Question:
I was asked what happened to cause my retirement from trucking. Well, since it's a long story that ties together with the present, I figured I'd make a new post out it. It will still fit with the newbie forum, because I will be pointing out my mistakes. These mistakes will be pointed out in BOLD.
The trucking industry as a whole, is a wonderful thing to be a part of. But there are several things a person can do to get themselves in trouble. I refused to ever log illegally. When the time is up, you simply change duty status. This had nothing to do with what happened; I only mentioned it because it is the number one thing you can do to get yourself into trouble. No, there are other things.....
I was in the process of training a friend of mine to take the truck over for me. We were making a delivery of steel plates to a small mill outside of San Antonio. I had made the final run in while Big Jim slept.We were running behind a bit, so I had run the last 9 1/2 hours, taking my required breaks and tire checks. I always enjoyed running at night, but this time it was a bit tough because I wasn't feeling well.
I had delivered to Trinity many times in the past, so I knew where I was going. I pulled up to the guard shack, signed in and went around to the spot you untarp. Jim was tired too, and he didn't even wake up when we stopped. I went about the business of unstrapping, gathered them up and went to work pulling off the two tarps. From out of nowhere it seemed, one of those whirrly-winds Texas is famous for came right over the trailer and picked the front tarp up with me still holding on. I wasn't paying attention to the weather around me, or I might have been able get away from it.
The thing must have just dropped out of the sky. The reason I say I might have been able to do something, is because only the front tarp got picked up by it; the rear tarp never moved. If I was paying attention, I could have jumped back, or layed prone as it passes.
Anyway, it picked me and the tarp up and threw us a few feet away from the truck. I felt sharp pain in my back and neck, and it took me a few moments to get out of the wadded tarp. Apparently, it had twisted me around quite a bit before it let go, as I would eventually find I now had 4 herniated discs.
No one had apparently seen anything, and Jim slept through it. So I rolled the tarps and drove over to the crane to unload. I put the chains away, got the bills signed, and headed over to the Petro. As I fueled, I realized I was in excruciating pain. But I had to get the truck taken care of for Jim to make the next run. I grabbed a parking spot, woke up Jim, and went inside to get a meal and shower. I found some Advil in the store and took a few, then headed back to the truck. Jim had called the pick-up, did his inspection, and we were off to Houston for some pipe going to Arizona.
I slept until we made El Paso. And I could hardly move. But it was my turn to drive. I ignored my own health and made the run to a place about 30 miles southwest of Phoenix. I couln't take the chains down, so I woke up Big Jim. We had a load booked for Portland, but had to cancel so Jim could get me home. He was fortunate to find a load to Casper, so he dropped me off and continued the run, which was his first solo in many years.
They ran me through a series of MRI's with the dye injection and found all the blown discs. One in particular made the doc schedule surgery: L6-L7 was sticking into my spinal cord. But I never made it to the scheduled surgery. A few days later, I lost control of my bodily functions and couldn't feel my legs anymore. The disc had ruptured and the one above it had herniated too.
So emergency surgery was performed and they sent me home a few days later. As the healing progressed, s-l-o-w-l-y, Big Jim had a family emergency. Now while I was healing, I had arranged for the truck to take on a dedicated load with a shipper I've worked with for years. The stipulation of keeping it was that one load a week MUST be run. If that truck couldn't take the load, for whatever reason, then the contract was voided. So I jumped in and ran it for him. Trouble was, I went against doctor's orders.
Long story there, but I ended up in the ER after I got close to home. And another disc was removed from me spine. And I had one in my neck that was into my spinal cord as well, but we decided to hold off until I could heal up. As time went by, and the cortisone injections wore off, I began losing feeling in my left arm. And doing anything with my hands, such as typing, caused them both to go numb. So back into surgery we went again. So I had 3 separate spinal fusions up til then. And they had warned me that C5 might collapse because of the C6-C7 surgery.
Of course.....that's exactly what happened. So on the 7th I had that disc removed too. But this time it was different: instead of going through the back, they went through the front. I have a huge cut that sorta parallels my right collarbone. They screwed a plate into C5, C6, and C7. It was a tough surgery that almost done me in. But this should take care of everything now.
Because I have those plates in, I have lost about half of my normal neck movement. It's a tough thing to deal with now, but hopefully the future holds promise and I'll get out of this neck brace and get on with things. This industry will definately make you pay for your mistakes. Especially when something like not paying attention happens......Be careful out there people.......
Head Warrior, TFBU
On The Mend.....

Answer:
good words of advice there. When do the docs think you'll be fully healed? what next?
If at first you don't suceed, get a bigger hammer

Answer:
I'm so sorry for all you are going through and I know some of your pain..I have the same problems with my neck and shoulder. I also did the same thing going back to work when I should have stayed at home. Nothing like driving in Chicago rush hour and all of a sudden you have no feeling in your arms.
Hearing everything you have said about your surgery scares the hell out of me..I am having the same done on my neck the first of the year if the epaderial (sp) don't work..And they already did the cortizone shots in the shoulder that didn't work..
Newbies listen to what Joe says and pay attention to what you do..All of these companies talk saftey all the time but only for the truck & the load..Never for the driver..
If you get injured will doing your job No Matter how minor you may think it is report it to your dispatcher..Make a note about it on the back of your trip pack when you send it in. Also make a copy of the note and keep for your records.
CYA what you think is nothing major can turn out to be a life changing thing.

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WOW JOE ... I wish you a speedy recovery!!!
If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything!
MessageBoardBlaster

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I know like every other driver here....there's more diesel fuel that flows through you than blood..., But ya gotta listen to the Docs' now!
I'll put ya at the top of my prayers Joe.
Hope you get to doing better real quick..!
Oldtimer
"Just a lonely sailor on a concrete sea...""And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."
Abraham Lincoln

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Sorry to hear about your mishap. I will keep you in my prayers. I have a list going, 1 more person shouldnt hurt. LOL
You plan on getting back in the truck in the future or is this it?
Hope you feel better. Take care.
Have a good day.


Answer:
Well....like I said, my driving career is finished. I don't have the movement I used to, and I can't take riding in a vehicle for too long. I'll just have to be content with loading and dispatching trucks for the rest of my days. This was an on-the-job injury, and I always paid my worker's comp faithfully for just such a situation. As part of my disability award, I have been set up as a brokerage. I brokered a little freight from time to time when I was an O/O, so there will be no surprises.
Little Red, did you have that epedural in your neck? Are they removing a disc the first of the year? Let me know. The surgery I had, (according to my Nuerosurgeon) is the most common spinal fusion done. I won't try to scare you, but I can tell you what to expect. My problems were from recovery. This last surgery lasted for 2 hours and 15 minutes because of the plate they screwed in. Most of these types of surgery last around 1 1/2 hours....You sleep through the whole thing.
Head Warrior, TFBU
On The Mend.....

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I can feel half your pain, I had two disc herniated in my neck whiched the Dr.'s fused together with some bone chips they took from my hip. I to lost feeling in my arm and leg and could not sit down straight. I either had to lay down or sit in a slanted position leaning to the left or right but could not sit upright. This was back in 1995, I still have the headaches and spasms but I have to deal with it. When they took the bone chips from my hip, that alone put somewhat of a hurting on me. All in all I feel better but the stiff neck and loss of movement s#cks. If I stayed on the meds as they required I'm sure I would feel 100% but i'm not going to walk let alone drive around in a fog and jeopadize peoples lives, Hope you feel better and continue to to get better

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I'm having the epaderial in the neck in a week or so when ever W/C approves it. But the Doctor really don't think it will help. So far they have only did the cortizone shots in my shoulder..
W/C just finally got around to excepting responsibility for the neck. I just hate the numbness feeling. I'm aways afraid that I'm going to wake up one day and not be able to move at all. My orthopedic and the Nurologist bith have told me that they don't think I should ever drive again

Answer:
The epedural should be a cortisone injection too. It's called a facet block, and it was done to me but didn't do much other than kill the pain for about 5 weeks. They'll give you a shot to numb the area, then stick an IV in on one side and the epedural needle in the other. The doc uses an X-ray thingy to guide the needle into the correct spot. The whole procedure takes about 20 minutes. You probably won't notice anything for a few days. But when you do, you will probably think you've been miraculously healed.
But don't be deceived because it won't last if your neck is hurting you this badly. Use that time of feeling good to get your affairs in order to have surgery. Which disc is herniated? I had C6/C7 and C5 removed. That's why I have the plate now. But don't let me get you down. Most folks just take a month or so to heal up and can resume a fairly normal return to living. Mine was an extreme case that I let go bad.
Do like your doc says Red. W/C is a tough way to get medical care, and they don't roll out the red carpet like they would with say, blue cross/blue shield. But let the doc do what they feel is best. Even if it means surgery. You'll never know if it will make you better or not until you try......
Head Warrior, TFBU
On The Mend.....

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My disc start at C3-C4 and goes all the way down to C6-C7 with C4-C5 being the worst. I'll be thankful for the short time relief of pain. They are also talking about doing another surgery on the shoulder to fix a impingement.
But as I said above C4-C5 is impression upon the Ventral aspect of the Thecal Sac and the Cervical Spinal Cord.. What ever all that means I'm reading it off medical records..


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Good to see you back on here posting, Joe. Your good advice for newbies has been missed.
Here's wishing you, Little Red, and all the others out there with injury a/o illness a quick recovery.
Good luck with your new business.