British Snoring & Sleep Apnoea Association

I am the wife of someone who today has come home with a CPAP machine. When with the consultant today she said that he was on the cusp of having to notify the DVLA but she wasn't reocmmending that at the time being, so does that mean for sure that he doesn't have to notify them if she says that he doesn't need to! Concerned that because he works 45min drove away he wouldn't be able to get to work without driving if his license was revoked. He only snoozes in the day when watching the TV or deliberately choosing to sleep, never when driving or doing anything!

Hi Trinity and WELCOME. It's brave of a partner to post on a forum such as this but WELL DONE. There are an awful lot more of us hoseheads around than you might think and I am sure that your husband will soon be compliant on his CPAP and you and he will be enjoying a far better quality of sleep!

Normally a doctor of a patient with OSA HAS to inform the DVLA, but I suppose this lady is kindly giving your husband a chance to start therapy in the hope that it will encourage him to wear his mask every night and become 'compliant' in the shortest amount of time possible. Once a person is considered compliant, then the DVLA have no interest in withdrawing the licence because the person is considered to be the same 'health wise' as someone who doesn't have OSA. If a person drives who has OSA but is not treated, that person is at far greater risk of having a sleep at the wheel - even a micro sleep of a few seconds, but that's enough time to cause damage to the vehicle, its driver and passengers AND any pedestrian or animal within range. Not a responsible situation, hence the reason why driving licences are usually revoked immediately after OSA has been diagnosed until the driver is compliant on his or her xPAP therapy.

So what does COMPLIANT mean? (I'm sure that you are having a very steep learning curve with OSA and its associated features, so well done for persevering this far! Wish there were more partners around as loving and compassionate as you are.)

OSA is measured by how many times in an hour a person 'wakes' from sleep .. after an apnoeaic event .... there are various types and reasons. A 'event' is when the person goes for more than 10 secs without breathing and wakes with a start causing a sudden intake of breath ... the 'snort'. Usually a person doesn't remember that they woke ... even when as in my case it was approx 80 times in an hour ... every hour!!!

To be considered 'compliant', the person should be sleeping every night (and every nap time!) with their mask on for a minimum of 6 hours and the number of events being under 5 per hour. This is normally achievable very quickly when a person is rigorous in using their kit and their machine is set to the correct pressure. I am sure that the sleep doc will want to see your husband very soon to see how he's doing, so please do encourage him to wear his mask and turn his machine on!! And this is how it has to be from now on.

I hope that this is a starting point. As I said, WELL DONE for posting and for supporting your husband. Please don't hesitate to keep in touch. There is no such thing as a silly question and we've all been here so we know how difficult it can be to keep a handle on a new medical condition which is very serious if not treated, but once treated (and treatment is FOR LIFE) the person returns to normal risk levels of heart attack and stroke during sleep. And the bonuses are several .... no snoring, better quality of restful sleep and more daytime energy ... for BOTH partners!

Thanks for your long post

He has been wearing his equipment every night now since Friday when he got it, he has to get up and adjust it a few times a night as it slips and leaks around his mouth when he starts to snore on his side! However spurred on by the advice I picked up on here and by seeing the quick good results he is determined to wear it. He can now get it on and off without my assistance which is good and he only threw the mask across the room once! He had an AHI of 100 in the sleep study! I will be taking my laptop home tonight from work as it has a built in SD card reader to see if we can figure out how to get the data off the card to see what the improvement has been, however I know it's made a difference as he was cleaning/tidying at 7am yesterday morning and on Sunday didn't fall asleep once on a 5hr round trip (with me driving - he's never dozed when driving/working/stimulated), wheras he would have been snoring after about 10miles, and he had wine with his lunch!

If we have to inform the DVLA then we will once he has been back to the specialist and can show that it is under the target level. She said that the aim was to get to under 10AHI.

I was told the same, that I was on the cusp of having to inform the DVLA, but I'm on the mild side of OSA

I've started dragging myself upstairs and getting myself rigged up every-time I feel snoozy now, and it does help. i.e. feeling refreshed rather than groggy after a 1 or 2 hour snooze! I know it's a pain and sometimes it's so comfy in front of the TV etc. but instead of feeling groggy after an afternoon kip and doing not a lot, now I'll have the ooomph to take my son for a bike-ride in the park or something else constructive

Legal obligations
It is important to remember that if you are suffering from a medical condition that affects your driving then you have an obligation to inform the DVLA about it. Failure to do so can lead to a £1,000 fine, invalidate your insurance and make you guilty of driving without a valid license. In short – not informing the DVLA about your OSA is far more likely to see your license being taken away than reporting it, and could cost you a small fortune and potentially a criminal record. Considering how easy it is to inform the DVLA of both your condition and your treatment there is little reason to risk that happening.

http://www.sleep-study.co.uk/osa-and-the-dvla-group-2

Give it a few weeks then fill out this form -

http://www.direct.gov.uk/prod_consum_dg ... 066653.pdf

You will hopefully get the standard ok letter back to carry on driving .
I left it 6 months before i informed DVLA .

But .... its up to you how you play it .

Regards,

Hi Trinity0097, I was given my CPAP machine last Thursday and what the nurse told me was that they were telling me that I had OSA and that I MUST tell the DVLA about it but also because I was given a machine, I am now compliant and can fill in the appropriate section on the form. I filled out the form and sent it off on Friday, I haven't heard anything back yet.

Weird how the advice given is so different! We will go on the advice of the consultant and not inform them unless we are told to. If the DVLA have a problem with that they can take it up with the consultant giving the advice! My laymans understanding is that you only have to inform the DVLA about something if it affects your driving, it doesn't affect his driving so therefore we won't tell them at present!

Should I notify the DVLA? I passed my test last November, but I haven't driven since then as I haven't got a car yet..... I have an automatic license....

.. and I thought it was the doctor's obligatory duty to notify the DVLA when a patient is diagnosed with OSA .... but what would I know.

HOWEVER, and it is very important ... even if you don't think that OSA makes a difference to your husband's driving, the condition is such that he could have a microsleep at the wheel of his car without either he or any passenger noticing ... and then he is a 100% danger to other road users and pedestrians. It's important to be responsible ...

At the end of the day it won't be your consultant who gets the fine or gets his license revoked or invalidates the insurance due to having a sleep disorder.

If you check DVLA website medical conditions -sleep disorders -osa is listed there .

Its up to yourself but be careful because if should anything occur when driving they will slam the book at you.
If you are on therapy its just filling in the form stating cpap and compliant and you get the standard ok letter back to drive ... honestly can't see what the problem is with doing that,and your covered.

I have been a driver myself for over 25 years never had any accidents or fallen asleep at the wheel was worried myself about informing them and left it 6 months but it was'nt really worth the worry the ok letter came back in 8 days and im now nearly 6 years into therapy and have'nt heard from the DVLA since then.

Regards,

Some hospitals inform DVLA some don,t .

If he had been at a hospital that did inform with a ahi of 100 then it would have been revoked till compliant .

Regards,

Hi and welcome.

As has been said before, it's a legal requirement to inform the DVLA. Your insurance company may also need to be informed, though mine says they're happy if the DVLA are happy. I informed the DVLA within two weeks of being diagnosed, as my job is a delivery driver. I was not told told of what compliance was, thought I had to wait until being re-tested and ended up getting my licence revoked, having to re-apply and being on SSP for three months. Not funny.

I got my DVLA reply yesterday, it was just a couple of lines saying that I am considered safe to drive and I should notify them if that situation changes. No period of having my licence revoked which is a massive bonus

GREAT NEWS HEADTHROB! Now back to business as usual for you I hope!

Well done