Seeing these messages makes me feel that I was very luckily the way things turned out. I did not send my licence of to DVLC, nor did I initially even tell them I had suffered a stroke until I was well enough to consider driving again, and asked them what the procedure was. They were a bit miffed by that, but calmed down when I explained that although nobody had mentioned informing DVLC, I HAD been told not to drive again until I had been passed medically fit to do so. All they needed was the name etc of the hospital consultant looking after me, and in due course, a letter arrived, saying I could keep my licence. In the meantime I had been moving the car up and down the drive (about 3 car lengths) to practice clutch control etc. I also informed my insurers - who to my surprise said as long as the medics said I was fit to drive, they were happy. One thing that did surprise me when I started driving again, was that although the basics of driving came back as though nothing had happened, it was like driving a car that I hadn’t driven before. I was having to think how to adjust the heating, radio etc etc. Only it wasn’t a new car to me… I’d been driving it for TWO YEARS before I had the stroke!
To be honest, if it wasn’t for the fact that mine was up for renewal, I don’t think I would have surrendered it either…though my hubby probably would have insisted. But it’s not like I could have driven anyway. And even though the doctors deemed me medically fit to drive some months later, both I and the DVLA decided to wait a year anyway. In fact, I held out for longer than the DVLA 
It was still some months before I deemed myself fit to drive…when something clicked into place in my head. So it was nearer 18ths after my stroke before I got back into driving and even then it was exceedingly cautiously.
I would just sit in the car and “pretend”, in other words, just play around with the buttons, switches and peddles. Didn’t dare move it as I would probably have put it through the garage wall 
I just didn’t have the “mental wherewithal”, for want of a better word, no matter what the doctors or DVLA might think. At the time they gave me back my licence, I knew there was still something inactive/unresponsive in my mind, and in my view I was still unfit to drive…I’m not suicidal and I don’t want to be taking anyone else with me either 
Have a bit similar or dissimilar .
I surrendered my licence. I’ve since had a letter from my consultant to say that I’m ok to drive. According to the road traffic act when DVLA receive a request from me for the return of my licence I can drive for up to a year without there doing anything because I surrendered it and I don’t have a new medical objections.
I haven’t re- started yet.
The DVLA are a bit of a roadblock for anybody who they have revoked the licence on medical grounds because they’re in the middle of a two or three year dispute and go slow.
They were in that when I first surrendered mine, but no one was going anywhere anyway at the time with covid. And I didn’t particularly care how slow they went as far as I was concerned