fire_lupine06 Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 Does anyone know how having POTS will effect being allowed to drive...my doctors suspect pots and i will be having the fun tilt table test done soon to confirm...but till then my license is pulled...any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rachel Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 A diagnosis of POTS doesn't necessarily mean that you won't be allowed to drive. I think that most people here with POTS do still drive. If you don't faint while sitting, and if you are able to think clearly enough to drive, then you should be okay for driving. It is too dangerous to get behind the wheel of a car, though, if you are likely to faint, or if you are to "brain fogged" to drive. Rachel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fire_lupine06 Posted April 10, 2009 Author Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 well with me the only times i have had full synscope was behind the wheel.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
icesktr189 Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 It really depends on your judgment. I know when and when i cannot drive. I wanted a handicapped parking permit but im too afraid to go in and get one because i am afraid my insurance or MVD will find out..just use your judgment and if you feel you should not be driving then dont. i know it ***** because driving gives you a lot of freedom but at the same time you dont want to risk that.. ya know? i never drive if i have really bad brain fog. I have been on the road and realized that i was thinking that i should not be driving and called my mom to come pick me up. I also never drive if there is heavy traffic.. good luck! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DSM3KIDZ Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 I can tell if I'm too dizzy or fatigued. I know I will only drive if my husband is not at work so if I need him to pick me up he's there. I've used him quite a bit I never want to but my 3 little ones in danger.Dayna Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ana_22 Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 i have only driven short distances twice since getting sick. i feel dizzy most of the time....espesh turning my head (which makes head checks hard!) so i dont drive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted April 10, 2009 Report Share Posted April 10, 2009 My docs have been very kind and didn't give me any driving restrictions. I don't faint, though. But on worse POTS days the sun and movement of other cars makes me feel so dizzy and I get an immediate piercing headache. I live in the city and my doctor's office and grocery store are within short distances. And I usually don't have to drive on the freeway where I get dizzy much faster. I usually stick to less-frequented side roads. If I have the option of someone else driving, I let them. Today my mom and I go to grocery shopping together and she will drive.Also, I don't know if anyone else notices this but I feel much dizzier/overstimulated on sunny days. Living in the Pacific Northwest, most days are cloudy and that's actually a really good thing for me! I have extra dark prescription sunglasses to wear when I'm riding in the car on a sunny day, but often I just have to hold my pocketbook over my eyes and lay down because the bright sunshine alternating with shadows and then brightness again makes me feel so horrible. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shimoda Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 You sure there won't be any problems?If this is true, I should maybe go for my license. I just figured I would be prohibited from driving. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
masumeh Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 Your license was pulled? I wrote "syncope" on my last license renewal form, and nobody even asked me about it...they renewed my license, no problem. Probably if I wrote "Fainting" they would have acted differently...not many people know what the word "syncope" means I guess.But I don't drive. I used to, on good days. But then my doctor's nurse told me that one of the patients with POTS got into a car accident bc she had an episode at the wheel. I just thought about my daughter, and my own life, and the possibility of killing some random stranger in another car...and that was it. No more driving. I know that the general DMV rule in VA is that a person who has consciousness problems is not allowed to drive until they are free of such issues for a full year. I don't think anybody actually enforces that, however. It's up to individuals to act responsibly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flop Posted April 11, 2009 Report Share Posted April 11, 2009 In the UK there are strict laws about driving and illness, usually anyone who is prone to syncope / fainting is not allowed to drive. When I first became ill I stopped driving for a year. I then applied to get my licence back and although I still faint I only faint when standing up - my specialist backed my application and I got my licence back. I drive a lot (I actually enjoy driving and find it quite relaxing) but I don't drive if I feel unwell. I have previously left my car at work and got a taxi home then not gone to get the car for 2 weeks until I was over a POTS flare up.It is really about risk - if you are at all likely to pass out at the wheel you have to think if you could live with the consequesnces of crashing and killing someone else.Also make sure that your insurance company know about your condition - they are very good at refusing to pay-out on claims if you have not told them everything even if the claim has nothing to do with your health, you don't want to be landed with a liability bill to pay!Have a chat with your doctor and see if they think you are fit to drive. If they agree that you are okay to drive (maybe with restrictions such as short journeys only) then having their backing should help you get a licence.Happy safe motoring,FlopFlop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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