I have just received a letter from the DVLA regarding my HGV licence and wether Im able to continue to drive a truck. They want me to have an assessment by my neuro, which they will pay for. I still work in the transport industry but more office based, no driving.
My dilema is should I persist and try to keep my licence in case I do need to drive for a living again. I have been diagnosed for nearly a year and my balance is currently poor, I would not attempt to drive any thing bigger than a car at present but would like to keep my licence just in case i need it in the future.
Has anyones balance improved over time ? mine has stayed poor since diagnosis. And is it worth bothering my neuro with all this, as the DVLA have asked, im sure he has better and more important things to do.
YOU are important and its part of his job to do his best by/for you!
re driving whats ur gut feeling? i am guessing u wouldnt attempt any driving if u didnt feel safe. if thats the case then the decision is made for u cos u have a concious!
however if u think ur balance may improve (i have never heard of that happening but…)
not easy at all-where have i left my crystal ball?
Mick Your entitled to the assessment and neuros have nothing better to do than look after us, I’m await DVLA decision on license and I will fight it if I beliEve it to be wrong, wouldn’t drive if I didn’t think I was safe. So keep your license and good luck. Gray Ps … So many people you see aren’t fit to be on the road, but because they don’t have a disease , they don’t have to answer to the DVLA
Your balance is unlikely to improve spontaneously. However, if you can get an appointment with a physio (ask your MS nurse or your GP to refer you), s/he may be able to give you exercises that will help. I’ve got a set of exercises to do at home, they take me 10 - 15 minutes per day, 5 days a week, and they are intended to strengthen my core muscles and improve my balance. They’re working: I’m walking more steadily and using my walking stick less at work, and I’ve been doing these exercises less than 3 months.
If you can’t find a physio, then look on the internet: searching “MS exercises” will throw up lots of results. The advantage of my physio is he can check I’m doing the exercises correctly.
Mitzi has taken the words out of my mouth! You can improve your balance with the right exercises. I didn’t have access to a physio five years ago but I did discover yoga and that helped with my balance which wasn’t too badly affected. However last year’s relapses left me very wobbly and I saw a neuro physio in January this year (there is a long waiting list in my area and, I suspect, in most of the country).
She gave me some exercises and when I had mastered one level, she gave me some slightly more difficult ones. I have noticed the difference in my balance and, although it isn’t perfect, I don’t look drunk so often and don’t need my stick for short distances. If I am unwell (with a high temperature, for instance) my balance immediately deteriorates but at least I know that it is a short term thing now and I am still doing the exercises regularly to keep my balance stable.
Thanks for the replies all. I think its worth going for the assessment, it took a lot of time and money to get my hgv in the first place and maybe I will be able to keep i.
I have had physio who gave me exercises for core strength which I do regularly and are helpful but dont get rid of balance problems all together…maybe one day eh.