A questions about driving and pain medication!

[blizzard2014]

Hey guys. I am trying to find out wht my options are with being in pain and getting back into expediting. I had a long talk with my primary care physician who thinks that I need to go back to work driving in lieu of filing for disability. I told him that I can't drive on pain meds (which I would never take while under a load) but that even if I only used them at night and on weekends; if I were to get into an accident, I'd still test positive for Narcotics. He has just prescribed me Tramadol which is a non-narcotic pain medicine. It's somewhat less potent than Hydrocodone, so it does not really make you drowsy, which it fine for me, but it's still considered an addictive substance. I have read that some states allow drivers to pass a DOT physical even though they take Tramadol. What I don't know is if there are any companies that would allow me to drive for them if I take this non-narcotic pain reliever, mostly at night and on weekends.

I'm only taking 2 regular pain killers a day now. I'm also slowly weaning myself off of the Narcotic stuff before I make the switch over to Tramadol. I can bear the pain while driving and working, I just need some help to taper off the pain when I sleep at night. This may or may not be permanent as my leg has been steadily improving since I began exercising it. Also, losing 100 pounds might really put a dent in my pain as well. The docs don't like backing a disability claim much, and the only doctor that I found to help me wants 850 bucks to back me up. I'm not so sure that I want to live a life on the sidelines at this juncture in time. I think I can work and remain viable as long as I don't push too hard, and take it easy while I'm maneuvering around the van to strap down loads etc.

Even though driving a van isn't going to get me rich, I want to be productive again. I want to rebuild my credit rating, keep my new company going, and buy a small house in the future. I have just enough money to put 7k down on a 2009/2010 cargo van (possibly a box truck) and then enough to operate it for 2 months without even seeing 1 single payckeck. I can't really do any other type of work, as I am uneducated, and I don't have enough money to sit here for four years trying to mess around with a college degree. So in light of the facts I'm going to stick to what I know best. Please respond to this thread with good advice and information. I welcome the greats like Turtle, ATeam, and some of the company owners/recruiters to come on here and offer up their personal, professional, and legal opinions! Thanks for your time everyone.

 

[Murraycroexp]

Safety first! But keep in mind that your "sleep hours" will most likely not be quite as easy to schedule as you may need to be on a "drowsy medication". Also, plan on your money lasting about half as long as you think. Ideally, you are twice as busy as expected and you spend twice as much on fuel, maintenance and repairs. Knock wood, no repairs will be needed. Have a financial backup plan. Even if its just to carry you that extra month needed to keep fuel in your tank and bologna on your bread. Good luck!

 

[blizzard2014]

Well I will have about 5k in the bank after putting 7k down on the new van, adding E-track, and building a small bunk in the thing. I have this all well planned out. I sold my 2004 van because it was getting too old and the oil pressure was 25 while on the interstate. I decided not to drop more coin into a van that is soon to be 10 years old. I'm gonna put lifetime alignment on the new van, oil change, transmission flush, power steering fluid flush, dot break fluid flush, new belts, tensioner pullies, tune up, and differential fluid exchange before I lease it on to any company. That's not the problem. I need advice on the non-narcotic pain medication called Tramadol. It doesn't really cause sleepyness as it is not an opioate based narcotic. It's meant for people who have pain and still want to be mentally alert at work. I'm also going to be modifying my driving behavior some. I'm not going to take loads after 10PM until early the next morning. I used to get a few calls at midnight and have to be rolling by 2 AM, not many, but I won't be running like that anymore.

 

[Murraycroexp]

I have no experience with pain meds stronger than Tylenol. Best wishes!!

 

[davekc]

None of the other stuff matters until you get your answers on the meds. DOT acceptance and carrier acceptance aren't necessarily the same thing.
Choose your respected carrier and find out through their safety department how that drug or others are looked at. Is it something they test for?
Could also call Concentra and see if that is tested and viewed by them.
Concentra is a commercial drug screening depot for many carriers.
http://www.concentra.com/

 

[blizzard2014]

None of the other stuff matters until you get your answers on the meds. DOT acceptance and carrier acceptance aren't necessarily the same thing.
Choose your respected carrier and find out through their safety department how that drug or others are looked at. Is it something they test for?
Could also call Concentra and see if that is tested and viewed by them.
Concentra is a commercial drug screening depot for many carriers.

Tramadol doesn't show up on the standard 6 pannel test that most carriers use. It has to be specifically tested for. It's non-narcotic based, so it won't show up as an opiate. It doesn't have the same narcotic side-effects that Hydrocodone does. So technically I can simply not disclose that I am taking it and it will not show up on a random. It doesn't slow you down like the hard pain killers do. The doctor said it's optimal for someone who needs to drive or function with mental clarity. Thanks Dave!

 

[zorry]

Would a straight be better. Get a rookie to go with you and pay him for what he does.
Let him do 11 hrs and you drive when you're up to it.
He can do all the securement, etc.
More comfy bed for you.

You be like a wife in training. Paperwork, work the liftgate, go get the coffee.

Just a thought.

 

[golfournut]

It's my understanding that any prescribed meds have to be listed on the long form. There is a list the docs go by for pass/fail of a dot physical. If your med is on the approved list' you may get a dot card for 6 months' 1 year or the full 2 years. Seems to be up to the doc. I take Gleevac for leukemia, it is not on any of their lists. One doc gave a 1 year card. All the rest give me a 2 year card so far. I'll find out again July for renewal time.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using EO Forums mobile app

 

[ebsprintin]

It's my understanding that any prescribed meds have to be listed on the long form. There is a list the docs go by for pass/fail of a dot physical. If your med is on the approved list' you may get a dot card for 6 months' 1 year or the full 2 years. Seems to be up to the doc. I take Gleevac for leukemia, it is not on any of their lists. One doc gave a 1 year card. All the rest give me a 2 year card so far. I'll find out again July for renewal time.

Sent from my SCH-I605 using EO Forums mobile app

That's the key. Declare it on your long form. Something prim and proper not declared can run you into trouble.

eb

 

[ATeam]

This may or may not be permanent as my leg has been steadily improving since I began exercising it. Also, losing 100 pounds might really put a dent in my pain as well.

As Diane and I have gotten more serious about our health and fitness, we learned the phrase "exercise is medicine." While this video does not apply directly to your circumstances, check it out anyway and pay close attention to the words "exercise is medicine" when you hear them.

It is encouraging to hear you talk about the progress you see from exercise, and to hear you talk about wanting to be more active and productive. You could have gone either way; into a self-reinforcing downward spiral, or into an upward climb. A climber you appear to be.

 

[cheri1122]

Blizzard: my feeling is there's no reason to disclose Tramadol any more than Tylenol, or Advil, as it's not a narcotic pain reliever.
That said, have you tried other non drug forms of pain control, such as biofeedback, massage, electronic stimulation? All are therapies that can easily be done on the road [well, massage needs finding a place, but it's doable] and may help you limit the amount of drugs you need for pain.
For me, pain would be an excellent motivator to lose weight - I'd even pay for a fitness membership, lol.

 

[blizzard2014]

Blizzard: my feeling is there's no reason to disclose Tramadol any more than Tylenol, or Advil, as it's not a narcotic pain reliever.
That said, have you tried other non drug forms of pain control, such as biofeedback, massage, electronic stimulation? All are therapies that can easily be done on the road [well, massage needs finding a place, but it's doable] and may help you limit the amount of drugs you need for pain.
For me, pain would be an excellent motivator to lose weight - I'd even pay for a fitness membership, lol.

No, I've never tried any other form of pain management. There is a device called the venowave thatmechanically stimulates blood flow in the lower extremities. I might try that in time. I really need the meds mostly at night, or after a real long day of moderate physical activity. I don't necessarily need them for driving as the pain helps me concentrate and stay mentally alert. You're also right about Tramadol, it's a non-narcotic pain med and should have no bearing on my ability to drive.

 

[blizzard2014]

As Diane and I have gotten more serious about our health and fitness, we learned the phrase "exercise is medicine." While this video does not apply directly to your circumstances, check it out anyway and pay close attention to the words "exercise is medicine" when you hear them.

It is encouraging to hear you talk about the progress you see from exercise, and to hear you talk about wanting to be more active and productive. You could have gone either way; into a self-reinforcing downward spiral, or into an upward climb. A climber you appear to be.

I need to start strenghtening the leg. I can't walk normally up the stair without a cane. So a cane may be in order. Maybe being on the road and just getting out there will be a good bit of old fashioned medicine to get me moving again. Then like I said in the other reply to Cheri, I might have to get the Venowave device for mechanical compression. My last leg scan showed only a partial obstruction of the deep veins and normal veinous compression and blood flow. So it might be that some of the valves are damaged in my leg but too small to detect without more invasive procedures. Some simple help with blood flow might free up a lot of the pain. Don't get me wrong, I ain't gonna be running marathons anytime soon, but I can be more productive than I am currently. Thanks for all of the advice.

 

[cheri1122]

If improved circulation would help, there are 3 simple exercises you can do even while sitting:
1 Twirl your feet around in circles.
2 Press your knees down, against the bed/chair.
3 Squeeeeeeze your gluteus maximus [butt] muscles & hold for 5-10 seconds.

All three can be done many times a day, without wearing you out.

 

[ebsprintin]

Cheri,

I'd still declare a med on the long form if I'm regularly using it and it's doctor approved, especially if it isn't a household name. If DOT sees it in my possession or the topic comes up from any kind of drug screen, it will save everyone time and me an additional trip to a doctor to prove it's okay.

eb

 

[zorry]

Would prescription vs. OTC come into play ?
I'd feel safer letting them know up front.
If it's not going to be ok, determine that before you buy the van.
Unless the van would work as a personal vehicle.

 

[cheri1122]

Each driver has to make his own choice, but I wouldn't include the Tramadol because it's not going to show up on any drug screen, [it's not an opiate], and while it is prescribed, it is for use PRN - as needed, meaning one may take it some days, but not regularly. Like aspirin.
As for DOT finding it, as long as it's in the original container, labeled with the driver's name, it would take maybe a minute to Google it and learn what it is and what it's for. No need to contact the Doc, but even if they do, he'd say the same thing: it's prescribed for use as needed.
'Maintenance' meds [taken on a regular schedule] are a different category.

 

[Mailer]

Sorry to hear about your struggle with the pain. Chronic pain is very complex. Any physical or mental stresses can trigger the pain. Based on your descriptions of injury, it seems that you may not be ready to be out on the road just yet. It needs to be more stable than what it is now. Just imagine, you are on the load and accidently made a wrong move and you couldn't move your leg because the pain is off the chart and no relief from pain meds. You won't be able to continue with your load and had to stop and rest (hours to days). And in worse case, ended up in the ER. I applauded you on your desire to continue with working. I just didn't want to see you invest all those hard earned money and then loose it all because of one wrong move. My post is not meant to discourage you in anyway. Just want to make sure your pain is squared away before coming back out. Over the years, I enjoyed you posts and contributions to the EO community and I am thankful for that. Hope your pain go away soon.

 

[blizzard2014]

Thanks for the support Mailer. Actually I couldn't sleep well last night and woke up with a massive amount of chest pain today and my leg is very sore. I had a good almost pain free day at the doctors and all day yesterday, then bam; the pain set in. With regards to not being able to complete a load; I wouldn't have trouble completing a load, but if I was in a lot of pain after a 12 hour run, I'd probably have to take the stronger stuff to be able to sleep.

I'm caught between a rock and a hard place. Three doctors, including two of them who are specialists have all said that I'm fine. Even though one of them claims that my veins might be permanently damaged, and that the pain will be with me for life, she claims that she will not lie and write down my physical limitations on her notes.

I know that this isn't all in my head, because if there was truly nothing wrong with me, they wouldn't give me 120 Norco's every month. There are also a few other people that I'm in contact with via the internet that are in similar situations, and their doctors pushed them back to work. One guy is even worse off than me as his bad leg is 1 inch bigger than his good leg. Another lady I talk to has a 98 percent blockage in her entire leg, and her leg swells up so big, it makes her cry like a baby. Yet they force her to limp to work everyday. Which is one thing; because she already had an office job before she got sick, and they (by law) have to accommodate her. They can't just fire her because she acquired a medical condition after she was hired. But try limping into a job interview and telling them you have a chronic medical condition, and that you take pain meds; they'll have the security guard drag you out the building so fast your head would be spinning.

Now that might be fine for them also; because one of them works from home and the other one works in an office; but I don't have that option. I either have to pimp myself out and drive again, or I'm going to have to maybe get a part time job a few days a week to survive. I'll never be able to live on my own working part time, and they don't want to give me disability, so driving is really the only option that I have left.

I have a dealer ready to give me an in house loan on a 10 thousand dollar van with 4k down. It's a 2008 GMC Savana 2500 with the V8 4.8 liter engine (gets better fuel mileage) and it looks pretty nice. I'll have to set the van up so that I can get into and out of it without causing myself more pain. I will put an AC unit in it, a generator, and I'm definitely going to need a bunk; because I have a hard time getting up off the floor. So with a few minor modifications, a cane, and some willpower, I should be able to perform the job.

All I do is hear everyone railing about how disability is becoming the new welfare, and how everything like food stamps and governmant assistance is so easy to get. That couldn't be farther from the truth. The government fights people with legitimate disabilities tooth and nail; often times it takes more than three years for an individual to receive SSDI, or SSI. Can you imagine trying to fight the Social Security Administration for 3 years while living on the street and being flat broke? These are things that I never used to think about before my accident.

There are some people out there with some serious medical issues who need assistance, and their not getting it. If I didn't have family to stay with right now, I'd be living in a cardboard box, and begging for spare change to buy my medications. I couldn't even imagine having to go through this without a family support network. I'm not trying to complain or anything. I'm merely trying to describe how messed up this country is. It just floors me to see how our society treats people with disabilities. You get blow up in Boston and they have millions of dollars in a fund to help you. But if you fall off your truck and get hurt, you're a lazy bum trying to get a free ride off the system.

I was looking at my medical records yesterday and just shaking my head. My lungs were blocked from top to bottom on both sides with one continuous massive clot. Thirty percent of all people with that type of Pulmonary Embolism die within the first week. Another percentage of them go on to develop Pulmonary Hypertension. So, who knows, maybe my last years will be spent on the road doing what I love to do. Also getting a medical plan through one of the bigger companies can make the difference between life and death for me. I never re-applied for my counties free medical insurance for indigents, because the insurance doesn't do anything for you. You have to be practically dead before they send you out to a specialist, or order any tests.

Also. if I did end up getting disability and Medicaid, that insurance is so flimsy, it would be like an instant death sentance. Prisoners in prison get better medical care than the poor and working poor in this country. Those are my choices; work and survive, or stay home and go broke. Just stay out of my way when you see me coming down the road. Pain can make me feel more road-ragey than I normally feel. lol. Any how, thanks for all of the support and advice, I really appreciate it.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

could have them amputated....and get a good set of prostetics...and go back driving...all that cash you save from no more pain could help pay for the new stems...