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Seizure While Driving

Sat, 01/10/2009 - 00:00

I am 17 years old and about 2 years ago I was diagnosed with JME. On New Years I spent the night at my friends house and got only 2 hours of sleep. I didn't take my medicine that night (Keppra + Lamictal), or the next morning. As I left her house (only minutes after waking up) and began walking to my car I had a few blackouts and even shook a little. This happens to me if I don't take my medicine/don't get enought sleep but I didn't think of it as a big deal. I was just thinking about getting home and going to bed.

As I drove home, which was only 5 minutes away, I felt a little tired but that was all.  That was the last thing I remember because the next thing I know I was being pulled out of my car onto a stretcher and into an ambulance. I immediately knew I had one of my grandmal seizures. I was so confused, and so scared. Later I learned that I had a seizure, run off the road and crashed into a light pole going 45 MPH. My car was completely totalled but I thankfully was fine and was left with only a few bruises. I'm not able to drive for a while (and being 17 that feels like it's the worst thing in the world), but I understand that I should not be allowed behind the wheel of a car right now. I had been seizure free for about 6-8 months before the accident. This past week has been so hard for me and my family but I'm trying my hardest to move on. Anyway.... I am just wondering if anyone else has ever had a seizure while driving?

Comments

Re: Seizure While Driving

Submitted by brandy22 on Sat, 2011-06-04 - 11:37
I cannot believe you would knowingly risk your and other lives. March 7 2003 my sister was hit by a driver who decided not to take his medication any longer because he "quit" having seizures. Unfortunately he and my sister were killed instantly. She would have been 20 yrs old in two days. I think about her Everyday, and think about how foolishly she lost her life. PLEASE RE-think your actions. It's not just your life at risk!

Re: Seizure While Driving

Submitted by 3Hours2Live on Sat, 2011-06-04 - 20:53
Hi Brandy22, Making a decision to drive, or not to drive, is not an obvious easily determined choice made "knowingly", includingly, since the absence of prejudice involving epilepsy is not typical. I stopped driving on my own accord about 24 years ago (at age 34) because I started biting my tongue too often, and a few times during times I was otherwise awake. Oddly enough, the State Rehabilitation made the initial contention that that didn't limit my ability to drive at all, involving gainful activities. Little more than a year ago, I filed an ADAAA discrimination complaint against the medical clinic closest to my home (less than a mile away) because the clinic decided to refuse me services based on their contention that it was too dangerous for a person with a record of epilepsy to make a less than a mile walk, and that a person with epilepsy should then only seek medical services at an ER with equipped emergency transportation services. To me, I believe the greatest danger in making the walk was the possibility of being struck by vehicles with less than qualified and less than attentive drivers, but by all the news coverage of accidents across the USA that also involve people with epilepsy, the mere hint of epilepsy most always settles the blame on the person with epilepsy, and the most immediate cause as being taken as the epilepsy (but frequently, with paradoxical reverse prejudice, about the opposite if epilepsy provides an exonerating defense in a situation). Many people with epilepsy may legally and safely drive, but like all other drivers, it often happens that many an individual member of this group also drives while distracted by cell phones, drives while sleepy, and/or drives while abusing drink and drug, resulting in accidents not per se related to epilepsy, though prejudice will most always blame the epilepsy, with the emphasis on the driver knowingly driving with "that epilepsy". But, me being a pedestrian, if a texting driver struck me down in a crosswalk, based on my having epilepsy, I would probably get the blame for splattering blood on the vehicle and unduly disrupting the smooth flow of healthy traffic. So, with making a choice of transportation, epilepsy places another confounding great weight for Buridan's Ass. Regarding driving, one list I like is: Can I drive if I have epilepsy? Each state has its own requirements for people with epilepsy to drive. Generally, your physician will okay you for a license if the following criteria is met: Completely controlled on medication Have seizures only at night Have seizures which are focal motor Have only auras Have long auras before seizures which allow you to pull off to the side of the road Have predictable seizures that occur during fever, sleep deprivation or another time when you can predict when the seizure will happen Check with your state's Department of Motor Vehicles for the rules that apply in your state. Currently listed at: http://www.epilepsyandbrainmapping.com/en/what-is-epilepsy/faqs.html The intense prejudice against people with epilepsy is a major problem in many transportation issues. There are many news stories where a person with epilepsy is given much more severe penalties (even when not at fault in an accident) simply for having a record of epilepsy of having very minor seizures that do not interfere with driving, but trying to meet such prejudice head-on with facts often doesn't work. Drunk drivers in similar accidents frequently receive much less severe penalties than a driver with well controlled epilepsy because of this prejudice. A recent forum (at epilepsy-dot-com/discussion/995090) cited a news article where a driver told not to drive by a neurologist about 5 years ago before a minor parking-lot traffic violation, was half a decade later involved in an accident with fatalities. Now, the driver is threatened with up to 30 years in prison. Then, a couple days ago, the local news reported that a driver, illegally texting while driving, hit, and killed, pedestrians in a crosswalk, was charged with a misdemeanor, with a maximum possible year in jail. The word "epilepsy" is a word that often ignites tremendous official prejudice also. Tadzio

I am 32 yrs old and had my

Submitted by Anonymous on Sat, 2014-04-19 - 11:54
I am 32 yrs old and had my first seizure while driving a week ago. I had 3 kids in the car with me. Ages 13, 6, and 3. Thankfully my 13 yr old steered us off the freeway and crashed us into a pole so we didn't hurt anyone else. Myself and my 6 yr old nephew were hurt but alive. I would have rather just me have gotten hurt. I make my living by driving with a class a lisence and am completely aware I cannot drive for 6 months as long as I don't have another seizure. But as of right now I'm not sure if I ever want to drive again just for the simple fact that I don't want to hurt anyone. Thankfully my job is letting me work in the warehouse as soon as my foot heals. As far as driving a big truck ever again I just don't know if I can. I don't want to die in a car wreck nor kill anyone in a wreck especially due to a seizure. So those of u that are getting off meds and thinking it's ok to drive I would really wish you would rethink this because it's not ok. My nephew has 100 stitches across his forehead and it's because I had a seizure. Granted I've never had one before but u can count on me that I will never drive with children again. And there are children everywhere. Sincerely, not sure I'll ever drive again..

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