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Any advice on getting drivers license back after medical suspension?
A neurologist took my drivers license away, claiming he is legally required to do so because I had seizure-like episodes. The term used is “loss of awareness”. No question, this is a misdiagnosis. This has caused and is causing terrible harm. My healthy, happy life style has been attacked to save this doctor’s medical license, it appears.
My advice to everyone, especially old women, is not to go to a doctor for summer dizziness or temperature related light-headedness. Perhaps some doctors actually listen to old women, but I have not found them. I have no traffic tickets, no accidents, no medical studies showing seizures, no diabetes. I only have my badly expressed attempt to get help for falls caused by Repatha shots, high ambient temperatures and perhaps some dehydration and sensitivities or allergies. (Multi-factorial causation for my falls.) End result is no medical help is available to me and although I understand what causes my problem now, I am not permitted to use normal driving to seek solutions. Various folks have advised me to drive anyway without a license or to leave the USA.
This nasty experience has induced a sort of guilt-ridden PTSD. Previous extreme situations involving loss of freedom keep flashing in my mind: I was a runaway kid in jail, cavity search before several guards, getting shot at, being unable to get a visa that I needed to go home to my family, friend in Russian prison who had a “heart attack” there, as so many dissidents did…and more. I feel like a whining child because I am privileged really. I did not have my leg blown off in a war. My trauma is minor compared to real victims of violence with PTSD. That’s why I say guilty feeling.
Any advice for me?
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@tatiana987: I understand it's difficult to acclimate to imposed changes, as both @colleenyoung and @jakedduck1 have agreed. Each have offered some valuable recommendations, even based upon personal experience.
One area that appears to need clarification is that a neurologist - or any medical provider for that matter - is not actually the one responsible for taking away an individual's driver's license. They are, however, bound in most states by a legal duty to report any situation to the DMV relayed in any manner to them that could potentially place a patient at risk to safely drive a motor vehicle. Failure to do so could put the provider's own medical standing in jeopardy. The DMV then takes the steps it feels is necessary to determine next actions, such as suspension. As noted, their decision can be appealed or even legally challenged, although this may be a lengthy and/or costly process and the burden of proof must be clearly demonstrated.
If you're having any misgivings about reporting what has been termed a loss of awareness, I'd encourage you to view that from a different perspective - one for which I, and undoubtedly the majority of others - would applaud you for doing so! Yes, it has altered a facet of your independence for a time, but your courage, honesty and integrity are to be admired and encouraged for women - and all people of all ages, regardless those of us who are aging - as it demonstrates your responsibility as a citizen and concerned driver.
Have you looked into non-emergent medical transport so you can get to your appointments in the interim?
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6 ReactionsThanks. Very useful info for me. What you said about making sure your medical records are the truth and use the right words is especially helpful. I will be a lot more careful about that. A lot of my medical records are nonsense, not reality but a random overworked ER doc’s guesses based in her imagination, prejudice and exhaustion. I used to say to myself that the doc had no time, that other people in the ER were bleeding or screaming in pain, so I could just wait my turn for attention. I noticed that when alarms went off constantly in my room, they just disconnected the sensors on my chest. That turns the alarms off.
One of my biggest problems is the medical language. I used the term “seizure” until the neurologist told me it is the wrong word for what happens to me. Then I used the word “spell” which is what my grandmother used. The neurologist liked that word, but nothing got better until he decided I might “lose awareness” while driving, and he took my freedom to drive on his prediction. No science there. No history there. He caused me to realize that I could not get help from him and I was on my own with the internet to help myself.
I don’t have the money for a lawyer and it looks like they pretty much always lose DMV cases here in Nevada.
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2 ReactionsNot how it works in Nevada. Here the doc must report certain illnesses/conditions to the DMV. The doc will lose his medical license if he doesn’t. DMV contacts the patient with the offer that they can “volunteer” to suspend the license It’s volunteer or else endless bureaucracy, fines, waits. Everybody “volunteers”.
Odd thing about my situation is I had no diagnosis, although I had asked repeatedly for one, so when the DMV deadline arrived, I wrote my own diagnosis, which they accepted, I guess,
Each state is different, I assume.
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2 ReactionsI appreciate this excellent question: “ Did the neurologist give you any justification as to why he believes you had a seizure?”
That is indeed the crux of the problem. The answer is he may believe I had a seizure or not. I don’t think he does. He did not say. He used the DMV term “loss of awareness”. Doesn’t everybody lose awareness when they fall asleep? And do you lose your license if you fall asleep at the wheel? How on earth would he have any clue about my alleged “loss of awareness”, I suppose in my efforts to describe my problem I used some wrong words that mean one thing to me (I speak several languages that may use the work “black” differently.) and another in the American medical world. The term “black out” comes to mind. To me it means forgetting a fact or correcting something by marking through it..e.g. I tried to recall his name but just blacked out when I was supposed to say it or I want to change that part of the text so I blacked it out and will rewrite it later.
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2 ReactionsWhat does your attorney say?
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1 Reaction@tatiana987
Terminology is definitely very important.
Doctors must be held accountable. They can't just guess. I don't know about Nevada, but I hope they're better to deal with there than in California.
Take care,
Jake
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1 ReactionHow do you hold them accountable?
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2 ReactionsAlmost gone. I would say many or most people might feel a bit of light headedness or dizziness in 109 degree desert heat like we have been having here.. Me too, but it’s very minor, not a problem. Losing Repatha really helped me. No idea what my LDL numbers will be. Next week I will find out.
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1 ReactionWords and terminology are indeed important. I had to renew my driver's license two years ago. I was required to fill out a form which included a question about medical conditions. I stated, frankly, that I have atrial fibrillation, but that it is under control via a catheter ablation (meaning I don't currently experience any ectopy or fibrillation). The clerk immediately reached under her counter space and flipped a doctor's assessment form for me to get my family doctor to fill out and send on to the Insurance Corporation of BC, the monopoly state insurance agency. I declared emphatically that I am not fibrillating due to a successful ablation, but she said I still have to have a competent authority declare that my condition is not a danger to the public. I got my license renewed, but not until they received the form in Victoria.
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2 ReactionsTatiana,
Thank you for the kind words! I'm glad I could help a little! Thanks also for the thoughts about my husband. It is sad that I no longer have him with me but we will both be up in Heaven together eventually. I hope things work out for you. I'll keep praying for you.
PML
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