valeriedl - BRAVO! BRAVO! Well said. I too understand how cjole feels - there are probably more drunks & druggies driving & killing people than there are epileptics. It's infuriating. Sure, a convicted drunk driver can lose their license, they may have to have a breathalizer put into their vehicle, but that doesn't stop them. And a druggie - there is nothing to stop them either. It is galling that these creeps are out there killing innocent people. It doesn't matter what is done to punish them, they always get around it. It isn't fair & it isn't right. But as valeriedl pointed out, it is their choice to break the law. They are fools. They make foolish decisions. As inconvient as epilepsy is, do we want to be fools as well? Do we want to risk peoples lives? I don't.
I have a drivers license & will continue to keep it up-to-date. There are times when a license is needed for identification. (I ended up using it last week when I went to the ER. I was in the middle of a seizure & couldn't answer any questions & I wanted to give the admitting staff something & ended up giving her my license. It was enough to get things started for getting me into treatment.) I am not driving at this time & have stopped driving on my volition many times in the past before I even knew what was going on with me. One day I almost killed myself, my son & my nephew because I lost consiousness & came to about a second before going off the road into a lake. Another time I had a minor accident running into a concrete divider which thankfully prevented me from going into cross traffic going by at 45 mph. I didn't know I was have seizures. I didn't know I had epilepsy because my first neuro didn't tell me I had epilepsy. He said I had a seizure disorder & over the next 12 years NEVER explained what that meant or what was happening to me. He never said anything about my driving privileges. My current neuro also told me I have a seizure disorder, but didn't explain either. I finally did research to find out what that meant. My current neuro did have me sign a paper stating that I would voluntarily not drive until I was seizure free for 6 months. I don't know if that is reported to the state. Honestly I don't care if it is. I look back over the last 25 years & think of the many times I put peoples lives in danger & it scares me to death to think of what could have happened. I have come so close to killing my loved ones, myself & people I don't know. If I had harmed anyone, killed anyone & yet lived, I don't think I could stand the guilt.
So again, I agree with valeriedl. Drunks & druggies have deliberately put themselves into that condition and they deliberately break the law when they drive & yes they kill innocent people - deliberately, by their choice, their "right", to do what they want. Who of us wants to sidestep the law which is meant to protect us & others by driving when our seizures are not under control just because we think it is our right to drive? We have no control over the drunks & druggies & bad drivers out there, but we have control of our actions. I personally do NOT want to endanger anyone ever again. Yes, I rely on others to get me around or use what limit public transportation is available in our small town & yes, I feel like I'm being a bother to others when I have frequent appointments & need a ride, but at least I am acting responsibly.
I hope I don't sound like I was ranting there. I understand both sides. It isn't fair that drunks , et al, can keep driving when epileptics lose their drivers license. If you have a license, keep it up-to-date for when you need it for identification, but please, for your own safety & others, don't drive until you can do so safely. The law is there to protect everyone. And if the state requires a doctor to report an epileptic, it is not a breach of doctor/patient confidentiality - it is a safety issue. And yes, we can feel like we are a burden to others, but we have to remember that the ones who are willing to give us rides do so because they love us & don't want any harm to come to us. Please, let all of us look at this as a protective measure, not as a loss of our rights.
Shelia
I have a drivers license & will continue to keep it up-to-date. There are times when a license is needed for identification. (I ended up using it last week when I went to the ER. I was in the middle of a seizure & couldn't answer any questions & I wanted to give the admitting staff something & ended up giving her my license. It was enough to get things started for getting me into treatment.) I am not driving at this time & have stopped driving on my volition many times in the past before I even knew what was going on with me. One day I almost killed myself, my son & my nephew because I lost consiousness & came to about a second before going off the road into a lake. Another time I had a minor accident running into a concrete divider which thankfully prevented me from going into cross traffic going by at 45 mph. I didn't know I was have seizures. I didn't know I had epilepsy because my first neuro didn't tell me I had epilepsy. He said I had a seizure disorder & over the next 12 years NEVER explained what that meant or what was happening to me. He never said anything about my driving privileges. My current neuro also told me I have a seizure disorder, but didn't explain either. I finally did research to find out what that meant. My current neuro did have me sign a paper stating that I would voluntarily not drive until I was seizure free for 6 months. I don't know if that is reported to the state. Honestly I don't care if it is. I look back over the last 25 years & think of the many times I put peoples lives in danger & it scares me to death to think of what could have happened. I have come so close to killing my loved ones, myself & people I don't know. If I had harmed anyone, killed anyone & yet lived, I don't think I could stand the guilt.
So again, I agree with valeriedl. Drunks & druggies have deliberately put themselves into that condition and they deliberately break the law when they drive & yes they kill innocent people - deliberately, by their choice, their "right", to do what they want. Who of us wants to sidestep the law which is meant to protect us & others by driving when our seizures are not under control just because we think it is our right to drive? We have no control over the drunks & druggies & bad drivers out there, but we have control of our actions. I personally do NOT want to endanger anyone ever again. Yes, I rely on others to get me around or use what limit public transportation is available in our small town & yes, I feel like I'm being a bother to others when I have frequent appointments & need a ride, but at least I am acting responsibly.
I hope I don't sound like I was ranting there. I understand both sides. It isn't fair that drunks , et al, can keep driving when epileptics lose their drivers license. If you have a license, keep it up-to-date for when you need it for identification, but please, for your own safety & others, don't drive until you can do so safely. The law is there to protect everyone. And if the state requires a doctor to report an epileptic, it is not a breach of doctor/patient confidentiality - it is a safety issue. And yes, we can feel like we are a burden to others, but we have to remember that the ones who are willing to give us rides do so because they love us & don't want any harm to come to us. Please, let all of us look at this as a protective measure, not as a loss of our rights.
Shelia