Lost My Medical Card. :(

Side note and warning for newbies reading this conversation. Take care of yourself out here on the road. Be careful how you eat, and with what you drink. It's really easy to be unhealthy, and reasonably worth the effort and discipline it takes to keep yourself in halfway decent shape. You don't have to fail a drug test to lose your job or your license. Sometimes it can be as common a thing as high blood pressure or elevated sugar in your urine.

Thanks for bringing this point up OS.

People think "once I'm in, I'M IN", and forget that you still have to re-qual for your medical card in order to keep your CDL license (and your JOB).

So if you "just squeak through" your blood pressure on your orientation physical, then pack on 30-40lbs "without noticing" - chances are, your next physical you are going to pop for High BP - which means a trip home to the Doc and getting stable on BP meds before you can qualify again.

Likewise with blood sugar. If you're at the point where sugar is showing up in your urine (because DOT physicals only use urine), then you are ALREADY IN TROUBLE, as your A1C has to be pretty high already for this to happen. I've had A1C's as high as 6.0 without passing sugar in my urine - though everyone's metabolism is going to be different.

We all know when we're packing on the pounds (if we didn't start out that way already). All of a sudden we have to open that belt up a couple of holes, or our shirts start getting a little tighter. We step on a scale and "oh, 10lbs isn't that big a deal" - and next thing you know - it's 50lbs and IT IS A BIG DEAL.

We see HUGE GUYS limping around the fuel island, and wonder how they even got a medical card -- and it can BECOME US, before we even realize it (denial is a wonderful thing).

And this professions LENDS ITSELF to this. Sitting all day, then sleeping. Having to eat at places that are way less than healthy for weeks on end. Even though fast food joints are trying for some healthier options - who wants the Salad with Grilled Chicken, when you can get that triple baconator with jumbo fries. Sodas and energy drinks are LOADED with sugar, and even diet sodas have (of late) been proven to have chemicals that contribute to obesity (and the diet coke doesn't negate the 2 big macs and biggie fries).

/soapbox...

Rick

All good points. And don't forget you can be forced to qualify at any time - as I learned the hard way...

After just 48 hours off work due to an (even minor) injury the employer must satisfy itself that you are once again able to perform your job duties. THE WAY BIG TRUCKING COMPANIES DO THIS is to make you take another DOT physical AND get a new Federal Medical Certificate and Card.

I lost my J.B. Hunt gig because I did not have 90 days of blood sugar tests 3 x / day so I couldn't get a new MCSA-5870 form filled out and thus couldn't get a new Federal Medical Certificate.

I have been testing a minimum of 3x / day ever since. Lesson learned!

Also I am eating better, working on losing weight - (almost to my high school weight target), exercising and trying to develop good habits and portable exercise equipment workouts I can do in class, in training and on my own truck. Not saying it will be easy or I will get there but changing my priorities is a big first step.

Eat to live don't live to eat!

I am 65 and diabetic since I was 50 and have tried pills , insulin shots, diet, exercise etc...……

At the first of this year my A1c was 9.1and felt really bad. We went to our place in the Philippines and I spent 4 days just getting checked out.

I have had 4 eye surgeries, 2 back surgeries ,high blood pressure , bad circulation etc...……. I was so tired of dealing with feeling like crap everyday that I knew if I wanted to live longer and enjoy my grandkids I had to make some big changes

I am 5ft 7 inches tall and Jan 1st I weighed 189, this morning I weighed 157 and my sugars are normal everyday. A1c now is 5.2 and I feel pretty good.

I stopped drinking soda 2.5 years ago , so it is just water, black coffee hot and iced and maybe a unsweet tea now and then. Hardly any carbs. I don't eat bread or pasta and I miss pizza a little but I have adjusted to low carb and eat a lot of Keto recipes.

My craving for carbs just isn't there any more.

If I need something crunchy I eat pork rinds, no carbs I remember taking extra insulin knowing we were going out for pizza , ice cream etc.... Crazy times

At first it was really hard but I don't think about it much anymore.

Something strange ??? When you are a pilot and need to pass your medical, your A1c can be up to 9.2 and they will pass you and you can fly people around. Their thinking is they would rather you be too high than too low and pass out ( Hypo )

I am 65 and diabetic since I was 50 and have tried pills , insulin shots, diet, exercise etc...……

At the first of this year my A1c was 9.1and felt really bad. We went to our place in the Philippines and I spent 4 days just getting checked out.

I have had 4 eye surgeries, 2 back surgeries ,high blood pressure , bad circulation etc...……. I was so tired of dealing with feeling like crap everyday that I knew if I wanted to live longer and enjoy my grandkids I had to make some big changes

I am 5ft 7 inches tall and Jan 1st I weighed 189, this morning I weighed 157 and my sugars are normal everyday. A1c now is 5.2 and I feel pretty good.

I stopped drinking soda 2.5 years ago , so it is just water, black coffee hot and iced and maybe a unsweet tea now and then. Hardly any carbs. I don't eat bread or pasta and I miss pizza a little but I have adjusted to low carb and eat a lot of Keto recipes.

My craving for carbs just isn't there any more.

If I need something crunchy I eat pork rinds, no carbs I remember taking extra insulin knowing we were going out for pizza , ice cream etc.... Crazy times

At first it was really hard but I don't think about it much anymore.

^^^^^^This!^^^^^^^

Dennis... don't mean to pry but are you still taking insulin?

I am on a pump. Last A1C was also 5.2 and Internist and diabetic educator want it higher. As I continue to drop weight and eat fewer carbs I find I need less and less.

I was a "guy taking flying lessons" (not to be confused with a Student Pilot) years ago (as I never did the FAA insulin diabetes protocol). Yes... quite different approaches but at the end of the day low is more dangerous to others than high (which is not good for us!)

5' 9ish now... (was 5' 10-3/4) last weigh a couple weeks ago was 194.

I was 178 - 185 in high school... Looking for 180 - 185...

Dennis... don't mean to pry but are you still taking insulin?

I am on a pump. Last A1C was also 5.2 and Internist and diabetic educator want it higher. As I continue to drop weight and eat fewer carbs I find I need less and less.

I was a "guy taking flying lessons" (not to be confused with a Student Pilot) years ago (as I never did the FAA insulin diabetes protocol). Yes... quite different approaches but at the end of the day low is more dangerous to others than high (which is not good for us!)

5' 9ish now... (was 5' 10-3/4) last weigh a couple weeks ago was 194.

I was 178 - 185 in high school... Looking for 180 - 185...

Marc , I did insulin for many years along with Metformin and am type 2. Waking up in the morning and having a reading of 240 or even higher was a common thing. Never worried about going low :( I loved all the wrong foods and just let myself go for awhile. Now I get up check my BP and pretty normal and BS at 98 to 114, it feels good to see this. It is all about carbs for me and most people. Are you type 1 or 2 ?

If you have never failed a FAA class 3 medical you can still fly as a Light Sport pilot.

Check it out if you are interested or ask me.

Dennis... don't mean to pry but are you still taking insulin?

I am on a pump. Last A1C was also 5.2 and Internist and diabetic educator want it higher. As I continue to drop weight and eat fewer carbs I find I need less and less.

I was a "guy taking flying lessons" (not to be confused with a Student Pilot) years ago (as I never did the FAA insulin diabetes protocol). Yes... quite different approaches but at the end of the day low is more dangerous to others than high (which is not good for us!)

5' 9ish now... (was 5' 10-3/4) last weigh a couple weeks ago was 194.

I was 178 - 185 in high school... Looking for 180 - 185...

Marc , I did insulin for many years along with Metformin and am type 2. Waking up in the morning and having a reading of 240 or even higher was a common thing. Never worried about going low :( I loved all the wrong foods and just let myself go for awhile. Now I get up check my BP and pretty normal and BS at 98 to 114, it feels good to see this. It is all about carbs for me and most people. Are you type 1 or 2 ?

If you have never failed a FAA class 3 medical you can still fly as a Light Sport pilot.

Check it out if you are interested or ask me.

Thanks Dennis. I was diagnosed at 35 so Type 2 by definition. Been called "Type 1 LIKE Type 2" and "Severe Type 2". (For those who don't know... Type 1 is Juvenile Onset, Type 2 is Adult Onset)...

When I started flying I saw a Special Issuance FAA examiner. He was a pilot and retired Physician only doing Special Issuance FAA examinations at that time. He actually could have picked up the phone and gotten the insulin diabetes approved (he said). Apparently he "knew the guy" who could appove it. For some reason I decided to have a cardiac stress test done first (family history, confusion about what was required)... Turns out I have something called an "Inverted T-wave" or somesuch. (My "normal" EKG looks like someone who just had a heart attack!) He said that would need to be sent in and if rejected I would have become ineligible for a Sport Pilot certificate (it was pretty new at the time). Turns out I like flying at night and with more than one passenger... (neither allowed under Sport Pilot). Also, can't afford my own Light Sport Aircraft (of any substance, anyway)...

(I have just over 70 hours flying time and just over 240 takeoffs and landings (and an equal number of each!))

No time or money to pursue this anymore... I just fly with a couple of friends who are pilots with planes now.

My Cub qualifies as a light sport , the Champ , Chief, Ercoupe 415 C model , Luscomb , Taylorcraft There are a lot of good old taildraggers out there and a blast to fly. Reasonable priced , most of them.

I am moving back to Indiana on Aug 21 and will be flying the wings off my Cub. The Cub is flown from the back seat so I put the grandkids up front and let them grab the stick and go up and down and some turns , they love it :)

Dennis... don't mean to pry but are you still taking insulin?

I am on a pump. Last A1C was also 5.2 and Internist and diabetic educator want it higher. As I continue to drop weight and eat fewer carbs I find I need less and less.

I was a "guy taking flying lessons" (not to be confused with a Student Pilot) years ago (as I never did the FAA insulin diabetes protocol). Yes... quite different approaches but at the end of the day low is more dangerous to others than high (which is not good for us!)

5' 9ish now... (was 5' 10-3/4) last weigh a couple weeks ago was 194.

I was 178 - 185 in high school... Looking for 180 - 185...

Marc , I did insulin for many years along with Metformin and am type 2. Waking up in the morning and having a reading of 240 or even higher was a common thing. Never worried about going low :( I loved all the wrong foods and just let myself go for awhile. Now I get up check my BP and pretty normal and BS at 98 to 114, it feels good to see this. It is all about carbs for me and most people. Are you type 1 or 2 ?

If you have never failed a FAA class 3 medical you can still fly as a Light Sport pilot.

Check it out if you are interested or ask me.

Thanks Dennis. I was diagnosed at 35 so Type 2 by definition. Been called "Type 1 LIKE Type 2" and "Severe Type 2". (For those who don't know... Type 1 is Juvenile Onset, Type 2 is Adult Onset)...

When I started flying I saw a Special Issuance FAA examiner. He was a pilot and retired Physician only doing Special Issuance FAA examinations at that time. He actually could have picked up the phone and gotten the insulin diabetes approved (he said). Apparently he "knew the guy" who could appove it. For some reason I decided to have a cardiac stress test done first (family history, confusion about what was required)... Turns out I have something called an "Inverted T-wave" or somesuch. (My "normal" EKG looks like someone who just had a heart attack!) He said that would need to be sent in and if rejected I would have become ineligible for a Sport Pilot certificate (it was pretty new at the time). Turns out I like flying at night and with more than one passenger... (neither allowed under Sport Pilot). Also, can't afford my own Light Sport Aircraft (of any substance, anyway)...

(I have just over 70 hours flying time and just over 240 takeoffs and landings (and an equal number of each!))

No time or money to pursue this anymore... I just fly with a couple of friends who are pilots with planes now.

There is some great info in this thread, glad I started it. It is important for people to realize how quick life can change.

I am doing good so far. I'm on Metformin and my doctor has me working my way up to 2000 mg per day. Halfway there.

As others have said, carbs, starches and stuff with alot of sugar are the things to cut. I'm on 1k mg metformin 2x daily, but with my weight loss that will change soon. Last a1c was 5.6, highest it's been was at 7. Easy to lower if you find what causes spikes for you. I cut out all soda, but started drinking lipton green tea with citrus, turns out they had ALOT of sugar in them too. You will get it under control, I'm still weak have a bag of raisinets by my side currently, but I'm not as bad as I used to be.