Fibromyalgia

Unity

somebody_else wrote: »

Meant to respond to this earlier, Unity. Glad that it was no more than a near miss, but that was bad enough.

I don't suppose you managed to get his number did you? I know it's a horrible thing to have to do, but if you did, it might be worth reporting it to the police. Especially as you say he didn't seem to realise what he'd done.

Sadly, there is this really daft system in place whereby people over the age of 70 get to certify themselves as fit to drive. Which means anyone who is determined to continue driving (whether they're fit to or not) can continue to do so. Did you realise that a doctor has no legal requirement to inform DVLC that a patient isn't fit to drive? As I know from my own experience after the brain haemorrhage, this sytem is dependent on the driver informing them of a medical condition that might affect their ability to drive. Even worse, after I'd informed them of the B/H, I was told I could continue driving until they'd completed their investigation and made a decision. As it was, I knew I was in no fit state to get behind the wheel for a good 6 months afterwards, so didn't attempt it.

As you are no doubt aware, there is no shortage of incidents when elderly drivers have caused quite serious accidents (not to mention fatal ones) because they're still driving when they shouldn't be. I do understand the need to retain one's independence, but at what cost? I also stopped driving while I was on the morphine because I could tell that my judgement had been quite badly affected. I could never have lived with myself if I'd been responsible for injuring or killing someone just because I wanted to continue driving.

Thanks for your concern - and to everyone else as well of course .

It was suggested that I give up driving after the lipoma was discovered in my brain lining, on the basis that these are often associated with epilepsy - however I've never had a fit and no further exploration was made. I complied, but felt very aggrieved as I used to love driving, then again - I was a bit of a speed freak, but only on roads where conditions were good, out in the wilds .

Prior to this, I drove myself back and forth to uni, despite being on the 50% overdose of Tramadol prescribed by my then GP, but didn't feel in any way impaired. I am still not happy being a passenger, but thinking back I remember driving used to leave me in a fair bit of pain - in my shoulders, arms and hands and also in my right leg and foot (I think from the angle I needed to operate the accelerator) so in reality I am better off.

It does irritate me having to get lifts everywhere and I would have loved to have the independence of getting to and from my course. Instead it meant DH had to drop me off and then come back to pick me up so I felt terrible when sometimes the course didn't finish on time and he'd be sitting outside for 45 minutes. He's a really good bloke and I don't know how I would cope without him - but I don't like to take advantage:o.

It is daft that the DVLC allow people to continue driving until they've completed their investigations - but there again aren't people also allowed to drive between the time they are charged with say drunk-driving and when they are convicted?

Are you able to drive now that you are over the BH? I think losing your independence is a greater cause of depression than having FMS in the first place!

Unity

mummyof3boys wrote: »

HI
I have been lurking on this forum for a while but i am wondering if someone can help or advise me. My husband was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia recently after having symptoms for the past 4 years. At the moment he is trying to get meds sorted we put in an application for IB but he was refused, we are in the process of appealing but are very confused on how to word the letter of appeal.
Yesterday i was in tears on the telephone as some dragon in the IB claims department told me my husband should just take a painkiller and get on with it ,why do these people think they can talk to others like that?

Anyway enough of me ranting on , what i would really like to know is if it is common for people to get turned down for IB for fibro and if anyone has got any advice?

We have contacted CAB and have an appointment on Thursday but we are both worried sick that he will get turned down again and be forced to return to work when he is not physically capable at the moment.

Hope you can help xxx

Was your husband's diagnosis of FMS secondary to something else like an accident or injury? If it was then it may help to stress the underlying cause as well - as I have heard of people being refused on just the FMS diagnosis. I think most people on here would agree that there is nearly always something that triggers it.

In addition try to find out if there is a specialist in FMS in your area and get a referral, since their input will undoubtedly aid claims for IB and DLA. It is worth (if you can afford it) even paying to have a private medical report done, as the higher the specialist, the more notice is taken.

Is your GP on your side? If not then try and find one in your area who is sympathetic to FMS and change - it is like banging your head against a brick wall if you have one who thinks: "It's all in your head":rolleyes:.

Have a look at this site http://www.fibromyalgia-associationuk.org/ and find out if there is a local group as they will be a source of information on where to go for help in your area. In addition take a look at this article http://www.fibromyalgia-associationuk.org/content/view/57/2/ and get your husband to quote it in his claim. Hopefully if they see that you are aware of how the decision making process should be applied - they will apply it properly .

Good luck and like I always say - DON'T give up!;)

somebody_else

Unity wrote: »

It was suggested that I give up driving after the lipoma was discovered in my brain lining, on the basis that these are often associated with epilepsy - however I've never had a fit and no further exploration was made. I complied, but felt very aggrieved as I used to love driving, then again - I was a bit of a speed freak, but only on roads where conditions were good, out in the wilds.

There are certain conditions where it's deemed a good idea for someone to give up driving either for good or for a specified amount of time (ie, if you have a heart attack, you are advised not to drive for 6 months afterwards, but again it depends on the person's honesty, the medics don't actually inform DVLC of the heart attack, that's left to the patient). If you've not actually had a siezure, then chances are you'd be judged as fit to drive again. Even those with epilepsy are allowed to drive under certain circumstances.

Unity wrote: »

Prior to this, I drove myself back and forth to uni, despite being on the 50% overdose of Tramadol prescribed by my then GP, but didn't feel in any way impaired. I am still not happy being a passenger, but thinking back I remember driving used to leave me in a fair bit of pain - in my shoulders, arms and hands and also in my right leg and foot (I think from the angle I needed to operate the accelerator) so in reality I am better off.

Trouble with this is, there are certain folks for whom the changes come on so gradually that they don't realise how impaired their driving is. I certainly became aware that I was driving recklessly so decided to stop 'til I'd come off the morphine.

Unity wrote: »

It does irritate me having to get lifts everywhere and I would have loved to have the independence of getting to and from my course. Instead it meant DH had to drop me off and then come back to pick me up so I felt terrible when sometimes the course didn't finish on time and he'd be sitting outside for 45 minutes. He's a really good bloke and I don't know how I would cope without him - but I don't like to take advantage.

Yup, I can understand this - as I understand anyone's reluctance to give up a large part of their independence. Have you considered a mobility scooter instead? I would depend, of course, on where you live in relation to the college, as they only have limited range, but one would give some independent mobility.

Unity wrote: »

It is daft that the DVLC allow people to continue driving until they've completed their investigations - but there again aren't people also allowed to drive between the time they are charged with say drunk-driving and when they are convicted?

I can see why this has come about. In the first instance, they take so bluddy long to complete their investigations, they'd be inundated with irate phone calls with people wanting to know how much longer they're going to take. In my case it was nearly 9 months before I got an answer. As for the drunk driver - I suspect this is because of our legal system - innocent until proven guilty. And it doesn't automatically follow that someone who's convicted will have their licence suspended.

Unity wrote: »

Are you able to drive now that you are over the BH? I think losing your independence is a greater cause of depression than having FMS in the first place!

Yes, but I had restrictions put on what I could drive and under what circumstances. For a start my licence was restricted to 3 years, but I'm also only allowed to drive for 'social, domestic and commuting'. Which means I can't take any job that involves driving as part of it.

Having said that, I also have to consider where I'm going, how long I'm likely to be driving for (about 1/2 hour is my limit) and whether or not I'm going to be able to get back before it starts to get dark. I'm very sensitive to light, and once it gets beyond twilight, if a car comes towards me I end up totally unable to see anything in front of me apart from the headlights. So going out late afternoon in the winter is out. I also struggle with rush hour traffic - in effect 20 minutes in stop/start traffic finishes me off.

somebody_else

Sorry, that ended up a bit longer than I expected.

Unity

Hi S/E,

Have you tried those anti-glare driving specs? I got a pair for DH after he complained of the glare from oncoming headlights at night and he says they are great. I noticed the blokes on 'Ice-Road Truckers' wear them too. DH had laser surgery some years back and it's only recently that he's started having problems. The optician said he has some crystalisation in his eye which is quite common with those who've had their eyes lasered.

I can understand the law regarding 'innocent till proven guilty' but I think that where someone has been breathalysed and is shown to be ridiculously over the limit, it should be an instant ban. Admittedly it won't stop some of them drving around anyway - with or without a licence :rolleyes:.

I'm about four miles away from the place where I do my course, so even if the scooter would get me there and back (I have no idea what the battery capacity is like) I know my arms, neck and back wouldn't take the strain , not to mention the cold :eek:.

I don't feel very coherent today, but it's due to a terrible night of scary dreams. I was being attacked by this awful man at one point and woke up on top of the bed swinging punches. Thank goodness DH is a light sleeper, he had me awake in no time and since I was in floods of tears because I couldn't escape the dream - he lay and talked to me to distract me and bring me back to reality. Mind you if you look at the pictures of boxer Oscar De La Hoya after last night's fight - you'll see that he looks like how I feel :rotfl:.

mummyof3boys_2

Unity wrote: »

Was your husband's diagnosis of FMS secondary to something else like an accident or injury? If it was then it may help to stress the underlying cause as well - as I have heard of people being refused on just the FMS diagnosis. I think most people on here would agree that there is nearly always something that triggers it.

In addition try to find out if there is a specialist in FMS in your area and get a referral, since their input will undoubtedly aid claims for IB and DLA. It is worth (if you can afford it) even paying to have a private medical report done, as the higher the specialist, the more notice is taken.

Is your GP on your side? If not then try and find one in your area who is sympathetic to FMS and change - it is like banging your head against a brick wall if you have one who thinks: "It's all in your head":rolleyes:.

Have a look at this site http://www.fibromyalgia-associationuk.org/ and find out if there is a local group as they will be a source of information on where to go for help in your area. In addition take a look at this article http://www.fibromyalgia-associationuk.org/content/view/57/2/ and get your husband to quote it in his claim. Hopefully if they see that you are aware of how the decision making process should be applied - they will apply it properly .

Good luck and like I always say - DON'T give up!;)

Thankyou for the links we shall certainly be using a few snippets in the appeal letter and i have emailed the local contact in our area to see if they can help.:D

With regard to there being a trigger my Husband served in the army for 10 years and his condition became worse after leaving, maybe this is a factor. We have read somewhere that in America they are looking into cases of servicemen and FMS, maybe there could be a link

Our GP seems to be on my Husbands side , after moving home and changing GP she was the one who suggested it might be FMS after 4 years of constantly telling previous GP that something was wrong and we needed referal to specialist.
The real sticking point is the GP who did the medical i certainly dont think he had the first clue about FMS.:mad:

Many thanks again for all your help and we certainly wont be giving up.

Careful_with_that_Axe

I should think you would apologise s/e. Long posts are my domain!

I think driving assessments should be compulsory every, say, five years and that any driving convictions should be taken into acount when the assessment is carried out. But then they would surely pass the cost of that onto us all.
We were at the point of having to wrestle Dad's driving licence from him (he's 83) when he had two minor strokes and so was forced to stop for at least 6 months. Even he acknowledges that he'll probably not get his licence back.
Bad driving should be as socially unacceptable as drink driving IMO.

He did that OAP driving thing about everything being done very slowly, including pulling out into traffic :eek:
His thinking time also before reacting to something would probably be in the order of 5 minutes :rolleyes:

I used to find driving very relaxing, but this summer did longest journey for a while (hour and a half) and couldn't wait for it to end. Back aching, but particularly arms from having them help up at the steering wheel. Thank gawd I drive an automatic.

Thanks for the links Unity. Do you mind if I forward a couple of them on to people who would appreciate giggles?

I'm gonna have to have a more restful day as have had one of my spontaneous sprains. Leaned ove to turn halogen heater off and neck has gone. Cue heat seeking patches and a home made collar of newspaper wrapped in a scarf! Not one of my best looks. :rolleyes: In the past, this has sotrted it out in 24 hrs so fingers crossed.

Hope you are all keeping warm.
x

Careful_with_that_Axe

Unity, I have wondered about those glasses. I have to wear presciption glasses to drive and worried about trying to drive wearing two pairs!
The driving tint the opticians put on at a cpost of £40 was worse than useless.
Hi mummy, glad you're sticking around with us.

somebody_else

Unity wrote: »

Hi S/E,

Have you tried those anti-glare driving specs? I got a pair for DH after he complained of the glare from oncoming headlights at night and he says they are great. I noticed the blokes on 'Ice-Road Truckers' wear them too. DH had laser surgery some years back and it's only recently that he's started having problems. The optician said he has some crystalisation in his eye which is quite common with those who've had their eyes lasered.

To be honest, I'm not sure they'd work for me - not safely anyway. In order for them to cut out sufficient glare, they'd have to be virtually impossible to see out of when there were no cars coming at me. And I have to say, I've got a touch fed up with spending money on 'aids' that turn out to be not very useful.

Unity wrote: »

I can understand the law regarding 'innocent till proven guilty' but I think that where someone has been breathalysed and is shown to be ridiculously over the limit, it should be an instant ban. Admittedly it won't stop some of them drving around anyway - with or without a licence.

You'll get no argument from me on this one. Trouble is, those who are likely to drive when well over the limit aren't going to be that fussed about breaking other laws, like driving without a licence, insurance, tax, etc.

Unity wrote: »

I'm about four miles away from the place where I do my course, so even if the scooter would get me there and back (I have no idea what the battery capacity is like) I know my arms, neck and back wouldn't take the strain, not to mention the cold.

That would be a bit of a problem - you'd certainly be pushing it to its limits with an 8 mile round trip. And the cold is certainly a major issue, even on warmer days when you're bombing along at 4 mph.

Unity wrote: »

I don't feel very coherent today, but it's due to a terrible night of scary dreams. I was being attacked by this awful man at one point and woke up on top of the bed swinging punches. Thank goodness DH is a light sleeper, he had me awake in no time and since I was in floods of tears because I couldn't escape the dream - he lay and talked to me to distract me and bring me back to reality. Mind you if you look at the pictures of boxer Oscar De La Hoya after last night's fight - you'll see that he looks like how I feel.

Bummer about the bad dreams last night. At least you have someone with you who understands and is sympathetic. Sadly, my ex used to complain like hell if I had the audacity to wake him up. The fact that he'd quite happily wake me up if he couldn't sleep was beside the point. The great up-side to being on my own is that I don't have to worry about waking anyone up if I have a bad night. T/S wouldn't hear a bomb go off, let alone the microwave beeping.

somebody_else

mummyof3boys wrote: »

With regard to there being a trigger my Husband served in the army for 10 years and his condition became worse after leaving, maybe this is a factor. We have read somewhere that in America they are looking into cases of servicemen and FMS, maybe there could be a link

Our GP seems to be on my Husbands side , after moving home and changing GP she was the one who suggested it might be FMS after 4 years of constantly telling previous GP that something was wrong and we needed referal to specialist.
The real sticking point is the GP who did the medical i certainly dont think he had the first clue about FMS.:mad:

Many thanks again for all your help and we certainly wont be giving up.

Don't want to worry you unnecessarily, mummy, but has anyone investigated the possiblity of gulf war syndrome? Sadly, I know more about it than I'd wish to, but it might be that your husband has been wrongly diagnosed.

Has O/H been referred to a rheumatologist or a neurologist? I think they'd be better able to assess your O/H's condition, to be honest.