At times before treatment I could not speak a word. I sounded like a stroke victim. This made it difficult, but not impossible to work. I drive a taxicab and need to communicate with the dispatcher and passengers. The inability to communicate could have created safety issues. What if I needed to call for help? Sometime a cab driver needs to raise his or her voice to defuse a potentially violent situation. One needs to project aggressiveness to avoid escalating some situations further. It is a disadvantage if weakness is perceived. Without the ability to scream at a passenger, I might need to take physical action where a loud voice might have sufficed.

There is a affect on ones social life. In my case I drive a taxicab on the graveyard shift, always weekends. This tends to be a rather isolating lifestyle. Friends and family are on a day-cycle, so it is already difficult to connect with them. Add to this the inability to speak and the the isolation is intensified. One cannot even stay in touch with friends on the phone.

-Mark-