Getting sick and trucking, how do you get your medications?

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by CalculatedRisk, May 23, 2025.

  1. CalculatedRisk

    CalculatedRisk Heavy Load Member

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    hey fellow members,

    i'm wondering what you guys do when you get sick out on the open road? If you guys have a local Walgreens nearby, does your primary care sent over a prescription to that Walgreens or local pharmacy? i'm asking because I really want to get into Trucking and I get sick a lot it seems.

    Right now I work in a gas station and I think one of my customers gave me a virus because I tested positive for rhinovirus. If you were to feel this sick meaning you couldn't hold anything down, what do you do?
     
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  3. D.Tibbitt

    D.Tibbitt Road Train Member

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    I will say it sucks royally. I have been sick a couple times out on the road and did nothing but ride it out. Have gotten food poisoning a half dozen times as well. There ain't no feeling of just leaving the truckstop. got that hot burrito in your hand, music going, window down just enjoying life, then not 10 minutes later that feeling of oh #### I'm about to #### my pants RIGHT NOW.

    It happens. As far as viruses, I'm not sure what to do. Not like ur pulling ur rig into a doctors office. Can't be taking random medications that will effect driving or being able to pass a drug test. Just ride it out and try to get some good rest. If it's that bad that you think u might die, maybe take a Uber to a hospital or have your dispatch send a plane ride home or something.
     
  4. CalculatedRisk

    CalculatedRisk Heavy Load Member

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    has anyone ever had to contact their dispatcher and say hey I gotta go to the hospital or urgent care and get tested because I have had these symtoms for say three days and its getting worse?
     
  5. CalculatedRisk

    CalculatedRisk Heavy Load Member

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    also, is there telehealth that can help you out or at least guide you to make educated decisions?
     
  6. Tb0n3

    Tb0n3 Road Train Member

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    I've been lucky. The only time I ever had it real bad was food poisoning on a 34 so I had plenty of time to puke in my trash can then carry it to the bathroom and puke in the toilet. The only other big one was getting covid and then driving halfway across the country. That one wasn't too bad. Just achy.

    As for a primary care doctor, my doctor is just a doc in the box. There's urgent cares all over so if you really need it, it's that of the hospital.

    Isn't rhinovirus the common cold? Or at least one version of it.
     
  7. Moosetek13

    Moosetek13 Road Train Member

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    If you are that sickly you probably should not be in trucking.
     
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  8. smokey12

    smokey12 Road Train Member

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    My wife and I both got the flu once and stayed at a rest area off I 5 in Oregon for a couple.of days...absolute misery. Finally got a load back to Alabama and drove across country with a 102 fever. She once got a urinary tract infection and we called one of those phone docs who prescribed her antibiotics over the phone so that ended up working out well.
     
  9. Judge

    Judge Road Train Member

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    Just keep driving.
    As a former boss once told us, “You can feel miserable in the truck just as much as feeling miserable at home.”
     
  10. hope not dumb twucker

    hope not dumb twucker Road Train Member

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    But did you cook it in the shower room? Lol
     
  11. bryan21384

    bryan21384 Road Train Member

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    I mean, sometimes you gotta hit up the urgent care. You gotta drop the trailer and get checked out sometimes that's necessary. Other times, you gotta work through it. Most of the time, I work through it. In trucking, the show must go on. Once I actually had to go to the hospital. My breathing wasn't right and it turned out I had developed heart disease. I caught a viral infection that I couldn't shake. It attacked my heart. I had to get to a spot where I knew they could relay my load to another driver so I could get checked out. I ended up taking 5 months off to recover. I've had to make some lifestyle changes and started eating healthier more frequently than i previously did. If you get sick that often, you'll need to consider looking at your diet and eating healthier stuff so you can get vitamins the natural way and over time your immune system gets built up. You'll have to take care of yourself if you get out here. Now I'm on a more plant based diet, and not eating that much bad food. So consider that going forward.
     
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