driving

[LuminaryLucy]

i got my licence back today

should be a joyous moment, except

i lied.

things are better. my meds control things fairly well but i have had a few mild seizures after i have done too much. the law says i have to go 3 months without a single seizure or we start the whole process again!

it only takes 1 and it goes again

so i am feeling as guiltly as hell but i have warning my seizure episodes take ages to come on and people can see it a mile away - so as long as i am sensible and don't drive on those days and take care of myself and prevent my triggers i should be ok.

it has been too hard a year on my family trying to deal with this and being able to drive just to a few things would ease the strain.

what are your thought or experiences?

[Nakamova]

Well, I'm not encouraging this behavior in others, but except for after the very first tonic-clonics I had, I've never stopped driving post-seizure. Here the law is 6 months. They don't take your license away, the doctors aren't required to tell the Department of Motor Vehicles, and for that matter, I'm not required to tell the doctors if I've had a seizure. So I've continued to drive. That said, it's been a very carefully considered choice. (Right now I'm legal anyway, since it's been some time since I've had a seizure.)

You may feel guilty as hell, but I'm sure you've carefully considered the pros and cons, including the stress of not being allowed to drive. I understand your decision, and hope it's the right decision for you.

Best,
Nakamova

[Epiphany]

Lucy,
the doctors here can legally take away my lisence for 6 months but have just warned me not to drive....when I first got sick as long as I was at home in the bed I was fine so me and hubby agreed I could make it 2 miles to pick up our son from school...bad idea for me my first trip I started convulsing halfway there and had to call him to come get me from work...it's a strain on the whole family when one partner can't drive. If you feel you can do it that the warning signs are there then you do what you can for your family. I know I can't it's a trigger for me to even get in a car which I hate Its such a burden and that being said I support you however please be very careful but as for being guilty you can leave that feeling by the curb honey tgat is one thing you certainly shouldn't have to feel

[Rae1889]

Yes this whole matter ticks me off too. I have just lost my license for a year. I can lie and say that i havent had a seizure in a while. but that's too obvious when I land in the hospital. But who's to say that after i have gone that whole year and drove 3 months that I wont have another seizure? who's to say it wont happen when I'm driving. I think the laws should be based on the person's perception as well as the neurologists.

[epileric]

I think the laws should be based on the person's perception as well as the neurologists.

The problem is that the perception of the person having the seizures isn't always accurate.

I just found out that I do lose control of my body during a seizure but I have no recollection of it. Someone else had to tell me what happened when I asked them how they knew I had a seizure. I'm almost 50 & when I told my mom that my seizures have been evolving she said that my seizures were always like that, even as a kid yet I had no idea.

It feels weird to have not known that about myself for so long but it makes my point that just because we're the ones having the seizures doesn't mean we know them best.

[Meetz1064]

understand where you're coming from, but at the same time......it's hard to.

My seizures are entirely nocturnal, and because one does not sleep when one drives, my neurologist does not have to do anything about reporting my seizures. And I refuse to drive if I'm tired.

I, however, choose to take MYSELF off the road when I don't feel sure of how things are going. There have been times that I just felt.........OFF. I called the doctor, got in, had bloodwork done, and voila'!!! Guess what? Suddenly my levels were too low even though I was still taking the prescribed dosage. THAT'S when I pull MYSELF off the road. I'm not going to risk anything.......

YUP, it's annoying as begeezers. No doubt about that. But......that's what I do. And trust me, the public transportation here isn't great either.....

[Miss M]

My neurologist put it very bluntly.....if you drive during the time your notified that your not allowed too and kill someone......guess where your going? straight to jail and i wont be able to do a thing to help you.

That was enough for me not to drive for the last 6 months until i got the go ahead yesterday....still have to consider a few things before i drive again though.

They say it is like falling off a bike....it's not, i went for a quick drive round the back streets today as i was nervous about driving again... i noticed my judgement is out, noticing little things like braking a bit quick and staying in compelte control....just out of practise i guess but even so, its a big risk.

Miss M.

[skillefer]

Hi Lucy! I have history of grand mals. I have to drive. It's not a matter of wanting to or not...it's a matter of lack of public transportation, and my family needing my income in order to survive. And by survive I mean have a roof over the head and food on the table...I'm not talking about having cable and other extras...like cell phones...I'm talking basics like beans, rice, electricity, water, etc....I don't like having to fib...and heaven knows I do make sure that I don't drive on days when I'm not feeling good...but it's hard. And I don't enjoy driving. But it's a choice I've been forced to make. Do I drive or let my family go without food and shelter?

[LuminaryLucy]

Thanks everyone for your comments.

I am driving and have lost heaps of confidence in it after not doing so for all year, also the words my neurologist left me with when she declared me fit to drive was the meds are doing their job but its not perfect and i could have a seizure anyway. so i drive around like i'm walking on eggshells - very nerve wracking.

The only thing that i am learning is that everyone is different. in 5 years it might be ok for me to lie and keep driving because this could all settle down and the meds do their job, or maybe for me it will stay as topsy turvy as this whole year has been and i may never be able to go more than the legal 3 months (in my country) without having a seizure. i don't know and can't quite get my head around this circumstance. some days i even lapse back into denial and think that 2 out 3 eegs isn't 100% proof.

anyway - i felt so guilty driving. but i am. i need to a little bit and i justify it as there are more people who get behind the wheel of a car either drunk or on drugs than people with epilepsy who need to.

[Chatter-box]

Lucy, Skillefer said exactly what it is like for me, too. If I didn't drive my family would not have food or anything else. I only have a part time job as a merchandiser covering 4-5 counties for little enough pay but you can imagine what we would be without even that. There is no public transportation in this county at all and I have to cover several hundred miles per day some weeks. Have I lied about seizures? I have complex partial seizures and I've never had one while driving and have enough warning that I would have time to stop first. There are times when using the "don't ask, don't tell" routine gets to me though, and I fall into anger at both the system and myself that it has to be so. It would sure be better to let these decisions be individual rather than force a group standard on us. You know, Lucy, it is not the seizures that get to me. It is being forced to fight that system with lies. I have to drive and that bottle of Lamictal is a driver's licence but it still gets to me at times. This Spring I'll need to go back to get that perscription renewed and I can see I will be as resentful and angry at myself for lieing as I was last Spring. I am not looking forward to the anger I know is comming. I so much wish I could tell it like it is, but that can't happen. My family would loose everything without my income. The lies get to me sometime, but I have a perfectly clean driving record with no accidents, tickets, or points for over 30 years. I am a good driver seizures or not and I do what I have to do. But I hate having to lie to do it.