Please please please can somebody out there help me. I have been in pins for months now, not sleeping or eating.
I have been asked to fill in my new driving license form and send it back to the DVLA for them to decide if I am still fit to drive.
They said they are going to write to my consultant Dr Pomeroy and the Walton Centre to see what he says. I am perfectly ok to drive and am worried that they will take it off me. If I cant drive I cant take my 2 kids to school and I cant get to my mums, who is my life line and also my car keeps me sane.
Please can anybody tell me anything about how they work??? xxxxx
Jayne, Is this the first time you have had to re-apply? I presume they know you have MS? Providing your not taking any meds that make you drowsy I can’t see why you would have a problem. I had mine revoked about 12 yrs ago but rightly so I had no feeling from my chest down. I got it back after 18 weeks and now the just review it every 3 yrs. Try not to worry too much as that can make MS matters worse. Sue xx
Easy, they are a bunch of bureaucrats, and they go by the book.
Now, did you notify them of an MS diagnosis?
They do not usually mention the consultant by name - they only ask you to name the people responsible for your case, and they may ask you to return your old licence. DO NOT DO THIS.
If you filled in a form, they will put it before their “medical committee” to make a decision.
Any neurological condition automatically triggers an enquiry to someone you have named.
Whatever that person says will be passed back to the committee.The committee usually only meet once a month, and if the timing is not good, you can be waiting 3-4 months for a decision.
They say that you can still drive using their letter as a licence - yeah, right, “I can still drive Officer, this bit of paper says so”.
It might work in the UK, but I would not want to push my luck in any other country, or use it to hire a car anywhere.
We all have to report to DVLA when we get a diagnosis.
Generally there is no need to panic and we all seem to get a three year one although some people get a yearly one.
As sue said it appears to be mainly the drugs they worry about and if you are drowsy because of them
I have had ON twice and still have my licence. As far as I am aware you can still drive if you think you are fit to while they decide,as it can take months.
Generally if you have had your licence years they just knock off categories you have never used anyway.If you do drive for a living or larger vehicles there are different rules I think and you can find the info on their website.
If you know you are fit to drive I doubt the neuro will say otherwise.
Thank u so much for yr reply. This is the first time I have had to re-apply but my MS hasnt got any worse over the last 3 yrs.
I am on Capaxone and Modafinil, but the modafinil keeps me awake and alert cos I suffer a lot with tiredness, but obviously I am not going to get in my car and drive if I am that tired. I dont want to have to move my kids from their schools.
I know stress is one of the worst things but this is stressing me out so much and it makes me want to scream.
Try not to worry because mine is renewed every 3 years and its usually just done by my GP and tends to be hassle free… Us MSers are probably as capable and more so than alot of the idiots driving on the road…
I think you have had the basics of how they work given to you. I have been around the MS for over 25 years and would add one thing I have noticed for those who have been through this process is that in general once you have been thought the frustratingly slow process they tend to err on the side of leaving people with driving licences past when they should really be driving.
So if you are fit to drive apart from the frustration and uncertainty you will almost certainly keep your licence.
One such case was where someone was driving so badly due to their condition that they were stopped by the police and even then no charges were made on condition that they handed in their licence.
Do be aware however it is reasonably likely your licence will be granted for between 1 – 3 years after which a further review will be necessary. This is perfectly normal and of itself does mean that anyone has suggested your condition is practically likely to suddenly get worse.
None of this however avoids the obligation on all of us to only drive when we are fit to do so.
I would just like to thank all of you for your replies. I only joined this web site yesterday but see that it is so so nice to talk to people that have been through the same situation and know what something feels like.
I was diagnosed about 4 yrs ago and can still not come to terms with it. I used to work full-time but was finished from my job as I was signed off to have chemo-therapy, cant understand why all this is happening to me and wont be able to until somebody can tell me why or how I got it.
So so sorry for seeming negative after all your help but am sick and tired of saying i have ms.
dont waste ur energy trying to find then. i suggest u just get on with life as u can. this probably seems a flippant answer-believe me it is not-just trying to help you to stop searching for an answer that doesnt exist.
Jayne Believe me the answers deffinatley aren’t there like Ellie says. I’ve been dx 18+yrs and still say why me and how. I don’t get much support from family or. Friends apart from a constant it’s just your MS it’s so damn frustrating that they don’t feel what I feel. Not helpful really Keep smiling through it and do as I do/say I have MS it hasn’t got me lol Sue
that really irritates some on here-i have been loitering for 6/7 years now. i like it because i have come to learn that it takes what it wants physically but its not having my determination and spirit.
every one interprets it differently depending on past experience,attitude etc-and so they should!
and glad I gave you a little laugh - it is the best medicine ever