2400?! Wow. My grandmother went to the hospital anytime she spiked past about 1,000. Unbelievable he is still alive. Driving is the least of his worries right now. Get his health conditions under control, hopefully save the leg. Get his sugar down (it may end his driving career anyways). Live a healthier life, trucking or not. hope the best for him
Moving feels good. So why not do it? It's also a good idea to keep the bladder empty to avoid infection, so combine the two. Stop every couple hours, park at the far end of the rest area, walk a little and empty out. I can be back on the road and up to speed in five minutes. If you can't spare five minutes while under a load, you're working for a tyrant.
Injun,,,very sorry to hear about your brother, and I too pray he makes a complete recovery and loses nothing... I agree with you 100% on the DVT, I have read about extensively before I started driving and I know a 15 min break every 2.5 to 3 hrs is not a big deal for anyone. Now don't get me wrong, sometimes it can be difficult to keep that up for days on end but overall, it can be done. Prayers sent Injun
Something the lady drivers might want to be aware of, if they're not already, birth control pills can increase the risk of blood clots, so it's doubly important for any lady drivers on the pill to move around. Also, stretching improves blood flow, and a few minutes after walking is a great idea. Better to stretch warm muscles than cold ones.
I didn't include this before. I'm telling you now so you don't think for a minute you are immune because of youth. My brother is only 44 years old. He will be 45 on Sep 30. Inkeper said, I believe in another thread, a driver lost his daughter to a heart attack and Inkeper is filling in for him for a while. The daughter was in her 30s. Folks, we have to take care of ourselves. Even if dispatch bugs you for stopping every so often. Dispatch can get up and stretch while doing that job. We can't. We are the ones who have to set the parameters of how these vehicles operate and schedule time to make sure we stay alive. Even if all you do is pull over on a git-on ramp and stretch a little in the sleeper...run in place for a minute or whatever. Whatever it is, get the blood moving around. Stagnant blood clots. I don't want to be asking "Where's (whoever)?" Only to find out (whoever) allowed his or her job to literally be the death of him or herself. If anyone has questions about how to get adequate exercise out here, Ms. 1nonly is the lady to ask. She really knows her stuff.
My brother had the same thing happen Injun. He lives in KY and the hospital there wanted to amputate his leg. He went to Nashville and the doctor there put stents in his leg and saved it. It's one of them things where a second opinion can make a big difference. My legs are getting worse. I see the same thing in the future. My problems are more hereditary, but trucking didn't help. They say 1 in 3 adults have diabetes in the US. It's no fun, trust me. I just got put on insulin because they couldn't control it with the pills. I wish your brother well!
I was following your story on that, Condo. I think I accidentally lost your thread as you were trying to file for a waiver. I never saw what the outcome on that was. And when I talked to my cousin about this yesterday, I found out she's diabetic too. She's exactly the same age as my brother. Born on the same day. Gramma said it was a race between my aunt and my mom to see who it would be first. My brother squiggled out into the world first, by three hours.
I lost the thread too, lol. I'm officially retired as I can't get my medical card back. I have to renew my CDL next month, so I guess I have to get a regular license. It sucks, but that's the way the cookie crumbled. Atleast I'm set up now where I can retire. I had alot thrown at me in a short time, but I got it all sorted out now. But back to your thread, sitting in the seat all day and your legs don't get good circulation. Mix that with diabetes and you are just asking for clots. The US diet has to change or diabetes will be an epidemic. Yesterday on TV, they said the average american eats 150 lbs of sugar a year. That's almost a cup a day. I have a friend that is on the needle. He eats a great diet, exercises and is just as healthy as a normal person. So it is possible to balance things out so you don't have the problems that come with diabete's. There's just so many drivers out there that ignore their health until it's too late. The younger drivers think they get away with it. For the most part they can. But those eating habits sneak up on you and your body does a Uturn in your 40's.
Update for today is this: It looks like the leg is improving, so he gets to keep it for the time being. He is on dialysis to clear the toxins caused by having no circulation for all that time. Brother is still being kept under extreme sedation and is on a respirator. This will probably continue for a few more days. The blood sugar is under control. It's all wait and see for now. Scary stuff, though. This is the guy who would perform the "Chinese Spoon Torture" on me when we were kids. He would sit on my chest with his knees holding my arms down and tap-tap-tap a teaspoon on my forhead until I thought I'd go nuts. What a butthead. Now look at him. I hated it then, but would give anything now for him to threaten me with it.
