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Quit Driving But Started Back Up Again?


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Has anyone ever quit driving becuase of their symptoms but was able to start back again? I want to hear about it. I am so frustrated (as is my significant other) that I can drive and be independant. It's really bothering me lately but I'm terrified because I feel super lightheaded and "seizury" when I drive.

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this happened to me, but i'm not sure i have any information you can use. when i was initially struck with POTS, i couldn't drive for 4 months. then, i gradually started making short trips. even now, if i have a setback, i cannot drive for weeks or months at a time. it seems to come and go. and take its own sweet time! nothing i did or didn't do seemed to make a difference. wish i could help more.

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In August it will be 3 years since I have driven. Actually, driving home from work is when my symptoms changed and got worse. I started getting very nauseated and then a headache would set in. Sitting is one of my worst problems. I think my symptoms from sitting might have to do with stomach pooling, but I'm not sure. I would love to figure that one out!

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Thanks Anoj, it's ok, I think more than anything, I just like to hear other peoples stories with similar situations. I'm glad you got back able to drive a little. but sorry about the setbacks, hopefully i'm just going through a big setback :)

mcblonde, thanks and I'm sorry about your situation too!! I never thought about the blood pooling in the stomach, hmm. I hope we are both able to figure things out soon.

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Hi misstraci!

About 6 years ago, I began to completely avoid driving whenever possible because I had gotten dizzy during a previous tirp and had to pull over on a VERY tiny shoulder of the road ON A BRIDGE in serious traffic. :o That caused a panic attack, and then I began to have panic attacks whenever I drove. Hence, I stopped driving altogether. This was not a very reasonable solution as I still had to get to work, school, etc., and my husband at the time was not at all undertsanding. ( Kind of dim-wiited, he was.)

Anywho, I slowly began to drive again...started by doing short trips on side roads and then braved longer trips on the interstate. The longer I went without an "episode," the more confident I became. Now I live in the DC area, and driving is like an extreme sport around here--terrifying! I still don't love it, but, unitl I hit the lottery and can afford to hire a car and an appropriately hot driver, I'm stuck behind the wheel...

Hope things get better for you soon!

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I quit driving full-time about 12 years ago. I was getting a dizzy sensation while driving, with having to focus on the road and everything going by at 60 MPH---it was too much for my system to integrate easily. I then spent a couple of years where, on my not-so-bad days, I would drive a few miles or so. By 2004, I just quit driving. It is like my eyes cannot process everything. I could probably drive if the speed limit were 5 MPH. I really, really miss my independence, but with POTS not letting me stand up enough to shop, and my abdomen gets so constricting if I have to sit straight up in a normal chair, it probably wouldn't do me any good to be able to drive again.

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I stopped driving when I got sick in April of last year. I actually drove to a dr appointment and was too weak to get out of the car. They had to come down and get me, sent me to the hospital, and thats when all my POTS fun began. So starting to drive again was very nerve wracking.

But I am doing it. Like others mentioned I started slow. I actually went to a park with my Mom a couple times first and drove around in the parking area, like I was 16 again. But it helped me get comfortable and overcome some of the anxiety. I started with short trips in areas with no traffic, and I would plan in my mind the whole time where I could pull over if I had to. At the time I was living with my parents in Indiana so things were nearby and no traffic. Now I am at my house in Boston. I limit my driving distance to a few miles, I go when traffic is light, and I have yet to try going on the highway. But I can say it is getting much easier. I used to have to plan ahead when I would drive because I knew I would be exhausted after. Now I can jump in the car and run a quick errand. I have found driving takes a lot more concentration than I realized before I got sick. But it seems like the more I practice the easier it is to concentrate for longer periods of time.

Another thought. I also use a program here in Boston for people with disabilities that takes me from door to door. I use this for longer trips like going to doctor appointments. I don't know where you live, but you should looking into a similar program. Its not as nice as being able to drive, but it does get me where I need to go without having to rely on others.

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