Really sorry to read your latest post - I think it's terrible that one so-called "expert" can have so much say (especially if it is inaccurate) when something as life-changing as this is at stake. I don't blame you for being so annoyed. Hopefully, when you appeal, you can get your neurologist to vouch for you.
Looking forward - from what I can gather, the assessment lasts about 4 hours - 3 of which are theory/oral with an hour's actual practical driving. I would think that, over this sort of period, any problems that anyone has would become fairly evident to an experienced driving assessor.
Even then, if successful, as I understand it, the final decision rests with the DVLA to decide whether to issue a licence or not.
So it's not going to be an easy ride for either of us - but there again, nothing is when you have PD!
Talk to the PUK helpline about this as, if you were wrongly described by your health professionals then there may be another - faster route to getting this sorted out. I don't know if the neuro/pd nurse can retract their wrong info and support your correct application??
See the PD nurse tomorrow armed with poise and confidence and state that the inaccurate info has had BIG consequences for you and you need her support to rectify it ASAP!!
DVLA can only go on the info they are given, but if that isn't right the wrong people get banned from driving - one assumes it happens the other way round too and those who should have been banned get to keep their licence!!
So errors in the documents must be taken seriously by DVLA and they must have an avenue for complaints and corrections when the application is not accompanied by correct facts.....
Good luck - and channel your frustration into correcting/complaining about and then hopefully continuing to drive.
Thank you Keld, for the good advice. The situation goes from bad to worse.....
Emailed my neurologist this afternoon, to ask when I was supposed to have developed nystagmus and pointed out other inaccuracies. He replied very quickly saying the report should never have been sent, as it was sent unread by him. Also, it wasn't his usual secretary who wrote it and had mistakenly written 'nystagmus', instead of 'unsteadiness' !!!!
Can you believe the incompetence?
I might just sit in the hospital tomorrow, until they give me a proper report to take away with me!!
I think that would be a perfectly reasonable course of action to take given the awful worry you have been subjected to....good luck
I was seen by a number of specialists in connection with the whiplash claim from a car accident which also precipitated symptoms of PD. The inaccuracies were legion and for every one I had pages of corrections to make to their reports.
Thank you Keld. This forum supplies such good advice and gives people the confidence to tackle issues such as mine.
I have just emailed the DVLA with the latest admission from my neuro.
Once I have my driving licence back, (thinking positively, you see!), I may take action over this matter. The stress and worry it has caused, is enormous. And in the meantime, I'm stuck out here in the sticks, with no transport!
Yes I had to have a assessment , basicly a short driving test ,it was in two parts a interview and knowledge test then 1 week later a driving test, now when i tell you I had been driving for fifty years and possesed licences for 17 classes of vehicle I WAS confident I would sail through no probs ,, mistake I WAS shocked at my level of competance and awareness and failed miserably,,, I have not driven since and I miss it like hell; so brush up on the HIGHWAY CODE and sharpen your skills you will need them.
Saw the PD nurse today and took hubby with me. He was totally ignored, even when he backed me up on certain inaccuracies, on my last report.
I remained calm and put my grievances across, pleasantly and politely. It was like talking to a programmed robot.......excuses for everything and not an apology in sight. Couldn't really vent my feelings, as I need a good, positive write up from today, to send to the DVLA! I can expect a report, early next week. (Decided not to sit it out and wait!)
Needless to say, once this is over and sorted out, I'm changing hospitals!
I have always believed that sometimes people are unable to respond as they should...eg. "apologies for my error"...but it doesn't mean that they haven't heard what you said, and on the inside feel very inadequate.....and then DO the right thing!! (and feel bad about their actions that they are unable to acknowledge !!)
Hopefully that PD nurse has recognised to herself that she needs to rectify things for you - and is writing a report that does just that.
You're right - no point getting cross now...but a written complaint later will help make their practise better by making them look at what happened. If you put it in writing later on and copy it to various people involved and your GP, they can't ignore it - and will have to address what happened......
Just an update, Still waiting for the results from DVLA, last telephone call that I made to them resulted in them informing me that the DVSA have not forwarded the results (which I passed with flying colours), back the the DVLA....Then I suppose it will be another 6 weeks before they update their system and decide the next step. This way it will soon be a Year in processing the 1 Years License. So frustrating the un certainty of the system.....
So sorry for all your own comments and experiences, perhaps the DVLA should consider peoples needs and respect that they are all sensible enough to decide when not safe to drive anymore. What ever the circumstances in health and life. I know that if I became a danger to me or my family or anyone else, thought I am no longer safe to drive then the time to stop would happen immediately.. But the DVSA stated good results all round apart from the 3point turn, which was more like a 6-7 point turn LOL.
Lets all hope things are resolved for all as would like and hope for. x
I an how to selllm very slow ths moenbd as i have forgtte so [ please eus deasee myselleen I AM DESPERATELT WORRIED about this, Now U will I hnow deasr oh loddhell ok then seeeece drivng when you kno you rea a danger to ourekf or maw impawelntleeee otha fols I knew I had lost all my skills wheb l took that imple text you have no idea how frustratinglyang eryness try using that wergd in srabble but by far the orst arspect of mot being able to derive is my wife has to dribe mre every ware now that is frustrating Jen very very frustratingk???? nnvrd
asuwillsee whaet mistakes I have mead my inyellecyt would appear to be dissapering OTan hervy
Sorry to hear that you're feeling worried. If you need some advice about driving licence issues or would just like to talk things through with someone please call our Helpline on 0808 800 0303. Our advisors would be happy to offer help and support. We're open from Monday-Friday: 9am-7pm and Saturday: 10am-2pm.
Thankyou for offering assistance but I am past the point of no return Edwina.and though I would be delighted to turn back time and recover from this horrible disease and do things like walking 10mls for fun or to raise dosh for PD research, wash our little TOYOTA YARIS I used to love washing and polishing it making it look like new,its never been washed for 14 months , October 22 2013 was the last time I just cant seem to care or pay attention to important things like my marriage my dear Lady or more descriptive would be my Angel is growing more distant as each day passes and I would not blame her if she left me Edwina, the Obsessive package that BLACKHEART PD MAX,EXTREME PREDUDICE MK 33 my description by the way is very destructive,also after 4 years of anti prostate treatment using implants the decision was maid to end ongoing meds as my SA level had dropped to safe mode this of course is good news yes. but if I told you that the drugs used to stop the prostate also demolished my libido and as a result our sex life ended ,well 7yrs ago,and we ended up in separate bed rooms and just drifted further and further apart physically ,now I know that my next words will have many who read this post saying to theselves,(what a plonker) and with the benefit of that wonderful capacity we have of wise after ,,hindsight,,well it was decided that my wife could well there is only one way to say this ,,seek satisfaction with a friend , I have posted mail on this sad situation before, well my bro FEDEX did, anyway it worked well and everyone settled in to their new roles ,but that was then ,
I too had to wait a long time for my licence to come back, I sent it to the DVLA at least two months in advance, the licence itself ran out on the 14th November 2015 I finally got it back in December and I was lucky I was given it back and for 5 years this time but if my Meds changed I had to let them know. Every time I sent my licence to be renewed I used to dread the outcome. I would have bee upset, angry all the things you are feeling now it would feel as though my freedom had been taken away. Each time I sent it about a month afterwards I would get a letter from the DVLA asking me to ring my Doctor/ Consultant because they had not heard anything from them. Maybe that is what happened to you as far as it taking a long while.
You mention that you take Ropinirole and you thought that it might be the side effects of that, that made them decide not to let you have your licence back well I take Ropinirole and I take a boost of Sinemet and as I said I was given mine back. Do you take any other meds to do with PD? If I was in your position I would definitely appeal against their decision. Just out of interest you said you have come off the Ropinirole, what do you take instead and why were you taken off them?
I will be routing for you if you appeal because I know what it would mean to me.
What a lovely message of support.....thank you so much.
I'm pleased to hear you got your license back. Why does it have to take so long? Like you, I sent my renewal form off well before it was due to run out on 14th.Jan 2016. Records show that the DVLA sent a questionnaire for my neurologist to fill in, on 15th.Nov 2015 and he finally filled it in on 4th. Jan 2106. No rush there then!
I only take Elderpryl (Selegiline) now. As for coming off Ropinirole, it didn't seem to be doing me any good. I kept being advised to up the dose by 2mg. every 6 months or so, until I was taking 12mg. It seemed to slow me down and make me unsteady on my feet, so I decided to gradually come off it, after a chat with my neurologist. The PD nurse wanted to put me on Levodopa, but I resisted. By this time, I'd done a lot of research into natural Levodopa and have just started taking Macuna Pruriens tablets with green tea, which contains the Carbidopa needed to make it reach the brain. So far so good........only time will tell.
My PD nurse is supposed to be sending a more up to date report on my condition, (saw her last Thurs. and pointed out several mistakes in her Oct. 2015 report, which is what the DVLA have acted on). I've composed an appeal and included a dossier of mistakes from the hospital.....just waiting for this new report, then I can post it all to the DVLA.
So hopefully, eventually I'll get my driving licence back. Feel like a prisoner, in the meantime!
I've been following this thread with interest as I've just notified the DVLA about my PD.
I wish I could say I'm shocked at the mistakes which have been made but sadly I'm not. I had three neuro appointments last year, and each time the report that was sent to my GP afterwards contained loads of errors - things I definitely didn't say and complete misunderstandings of what I did say. One even managed to get my age wrong, despite having my date of birth on the line above! The last two had copied some of the content - and therefore the mistakes - of the first one.
If I made errors like this in my job, I wouldn't be employed any more, and I'm not responsible for people's lives!
I hope you get things sorted very soon, Twinks, and get an apology from the hospital (although I wouldn't hold my breath on that one!).
You're so right about the mistakes. I used to be a teacher and if I'd made such terrible errors in my reports, I would have been hauled over the coals! I've been retired a long time now. Can standards have slipped so badly?
I do hope you hear soon about your licence and that it's good news.
I receive a new report from my PD nurse today, posted first class and marked 'Urgent'. I must have rattled her a bit last Thurs., at my appointment, as it is well written and positive. She even says I'm fit to drive! No apology though.
So operation ' Get your licence back', has begun, big style!
Good luck to everyone out there, waiting to renew their driving licence. And just remember to be careful what you say to your neurologist or PD nurse!
Hello Jen
I an how to selllm very slow ths moenbd a