Driving Well: Diabetes Support and Motivation for Our Truck Drivers, But Could Be Great for All Drivers!

By Lynn A. Bristow a.k.a Lynn A. Russo RN

Driving Well is a book filled with inspiration, education, and safe suggestions to maintain a healthy lifestyle with the difficult task of being a professional truck driver who may have diabetes or be at risk for developing diabetes.

It is a great read, including interviews from truck drivers and their family members. A great read for anyone who drives on our roads.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 28, 2021
• ISBN: 9781662405457

Book preview

Chapter 1

Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.

—Maya Angelou

Where Do We Begin?

We will begin with what most books, booklets, or educational material end with—the complications of diabetes.

Why? To help motivate you to finish reading this book and to help motivate you to embrace some of these lifestyle changes that you can make and for you to enjoy a fun, active, and satisfying quality of life.

Long-Term Complications are

sexual problems/impotence—a nurse friend of mine suggested I lead with this to get the male attention and why the various changes in eating and testing are vital to keeping you healthy. I guess I have your attention. The majority of males who use Viagra, Cialis, those meds, are for males who have diabetes and hypertension;

cardiovascular problems/heart attack and strokes—more prevalent;

vision problems that can lead to blindness;

renal problems—kidney issues that can lead to needing to be on dialysis;

frequent infections—urinary infections are common as well as skin infections that are slow to heal and can lead to a more serious complication of amputation of toes, feet, legs; and

more frequent infections: dental, slow healing…

These will be elaborated on later in the book, but I wanted to make sure you stayed with me for the entire scheduled drive. You are important.

Let’s dig in and get to work Driving Well.

Motivation to change:

Safety for self

Safety for others on the road

Maintain your commercial driver’s license—livelihood

Health promotion and knowledge for self-care

Information is power, and I plan on empowering you to a safe, happy, and healthy lifestyle whether you have diabetes or not.

So what are the predisposing factors to possibly developing diabetes or putting you at risk for developing diabetes?

Genetics

Age

Ethnicity

Sex

Lifestyle—what you eat and whether or not you exercise

What ones do you have full control over (only lifestyle), what you eat, and whether you move the amazing movable parts that we have?

So what is diabetes anyway? We all know someone who has diabetes, and we all have different concepts of what this means. Diabetes is a disease that means you are not making enough or any insulin (type 1 diabetes) or your body is not able to use the insulin effectively (type 2 diabetes) to allow the body cells to receive the fuel (food that you eat) to enter the body cells to run your body. This causes the sugar (glucose) to build up in the blood causing high blood sugar, a.k.a. hyperglycemia. I like to use the car as a good analogy. We put gas in the gas tank to be able to go distances in the car. This is exactly why we eat food to fuel/run the body. You would not expect the car to take you far if you were on E empty. Right? The same is true of our bodies. If you do not have enough insulin or your body is not using the insulin effectively, you are essentially on E empty.

Type 1 diabetes is approximately 10% of the population who has diabetes, and with type 1, the profile is usually a thin individual who has perhaps had an illness and became very sick, losing weight and most times requiring hospitalization. This individual is usually young at diagnosis, and they make little or no insulin. There is sometimes a history of type 1 diabetes in the family and a virus or problem with the body defenses that could have damaged the pancreas (the insulin-producing cell