Hi everyone.
Well it has been 6 months since my stroke and wondering about driving.
Points of interest might be:
To date I have not driven and would normaly drive a manual. I thought it best not to drive without a bit of paper to say I am ok.
A number of ‘profesionals’ including my GP have said that I don’t have to let the DVLA know (ICH stroke), and so far I have not.
My Optician has said (in writing to my GP) that my ‘vision is above the legal level of driving and experiences no diplopia’. This of course is following conventional testing. Interestingly my optician has the Specsavers software and so I had a go with good results, although of course the results would not be recognised by the DVLA.
My lower right leg and foot have feeling (tested with a pin!) but are oddly fuzzy/tingerly and sometimes intense. Right hand is pretty good though. No weakness.
My license also covers me for motorbikes but I don’t know how I will eventually get around to that.
I am looking at a Driveability assessment. My GP has said I don’t have to do it, but he and others recommend it.
I do tire.
Of course if the Driveability Assessment is not successful I would imagine the DVLA will be told anyway! I do wonder if that makes my position worse. Revoked license?
Comments invited.
By the way, I have noticed more recently whilst having a conversation (not with myself) that I can’t think or grasp a word that I want. I know it’s there somewhere! Frustrating!
Thanks everyone and keep pushing on…
I would definitely recommend the assessment. I knew after mine that my reaction times were not only within legal limits but were better than most other people.
An anecdote: My mother reported herself to the police because she thought her eyesight would fail. A very nice policeman came to see her and tested her distance vision, She had misunderstood the distance criteria and passed.
Good luck with the driving. Its great to get your independence back.
Janet
@Poncho the legal requirement to report to the DVLA is if you still have symptoms after 1 month. It sounds like you have been told you are ok to drive by the medical professionals so you should be ok. Read up on the DVLA website about medical conditions & that will tell you what you need to do / don’t need to do.
Many go off for an assessment before returning to driving but it’s notvalways necessary. You could always try a driving instructor instead if you’re worried about failing the assessment. It’s probably about building your confidence back up so start slowly, go somewhere quiet, have someone with you & go from there.
How is your mental clarity, cognition, if your ability to multitask is good that’s another thing in your favour. I surrendered my license but they gave it back a year later. It was still some months before I was sure of my cognition and ability to manage the controls of the car whilst managing traffic etc, multitasking.
My physio encouraged me to keep sitting in the drivers seat and playing with all the buttons, switches and peddles to keep myself familiar with them all. Basically pretend you are driving but without even having the key in the ignition. It’s also give you an idea of how your right leg/foot are going to behave. I had drop foot and leg used to drag a lot but never had any issues with managing the peddles, or with emergency stops.
That’s something else that goes with the territory of stroke, under the umbrella of aphasia. It’ll probably get easier over time or at less bothersome. But that does also occur naturally in people as we get older anyway. And the good thing is it won’t affect your driving
My GP and optician both declared me fit to drive after a month and the stroke nurse tried to encourage me to do so, but I didn’t for over a year. This was partly because my car was sicker than I was at the time of the stroke, failed its MOT and was carted off to the great scrap heap in the sky. I also received my bus pass so can travel for free quite often.
However after a year I decided that it would be a good idea to be able to drive my husband’s car if we both really needed me too and I took a couple of lessons with a driving instructor. He said that I was OK to drive so I now do so, but only locally once or twice a week. I don’t enjoy it but am pleased that if I really needed to I could.
I contacted DVLA to say I had had a stroke. They sent a form to my GP for him to fill in stating any problems such as weakness in an arm etc. I also took the necessary test at Specsavers then spent several nail biting weeks waiting for DVLA to get back to me to say I could carry on driving.
Hello @Poncho.
I didn’t drive for almost a year and had lost my car. I did not declare anything to the DVLA so kept my licence as I had no intention or access to a car.
I self referred to the local drivability centre and was lucky to get a quick cancellation.
They did tests for vision, cognition, and then took me out in a car. There was a driving instructor, and another medically trained person (can’t remember exactly what).
I passed the assessment and they sent me a report which I passed on to the DVLA which was the first time I contacted them.
I took a driving lesson, bought a car, got insured informing them about my stroke. That was nearly two years ago, and although I have to factor in new aspects of how I manage things now I have driven incident free for that time.
For me, the drivability assessment was 100% necessary for the resulting confidence it provided that I had followed all reasonable channels, and 2 other trained people were happy that I was safe to drive.
Any questions please message, good luck and safe driving,
Julia
Oh I definately have the conversation problem like you do …… chatting with doctor at the surgery he said yes most probably to do with everything else I got with Covid including all the strokes…… my friend also had Covid same time as me , but no strokes, just not always able to come up with the correct words or meanings …. we often sound totally stupid together in a conversation …. so my problem has come from both Covid and strokes …. I have to slow down when chatting which isn’t always easy
Hello everyone,
Well some good news, I can drive!
How did I go about it?
I completed a full on cognitive test at the local clinic. It took a few visits, it was interesting and a bit nerve racking, but ok. Of course a written report was sent off to the GP.
I then decided to have a number of driving lessons. It started off slow and easy, ending with bombing along dual carriage ways. The instructor was good who infact trains other instructors. He also kindly wrote a letter for my GP.
Finaly I had a meeting with my GP who was happy, entered it into my notes, allowing me to talk to my insurance company who were great.
I am taking it slowly, I am looking forward to shopping at Lidls and happy that my 2cv can now roam the roads once more
Thank you everyone for your comments.
