My Health Experience

I'm 54 years old. I drove a truck for 20 years as a long haul driver. I stopped driving in 2013 because my parents got old and needed some assistance.
I've been thinking about making this post for a while now as it may be useful for other drivers.

November 2018:

I wasn't feeling like my usual, somewhat healthy self. Just didn't feel right.
A friend of mine needed someone to help on a remodeling project, so I went to help out. He needed help with some heavy beams on a job he was doing.
I spent some time sitting in the shade and drove to a store for some water and an energy drink. I told my friend I was having trouble remembering some words and my normally good vision wasn't quite as good.
He told me I should get my eyes checked. I did get my eyes checked the next day. The doctor told me he didn't see a problem, but come back if I think I need to.
I was thinking maybe I just had the flu or something.
I went to my local bar the next night. I was playing horseshoes. Still wasn't feeling normal. When I coughed, my left forehead hurt. I felt tired, so I went home. I must have caught some virus, I thought . I didn't mention the details to people there.
I didn't even think about going to a doctor. I usually just get over things.
A couple of days later, when I coughed, my entire chest hurt. It was like lines across my chest. And it hurt a lot. But it wasn't just where my heart is, so I felt
it must not be a heart attack .
This lasted two days.
I would cough until a tiny bit of phlegm came out.
I thought, if I was gonna die, God should just go ahead and take me home, because this hurt !! And I'm a non-believer !!
I didn't even think about calling a doctor.
I figured I'd get over.
So, I continued to just not feel so good.
Symptoms were unlike any I had ever had in my whole life. I never even thought about going to a doctor.
So, it's been two weeks of these symptoms and I wake up and my right hand is numb. It's functional, mostly. But it's numb.
I go out on the porch and smoke a cigarette. I can't hold it straight and have trouble using the ashtray.
I was talking to my friend on the phone .
I told him about my numb hand, and he says, "you've been paying for health insurance forever, go see a doctor " !
I hadn't considered that. And I thought , that's a good idea! I am tired of this. I'll see a doctor and get some medicine.
There's a medical clinic on my road. Less than a mile away. I took a shower. Put on some clean clothes (gotta be presentable) and I go down there.
I can't fill out the paperwork because my hand won't cooperate.
The doctor comes out to the lobby. He checks me out.
He says, I think you're having a stroke or you've had a stroke. You need to go to the hospital.
Me: I think I'm just sick.
Doctor: we need to call an ambulance.
Me: I can drive to the hospital.
Doctor: we need to call an ambulance.
Me: I could call Uber.
Doctor : I think you need to wait for the ambulance.
Me: well, ok.
So, I got my first ambulance ride.
The ambulance shows up and I tell the crew I think I'm just sick.
They load me up and give me a shot. (I never did ask what that was ).
At the emergency room a doctor comes over and talks to me. And I tell him I think I'm just sick.
And then I point at my doctor's right eye and tell him I can see that eye but I can't see your other eye.
And then they send me down to the MRI machine.
And that's where I tell a doctor I cannot get into that machine. (I don't like confined spaces).
Long story short, I got in that machine.
I suggested maybe some drugs would help me deal with that machine. Nope. No drugs down there. I had to deal with it.
They said don't move while in the machine.
Well, I was tense. I handled my job.

So, they sent me back to the emergency room.
The doctor points his finger at me and says, "you smoke, you have high blood pressure, and you had a stroke " !
And I said, "I was hoping you were just going to tell me I was sick ".

Well, turns out there had been a blood clot in my neck and it went into the front of my brain. And a clot went to the back of my brain, too. I guess there were two clots or it broke up. I didn't really ask any questions.

My point of telling this story:

Keeping your blood pressure under control is extremely important.
You could have a stroke or a heart attack.

And , according to some regulation I saw on the internet, if you have a stroke you are disqualified from driving a truck for ONE YEAR!!

Life expectancy of a truck driver is about 60 years.
Truck drivers work more hours than most people, earn more and pay taxes. And many won't even live long enough to collect social security!!

I am currently about 40 lbs overweight. I have had truck driver friends die of heart attacks in their 50's. They were good, hard working people who earned an honest living.
But, they didn't take care of themselves.

According to some statistics I read, 40 percent of stroke victims die within a year.
Well, I'm still here.

Smoking is bad for you. I have smoked about 15 years, off and on.
Since I got out of the hospital the one time I was ever admitted , I have quit smoking 3 times. Obviously, quitting is so important I do it more than once.

I guess I could go on and on, but you all get the idea.

I have rarely ever had any health issues. Had never used my health insurance except once to have a mole removed. I was never obese, but sometimes 30 or so pounds overweight. And I have smoked for a few years lately.

I got lucky. The only thing they noticed was it affected my memory. But, not really seriously, imo. At least, that's the way I remember it.

I need to get back to the gym, quit smoking, eat a better diet and lose about 40 lbs.

If you don't take care of yourself, it WILL catch up to you.

Good Luck !!!!

 

I forgot to mention.
I take blood pressure medication.
A colestoral drug.
325 milligrams aspirin.

My blood was checked multiple times.
I think I saw on the internet taking these will reduce your odds of having a stroke.

 

Smoking is bad for you. Never any denial from me, but I agree, some are in denial.
I don't know how much smoking contributed to my clot , or if it did contribute in this particular case.
After a couple of days in the hospital a doctor came into my room and said, your blood pressure isn't that high and you do smoke . But, he felt there could be something else because I was 52 and not too much overweight.
I went into a CT machine. The results were good .
This year I went to my VA for the first time and got a card. I saw a doctor. I told him it was easy for me to start smoking again because most of my friends smoke.
That doctor's advice? Find some new friends.
That doctor told me he can tell people to stop smoking, but they don't quit.
There was one exception. He told an old man he should quit and at the next visit, the patient had quit.
The doctor asked why and the patient said, you told me to.
My next appointment is in January. I will attempt to make it two patients who quit.
This could be the day.
I don't think I've cost society much yet.
I've had insurance for 28 years . I did pay my $5000 deductible.
My insurance has tripled in cost in 8 years. I think some people wait until they get sick to buy health insurance. And can do that now. But didn't pay those monthly health insurance premiums all those years . They wait until they're sick and then start collecting benefits.
I think that is the primary reason my insurance cost increased.
Buying insurance with pre existing conditions is what changed, imo.

If I drop dead of a heart attack before I get to the hospital after paying for health insurance all those years, I could actually be a net contributor to the health system. Paid in more than I collected.
I think people should thank me in advance for what I might do for our health care system should I happen to exit society in a quick, low cost manner.
Thanking me after the fact won't do me any good.

No offense taken by me.
I enjoy reading opinions on all kinds of subjects from other people. It can be interesting and sometimes I learn something.

I did notice something about fearing a first hospital visit.
Not me.
I wasn't even all that concerned about the stroke. I was in the hospital. I figured I was in right place.

After I got out, I took my medication everyday and wasn't smoking.

I figured if I had another stroke and it was bad, I would prefer to just die.

I have two brothers who would inherit a house, a motorcycle, 2 vehicles, and money.
On the other, I thought:
Wait a minute, I lived in a truck for 20 years to earn that money. I ought to be the guy who gets to spend that money !!

Btw, I came close to getting wiped out on my motorcycle twice in the last couple of years.

Somethings gonna get us.....eventually.