I may be in a personal fix, here. I have type 2 Diabetes, under control with oral medication. I just experienced something that has me very concerned. I drive for a living, and a few days ago I was involved in a very close near-miss.....a guy drove a one ton truck and trailer, loaded with concrete forms, right out of a driveway and directly into my path. I was traveling 65 miles per hour at the time, and loaded about sixty thousand pounds. I dived into the oncoming lane, and ended up on the left shoulder, nearly turning over in the process. Well....no harm, no foul. I went on my merry way, but about ten miles up the road, I began to tremble, tingle all over, and feel very light headed. When I met my relay driver and switched trucks, I was so weak I could barely climb into the cab of the other truck. I had to stop and take a 15 minute nap to make it the 212 miles back home. My Doctor tells me that a rush of adrenalin will drive my blood sugar up to a dangerous level. Here is my dillemma..... I'm concerned about being able to drive a dragster and not have this happen regularly. I'm going to drive a friends oval track car this weekend, to see what happens. I know I always get amped up when I get in one of these things, but I wonder if drag racing might be a bit more relaxed? How do you guys feel when you make a pass down the strip? I know many things I find exhilarating generaly do not cause major rushes of adrenalin, but circle track racing ALWAYS did. I know I can even watch oval track racing and get excited, but drag racing never had that effect on me....odd. Any input from you guys who have done this a lot? I'm kinda bummed, thinking I may not be able to drive SOMETHING fun ever again.
You may get a "Rush" from running the drags or driving oval track, but compared to the "life flashing before your eyes experience" you had in the truck it shouldn't be anywhere near the same amount of adrenaline, (unless you are planning on doing a super-speedway type flying crash ) so I don't think you will have any problem with it. Check your blood sugar before and after if it helps you relate to what is going on with your body. I don't have type 2 Diabetes, but I know that I have had a severe set of the shakes coming down after what I would consider a "near death" close one. Big difference from having the rush of running the drags. I rode an E Modified 250 Suzuki drag bike for several months back in '69 (we had the class record, 12.20 at 112) and had a few "wild rides" but never felt the least bit shook up from them, (perhaps when we were younger we didn't know any better?) but I think it's sort of like comparing apples and oranges. Let us know how it works out for you. We'll keep you in our thoughts.
Went for my DOT phiscal and they found my uren sugar was high. I had to get a "note" from my regular Doctor that my sugar was under control. Last true phiscal from my doctor was less than a year ago and my A1C was 6.4 and he wrote the note and they gave me my card, but only good for a year. My Doctor set me up for a full phiscal (not the jole DOT phiscal) and my A1C came back as 7.9, YEPS. I have been running a drag car, and am currently building a FED. I have never had any of the symptoms you described. The phiscal was three weeks ago, I have not had any soda, white bread, posta, sweets, desert and have dropped 10 pounds. I know your concern, but have not really lived your experience as yet. I hope it works out for both of us. I drive 21 wheel super tankers (gas) permited at 102,000 pounds. Attached are pictures of the small tanker we have. Good luck
Ahh....the SMALL one! lol! I pull a 53 foot dry van, hauling mail for the U.S. Postal Service. Keep an eye on your blood sugar....mine went undiagnosed for quite a while. I've lost 41 pounds, and my blood pressure is now normal with no medication, and I'm taking half the dose of Metformin that I was a year ago. They say type 2 is reversable with major changes in lifestyle. 64 Dodge, I agree that what happened to me is a bit more "intense" than a typical race in an oval car, but a close friend of mine who passed away from complications of Diabetes a few years ago, started having these same symtoms when he raced. He would run a ten lap heat race, and barely be able to get out of his car afterward. Myself, I get "butterflys" when I'm lined up in the hot lane waiting for a race to start. I've talked to others who don't get this at all, and others who throw up before a race from the anticipation. I guess we're all made a little different! This weekend should be a telling experience. Thanks for your input!
21 wheel ??? Dude you should check and make sure you didn't lose something , all the rigs I run have an even number of wheels ??!!?? I haul containers.
Likely the most cogent point you've made is your personal reaction to stress. That's also something you can address, it's a trainable aspect of personality. Both sides of my family have strong diabetes genes (both parents & my brother, all dead) through all generations but it's missed me so far. However I've noticed over the years that those of ours with a mellow outlook fared much better than the hyper ones. May be why I'm still under the radar as well, I don't rattle.
It IS odd how each of us reacts to different levels of stress. I fell off a ship when I was in the Navy....68 feet straight down. That didn't really bother me much (but then when I was 19 years old, not much DID). I raced motorcycles, flat track and enduros, and never really got all that much of a rush from it. I did a hell of a lot of street racing, and never got excited about it. I even got to do aerobatics in an open cockpit airplane once. THAT was awesome, but hardly heart thumping. But all I have to do is drive my car into the parking lot of the local oval track, and hear someone's engine winding up and down, and my heart rate goes up. It's never made sense to me. All these things were and are exhilarating to me, but only circle track racing really alters my bodily functions. At least, so far. One of these days, I'm gonna jump out of an airplane and see what I think!
It's OK, more comfortable with a chute though. That's interesting. "Circle jerking" never got to me that way. Instead, a bit boring (just me I guess). But open desert racing sure as hell did. Wound me up like an eight day clock. No idea why, just couldn't do it. Conversely, drags are actually relaxing to me, much the way road racing was. I get immersed in the moving physics of it and the speed becomes nothing more than a function of the rolling equation to be balanced.
Never saw any reason to jump out of a perfectly good airplane. We had our own for 24 years, a 1946 Aeronca 90 hp "Champ". Flew "low G-loading" aerobatics with it, (loops, rolls hammer-head turns, half-cubans etc.) never got a "rush" but it sure worked the grinnits overtime. Seems like the thing that gives me the biggest shot of adrenaline these days is falling down. Tripped and fell in '89 and blew my left elbow apart and that always seems to flash through my mind just before the impact.
I retired from the fire department and I can tell you that all the stress can be managed. When you come on the scene and some one is screaming my baby is in there you can't panic like the rest of the people. Hayden Proffit once told me the story of him driving a jet car. The car began to osculate back and forth across the track he knew was going to crash so he let go of the wheel and tightened his harness. When he let go of the wheel the car straightened out. The key is you be in control of what you do and the jitters won't get you. Roy
Don't want to get into a "top this" deal but... Re: Haden Profitt. Sammy Hale, who drove the Champion Speed Shop small block top fuel dragster (which blew itself apart on almost every run) said that when his goggles got oiled he would, "Just let go of the steering wheel," as he pulled the chute. The theory was if he was going straight and the front axle had a bunch of caster there was really no need to steer it.
I've had a lot of heart problems and although I'm pretty much cured, I was concerned about geting over excited driving a drag car. My approach was to pay attention to my mental check list of everything I needed to do to make a pass. By sticking to "business" I don't get worked up emotionally about the run. I'll keep in mind Sammy Hale's and Haden Profitt's advice when blazing through the traps at 100mph in my HA/GRa.
Back in the 90's, I was drag racing a pro comp motorcycle. I would get the "jitters" until the first pass was over. May have something to do with running 160 mph in the 1/4 on two wheels. Driving the HA/GR is so much more "relaxing", that I look forward to it each and every pass. No jitters, no upset system, just pure unadulterated fun. And hole-shotting 2B on the last run at Mokan was worth every bit of it. Even though the top end outcome was in his favor! Robert
I saw a pic of you leaving on him. Nice holeshot! Also saw a pic of you heading for the guardrail out of the waterbox. If that is correct you might have got a bit of a rush there.
No rush there bob. After putting the locker in the rear, I'm kinda used to that out of the water box. One tire gets wet and the other does not and it will try and do a 90 degree turn out of the box, keep your foot on the go pedal and it "usually" straightens out. Like I have said before, for the guys thinking about building, this is the most fun you can have with your clothes on. I talked to several guys at the HAMB drags who are building or thinking about building one of these. Hopefully there will be several more in the near future. It just sucks that we are so spread apart and will probably never get to compete against one another. Maybe one day we will get the chance to run each other?? Robert
Well, it's been an eventfull week. I ran a Thursday night practice session at our local track in a buddy's borrowed Nissan, and saw really good numbers on my blood sugar. Saturday night I was to drive a friends new Outlaw Compact VW in competition, however a severe front suspension problem limited me to two VERY scarey hot lap sessions, nearly driving the car through the crash wall during the first session. Still no major spikes in blood sugar however, so I'm confident I am good to complete and race my Ha/Gr car. As an added bonus, I impressed my friend enough on Thursday that I got a five race deal next season to drive that evil Volkswagen ON HIS DIME!!! Not often a 55 year old guy gets to run someone elses car, when all these young hot shoes are out there begging for such an oportunity.I tried to explain that I was retired from the ovals, but as it turns out...you can't quit the mob. So, I get one race a month next season, at four different tracks. Should be a good time, and I have plenty of time to develop my Dragster too. I must be living right!
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