in my urine were high. As a courtesy they did a glucose test (pin prick of the finger) and it was 82 which is normal (I ate about 4 hours earlier). They asked me to give another urine sample and again they said my sugar was high. The Dr said he could give me another 4 month card, but that I have to have my doctor test me and monitor me for diabetes or pre-diabetes during this time before they could renew or extend my card. My PCP had me come in at the end of the day to draw blood and do another glucose test. My glucose was 78 this time (I ate lunch about 4 hours earlier as well). The nurse said everything seems fine and the doctor would write me a note stating that I get a full physical every year, and they've never seen a diabetic trend, etc. Question is, can they waive the urine sugar test in favor of a blood glucose test during the DOT physical, or is that written in stone (I forgot to ask the DOT Dr). The other thing, and probably has something to do with the screwy numbers, is that about 6 years ago, I suffered from a blood infection and became septic, that caused multiple organ failure, kidneys, liver, heart, etc. Spent 3 weeks in critical care at the hospital and another 4 in the hospital before they released me to go home to die, but I bounced back. As far as my doctor is concerned, I'm healthy as a horse, went back to snowboarding and hiking, learned to surf, etc. Does anyone have any experience with this type of waver if there even is one? The place I went to for the DOT is a chain of clinics that specialize business specific physicals (DOT/pre-employment drug screening and physicals/post accident Cal-OSHA drug tests). I have a feeling I'm too far in and can't "doctor shop" around now even though I haven't turned any paperwork over to the DMV because I don't yet have, and have yet to apply for my CDL/CLP. And seeing as how my target date for applying for them is July, I need to get this straight now.

 

Yea it's "private" but in the interest of full disclosure I figured I'd share it. If it's a mitigating circumstance, then I'm comfortable sharing it.

 

Kidney and liver functions are well within normal for someone my age (49) and a year after I got out of the hospital my doctor said that if he didn't know of my previous medical conditions, he would have never suspected it. I have a full physical every year and still have my liver and kidneys monitored with blood work every 6 months and have an EKG every 6 months as well. I got the impression from the DOT Dr that as long as my PCP signs off on it, then I can get some kind of waver, at least for the sleep apnea test. But this is a whole new ball game. I don't really have a problem with doing glucose testing and all of that, and if I have to for the next few months, I will. I was just wondering if there was an alternative to the urine/sugar test.

 

Thanks. And that's another thing. Because I haven't applied for a CLP yet, I haven't had to turn the paperwork over to the DMV. But do they have a record of it? Do the doctors send the results of the tests to the DMV regardless? When I did the original DOT, they gave me paperwork they said I had to give the DMV when I applied for my CLP..