Well, this is the first day I've had off since starting orientation/training for my new job over two weeks ago. I could have taken a couple of days off but I decided to go ahead and get it all over with so I could start driving solo. For those that don't know, my new job is driving a passenger bus as opposed to truck driving which is what I was doing before.
The orientation was boring with lots of videos and stuff about driving which I already knew. Then I started going out on runs with experienced drivers to learn routes. On my first training run, my fistula seemed to have bust open and I started draining heavily again. My fistula is intestinal and I have an open incision with a seton drain coming out of my stomach from surgery. It had been draining less where I could get through the day with only one heavy bandage. But on this trip, it was draining so heavily that it started leaking out onto my shirt. On a break, I ducked into a bathroom and changed the bandage and washed my shirt. What a mess. The stain on my shirt was not too large and was near the belt buckle so I don't think anyone noticed. After that, I went back to taping two "heavily draining wound bandages" at the beginning of each day. These bandages look almost like little diapers but they do a good job. After a few days, the fistula started draining less again so maybe it's closing up again.
This last Tuesday, I had my first solo run. It was from Tulsa, OK to Des Moines, IA. It's a pretty good route with only four stops along the way. The great thing about this job, as opposed to truck driving, is that I get to sleep in a real bed every night. The hotel drivers stay in, in Des Moines, was the downtown Holiday Inn which was pretty nice for a Holiday Inn, paid for by the company of course. I didn't have any unruly passengers except for a woman who kept complaining about the temperature saying she had seizures. She kept telling me to turn the heat on. I tried to find a neutral temperature for everyone, as others were saying it was too hot, but I wasn't about to turn the heat on for one person. I felt bad for her, but she made it through without having a seizure. Another person told me that temperature has nothing to do with seizures anyway.
Today I just got back from my second round trip to Des Moines and back to Tulsa. I haven't had to make any emergency stops for the restroom yet, but I am on Prednisone. When I go off the Pred, I'll have to plan when I eat very carefully. Other than that, I hope my fistula closes to avoid another surgery. If not, I hope I can at least get a few months work in to qualify for short or long term disability.
The orientation was boring with lots of videos and stuff about driving which I already knew. Then I started going out on runs with experienced drivers to learn routes. On my first training run, my fistula seemed to have bust open and I started draining heavily again. My fistula is intestinal and I have an open incision with a seton drain coming out of my stomach from surgery. It had been draining less where I could get through the day with only one heavy bandage. But on this trip, it was draining so heavily that it started leaking out onto my shirt. On a break, I ducked into a bathroom and changed the bandage and washed my shirt. What a mess. The stain on my shirt was not too large and was near the belt buckle so I don't think anyone noticed. After that, I went back to taping two "heavily draining wound bandages" at the beginning of each day. These bandages look almost like little diapers but they do a good job. After a few days, the fistula started draining less again so maybe it's closing up again.
This last Tuesday, I had my first solo run. It was from Tulsa, OK to Des Moines, IA. It's a pretty good route with only four stops along the way. The great thing about this job, as opposed to truck driving, is that I get to sleep in a real bed every night. The hotel drivers stay in, in Des Moines, was the downtown Holiday Inn which was pretty nice for a Holiday Inn, paid for by the company of course. I didn't have any unruly passengers except for a woman who kept complaining about the temperature saying she had seizures. She kept telling me to turn the heat on. I tried to find a neutral temperature for everyone, as others were saying it was too hot, but I wasn't about to turn the heat on for one person. I felt bad for her, but she made it through without having a seizure. Another person told me that temperature has nothing to do with seizures anyway.
Today I just got back from my second round trip to Des Moines and back to Tulsa. I haven't had to make any emergency stops for the restroom yet, but I am on Prednisone. When I go off the Pred, I'll have to plan when I eat very carefully. Other than that, I hope my fistula closes to avoid another surgery. If not, I hope I can at least get a few months work in to qualify for short or long term disability.
