Machinery operators beware!

jed · Aug 1, 2021

Anyone doing long hours on tractors or combine harvesters please be careful .
Week last Tuesday whilst knocking the barley of about 8 at night I had a severe stabbing pain in the back of my calf just like you have when you have cramp in the middle of the night .This progressively got worse over the next week and on medical examination turns out I had a blood clot or DVT similar to you might get on a long haul flight .
Doc reckons 10 hrs sat on my arse aircon on full blast and taking no fluids on board.
Downside it’s bloody painful and the next 3 to 6 months on blood thinners which is not ideal been a mixed arable livestock farmer.
Upside the clot luckily for me didn’t move to my lungs .
So if you experience a similar problem don’t try and walk it off as I did for a week go and see the quack as soon as you can.
jed

ColinV6 · Aug 1, 2021

Good heads up! Hopefully you have a full recovery.

Do you mean that in 10 hours you never left the seat or had a drink??

I always try to get off every 2-3 hours just for a walk round the machine and have a stroll. It’s amazing how much better you feel.

Sid · Aug 1, 2021

ColinV6 said:
always try to get off every 2-3 hours just for a walk round the machine and have a stroll. It’s amazing how much better you feel

Always good to check the machine, refresh yourself and get some fresh air

Johnnyboxer · Aug 1, 2021

jed said:
Anyone doing long hours on tractors or combine harvesters please be careful .
Week last Tuesday whilst knocking the barley of about 8 at night I had a severe stabbing pain in the back of my calf just like you have when you have cramp in the middle of the night .This progressively got worse over the next week and on medical examination turns out I had a blood clot or DVT similar to you might get on a long haul flight .
Doc reckons 10 hrs sat on my arse aircon on full blast and taking no fluids on board.
Downside it’s bloody painful and the next 3 to 6 months on blood thinners which is not ideal been a mixed arable livestock farmer.
Upside the clot luckily for me didn’t move to my lungs .
So if you experience a similar problem don’t try and walk it off as I did for a week go and see the quack as soon as you can.
jed

Have you had a jab?

Lincs Lass · Aug 1, 2021

The reason why HGV drivers have to take a break ,walk about and refresh

Robt · Aug 1, 2021

This is Gout season ! Sat in cab, aircon on and not enough water. That’s what causes mine! You don’t realise until 2 days later then it takes 2 weeks to get over it! Awful!

steveR · Aug 1, 2021

Best of luck for a speedy recovery @jed.

I know of work colleague from decades ago who died of a heart attack, brought on from a DVT. Your warning is most timely.

steveR · Aug 1, 2021

Robt said:
This is Gout season ! Sat in cab, aircon on and not enough water. That’s what causes mine! You don’t realise until 2 days later then it takes 2 weeks to get over it! Awful!

Aircon on = Water Bottles for me!

In my old Zetor, it had an aircon fitted as an aftermarket unit that was bloody amazing, which was because it was over specced, as I found out years later. It was like all Zetors with a big cab and I used to put a small bucket with some water in it and a couple of big sponges to stop sloshing about. The improvement in air quality in the cab on long baling days, was noticable.

JWL · Aug 1, 2021

Drive an older combine, very rare that you get to sit in the seat for longer than an hour before you need to get out and check the thing is performing properly

Lofty1984 · Aug 1, 2021

steveR said:
Aircon on = Water Bottles for me!

In my old Zetor, it had an amazing aircon fitted as an aftermarket unit that was bloody amazing, which was because it was over specced, as I found out years later. It was like all Zetors with a big cab and I used to put a small bucket with some water in it and a couple of big sponges to stop sloshing about. The improvement in air quality in the cab on long baling days, was noticable.

Been meaning to try the open bottle or container of water trick didn’t occur to me to drop a sponge on

jed · Aug 1, 2021

Yep it’s compression stockings for me now and plenty of water and lots more foot tapping doc said if it happens again I will be on blood thinners for the rest of my life something I don’t want when I’m only in my early fifties!
When the old man used to do the combining he never had the aircon because the radio wouldn’t work so he couldn’t listen to the cricket he’d be dripping but happy if he had TMs on

steveR · Aug 1, 2021

JWL said:
Drive an older combine, very rare that you get to sit in the seat for longer than an hour before you need to get out and check the thing is performing properly

BTGTTS

RushesToo · Aug 1, 2021

@jed Keep well and spread the word as much as you can.

Lofty1984 · Aug 1, 2021

@Clive @Chris F maybe pin this thread ?

startinghandle · Aug 1, 2021

Jed needs to be extra careful now he doesn't cut himself

Phil P · Aug 1, 2021

jed said:
Anyone doing long hours on tractors or combine harvesters please be careful .
Week last Tuesday whilst knocking the barley of about 8 at night I had a severe stabbing pain in the back of my calf just like you have when you have cramp in the middle of the night .This progressively got worse over the next week and on medical examination turns out I had a blood clot or DVT similar to you might get on a long haul flight .
Doc reckons 10 hrs sat on my arse aircon on full blast and taking no fluids on board.
Downside it’s bloody painful and the next 3 to 6 months on blood thinners which is not ideal been a mixed arable livestock farmer.
Upside the clot luckily for me didn’t move to my lungs .
So if you experience a similar problem don’t try and walk it off as I did for a week go and see the quack as soon as you can.
jed

I had a dvt in my calf a few years back (about 10), was due to slightly different reasons but I can also confirm it’s not much fun!
Even now I still get the odd twinge in my calf if I’ve been sitting too long, it’s the signal to get off my ass for a bit and get the blood circulation moving!
Hopefully you’ll be on the tablets though because the injections really aren’t much fun at all! Also I’m sure the doctors have told you but you need to be extra careful if your on blood thinners, It’s not just if you get a cut you can see it’s if you bruise yourself it can continue to bleed internally so please be careful as it’s always a risk when working with farm machinery!
Anyway hope you make a speedy recovery.

Tarw Coch · Aug 2, 2021

Drink plenty, if nothing else it will ensure you need to get out of the seat to stretch your legs regularly

steveR · Aug 2, 2021

Tarw Coch said:
Drink plenty, if nothing else it will ensure you need to get out of the seat to stretch your legs regularly

Tea is excellent for that

Well it is as one gets older, and the bladder gets smaller....

DRC · Aug 2, 2021

Glad I have to get off the combine to cart the grain, as I definitely notice tight calves after a while . Drink plenty though . I put it down to the weekly football I play, but worth the heads up.
@jed hope you’re taking it as easy as possible

Dman2 · Aug 2, 2021

Does anyone use one of those stimulator things you put your feet on, to get circulation going
Think they send small electric impulses up through the feet
Eamon Holmes advertises them?

Machinery operators beware!

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