Update...

Hey ya'll. OK, so update on me. I'm still on a one year medical hold per DOT , even with all doctors releasing me to return to work. My understanding is since I don't have an official diagnosis on what caused the numbness, it is a mandatory one year hold through DOT to wait and see if it happens again. My fear at this point is if nothing else occurs medically, will I be reinstated next year, or can DOT say without an official diagnosis I can never return to driving. I don't know. Medically I have had nothing else occur since the original episode.

In regards to employment, I am still technically employed by Swift, as I was approved for an 18 month medical leave under the American with Disabilities Act. The good news is that keeps my medical insurance in place, as long as I continue to pay the $67 per week. The bad news is of course it is leave without pay. Also, there is no guarantee if/when I return to Swift that I will be allowed to return to the dedicated fleet I was on. While my 2 years OTR was an adventure, after being on a dedicated fleet for 2 years where I was home every night and off on the weekends, I don't want to go back OTR. Of course, this is all up in the air until next May.

In the meantime, I have been drawing unemployment which ends this week. I have applied at and been interviewed by numerous companies in the last three months, with no job offers so far. The problems being that potential employers want to know why I would leave the job I had. When I tell them I'm on a medical hold, that scares them off. When I tell them I'm planning to return to driving, that scares them off. When I tell them I may not return to driving, that doesn't work either. Its very frustrating. However, my brother owns a bar and grill and just had some cooks quit/get fired, so I'll be filling in there starting next week. Nowhere near the money I made driving, but I think I'll be able to survive until next May.

Anyway, I'm hanging in there. Just wanted to pop in and give ya'll an update.

Glad to hear from ya Ahmalia! What a super bummer your situation is. Sure is nice to hear nothing else has happened since then obviously, but it sure would be nice if you were still driving.

I really have no idea what the DOT will do come May. I don't think I've known any situations like this where they put you on hold. I can't imagine they'll say you can't continue your driving career at that point without any official diagnosis of a problem and no recurring problems. So hopefully come May you'll be out there again!

Thanks, Brett. And who knows, maybe after dealing with my family constantly for the next 8-9 months, I'll WANT to go back OTR for awhile LOL. But also if Swift won't let me return to the dedicated fleet, I'm fairly sure I can find a job elsewhere for local driving. At least I hope so, don't know how potential employers would view me coming off a medical hold. But I'll definately keep ya'll posted on how DOT handles my situation, so if something similar happens to a TT driver in the future, ya'll will have a little more info.

Well, the good news is still no further issues with numbness. The bad news is I have a rapidly growing nodule on my thyroid that is resulting in my getting to spend Thanksgiving in the hospital, as the surgery to remove my thyroid is scheduled for the day before. Apparently the nodule is very close to my carotid artery, so of course my first question was, could this have caused my numbness issue last May? The answer was, possibly, but nobody is will to put that on paper for DOT.

Oh man, surgery the day before Thanksgiving??? That is a serious bummer! I'm sure a lot of people will be spending Thanksgiving in the hospital, but that's because you're putting together family members that only see each other twice a year and of course there's that one uncle won't stop running his mouth til someone punches him in the nose again.

Well geez I certainly hope the surgery goes great and you're back on your feet quickly. Definitely stop back in and let us know how it goes.

Don't take this the wrong way, but I would say go get a barber or cosmetology license. But alas that is over a year of training to get. A big reason why I will never let my barber license expire. Besides, it is only $80 every 2 years (in TN) to keep it in good standing. I will never go hungry. At a drop of a hat, I can walk into a shop and get a job.

I guess my point is, maybe consider some schooling for a second profession, during your hold. Having a backup plan is never a bad idea. Always leave yourself an out if at all possible. Just like when you're driving you try avoiding losing all your avenues of escape if a situation turns bad.

Oh man, surgery the day before Thanksgiving??? That is a serious bummer! I'm sure a lot of people will be spending Thanksgiving in the hospital, but that's because you're putting together family members that only see each other twice a year and of course there's that one uncle won't stop running his mouth til someone punches him in the nose again.

.

Especially after this years political circus. Considering the facebook fistfights with people the last year - I really wouldn't want to see them in person.

Rick

Well, the good news is still no further issues with numbness. The bad news is I have a rapidly growing nodule on my thyroid that is resulting in my getting to spend Thanksgiving in the hospital, as the surgery to remove my thyroid is scheduled for the day before. Apparently the nodule is very close to my carotid artery, so of course my first question was, could this have caused my numbness issue last May? The answer was, possibly, but nobody is will to put that on paper for DOT.

WOW!

Good thing you got to keep your insurance in place. Not getting any easier to afford medical care lately.

Best of luck with the surgery - we're praying/pulling for you here. Let us know how it goes as soon as it's practical.

Rick

Just popping back in with an update. Thyroid surgery went fine and the nodules were benign so not cancer. Went to renew my license as my birthday is tomorrow so it was due for renewal and found out it was automatically downgraded to class D when DOT put the hold on my med card. I have to present a valid med card by May 15 to get my class A reinstated. Otherwise I will have to retest to get my cdl back. I'm not sure what date I can go get my physical done to get my med card back because I think May 15th is the date DOT put the hold on it. I am working on getting all of my medical records for the last year together because I have a feeling I will need to present that to the doctor doing my physical. And I want to be prepared because I don't want any more delays in getting me back out on the road.

Hang in there girl, and we really do appreciate your updates! I wonder about you every now and then, so I'm glad to hear from you.

We're gonna all do a little "happy dance" when you finally get back on the road!