USA Experience..Final Chapter

So I get my 34 hour restart at the Meadors over last weekend and me and Carl leave out Sunday morning at 7am. Why we left this early idk but we are already loaded . So off I go to get my drivetime in. I got 47.75 hours the previous week and had 63 hours he first week so I need 64 hours in six days.
The reason is Carl is going on vacation the coming Saturday so I need to get this in or I'll be sitting at the Meadors again.
OK, so off we go headed towards Troy, Ohio. I get my 11 hours in and then he takes over. Needless to say we are way early. Early enough that Carl sleeps in front seat(I was in lower bunk). We arrived at 2am and don't get unloaded until 10am. I drove my 11 and he got about 4.
Little did I know after all the problems we had 2 weeks prior with his truck, the ICON now doesnt work. I found this out as the sun came up that morning and was roasting in the bunk. We figured out the bulb in the cluster that flashes as the ICON turns on was blown. We drop the trailer and go to the Troy International dealer to get a bulb. He buys it(6.00 a piece) and back to the trailer we go. We tear the dash apart, remove the cluster, and repair it. It works now or so we thought. It flashed fast and then slow as usual when the ICON is turned on. But it shut off 3 minutes later. To make a long story short, it has a problem and never worked the whole week.
So we have no ICON but we get through the week without it. I am still driving 10.75 to 11.25 hours a day. I am getting behind the wheel later in the day now and drive through midnight towards the end of the week. In all, I drove 66.50 hours from Sunday through Friday. Ended up with 177.25 hours and was dropped off at Meadors on Sat. morning at 2am. Then the shit hits the fan.
So I am relaxing in my hotel room, lying on the bed and unwinding. Its 3am now and Im settled in. I have a slight pain in my jaw resembling a toothache. Its not hurting too bad but I take a Goody powder and go to sleep. The next morning I am in complete agony. My ache turned into really sharp and intense PAIN. Like I've never felt before. Unreal. I have an abcess tooth. I am really hurting so I walked to Fred's and get some Aleve and Anbesol. Well it helps somewhat but not alot. So I go through my entire Saturday in hell. Tooth and gum pain is the worst in my opinion. I would've rather broken my arm. The next day is even worse. I am hurting and hurting and now my whole right jaw and cheek are swollen so bad it looked like Tyson hit me with a right hook. Finally, I can't take anymore. I "WALK" to the Summit medical Center and get seen by ER doctor. He takes an hour or so and gives me my prescriptions and sends me off. But there is no pharmacy open anywhere. I am really pissed and hurting tremendously. I finaaly call a cab and he takes me to Walgreens(only one open). After 42.00 for meds and a 25.00 cab ride I am back at Meadors. It takes the rest of my Sunday and half of Upgrade Monday for the pain to go away. So I am at van Buren terminal for upgrade. We all got up that morning at 5am to take shuttle that didnt arrive until 730am. We tested on written portion of upgrade around 9am. Took around 20 mins. There are 4 parts with some fill in the blank. Know your Smith System as it will be on there. Pretrip and DOT questions, and Hours of Service and Qualcomm questions. Not a hard test at all. I got a 95 on it.
Now its about 1pm and all we are doing is waiting for our turn to take road test. I did all my laundry in this waiting period so that was good.(Its free at terminal including washing powder) Tooke a 30 min. nap in the lounge after lunch and finally at 145pm I get called. First part of test was drop trailer, drive around and then hook trailer. Not a problem. Then your 9 pretrip checks they want you to check(its in your handbook ) mirrors, tires, wipers, etc.) The driving test is supposedly 15-18 miles but it didnt feel like it. You'll drive around the area calling out road signs, bridge clearances, and also the Smith System you did in orientation in the van. Maintain proper follwing distance, eye lead time, etc. Right and left turns(DO NOT HIT ANY CURBS) as there will be a few that are close. Use all the space you have. The truck you use is really crappy and he may fuss about your shifting but dont sweat it. If you float like me, you will double clutch in this truck. Its clutch needs adjustment really bad. I guess they have to mark something off so shifting will probably be one of the. Finally , you will back between two trailers in a gravel yard. Not hard, just make sure you're setup is right. Unlimited pullups and adjustments so don't panic. I had 3 pullups to make sure I was in good. Test complete after you park the truck so don't let your guard down going back to the terminal. Thats it. Pretend you are on a DMV test. Use the 3 and 9 postion on steering wheel, don't shift over RR tracks, scan mirrors every 5-8 seconds(thats on the test) and 10 mph BELOW posted exit ramp speed.(thats on test also). You're done and will then meet your FM that day or next day like me. Before you take written test, you will be given the option to get your truck and stay out for 2 weeks and get 2 days off or go home for however many days your were out training. Most everyone chose home time as we have all been away from family most of the summer. Well I meet my FM tomorrow and then take the lovely Greyhound trip back to SC. Good luck to all. i may continue this blog when I start my first solo week if I can. Until next time....