Am I really not allowed to drive????

jesimae,

I went 23 yrs seizure free and I was of the strong opinion that if I were to have an "aura" or get that feeling just before a grande-mal while I was driving, I would be able to pull over in plenty of time, but since found out that it's like playing Russian Roulette, I was fooling myself. I had a minor incident in a parking lot and as a result, I had my licence suspended.I still drove for 2 yrs but I was just lucky that nothing happened. After driving my whole adult life and then having my licence stripped away, I felt like part of my freedom was taken away. It could happen at ANY time and you won't have time to pull over. So again I ask you is it worth the gamble?

Here's just one of many examples,

Did you hear about the lady in Florida that had a siezure while driving and her licence was under suspention for medical reasons?

She drove her SUV through a school bus drop off area and hit some kids. (not sure how many were killed)

As well as facing criminal charges, she will be living with this guilt for the rest of her life and never be able to get insurance.

I'm sorry but I have a problem with people who have a KNOWN seizure condition and continue to drive and then there's me who has a siezure condition that has been under control for 25 yrs and I've had mine suspended. To me that seems very irresponsible.

I am also on disability for my epilepsy and ulcerative colitis so I really don't need to drive but I'd like to have that freedom again.

Randy
diagnosed with epilepsy and Ulcerative Colitis in 1979
- current meds are:

I went seizure free (we think) for 34 years, then out of the blue had a grande mal. The doctor said I couldn't drive for 6 months and it has been absolutely terrible!

Usually when a doc says you can't drive, they don't report it to the Dept. of Licensing due to lawsuits for breaking patient/doctor privacy. If your license is suspended you'd hear from the Dept. of Licensing. That said, I would feel absolutely terrible if I caused any injury or worse to a little one because I was driving when the doctor said I shouldn't.

My family is decent about driving me, however I have super cabin fever. I'm trying to get disability and if (or when) I do there are ways to get around that are for those on disability (Dial A Ride, etc). Where I live there are a few places that I can walk to that I like, so it's causing me to get more exercise!

Elijah said...
I went seizure free (we think) for 34 years, then out of the blue had a grande mal. The doctor said I couldn't drive for 6 months and it has been absolutely terrible!

Usually when a doc says you can't drive, they don't report it to the Dept. of Licensing due to lawsuits for breaking patient/doctor privacy. If your license is suspended you'd hear from the Dept. of Licensing. That said, I would feel absolutely terrible if I caused any injury or worse to a little one because I was driving when the doctor said I shouldn't.

My family is decent about driving me, however I have super cabin fever. I'm trying to get disability and if (or when) I do there are ways to get around that are for those on disability (Dial A Ride, etc). Where I live there are a few places that I can walk to that I like, so it's causing me to get more exercise!

Doctors take an oath and by law they must report to the "Ministry of Transport" or risk losing their medical license for any patient that they are treating so if that person happens to be involved in an accident, the Doctor will not be lible.

Randy

 

 

 I think it depends on how bad your seizures are. I had my license for two year then i had a seizure while driveing and hite a parked car so i am no lomgr allowed to drive. Any way befor i was allowed to get my license i had to get the all clear from my neurologist and hand in paper work into pendot befor i was allowed to even take the wirtten exame. So the best thing to do is to talk to your doctor.  

my car is my life and in the UK its 1 year seizure free (it used to be 2 or even 3!) before returning to the road..it's reassuring to know im not the only one, but its so so frustrating, i also think ive managed to diagnose myself! (as my doctor is ****ing useless) my seizures were happening at the same time of the month so i did some research and realised it could possibly be a form of catamenial epilepsy caused by high levels of estrogen; in the body from a contraceptive....ive trialled a new contraceptive and no seizures since! if only i could fight in court to prove ive found the problem and solved it! and to get my freedom back!

It doesn't look like anyone has posted here in some time, & I hope if anyone does read this from earlier postings they are up and driving again!

I'm 20 years old and just had my first seizure. I was told I cannot drive for 6 months and I plan to obey that. Even though every day I get so close to driving myself. Like, what are the chances I have another one while driving, ya know? But I continue to not drive because hurting someone else over my anger and frustration is not worth it.

This has been the most frustrating thing that has ever happened to me. And to make it even more frustrating, no one can tell me WHY I had a seven minute seizure out of no where. I've always been a healthy, athletic person! Why would me body defeat me like this? I can't seem to find an answer. ALL I want to do is drive!!

It's my last summer of college and I have to spend it mostly at home because I have to rely on others to drive me around. Granted, my friends have been wonderful and have helped me out a ton, but that doesn't make it any easier or any less frustrating. Driving has been the one thing I have ALWAYS enjoyed. I'm a good driver, a safe driver! I've always been the one in the friend group to drive, literally everywhere!! I was always the driver. I'm good with directions and like challenging myself when going to new places. Everything about driving I enjoyed. It was my alone time to get my mind off of things.

Now, I'll go sit in my car and think about pulling out of my driveway. How easy would it be just to take myself around the block once or twice, right? Wrong I guess. Most accidents happen within a mile of home!! I suppose it is just not worth it. I just hate relying on others as my means of transportation, I never want to ask anyone for a ride or burden anyone with the tasks that I need to get done. But I need to go to the bank! and the grocery store! and my drs. appointment! and school, and the gym!! None of which I can do on my own time, not to mention I feel guilty when I have to ask or when I get frustrated because my friends are not on the same time schedule that I'm on. It's selfish but just so frustrating. I'm just frustrated with my body and my brain and every morning when I wake up, and every night when I go to bed I tell myself "It's never going to happen again. It's never going to happen again." I'm not sure who I'm trying to convince but I'm hoping if I speak it into existence enough it really won't happen again. Six months is not very long in the grand scheme of everything, but it feels like eternity when the ability to go places on your own time is ripped out from underneath you. Everything happens for a reason and that is something I strongly believe, right now I'm just not quite sure what that reason is.

It's been 26 days since my seizure and I have a little over 5 months to go. My last college summer will be over and I will be graduating college when I am able to drive again (if I don't have another one before then). I hope that this is not my new normal and I hope that this was only a freak accident. This forum helps a lot, as I felt very alone. I have wonderful family and friends supporting me, but hearing "it isn't that bad" from someone who can walk out to their car and drive away is extremely frustrating and makes me feel like no one really gets it. Am I being over dramatic?? Does this get easier or harder over the next five months? Will I really not operate a vehicle until then?? I suppose I won't. And you know what, I'll be darn proud of myself when I do hit my six month mark. I'll do it with grace and I will do it thankful that I am still here at all.


I will wait for the day that I can sleep in peace again, without the image of myself on the ground mid seizure. I will wait for the day that I can walk around, not thinking about what I would hit my head on if I took a fall right then and there. I will wait for the day that I can walk around without questioning every odd feeling that comes across me, wondering if it is the same aura I felt minutes before my seizure. I will wait the next 5 months out and everyday I will continue to say that it will not happen again. It. Will. Not. Happen. Again. And I will continue to feel frustrated at the fact that I cannot do anything on my own but I will also continue to find the positive in this situation. I am here! I am alive!! And I am NOT the only one. Either way, I will get through this. Only a little more than 5 months to go!! Anyways, this just turned into a major rant but it feels good to write it down and it feels good to see that others have gone through the same thing, even if majority of these were 8 to 9 years ago. I got this, you got this, we got this.





I made some paragraphs to make your post easier to read.

Post Edited By Moderator (straydog) : 6/29/2018 7:45:22 AM (GMT-6)

I normally post on the pain forum but feel compelled to offer an opinion on this most important topic - “Am I really not allowed to drive?”

I have a brother who has had with generalized grand mal seizures since the age of two. Uncontrolled with medication nor with deep brain stimulation. My brother is now 60 years of age. He has never driven a car, never been behind the wheel. He is fluent with the use of Portland, Oregon’s light rail system and walks extensively as his modes of transportation.

I am of frail health and have voluntarily relinquished my keys.

Bottom Line: Driving is a privilege. Driving is not a right.

A known seizure disorder places you at risk behind the wheel of a car to injure others.

Anyone who feels that they are entitled to drive against medical advice and local laws needs a serious reality check.

To which I suggest you Google search the recent case in Park Slope, New York. In March, 2018 a woman with a known seizure disorder who had been counseled by her physician not to drive killed two young children and seriously injuries both of the children’s mothers.

Here is the story . . .

Dorothy Burns was ideling at a stop light when she suffered a seizure, sending her Volvo at rapid acceleration through an intersection when her convulsions caused her foot to apply sustained pressure on the gas peddle. Joshua Lew, age 2, was killed when his stroller was dragged under the moving Volvo. Abigail Blumstein, age 4, suffered fatal chest and head injuries. Abigail’s mother was critically wounded, but survived.

Abigail’s mother was pregnant at the time of the accident. The fetus was miscarried a few months after the accident, this past October 2018.

Dorothy Burns was charged with negligent manslaughter as driver. She was awaiting trial and sentencing. The incredible sorrow of events lead Dorothy to commit suicide by a self-induced medication overdose as reported in the news a few weeks ago.

The immediate toll: Two young children killed. A mother critically injured. A fetus miscarried. A life lost to suicide in the aftermath.

Getting behind the wheel of a car (gross weight of several thousand pounds) if you have a known seizure disorder is an supremely unwise choice to make. It is a selfish mind-set.

Walk or use public transportation. Hire a cab. Use the services of Lyft or Uber. Or reach out to friends and relatives and ask for transportation and ride sharing.
Karen