How Can I Private Message Someone?

Thanks!!

PM function doesn't exist. Who do you want to contact?

We'll try to assist.

PM function doesn't exist. Who do you want to contact?

We'll try to assist.

I'd like to message Patrick C.

Ask and ye shall receive.

We try to keep our communications here in the forum. Whatever it is you're needing to know from Patrick will also be useful to others who read this.

OK Old School, I guess you're right.

Patrick, you mentioned in an old post that you have a lot of medical issues that trace back to your military service. I'd like to ask you questions on how you handle your hearing problems. I have almost zero hearing in my left ear, so bad that it's not even worth wearing a hearing aid.

My right ear has severe hearing loss, but it's corrected somewhat by a hearing aid. I can have normal conversations and use the phone most of the time if the person speaks clearly and doesn't mumble like a lot of people do.

How has your hearing problems effected you in your driving career? How did it effect you in CDL school? Have you had difficulty with passing a DOT physical?

And Thanks For Your Service and Sacrifice defending our country!

Pm function doesn't exist i guess

Pm function doesn't exist i guess

That's right. It's been disabled. Unfortunately some folks were misusing it.

OK Old School, I guess you're right.

Patrick, you mentioned in an old post that you have a lot of medical issues that trace back to your military service. I'd like to ask you questions on how you handle your hearing problems. I have almost zero hearing in my left ear, so bad that it's not even worth wearing a hearing aid.

My right ear has severe hearing loss, but it's corrected somewhat by a hearing aid. I can have normal conversations and use the phone most of the time if the person speaks clearly and doesn't mumble like a lot of people do.

How has your hearing problems effected you in your driving career? How did it effect you in CDL school? Have you had difficulty with passing a DOT physical?

And Thanks For Your Service and Sacrifice defending our country!

I was first diagnosed, given a permanent profile and hearing aids back in 2000. like you my left ear is the worse of my right ear; however, I have moderate hearing loss in the lower frequencies thru "normal speech" range and severe hearing loss in the higher frequencies. I rarely have worn my hearing aids. I hid my hearing loss from pretty much everyone except medical personnel. I got very adept at masking it.

The biggest impact to me driving is not being able to hear high pitched noises such as small air leaks. Some months ago I had a decent air leak, but not so large as to be blatantly obvious. I spent over 3 hours searching for it, by feeling for the air on different components. It ended up being several small tears in my r/h cabin air bag.

My hearing loss really didn't effect my cdl school. Lots of handouts with pretty pictures and the head instructor was ex military and would speak in a loud, booming voice on the range.

And the last question. Well, the skinny is that I cheated. As I have stated earlier I got my profile and everything in 2000. I was required to take 2 audiograms a year instead of the usual one. Plus the years I spent on flight status, I would take an additional one for my flight physical. That is 2-3 audiograms every year until I was medically discharged in May 2013. I pretty much have the timing of them down to a science. Plus I took a speech recognition test every other year. There are only so many different words these use for them, lol. for the whisper test, well... I have great peripheral vision. The lady that administered my whisper test, although standing off to my side and slightly behind, was still well within my peripheral vision. You know how this one goes. Hear noise, see mouth movement than put 2 and 2 together. Like I said, there is only so many different words that get used in speech recognition tests.

Needless to say, I passed both hearing tests with flying colors. Oops! It isn't pretty, just the honest truth. My hearing is not so bad that I can't fake the funk. Sure, jet engines don't hurt, I haven't heard a zipper in decades, good luck finding small air leaks and it is difficult to understand women with soft, high pitched voices. Most men are not too terribly bad to understand.

Drive Safe and God Speed

That's an exceptional story Patrick! Impressive way to adapt & persevere!! Thank you for your service & sacrifice!!