What Will You Do If You Get Sick On The Road?

[ATeam]

People researching a career move into expediting have a lot to think about; trucks, business practices, home time, carrier choice, etc. Something not often mentioned here in the Open Forum is illness.

It is something to think about. You are a thousand miles from home and become too ill to drive. With team drivers, it might be one or both of you. It might be the flu, a bad head cold, digestive issues or whatever. It's nothing that won't pass with some time in bed and maybe some over-the-counter medicine, but you are sick and in no shape to safely handle and haul freight. What will you do? Where will you go to be sick?

It is as important to prepare for illness on the road as it is to prepare for everything else.

 

[OntarioVanMan]

Only thing I can think of off hand is, go out of service, find a walk-in clinic and get a room and lay-up for a few days till feeling better.
This is where that reserve fund that people should have comes into play.

 

[jaminjim]

If I feel like crap, I will feel like crap in a room or a truck, might as well keep making money. If crap is the problem I get a room.

 

[greg334]

Come on Phil, no one gets ‘sick’ on the road, we are all really tough drivers.

Well seriously, I have had three bouts of respiratory infection this year, the last combined with a cold. I almost ended up in hospital this time and glad I didn’t. I still have lingering effects of it and truly feel like cr*p today.

I think you hit on a good question but I take a different look at it, what do you do to prevent getting sick.

But people have no idea what they can get sick by.

Getting sick has to do with;

• Not eating right (the biggest issue for most)
• Not getting consistent sleep (which is much harder being a solo)
• Being around dirty people who don’t wash their hands – those truck driving pigs!

There are a lot of other things, but these are the top three (adapted to our profession) according to every doctor I have dealt with disaster related training. I never worked with a nurse on these subjects but doctors so I never got around to understanding the nurses point of view. I have written a lot about how to take care of ones self under stress and even posted on EO some info for the Katrina drivers (can’t find it anywhere and it is one of the few times I didn’t save my post).

When you are sick, it is a good idea to get to some professional health care provider. Sometimes a simple cold will turn into a serious infection. Sometimes it may feel like a cold or something else but it could turn out to be something serious.

But also being a solo, one should understand what they need to do under certain conditions, like serious cuts and mild food poisoning. It is easier to for a team due to a second person being there. There are good books that you can get that will describe the basics. I have my Red Cross books that I carry with me.

I carry a bunch of stuff with me; surprisingly I can fit it all in my truck.

Starting with a decent (semi-comprehensive) first aid kit, all the items in it are normally updated every year.

In addition to the first aid kit, here are some other things I carry;
Plain aspirin
Tylenol
Ibuprofen
(All of these have a different purpose)
Neosporin (lots of this)
Saline solution (the stuff for contacts)
Two different decongestants
Vaseline to soften skin, sometimes it is better than skin softener
Orajel
Anti-bacterial waterless soup
Alcohol based gel soup (still have a supply from the Pharma company and in a pinch makes a good fire)
Bleach (small bottle)

I also have vitamins but it consists of vitamin C and E plus a multivitamin pill.

The one thing you got to remember when dealing with medicines of any sort, the environmental conditions within the truck can be somewhat harsh and affect the life of the medicine. I recommend that all medications get changed out every year, whether they are used or not.

I would like to hear what other people carry with them.

 

[jaminjim]

Well I would never admit to carrying vaseline as a solo driver.

 

[greg334]

OMG.... never mind...

 

[jaminjim]

Oh come on Greg, that was funny.

 

[greg334]

Well that was the never mind. My wife read it and almost died laughing.

 

[lanier1]

Imodium AD, don't leave home without it !!

I keep Goodys powders like a smoker keeps cigarettes. If I'm out I have to get some whether I need it then or not.

 

[nightcreacher]

in 1979 ,my appendix burst while I was on road,spent all day thinking it was food poisoning,was in hospital,Brazil Indiana,for 3 weeks.I have had cases of the flu,you just kind of manage thru it all

 

[Dreamer]

Sometimes it's not the being really sick stuff.. sometimes it's just a simple case of the 'walk quickly's' that messes up your trip. Nothing like checking the map and trying to find that next rest area.. LOL... then duck walking to restroom as fast as you can, only to find the last guy 'missed'........




Dreamer
Forums Administrator


--------------

 

[BigBusBob]

With my background I can relate to the last guy "missed" and the "walk-quickly's" as you so eloquently put it...
That's some funny stuff. Ahhh, the stories I could tell.

BigBusBob.

 

[jansiemoo]

along these lines...

how hard is it to find an urgent care clinic?

what does a visit usually cost?

What health insurance coverage do you have? (if any)

Upon advice from a previous thread, I checked out www.ehealthinsurance.com and also www.ooida.com
I am still unsure of which plan to go with.

What do most truckers single/married no kids find to be most important when choosing a plan?

Thanks,
Janet

 

[theoldprof]

The "walk quicklies" plus a long distance to the next rest stop can be solved by the Old Prof's Patented Preferred Pee Pipe. In a worse case scenerio the trash can with a liner and a whole lot of room deodorizer spray will suffice. I ain't proud. Have used them both on occasion.

:+ :+

 

[bambam]

I keep vitiam c and ibu 400mg and alwasy keep a big bottle of anti poopoo pills it counrter reacts my meds
but i got the flu with the fever about 2 months ago i started taking tynole and day-quil i called my dispatch and i told them i was sick so they took me off the boards i had to sit for 2 days with my heat on max under a sub-zero sleeping bag with long johns and sweets on but it finally broke but i had to move in the middle of all ot that a 150 mile run and iit took me almost 8 hours to deliver but they knew i was sick now im more prepared

1 i eat a lot of steames veggies
2 take my 4 vitism c every day
3 keep my anti-bacterial gel in the frount of the truck
3 i walk about 3-4 times a day aleast 10 min ( my puppy )



god bless and keep rolling

 

[nightcreacher]

montezuma's revenge, ah, I know it well,just love getting old

 

[unorthodoxneon]

Well for me i have 3 things against me at all times.

diverticulitis, Irritable bowl syndrom, and Gastonol Intestonal.

Aka... My digestive system is shot.

So i make sure i keep some (and take daily) fiber pills. I also keep some Peptobismol with me. And watch what i eat. No Nuts or Seeds.

I'm also very prone to getting migraines (just had one all day yesterday) So i make sure i keep sinus and headache medicines with me all the time. Also i suffer from really bad allergies so thats with me. A basic first aid kit (i'm very accident prone). I also keep my knee braces with me. From playing many sports as a kid that stuff catches up with you real quick. If i dont have my braces when my knees act up i cant walk at all.

Seeing as how my g/f also teams with me she makes sure there is meds in the truck. If it was me i would forget.

We have both been sick with flu like symptoms, Bad Food, and usually we just either go out and wait it out. Or we just keep driving and take frequent stops if time allows us.

Oh BTW i'm only 21 :-(

 

[Broompilot]

Excellent Post Phil!

This happened to me last year. Delivered and found myself with a high fever how high? Enough I had gone thru 4 T-shirts in a 24 hour period, one gallon of Water and a ton of asprin.

First error, the asprin made me sweet like crazy. I found when the asprin wore out I was dry, felt miserable but I had to get the bug out of me. I did not realize that I was getting worst as time went on. The next morning into a Med Center than to a Hotel.

Next day I could drive but weak, getting older body does not bounce back like when in my twenties.

My best advice, is always keep a gallon of water in your truck. And an empty one also, I was stuck at the customer with no where to go.

Sometimes you are to sick to drive, and one earlier post indicated, "just drive anyway". Poor advice, especially with all the lawyers today. If the DOT would have seen me in this condition, with a load on my truck no doubt in my mind I would have been side lined me. Strep throat, swollen neck, ears blocked, dizzy, drained,dehydrated, not alert enough to drive safely.

 

[lisalewis]

Getting sick on the road can be very dangerous. Last Sept my appendix ruptured while we were under a load in TX. I didn't have the normal symptoms so I just figured it was the flu. Needless to say my hubby and I kept driving for two more weeks...big mistake. If I would have went to the doctor after a few days of being sick I wouldn't have all the problems I have today. Since I let the ruptured appendix go so long I damaged a large part of my small and large intestines...which had to be removed. Instead of a few week recovery, I got to endure a 6 month recovery.

*Bottom line is...if your sick for more than a few days go to the hospital...Better Safe than Sorry!

 

[Dreamer]

>*Bottom line is...if your sick for more than a few days go
>to the hospital...Better Safe than Sorry!



AMEN!


Dreamer
Forums Administrator


--------------