Hi,
Well i am posting this thread to give you all a message on thinking twice before even considering weight surgery if you EVER feel your weight is that bad, Please consider this first before you even try this!!
My dad had a gastric bypass as without it he would have a hard time living as his weight was literally killing him and for those thinking well he did that to himself aka his weight, not exactly the easiest lifestyles to live a healthy one on the road . Anyway, he like many others out there HATES being off work, even though half the time he moans about it But thats my dad, Typical moaner! hah. Anyway he was given the all clear to go back to work just 3 months after the operation and just remember its full on stomach bypass having a big scar down your stomach, so anyway he went back to work to find one of the loads he was doing (On bulk tippers at the time) he was loading sand, and the person who loaded the trailer over done it at the front and basically another driver tried helping my dad lift the sheet as it was basically caught in the sand so to speak, And as you can tell BIG MISTAKE!!! Now after that my dad had to go to A&E to see whether any damage had been done to which it had, Lifting that sheet caused my dad to get a hernia, to which my dad was given 5 years maximum for my dad able to sort this problem out, now dad being dad he wanted to continue work to which he did, and as you can guess the hernia got worse and bigger which now heās had his operation on his hernia, to which brings up my message to everybody! My dad recently went to the hospital for his checkup and when my dad asked the doctor when he could get back to work, and the doctor asked what he did and what it involved, once my dad told him his job involves pulling curtains lifting ratchets, chains etcā¦the doctor told him under ANY circumstances musnāt he lift, pull or carry ANY weights, Putting my dad almost jobless in a sense to which when its all you know and all youāve ever done is jobs on manual labour, Its the biggest nightmare you could possible deal with!!
My dad still has his HGV license, still fit enough to drive, just unable to lift pull or carry anything, to which puts me in two suggestions to which could be a possibility, well 3 but not so sure on the last one. First one being to go onto container work, as from what i know of that itās only opening the doors and backing onto the bay kind of thing, correct me if iām wrong. Second one being to train to be an LGV instructor (Providing he has the patience for it ) as he has alot of driving experience so what better then to teach someone else how to be a LGV driver with the experience he has? And the third one which i am very unsure about is my dad to go into a transport office as my dad has got his National CPC and wouldnāt do him any harm being in the office and still being around the things he knows best.
My message is, is to watch your weight and if you EVER consider surgery for it, for god sakes take time out as much as you NEED to not as much as you THINK you need to as it will benefit you in the long run!! Also if anyone has any tips for me or any advice they could give me they wouldnāt go a miss. And sorry if it is a long thread but i think this message needs to be put out, as iād rather people learn from my experiences and my dads experiences then to make the same mistakes when they could easily be prevented. I myself will be soon going for my HGV licenses, after i pass my car test, but before hand i am getting my qualifications at college (Re-taking my GCSEās and staying on for A-Levels) Not only to keep a promise to my dad but after everything its better to have something behind me then to put all my eggs into one basket. But, seriously take this on board and donāt just go yeah. whatever, because in my eyes anyone can end up in this situation and no doubt my dad isnāt the first person to be there. Thanks all for reading, ask any questions you may have and if you donāt mind keep this thread clean
1 and 3 are options, but not 2 imho. 2 is - imho - likely to see LGV instructor jobs fall as youngsters realise the hassle and extra costs involved with the CPC and choose a different career. Even now the jobs are pretty scarce. For 1 you are right, there isnāt much else to it so he could be suited there. 3 I canāt comment on, but if his life has been on the road and thatās all he knows then he may find being stuck in an office all day and the hassle that goes with it pretty gruelling.
If he can why not try the agency as he then can work round all of his problems
He may get a good little number ( bit like the DHL Nissan the container drivers they open & close the doors that is it ) poss would suit him ( yes a bit far for him to travel each day but something like it )
Ask him when he next visit his Dr to ask to go for physio & pain management it may help ( as you know from my pm it helped me a lot )
Hi. Let me introduce myself. Iām Pete and I run a very successfull HGV school in Mansfield, Notts. 1st time Iāve strayed onto this forum and immediately saw this thread and couldnāt believe it.
In 2002 I had a gastric bypass (yes the one with the scar from throat to navel) and promptly lost 10 stone. Iāve kept the weight off except for a stone which Iām happy with. Fact is that I was walking with 2 sticks and registered disabled in 2002. Now Iām as fit as any older truck driver.
2003 I had a hernia! Canāt believe how similar this story is. Although Iām lucky to have work that isnāt particularly heavy, I still slipped up and overdid it. So that was mended (thereās a lot more to that but itās boring). As I write, Iām waiting to hear if it can be mended again. Was at hospital 2 weeks ago and the consultant said it was āhugeā. Long time since someoneās said that having pulled my pants down! So Iām waiting for a second opinion. Itās not life threatening in itself but itās very restricting as canāt lift anything worth mentioning.
But my point is that I was told I had a 1 in 10 chance of surviving 10 years without massive weight loss. Itās 9 years this January so chances are I would be dead now. As said in the OP, itās so important to have the correct time off and respect the fact that it is major, intrusive surgery. There is no question I did the right thing but any major surgery has to be treated with respect.
I really hope your Dad gets well soon and finds a physically easier way to earn his keep. I disagree with Rob K; the training industry is in very good shape thankyou very much and is gettting better all the time. But not everyoneās suited to instructing.
Donāt know if this helps - but thanks for reading. Pete
Peter Smythe:
Hi. Let me introduce myself. Iām Pete and I run a very successfull HGV school in Mansfield, Notts. 1st time Iāve strayed onto this forum and immediately saw this thread and couldnāt believe it.
In 2002 I had a gastric bypass (yes the one with the scar from throat to navel) and promptly lost 10 stone. Iāve kept the weight off except for a stone which Iām happy with. Fact is that I was walking with 2 sticks and registered disabled in 2002. Now Iām as fit as any older truck driver.
2003 I had a hernia! Canāt believe how similar this story is. Although Iām lucky to have work that isnāt particularly heavy, I still slipped up and overdid it. So that was mended (thereās a lot more to that but itās boring). As I write, Iām waiting to hear if it can be mended again. Was at hospital 2 weeks ago and the consultant said it was āhugeā. Long time since someoneās said that having pulled my pants down! So Iām waiting for a second opinion. Itās not life threatening in itself but itās very restricting as canāt lift anything worth mentioning.
But my point is that I was told I had a 1 in 10 chance of surviving 10 years without massive weight loss. Itās 9 years this January so chances are I would be dead now. As said in the OP, itās so important to have the correct time off and respect the fact that it is major, intrusive surgery. There is no question I did the right thing but any major surgery has to be treated with respect.
I really hope your Dad gets well soon and finds a physically easier way to earn his keep. I disagree with Rob K; the training industry is in very good shape thankyou very much and is gettting better all the time. But not everyoneās suited to instructing.
Donāt know if this helps - but thanks for reading. Pete
Thank you so much for the reply mate!! It seems to be unbelieveable how similar the stories are!! And thank you for the wishes, If you have any advice or anything you could give me to help out would be greatful. And when my dad had the operation to remove his hernia after it he was 2 stone lighter so it says alot!!! Its just a shame because i feel iām fighting a losing battle, i would go out with my dad and be the ādrivers mateā and do all the heavy lifting etc but i canāt due to college and i canāt throw it all away just for this, I will if i REALLY need to but in my eyes i donāt see the need to do this.
I hope things get better for you mate!! And If you have any advice for anyone going into LGV instructor if you could give me some advice to pass on to my dad, that would be great. Cheers
Thanks for that - but I aint moanin!! Just be glad when the herniaās mended again.
Regarding your Dad, the best thing is to look for light driving work as thatās where heās comfortable. Thereās plenty out there that doesnāt involve lifting; he just needs to drop onto it.
Wouldnāt suggest instructing as itās something you really have to want to do to be able to do it properly. I donāt think itās something that should be tackled as a last resort.
. Anyway, he like many others out there HATES being off work, even though half the time he moans about it 
But thats my dad, Typical moaner! hah. Anyway he was given the all clear to go back to work just 3 months after the operation and just remember its full on stomach bypass having a big scar down your stomach, so anyway he went back to work to find one of the loads he was doing (On bulk tippers at the time) he was loading sand, and the person who loaded the trailer over done it at the front and basically another driver tried helping my dad lift the sheet as it was basically caught in the sand so to speak, And as you can tell BIG MISTAKE!!! Now after that my dad had to go to A&E to see whether any damage had been done to which it had, Lifting that sheet caused my dad to get a hernia, to which my dad was given 5 years maximum for my dad able to sort this problem out, now dad being dad he wanted to continue work to which he did, and as you can guess the hernia got worse and bigger which now heās had his operation on his hernia, to which brings up my message to everybody! My dad recently went to the hospital for his checkup and when my dad asked the doctor when he could get back to work, and the doctor asked what he did and what it involved, once my dad told him his job involves pulling curtains lifting ratchets, chains etcā¦the doctor told him under ANY circumstances musnāt he lift, pull or carry ANY weights, Putting my dad almost jobless in a sense to which when its all you know and all youāve ever done is jobs on manual labour, Its the biggest nightmare you could possible deal with!! 
so it says alot!!! Its just a shame because i feel iām fighting a losing battle, i would go out with my dad and be the ādrivers mateā and do all the heavy lifting etc but i canāt due to college and i canāt throw it all away just for this, I will if i REALLY need to but in my eyes i donāt see the need to do this.