my husband said he doesnt think I should be driving right now.......
reactions arent quick enough, seems unaware of surroundings sometimes, have confused the sun for sttop light before (belive it or not)....
and today I put the car in park as I was still driving as I saw the mailman 2 houses down my road........dont know what happened......just a reaction........loud crunching and its my parents car.....not even ours.........hope I havent blown up the engine........
I have children that need to get to school but at what point did you say to yourself "I shouldnt be driving anymore"??
Posted by groovy2 (Member # 6304) on :
Hi-
I Totally quit driving because I knew I would Kill someone--
I do drive now that I am better-->
The confusion stuff will go away- once your treatment has progressed some--Jay--
Posted by sleeping dog (Member # 27267) on :
greetings. i agree with your husband. there are days that i do not drive. i know when i am spacey, shaky, confused, or whatever. there is nothing so important that is worth putting your children or others at risk. friends and family have been very helpful. also, so many errands can be avoided by arranging for delivery. i am frustrated, but i know that i do not belong on the road... good luck...
Posted by glm1111 (Member # 16556) on :
Lyme disease is referred to as neuroborrelia because it attacks the central nervous system and the brain and can cause severe neuro dysfunction.
Your husband is absolutely correct when he says you shouldn't drive. I had to also give up driving for the same reasons.
Don't even think you can just drive a few blocks in this condition because it is just like driving drunk. PLEASE don't drive because you will be putting yourself, your family and others at risk.
Gael
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- Q: at what point did you say to yourself "I shouldnt be driving anymore"??
Now. From all you say, now is that time.
Confusing the sun for a stop light is a huge sign (and that mistake is totally understandable). How much more of a sign is needed. The sun, itself, is a pretty huge signal that your brain has enough to manage without steering a 2 ton vehicle.
I used to forget what red or green MEANT at stop lights. WIth a stick shift, I also forgot HOW to shift or even how to STOP my car. For a while, I stuck to side streets but, even at that, if a dog ran near the car, I'd get too flustered to even know what to do. Had a child run into my path, I'm sure it would have been a disaster. I was not safe. I had to pull over lots to rest but it was no help.
I agree with your husband, who I'm sure voices his concern out of love.
I had to give up driving due to safety issues, too. Many have. The good news is that this can be temporary. But, that could still means months. You have to be very firm with yourself on this.
It sounds as if you may have a stick shift car. If so, an automatic transmission would be much easier - if you think removing the decisions involved with a stick are the ONLY things of potential danger. From what you say, and my experience with this - my guess is that would not be enough to make it safe but when you are ready to drive again, you might consider an automatic transmission.
Keep you license active but - please - just don't drive until you are MUCH better. You may have a few times here and there for short trips but you have to excruciatingly honest with yourself and the most strict gatekeeper.
Also, it's best to never plan on being able to drive until you are better, as we all know that in the matter of one single second, everything can change, even on a very good day.
In one single second, everything can change. Lives can be altered forever in less than one second. This is the reminder that will help you be firm in your decision to take the car keys out of your purse, so to speak.
Sorry you are going through this. Giving up driving was the hardest thing I ever had to do but it was absolutely necessary.
You CAN get better, though. As for what to tell others, just pull the "inner ear" card - say that you have some inner ear condition going on and it may be awhile.
Truth is that the inner ear plays a great deal in our ability to think, walk, talk and drive. The inner ear often gets clobbered with lyme. So, you don't have to explain to everyone about lyme, just say it's your ears for now.
Rather than see yourself as the person who needs a ride and feel sad about that, try to see yourself as the project manager who has to coordinate transportation. You need to do this or that - and you want to do something else. So, how, then, will that happen?
Who will be on your transportation team? Gather all your friends and acquaintances - after considering how you do with THEIR driving, their perfumes or car "deodorizers (poison)" - and go from there. If this were anyone else, how would you help them approach it?
Offering a little more than gas money (to cover some maintenance) would be appreciated by most and necessary for some. You'd have to spend that, anyway.
Be sure to talk with your LLMD about this. And - when you start calling for other travel arrangements for yourself or your kids - remember that there are many who have to do this and that others would probably love to be part of your transportation team.
You might be able to ride some public transport but, for many with lyme, that is also not possible due to endurance and the inner ear problems. A single vehicle is best.
Be sure that anyone who drives has current insurance. This is a sticky issue but, to protect the finances of your family, you need to know this in case of accident. I've never found a comfortable way of asking - or being sure they renew but, when I HIRE someone to drive me, I can have more authority to ask for their proof of insurance and note when to check for renewal.
Sadly, though, since I have seizures, most people do not feel safe with me in their car. Understood. They are correct. Most of their driving styles (rabbit starts and stops) - or scents - don't work well for me, anyway, so that makes it an easier decision.
In advance, you can tell who ever is driving that a smooth style of driving will keep you from throwing up in their car. That seems to get better results than my telling them following too closely makes me "dizzy" - if I say "so dizzy I could vomit" then they back off a bit.
So, don't wear yourself down to the point of no return as I did. Be sure to keep up with treatment and support - and don't push yourself. Be kind and nurturing in how you work through the grief and loss of all this. And remember that it can get better months down the road.
It also helps me to put this into perspective with how many people on the face of the earth drive, how many have a car, etc. Very few, actually.
Good luck. -
[ 10-12-2010, 06:40 PM: Message edited by: Keebler ]
Posted by Keebler (Member # 12673) on :
- If you are experiencing any of these, be sure to tell your LLMD: -----------------------------
VESTIBULAR SYMPTOMS -
Posted by kday (Member # 22234) on :
I no longer drive. When it was just confusion, it didn't seem as big of a deal. I'd just miss exits and drive down the wrong roads. While it was a bit disturbing, I didn't otherwise feel too impaired.
I don't drive now because of my nervoua system, overstimulation from my surroundings, and cognitive dysfunction.
I also had a tramatic experience where I stopped in the middle of a busy road and a stranger took me to the hospital. I stopped driving after that, even though I had trouble driving long before that. Before this incident, I was down to only driving a few miles round trip.
I really shouldn't have been driving.
People often don't understand why I don't drive, and I do use the driving drunk comparison. I don't know how to explain it to those who just don't get it. My condition can look a bit invisible to others even when I feel terrible.
Posted by Misfit (Member # 26270) on :
I don't drive long distances anymore. So far, I just have some confusion at times. I have to check and check and re-check myself.
It's just a matter of time. Yeesh.
Posted by bigstan (Member # 11699) on :
Me too gave it up in 2008 even though I own several classic cars that I would love to drive. So for now they stay covered
Posted by Florence1 (Member # 22960) on :
cant believe it has come to this........
keebler ...it is an automatic...so dont ask how i got it in park while still driving.....all i know is i felt terrible confusion when it happened.......and dont know why i did it.......
cant believe my parents have been here for 6 months to help and left today...wont be back for 6 months..........
how am i going to cope........i am devastated..........but after today i realize how much my brain does NOT work properly........
this is just awful.......
[ 10-12-2010, 08:16 PM: Message edited by: Florence1 ]
Posted by nefferdun (Member # 20157) on :
When my cognitive function was really bad I could not drive either. I would stop at a green light and go when it turned red.
I am much better now but i had a relapse a couple of months ago. I was driving and forgot where I was. Thinking I must have gone about twenty miles and not seen any of it I expected to be nearly to my destination. Then I came to a familiar place not far from where I started. I turned around and went home. That really shocked me.
I am ok now. But I agree you should not be on the road driving if you have severe cognitive problems. You might hurt someone.
Posted by feelfit (Member # 12770) on :
florence, i haven't driven in 3 years, once every blue moon a short distance....but otherwise i gave it up voluntarily.
driving is like a carnival ride to me...not safe for myself and others.....
hang in there...are there neighbors that can take your kids to school?
Posted by feelbetter (Member # 21957) on :
Can everyone describe more those confusion feeling?
I do have this sometimes,like short term memory loss,suddendly forget stuff..but I have a derealization feeling all the time,is this the one everyone talking about??
Posted by glm1111 (Member # 16556) on :
Derealization is feeling like your not here. That everything feels like a haze or fog, or short term memory. That's what it has felt like for me anyway.
An example of the cognitive dysfunction being discussed here is when you look at a traffic light and don't understand if green means go or red means stop.
Another example is putting your keys in the refigerator and a sandwich you just bought in a drawer. Maybe someone else can explain it better.
Gael
Posted by jecati (Member # 26700) on :
i know what you mean, Ive been struggling with nystagmus for 10 months off and on, and sometimes I think I see things getting ready to jump out into the road.
But today driving up the highway, there were a bunch of high tension lines and for a moment I thought they were going to smack into the windshield of my car, I panicked just for a cpl seconds...It really hit me today that this stuff is affecting me a lot harder than I realize, I mean why would I even reason that this could happen??!! scary
My 17 yr old gets his permit this week and rest assured he will be getting plenty of driving experience!
Posted by sutherngrl (Member # 16270) on :
I had to back off from driving for a good while. I realized it one day when I was driving on a street that I always drove on and I suddenly felt lost. The lost feeling only lasted about 5 seconds, but it was so frightening.
Also, I would get right and left confused, like when using turn signals. I can also relate to being confused about the red and green light.
The feeling of being confused does not mix well with driving.
I now drive as far as 15 minutes from the house by myself. The confusion has improved, but I feel like a beginner driver. Occassionally I will get anxiety while driving and feel dizzy which is a little scary.
I think after not driving for a while it then takes a while to feel really comfortable behind the wheel.
Posted by triathletelymie (Member # 26456) on :
I have not driven since 1/10. I had a couple of lyme-induced seizures (the last one being March 1, 2010) and I have had the drunk/drugged feeling 24/7 since February. In my humble opinion, if it is illegal to drive drunk, then I certainly don't want to be driving "feeling" drunk either. Hopefully it is temporary because it has really put a damper on our family with three kids playing multiple sports. A lot of parents have helped out with the driving, which is nice and greatly appreciated! Lean on them, if you need to. I am sure that they are more than willing to help! It totally sucks and has put a big dent in my independence, but I realized that it was the smart thing to do!
Hang in there!
Posted by Florence1 (Member # 22960) on :
thanks all.....my husband took both the kids to school this morning.....trying to figure out how we can make this work......I dont know right now.....but i appreciate you all telling your experience with this......it is a big part of our independance that we have to change and adjust to......
Posted by feelbetter (Member # 21957) on :
GlM: So the cognitive dysfunction sounds more scary than the derealization for me ..