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A medical caution to Road Warriors
We just completed a 2500 mile trip around the Southwest. The trip was great, but shortly after returing home I ended up in the hospital with a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism. This happens when a small bloodclot breaks up and the pieces lodge in the arteries of the lungs. In my case, the clot was in my lower leg. The doctors attribute it to my recent long stints behind the wheel of my bus. Trying to maximize our time at our destinations, I did a 12 hour driving day on the way out and another on the way back, with several 4 or 6 hour non-stop legs in each. Perhaps everyone but me knows that this is a dumb thing to do. In order to avoid the risk of bloodclots, whether driving your bus, riding in a car or taking a flight, it is recommended that you get up out of your seat and walk around at least every two hours.
Please be aware and avoid long driving stints without walking around. Otherwise, blood can pool in your lower legs and can cause the condition I experienced. This can happen to people of any age, including to people like me who have never had any other circulatory or other major health issue. NBA star Chris Bosh (who is definitely younger and probably in better shape than me) recently experienced the same issue, likely caused by long airline flights.
The symptoms that caused me to seek medical attention were unexplained shortness of breath and cough. I thought I might have a mild case of pneumonia so I went to urgent care. After a CT scan they sent me directly to ER and admitted me to hospital for blood thining therapy. Apparently, if one avoids death, the recovery is generally complete. In my case, I will be on blood thinners for a couple of months while the residual clot breaks down.
Take care of yourselves while driving or flying and get yourself to the emergency room right away if you experience breathing difficulties or chest pain after a long trip. 60% of people who develop this condition and who do not receive treatment will die. Those are not good odds. Please don’t take a chance. Personally, I’m feeling quie blessed.
p.s.: Driving long, long days has other bad affects on the driver, including fatigue and probable diminshed attention and reaction time. I learned my lesson and won’t do it again.
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10 Replies
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Excellent advice. I also do 12 hour days routinely (about 650 miles) but I am up and moving every 2 1/2 to 3 hours because I have to pee (Tom pees every 45 minutes so he is OK) but now that we bring our pup I make sure to walk him which really gets my legs moving.
I never could go much beyond 3 hours without getting up and moving around which I guess is a good thing.
1999 XLV X-6872, liberty #440 -
Now I know the true value of the prostate gland.
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Bryan: Sorry to hear you have an issue with that. I have heard of that condition developing from other folks. We just finished 5500 miles and long days, but I have the same problem as Jon. 2 hours and I got to go! Micki does help a lot with the driving and we do the 600 miles a day too often. Need more time to goof off.
Glad things are looking up and you are on the “road” to recovery. Get well soon!
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Bryan, I fully appreciate the gravity of the wake up call, thanks for posting it here. I’ve been guilty of long stints.
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I
am not a doctor, but I have watched TV doctors on MASH. I had the same
problem and my resident physician suggested the elastic knee socks, like the
ones that OLD men, like Jon, wear.Did
a 6 hour drive today and wear them if I plan to drive over my usual 5 hours. $20
well spent. I also have pups that get
de-watered every three hours, so I am sure that exercise helps.If
you wear the socks under your Big Boy Britches, no one can tell, plus they now
have semi-skin tone color instead of those bright white socks that you see in Florida.Everyone
stay well and stay safe. -
Bryan I am glad you are ok good info , but I have something else that tells me blood is flowing and I don’t need a blue pill LoL!!!! That’s for Jon and Tom and I am not going to wear special underpants or socks until I need them which will be soon I am sure , Farther time give gifts out and they are not always nice gifts guess I will get them weather I want them or not better late than never
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Can any of the physicians on PC offer an opinion on if it would make sense to take aspirin during a long driving day?
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Not a Doctor, just an Engineer with A-Fib. I’m taking a Baby Aspirin (80mg) each day. They help keep blood clots away. Of course that is only one of my daily treats I take!
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Jon, I’ll be following up with my pulmonologist shortly to get more precise advice, but my internist directed that, at the very least, compression stockings be worn and baby asprin taken on long drive days, and that breaks be taken every two hours or so. Since I now have a history of the problem I may get a prophalictic dose of blood thinning medicine to take during trips.
I wonder what long-haul truckers do?
Thanks to everyone who expressed concern for me!
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As with any other medical advice, specific, individualized circumstances should be considered as well (so, for example, if one is already taking NSAIDs, aspirin, “blood thinners”, etc., (additional) aspirin may not be desired, as excessive dosing of anti-platelet aggregation agents may lead to other issues (bleeding, etc.).
The best advice, though, is to stop, get up and walk around for 5 to 15 minutes every few hours of driving. That’s also true on an airplane, or on any other situation where prolonged sitting is likely.
(BTW, I am an M.D.)…
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