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Driving
Sat, 01/13/2018 - 16:46Topic: Living With Epilepsy - Youth
I am a mother of a 17 year old who has had Epilepsy now for about a year. She is controlled with medicine now for 11 months. She has gotten her license back and is now driving again everywhere.
My question is this:
Do you drive other people in your car?
I don't feel like she should drive other teens in her car because of her epilepsy. My husband thinks I am neurotic.
I have been having her ask the parents before she drives kids and making sure they know she has epilepsy. Even with this, my gut says she should not drive other kids.
What are your thoughts? Do you drive other people?
Thanks for your thoughts and suggestions.
Comments
11 months seizure free is
Submitted by Amy Jo on Sun, 2018-01-14 - 01:34
11 months seizure free is fantastic!I would think your actions should stem from the best goals. If her seizures are controlled, why is that a focus? So much more goes into driving, are her friends responsible and helpful or distracting influences? Do the kids know what to do in various emergencies (flat tire, seeing another driver weaving, will the kids prioritize safety if someone wants to drive impaired, do they trust they can call you without you losing it if there’s no safe driver to come home with, etc)? Our state has a law against teens driving other unrelated teens because statistically that’s correlated with additional accidents. Please focus on building good skills that improve her independence.Please do not add to the stigma of epilepsy by using it to put a wedge between you daughter and her friends. If her seizures are controlled, that is not an issue. Sharing another person’s medical info that way crosses boundaries that you can’t rebuild without years of work, that’s assuming she is willing to have anything to do with you after that. At 18 you will no longer be privy to her medical info without her consent, treat her info with the utmost respect.
FWIW - I know this is
Submitted by Amy Jo on Sun, 2018-01-14 - 01:34
FWIW - I know this is dependent on your child, some teens think they can skip doses without consequences. If any child thought they could skip required meds, that WOULD be a danger. I would not have to mention anything to friends because the child would no longer be driving. I have one college senior who drives, not the child with epilepsy. 11 months without seizures hasn’t happened since before epilepsy. Right now three months between seizures is pretty great. Hope things improve, maybe in a few years.
11 months seizure free is
Submitted by Amy Jo on Sun, 2018-01-14 - 01:19
11 months seizure free is fantastic!I would think your actions should stem from the best goals. If her seizures are controlled, why is that a focus? So much more goes into driving, are her friends responsible and helpful or distracting influences? Do the kids know what to do in various emergencies (flat tire, seeing another driver weaving, will the kids prioritize safety if someone wants to drive impaired, do they trust they can call you without you losing it if there’s no safe driver to come home with, etc)? Our state has a law against teens driving other unrelated teens because statistically that’s correlated with additional accidents. Please focus on building good skills that improve her independence.Please do not add to the stigma of epilepsy by using it to put a wedge between you daughter and her friends. If her seizures are controlled, that is not an issue. Sharing another person’s medical info that way crosses boundaries that you can’t rebuild without years of work, that’s assuming she is willing to have anything to do with you after that. At 18 you will no longer be privy to her medical info without her consent, treat her info with the utmost respect.