Do Sleepers Have Microwave Ovens In Them?

My father was a retired Army Colonel, prior enlisted who did 3 tours in Vietnam. He earned his pension / retirement. 7 years and an injury doesn't provide with an actual pension and it is most definitely paid for by taxpayer dollars. Myself, I served in the Air Force. Desert storm vet and saw time in Bosnia as well. I declined my disability because I knew what it would mean for my future. My suggestion to you is to get over your damn pity party, put your testicles back on and get to work. That is, if you're really serious about this profession and not just being a troll.

So, I might have to take some crappy local job as a janitor

With that comment you're an insult to anyone that holds down a job to support themselves.

You seem to have plenty of time while living off the taxpayer's dime to ponder useless drivel and pretend to want to be a truck driver. You could spend that time being a productive member of society. Meanwhile, the janitor is out there getting it done.

I have far more respect for the janitor in the "crappy" job than I do for you.

End rant.

Mr. Turtle:

I'm living off a VA benefit, officially called a Pension, I earned as a soldier of seven honorable years of service to my country. Right now, it's exactly $1,127/mo. tax free. It is not "welfare". Not by a d_mn sight. It was part of the deal when I signed my enlistment contract. Your harsh comment toward me slaps the face of every American veteran. You might be one of those people who would spit on soldiers at airports during the Vietnam era. I want to become PHYSICALLY well enough be able to make a trucker's income. The more I make the more I would pay Uncle Sam in income taxes. High income taxes are a sign of making good money. You see.

No, you aren't. You don't get a pension after 7 years in the military. But if you go to the VA and claim some BS like "chronic laziness, I mean fatigue", you get a disability pension. Meanwhile, veterans who lost limbs and have TBIs can't get in to see a doctor, because people (not my original choice of phrase) like you are sucking up their time with BS.

Get off your ass and get to work.

Anyway, I'm just back from my three-mile physical rehab bicycle ride. I feel better right now especially after having my chicken salad sandwich made with about a tablespoon of mayonnaise (100 calories) and the rest of the dressing non-fat plain yogurt as a filler. Unfortunately, many people in America don't believe in "chronic fatigue". Many doctors don't even know how to diagnose it. There's too many attitudes these days that people claiming "chronic fatigue" or "fibromyalgia" are "lazy bums".

For me to be able to work as a truck driver, a full-time toilet scrubber, a carpenter or a full-time Walmart door greeter standing all day long I would have to consistently be able to get a solid eight-hour sleep every night and be able to get through the remaining sixteen hours without ever feeling the need to lie down in my bed without feeling weak, dizzy or faint.

I am confident my key to success is through a strict diet and a daily exercise regime to get down to a healthy body weight and a healthy body-fat percentage. Yes, I see there are many truck drivers who are morbidly obese but still manage to be productive workers and succeed. I don't know quite how they do it. They could be drinking a ton of coffee (non-decaff kind) to ward off fatigue. My doctor not long ago suggested I try caffeine to see if that peps me up. It does. However, it gives my stabbing pains in the head, makes me feel weird in the head, makes me very nervous, makes me short-winded and causes chest pains and heart palpitations. This was just from drinking no more than 12 ounces of Diet Dr. Pepper with caffeine. I can't handle stimulant drugs.

I'd like to hear from people on this board who are in the same boat as I am. Middle-aged and have been out of work a while on disability and have that strong urge to make the kind of money an OTR driver makes.

Robert D. (RAPTOR) is a great example of it. He truly is an inspiration. He was involved in a nasty motorcycle wreck 7 years ago. He's worked hard to get where he is. According to his profile he had 5 surgeries and physical therapy.He previously drove, and now he's rejoining the industry and he understands that his prior experiences don't mean much. He's willing to do what you refuse to do, approach it with an open mind.

I spent close to a year flat on my back. I couldn't WAIT to get back to work. How many years have you ridden that gravy train, sucking down taxpayer's dollars?

I have legitimate injuries from my service that my brother berates me every time he sees me, because I refuse to go to the VA and take doctors time away from those who truly need it.

$1,127.00/mo. (The VA Pension)...

https://www.benefits.va.gov/pension/

...is no gravy train. It's a life-support system at best in today's economy. I see I will get no empathy from people here so I will mention my military experience, VA status and "alleged disability" (in your minds) no more.

I don't even know why I continue to fight back when I take a beating from people here.

I think I will just totally ignore all negative words here from now on and get busy with my "beat-obesity" regimen and reading Brett's material in between. I finally agree with you all now. Typing words here all day long will make me neither a penny richer or healthier.

Anyway,have a nice New Year. I have to hurry up now and get better....

I'm 54 years old right now. I will not live forever.

I don't want to wait too long before starting to make some decent money.

I'll be dead and it will be too late. I'm in hurry to get right out of poverty.

So, I might have to take some crappy local job as a janitor for a year or two to go from disability to trucking?

Yes. You might have to become a productive member of society and prove your commitment and ability to hold down a job without the disability returning. If you cannot work a week at a local job.with less demands than truckng, then you have no business driving a killing machine.

I wrote to a company today to ask them directly

Oh big deal. You directly asked a major trucking company if they will automatically disqaulify a disabled person. The answer will be no. Otherwise they are in violation of the Disabilities Act. What they will do is bring you to orientation, go over your history and send you home. Then it is not discrimination because they gave you a chance.

Its the same legal loop they use when involving psychotropic drugs, which I am now sure you are on. In case you didnt know, companies can demand MORE than the basic DOT physical. You can go to a doctor and pass, but go to a.company and fail. This is one of the reasons I suggest company sponsored training. If you go to a company taking Trazadone as a sleep aid, you can be sent home and told to switch to another med for 30 days or until stabilized, and come back to orientation. My sister died 4 years before I went to Prime and i admitted to taking the antidepressant Effexor then. I was told "If it was more than 3 years ago it is not an issue", and i had my med record to prove it. That gave me the impression that it WOULD have been a problem had it been less than 3 years.

And each company can set its own standards. Swift might accept your med record at orientation and Prime send you home.

You have no idea what the physical exhaustion can be in trucking. Add that to the fatigue from which you suffer...and you admit your doctors assume if you lose weight that you will improve. What if you dont? What if you get into training and your fatigue returns and you roll the truck and kill people? If you lived, would you even care, because right now you seem to care for no one but yourself.

You need to concentrate on getting well. In every way, physically and mentally.

Rainy D., clarifications on meds.

I checked out "psychotropic" online. Those are psychiatric drugs. Naproxen (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, pain drug) and Cyclobenzaprine (aka Flexeril, muscle relaxer) are both not on this list at Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_psychotropic_medications

I also take a prescribed baby aspirin everyday to "prevent heart attack" and prescribed Imodium as needed for occasional diarrhea.

I take no psychiatric drugs and I am not prescribed such.

Todd, one note about your diet. The low-fat thing was kinda debunked a long time ago. Low carbs, high protein, and fairly high levels of fats are the better way to go. For decades they preached low fat and low cholesterol meals. Turns out they were totally wrong about that.

I train hard 6 or 7 days a week. I eat more of a Keto or Paleo type diet, close to a carnivore diet - mostly meat, eggs, and full-fat dairy including yogurt and pineapple cottage cheese. I'll have a bowl of oatmeal with my eggs and I put blueberries in my oatmeal and cottage cheese. I eat almost no vegetables whatsoever. I eat almost nothing that's white - no bread, no pasta, no potato. So basically I eat piles of meat, eggs, and dairy.

Most people are having a heart attack after reading that. It's an appalling diet according to old standards, but opinions are changing rapidly. I'm incredibly healthy in every way. I couldn't train as hard as I do and be healthy if I wasn't eating right. I never, ever get sick. Not even the sniffles in as long as I can remember, possibly years.

If you're feeling lousy it's worth taking a shot at a different diet. Obviously what you're eating isn't working. It takes about 30 days for the body to adjust to a change in diet so you can't just try something for a few days. And it's best to adjust slowly, not all at once.

Getting away from carbs has been life changing for so many people, but the body adjusts slowly to that change. Carbs are like an addiction. If you cut carbs too quickly you'll feel super lethargic, almost like you have the flu. So if you make any changes to your diet, make them slowly and give them a full month before you decide if it's working or not. Everyone is different. You have to experiment to see what works for you.

I also take a prescribed baby aspirin everyday to "prevent heart attack"

But, but, earlier you stated something to the effect that your doctor says your heart is in perfect condition?!?

I checked out "psychotropic" online. Those are psychiatric drugs. Naproxen (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, pain drug) and Cyclobenzaprine (aka Flexeril, muscle relaxer) are both not on this list at Wikipedia:

:::bangs head on wall::::

You totally dont get it. Flexerall will NOT be allowed. i gave an example of drugs not allowed, but there are hundreds of meds that will disqualify a driver in many categories.

Im not allowed to take an over the counter Benydryl for allergies and you think you can take a freaking powerful prescription muscle relaxer and drive a rig??????

Good luck with losing weight since that seems to be what you assume will miraculously fix your ailments. That in years past you did not correct, but were not lazy. While at the same time you bash obese truck drivers and burger flippers.

you do not want negative responses but have oozed negativity since you came on the forum.

My father was a retired Army Colonel, prior enlisted who did 3 tours in Vietnam. He earned his pension / retirement. 7 years and an injury doesn't provide with an actual pension and it is most definitely paid for by taxpayer dollars. Myself, I served in the Air Force. Desert storm vet and saw time in Bosnia as well. I declined my disability because I knew what it would mean for my future. My suggestion to you is to get over your damn pity party, put your testicles back on and get to work. That is, if you're really serious about this profession and not just being a troll.

I am just back from doing my house chores.

Right now, I am preparing for work again, Mr. Robert B.

I am going to take that VA wellness (MOVE, weight, diet, exercise) program as serious as a heart attack from here on. Like my very soul depends upon it. I've already told my doctor at the VA just last week that I wanted to get back to work possibly as a truck driver. He told me of a VA "jobs program" that I might be eligible for. I will have to call him up and ask him again tomorrow more about that program when I call up to schedule to see a VA dietician and MOVE counselor.

Now I understand: until I come back here someday and announce that I have been accepted into the CDL program by a prospective employer or a private school, nobody is going to believe a word I say here or give me an ounce of empathy. I wouldn't lie about that. I would only announce that if that were to be true.

I beat the beer, booze, and Marlboro Man years ago. Unfortunately, quitting smoking and drinking led to over 125 pounds of blubber. The Little Debbie brownies. The pizza. The bacon cheeseburgers. The potato salad. The macaroni salad. The fries. The Popeyes fried chicken and gravy. The shakes. The candy. The chips. The bacon. The sausage. The Johnsonville Brats. The See's chocolates by the box full. The ice cream by the gallon. Going to college and earning an associates degree in computers while stuffing my face full of these things every day to calm my nerves while slaving my brain over textbooks since I couldn't light a Marlboro anymore. Asthma attacks, chest pains and several ER visits from such made me give up the tobbackkie for good. The thought of lighting up a cigarette right now puts the morbid fear of God in me. Those things are so expensive now and I can't afford them anyway. That's good. Cigarettes can go up to 1 million dollars a pack for all I care. Playing PC games constantly while still medicating on junk food when I gave myself a break from study instead of bike riding, swimming, going to pump iron or walking for exercise daily.

I hate all this geek technology. It destroyed my health. It gave people an excuse to be fat and lazy. Before computers, I to do a lot more physically active things to pass time.

Now, I have to beat the blubber and the fatigue my doctor thinks my obesity is most likely the culprit .

Now, folks I got to get cracking on Raw Truth again.

Where there is a will, there is a way. I now have to stand the test of my will and time.

I also take a prescribed baby aspirin everyday to "prevent heart attack"

But, but, earlier you stated something to the effect that your doctor says your heart is in perfect condition?!?

Yes, my ticker is perfect condition so my doctor told me the other day. The aspirin is just a precaution that doctors do for older patients perhaps because of my age until my obesity is averted. I have never had a heart attack and don't ever want to start having one. People in my family have died of heart as well as cancer issues, I told my doctor. It is common to put older people like me on an aspirin regimen these days.

Obesity is still a major risk factor for a heart attack even if my doctor thinks my heart sounds strong when he puts a stethoscope on my chest.

You're not lazy but you are hoping to fight a family over a will of their dead mother in order to not have to work and fill your bank account????

Todd Holmes wrote:

An elderly woman I knew for 33 years just passed away a week ago. She had money and property in opulent Marin County, California and I was told by one of her sons 18 years ago that I would be in her will in place of her older son whom she supposedly disinherited. She even told me I would be in her will herself 10 years ago.

Next month, I will be checking the probate court records to see if this was really true. One of her sons might be the executor of her estate and I don't want to question him about this personally.

Just in case this will business was all a lie, I will have to find another way to fill my bank account with cash for old age.

So you only intend to work if you have to. But not lazy? Not living off of others?

You do realize a will can be changed at any time. If you are in a will a lawyer will contact you. No one is obligated to keep you in a will even if you were told a year ago, it could be changed.

WHY would you put all.of your hopes on the will or someone else?

Your own statements prove your lack.or.commitment and it is insulting.