Driving pre pacemaker

Driving

by Lavender - 2023-06-05 19:11:11

I was fainting for six months and six different specialists tried but failed to find out why. A 24 hr heart monitor showed nothing wrong, my echocardiogram was normal, stress test fine. Not one person told me to stop driving even though I was having drop attacks-no warning just dropped to the floor. I have left bundle branch block. 
 

After fainting in a store back aisle, unseen by anyone-I had a near death experience. I awoke on my own. That was when I decided to voluntarily stop driving. I also demanded a 30 day heart monitor. 
 

Ten days into wearing the 30 day monitor, I dropped to the floor at home with a 33 second heart pause. I had my second near death experience. My boyfriend pounded on me-thinking I was choking-and started my heart. 
 

I was sent to the ER. The heart monitor caught my rare arrhythmia-ventricular standstill. The hospital put me in a bed with an alarm. I wasn't allowed up without assistance in case I fainted. It was Saturday night so I had to wait til monday to get my pacemaker-stuck onto the end of the EPs work schedule. I never fainted again-that's two years ago.

Please press for a thirty day monitor. Please don't drive and endanger yourself and your wife. If you have Uber-call them-if she's not wanting to drive. 

You must not drive

by PapaMike - 2023-06-06 05:17:23

Just a quick reply as I could go on about the dangers for hours.

My background involves 14 years in the UK police before retraining as a paramedic. 

DVLA go on about the £1000 fine for failing to update them in a timely manner, but in reality it is very rare they ever do. The real worry for yourself, and anyone in a similar situation, would be the contravention of driving law and the subsequent prosecution. 

Failing to declare a medical condition is, at best, driving otherwise in accordance with a driving licence. It will see you get your car seized,  awarded points and a fine. I say at best because that's the lowest end of the scale. It may be you do nothing wrong, you're innocently minding your own business at traffic lights, handbrake on, and someone runs into the back of you and you receive injuries requiring medical treatment (think whiplash). Police request your medical records to prosecute the other driver and it becomes apparent you have had fainting episodes. Do you see where I'm heading with this? Then just to kick you whilst you're down, your insurance company will find you in breach of your terms and conditions of insurance and will do their utmost hardest to avoid paying out.

On the other end of the scale, you faint at the wheel, causing an RTC with serious or fatal injuries. You're arrested for causing death by dangerous driving and prosecuted as such. You get jail time, suspended if you're lucky. However, during the investigation it becomes apparent you knowingly drove whilst experiencing fainting episodes from a known medical condition (its on your medical record), you'll likely be facing a manslaughter charge. You will almost certainly be spending some time in HMP. 

Then there is a moral argument and the lifetime of guilt for hurting/killing someone, potentially one of your own passengers.

You're doing the right thing by not driving. 100% the right thing. Please fi not get tempted to drive because your spouse is tired. Look to your local community volunteering service, they often provide vehicular transport for those with mobility issues or medical conditions precluding driving. Ask friends or family. Use online shopping.

At some point you will need to tell dvla. Implantation of first pacemaker requires notification. In most cases, if your dr tells you to stop driving, then you must stop driving. It is irrelevant if you don't have it in writing, it will be in your medical record. Be aware though, dvla do not seem to like any form of altered consciousness, and for good reason.

Have you checked the dvla website? 

https://www.gov.uk/health-conditions-and-driving/find-condition-a-to-z