gertie Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 I can't remember when I've felt capable of driving but since I'm older I feel I should keep trying. I'm afraid if I completely stop I will lose the ability. My family thinks I should be driving all the time. They don't seem to understand I don't have enough sense of direction to go to an area I haven't been before & that I also have bouts of vertigo & passing out. What do you do when your concentration is gone & brain fog takes over? I feel like DH is getting disgusted with me but somehow I don't care. thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potsgirl Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 Alicia,On my good days I can drive, but I wouldn't be comfortable driving long distances. On my bad days, when my vision is funky and I have brain fog, I don't drive myself anywhere. Luckily, most of the places I really need to go are close to me - within a 5 mile radius or so. jana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mountain girl Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 I do still drive, but I understand your feelings. We just recently moved so I could be closer to my job and continue working. I only feel comfortable driving around town short distances. I would like to think I could do more, but driving longer distances or in an unknown area I think causes a certain amount of anxiety which could cause increase in heart rate for us with pots, so I say do only what you feel comfortable with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjt22 Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 I no longer drive. I'm not necessarily afraid of flat out passing out while driving, but I'm constantly light headed, my vision blurs in and out, I can't turn my head without risky at least a few seconds of gray-out/black out, and my concentration level is not nearly what it should be. Occasionally, I'll venture down to the corner store, but that's about it. If I drove myself further, I'd have to be able to get myself, home, too...and that's where the biggest problem comes in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
janiedelite Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 I'm like Potsgirl. I can drive short distances. It's cloudy most days where I live, which helps a lot. When it's sunny, the glare makes my dizziness worse. What scares me most is when it feels like everything around me is moving. It's so disorienting. Also, I'd been advised by my PCP to not take pain meds while driving. I have strictly followed that advice. Then yesterday we needed to drop one of our cars off at the repair shop and I'd just taken 1/2 a pain pill. The thing is, with the head and abdominal pain I was having, I knew I'd be more functional with a little medication on board. So before we left, I called my car insurer and asked about this. They said that as long as I wasn't impaired or acting intoxicated, if I was in an accident that wasn't my fault I wouldn't have any liability. Makes sense. Many people take benzos or narcotics regularly and drive. I will still avoid driving after taking pain meds if I have the choice not to drive.I'm so thankful I don't pass out. I would be much more limited. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gertie Posted August 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 Thanks for your comments. I feel better knowing I'm not the only one that has these problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dawg Tired Posted August 14, 2009 Report Share Posted August 14, 2009 I quit driving the second time I got "lost" driving home from work (10 miles in a straight line). I would be driving along then suddenly I didn't know where I was. Brain fog, vertigo, gray-outs. It has to be early morning AND I have to feel really good before I will even try! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest tearose Posted August 15, 2009 Report Share Posted August 15, 2009 I don't drive when symptoms flare. I only drive when I know I am strong and steady. If I think a trip is tedious, I will have a co--driver or break the trip up with a nap period.Heck, when the recent temp went over 85, I didn't leave my house anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rene S. Posted August 15, 2009 Report Share Posted August 15, 2009 I was driving locally for awhile, but that all ended 3 weeks ago, when I was driving and everything seemed to be blacking out and my heart rate was 148 (I was on the cardionet monitor at the time). Also, my b/p was so high that I couldn't see or swallow and had to pull over. I had my cuff with me and it was 174/114. This happened right outside of a hospital and I went in and the nurse looked at me and said it was a panick attack and sent me on my way. No one should have a b/p that high and h/r as well and be told it's panic. It took about an hr for everything to return to normal but that did me in on the driving front! Rene Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladyt Posted August 15, 2009 Report Share Posted August 15, 2009 hi...I dont drive, miss it, but are not allowed.. And I gess that is right, but still miss it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gertie Posted August 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted August 15, 2009 I wish things could be better for all of us. After so many years of fighting this illness I seem to have lost the desire to do anything or go anywhere. I don't mean to sound pessimistic but I know (from experience) whatever I do or go the trip will end negatively. My DH is a person that loves to go. If I think I can make it through grocery shopping with him he always has 10 other places & things he wants to do while we're out. When I go I want to do one thing & go home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
potsgirl Posted August 15, 2009 Report Share Posted August 15, 2009 Exactly! Actually, I'm a 2-errand woman. I can usually do 2 quick errands, or about an hour or so out mid to late morning. He knows that if I'm going along to the grocery store with him that it has to be a 'run in and get what we need, then back out and home' trip. If he feels like meandering around and looking things over, he knows to go by himself and he's ok with that, too. I simply can't do it otherwise. Today I'm hoping to go on a walk with him, then to the grocery store. Sure wish I could go to the mall and help him look for some new clothes after lunch, but that rarely happens. I guess it's good to know our limits.Cheers,Jana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinkerbella Posted August 15, 2009 Report Share Posted August 15, 2009 I nolonger have a car on the road and I miss my independance. Yesterday I had a real turn a round with the florinef and with being hydrated 2 times a week. I feel like I have some energy today. But if I had a car I could only run local errands. If I drive more thatn 1/2 hour I want to sleep over.I pray that a small car or small truck one day.blessings and love,bellamia~ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bjt22 Posted August 15, 2009 Report Share Posted August 15, 2009 Two errands on a good day. And that means I don't have to do anything the rest of the day. Totally wiped out today because we went to two stores yesterday, side by side, and got school supplies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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