This article is extremely personal to me.
It is designed to shine a light and help a group of people very near and dear to my heart: truck drivers.
This Monday, July 4, 2016, I lost my uncle. He was a truck driver.
We
were about as close as a nephew and uncle could be. Over the last few
days I have been flipping through photo albums. Every picture, whether
it be 1981, 1995, or 2015, we were smiling, we were having a good time.
But
our photo album is complete. There won’t be any more additions. The
last picture we had together he was dressed up like a cowboy princess,
thanks to my daughter. He was a great guy. We all loved being around
him.
Loved. Past tense.
On
Monday he “threw a clot” in Mississippi on his way across the country
for 100th? 200th? 300th time? Who knows? Too many to count. He knew this
country like the back of his hand. He saw every inch of it in his 40+
years behind the wheel. He loved the road. When he was on vacation, what
did he do? Traded in his 18 wheeler for a motorcycle, and hit the road.
It was his life.
Even
though he lived longer than many people do, saw more than almost all of
us ever will, he is still gone to soon. They always are.
He developed a blood clot in his leg, he “threw” it, and he didn’t make it.
I
want to make sure other families of truck drivers don’t have to feel
the pain my family is feeling right now. Losing someone from something
(potentially) preventable. Getting “that” phone call. We are all going
to go eventually, we don’t need to speed the process up. We don’t need
to rush in to that last breath.
Please share this with your family, spread the word and the information in these next few paragraphs.
Let’s keep our fathers and our uncles around longer. A little more time is all we are ever going to want in the end.
What is a blood clot?
It is basically a scab in your blood stream. It is formed to help repair damaged blood vessels, arteries, or veins.
Causes?
Heart conditions, post-surgery healing, especially where casts and splints are used.
Risks increase in people over 60.
Risks
increase if they are: obese, diabetic, have high blood pressure, smoke,
and experience prolonged inactivity (like driving for a living).
I
am obviously going to focus on the prolonged inactivity, but I know
there is a high rate of smoking, obesity and diabetes in the truck
driving community, so please focus on those as well.
Symptoms
Clots can move in the body, that’s when they are really dangerous.
The
ones that truck drivers need to be aware of are the ones in their legs.
Look for: pain, redness, swelling, tenderness, a warm sensation or a
pale or blue discoloration and coolness (because of lack of
circulation).
When you throw a clot (a piece breaks loose), it can either go any number of places in your body, none of them good.
Heart: chest pain, shortness of breath, nausea, indigestion, and sweating (basically, a heart attack).
Brain: loss of speech, vision, and weakness on one side of the body (basically a stroke).
Lungs: chest pain, shortness of breath, and rapid pulse and breathing.
Intestines or other organs: abdominal pain, nausea, blood in stool.
The
most important thing to take from this section is awareness. Be aware
of how your legs feel.
Listen to your body. When you feel or notice any
of these things, put your ego aside, put your haul aside and get your
butt to the doctor, or the nearest emergency room. Your life is more
important than anything you have in the trailer.
When To Call 911
When you feel chest pressure, have shortness of breath, have difficulty seeing, speaking or breathing.
This
is a VERY serious situation. My last conversation with my uncle was
telling him to go to the doctor because we was having chest and kidney
pains. He said he took Tylenol and he was fine. Let that sink in. What
if he went to the doctor? Maybe my photo album would have a few more
good times with a wonderful man.
Prevention
Hydration: Drink
plenty of fluids. We are talking water here people. Not sodas,
Gatorade, any of that other crap. Remember, diabetics and obese people
have a higher likelihood of clotting. We don’t want make it easier for
the clots to form. You are already sitting for long periods of time,
that’s help enough.
Move Around:
Make sure you walking around every time you stop. If you are in for a
really long haul that day, stop every few hours and walk around. If you
are drinking enough water, like you should, you will have to stop and
pee every few hours anyways. Take the time to get a few extra minutes of
leg movement in.
Clothing:
Wear loose fitting clothing. Not that truck drivers are known for
traveling in skin tight leather pants or anything, but you know, just in
case.
Sleep: When you sleep, elevate your feet above your heart.
Compression Socks. Wear them (you can get them at any Walmart or Target in the travel section).
Change Positions Regularly:
Purposefully change positions. I know what you are saying, where the
hell am I going to go in the truck? I get it, but shift your hips, take
some pressure off of the backs of your legs throughout the day.
Now for the tough part: Health
1. Eat better
2. Lose weight
3. Stop smoking
4. Limit your salt intake
5. Take your meds.
I know this is all stuff you have probably heard before, but please take the consequences seriously.
If
you have any questions on how you can change your diet, or you want to
know if what you are eating sucks, please feel free to contact me in the
comments section and I will be happy to work with you (for free by the
way, this is supposed to help people, not make money). I know it is very
difficult to eat well on the road, with the pressure of deadlines and
the endless supply of fast food chains all along your routes, but there
are ways.
Honesty
It can happen to you. Whether you are behind the wheel, or you love the person behind the wheel, it can happen to you.
It’s awful.
It’s sad.
And it doesn’t have to happen.
Be safe. Live Safe. Drive safe.
Over and out.
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