Diabetic seizure and driving

[wifeofjack]

My hubby is a Type 2 Diabetic, has had the problem for about 15 years. Last Sunday he apparantly had a seizure. When I found him, he could not move his right arm and shoulder, had blurred vision and slurred speech. The arm and shoulder injury were from him falling when the seizure happened. My first thought was he had suffered a stroke. After much debate, he finally agreed to go to the ER for treatment. They were wonderful, the attending physician sent him for all the work up for a stroke. Thankfully, he did not suffer one.
Now the big problem. He was admitted to the hospital where he stayed until Wednesday, he was subjected to all manner of tests, exrays, brain scans, you name it, they did it to him. Thank God everything came back normal. They cut him from 4 insulin injections per day to 3, and they reduced the amount by more than half. He is feeling better physically than he has felt in months. His doctor had overprescribed and overmedicated him on the insulin. And my hubby does exactly what his doctor tells him.
His doctor is one of those that will not make hospital rounds, sends in one of his associates. We did not like the associate at all, she had no compassion, no bedside manner, very rude and down right hateful. She has revoked his driving priviledges. He has NO say in the matter at all. She told him he has to do a follow up with the neurologist and would not give him any indication when or if he will be allowed to drive.
We are devistated! How will he be able to go to work, how will he have any kind of normal life if his rights to drive are revoked! I know all about the possibilty of injury to himself or God forbid to others while he is behind the wheel, but it is not his fault, it is the fault of his physician who overmedicated him.
What recourse do we have, is there any way he can fight this? He is 58 years old and 4 years away from retirement. Our theory is that if he is too ill to be driving, that means he is too ill to work, so please help him to get a Social Security disability, at the least. I know this is simplistic, but that is how we both feel, either he can drive to get to work, or he will need SS to help us to survive financially.
Sorry to vent so about this, but our life has been put on hold, we just are at our wits end and don't know what our future has in store for us.
Anyone else ever have this happen to them?
Any words of support or encouragement will be appreciated.

 

[Michigan]

In Michigan you have to be seizure free for 6 months before you can drive again.

 

[Cheshire Figment]

They cut him from 4 insulin injections per day to 3, and they reduced the amount by more than half. He is feeling better physically than he has felt in months. His doctor had overprescribed and overmedicated him on the insulin. And my hubby does exactly what his doctor tells him.
His doctor is one of those that will not make hospital rounds, sends in one of his associates. We did not like the associate at all, she had no compassion, no bedside manner, very rude and down right hateful. She has revoked his driving priviledges. He has NO say in the matter at all. She told him he has to do a follow up with the neurologist and would not give him any indication when or if he will be allowed to drive.

It might be time to change doctors. He has been over-medicated. The associate sent does not care about the patient. Why not get a new doctor?

 

[wifeofjack]

Sorry that I posted this to the wrong forum, thanks for moving it.
He is indeed going to look for another doctor as soon as he can. He has to see the neurologist on Monday at 9:00 am and then he will see where we go from there.
He even said this morning that he will consult with an attorney, if needed. He is just about as depressed and distressed as I have ever seen him.

 

[SueM in MN]

I understand how hard this is, but I'm not sure there is anything you can do other than going thru the evaluations that have been set up for him. As you mentioned, there are major safety concerns. As hard as not driving will be to him, it would be harder to live an accident.

In Michigan you have to be seizure free for 6 months before you can drive again.

Most states have laws for dealing with things like this, so the doctor (although she could have probably been more compassionate about it) probably had no options and was required to pull his license. You will probably know more after the evaluations are done, but until they have the information from the tests, it's likely that no one can tell you anything.
I don't know for sure, but besides the law, it's likely that your insurance will not cover him until he's been cleared to drive.

He would not be able to get SS disability because he is able to work, just not to drive to get there. SS looks at the ability to work only, getting there would not be included in the evaluation as far as I know.

I know you are knocked for a loop right now, but I think trying to fight it would just be frustrating and you would probably end up with the same result. I'd suggest you look into what is availble to get him to work if he can't drive - carpooling, public transportation, cabs, etc.
I know it sounds hard right now, but you will be able to deal with things better after you can figure out how he can get to work.

I am going to move this to the disABILITIES Community Board where you hopefully will be able to get more help.
EDITED TO ADD: Looks like other people were busy while I was posting and it's already moved.

 

[Talking Hands]

Many people work without being able to drive. You will just have to make alternate arrangements. If his blood sugar is going so low that he is seizing he shouldn't be driving. Has he been checking his numbers. That is really important. Also his doctor should have given him a target range for his blood sugar numbers. If he is going lower than that then he should have consulted with the doctor about how to adjust his dose. Really important to be able to do this. Controlling diabetes is not the doctor's responsibility but your husband's with the guidance of the doctor. And yes I do have diabetes and have for over 25 years.

 

[Vijoge]

Did he actually have a seizure or did he just pass out from a hypoglycemic reaction?

 

[Earstou]

I know all about the possibilty of injury to himself or God forbid to others while he is behind the wheel, but it is not his fault, it is the fault of his physician who overmedicated him.

It doesn't matter whose fault it is, he could still be a danger on the road. The doctor probably had to revoke your DH's driving privileges, or risk losing her license.
I have faced this same thing, because I have problems with dizziness. I am questioned each doctor visit to check the severity of my problem. So far I'm good (and no accidents in the 19 years I've had this problem).
But....if I'm ever told that I'm endangering myself, my family or others by driving, I will give it up immediately. I won't be happy about it, but I will do it.

 

[carrie s]

This is the third time in the last couple days that I have heard of people having problems with their type 2 diabetes because of their doctors.my grandmas doctor put her on some new medication and didnt moniter her,she ended up having internal bleeding and almost died. My friends husband is having problems because his doctor is wanting to keep his levels way too low,and now he may lose his drivers licence because of problems with that,and hes a trucker.


your DH should be fine now that they lowered his insulin.He should just make sure he has sugar in the car just in case.It would be really stupid if he loses his licence because of his doctor over medicating him. As long as everything goes ok with his appointment with the neurologist,I would think that he would be aloud to drive again.

 

[barkley]

i don't think what the cause was will make any difference to the dmv-they simply look at the fact there was a loss of consciousness or control. doctors in most if not all states are mandated to report to dmv when they become aware of a lic. driver falling under this category-so it's not the doctor's choice if they do or don't (and if they don't and an accident occurs-the doctor can face some major financial and legal issues).

if you go to the dmv web site for your state you can probably find out what the appeal process is if you want to fight the issue (i know here in washington you have 15 days from receipt of the official dmv notification to request an appeal-but how far out they actualy schedual them is anyone's guess), but from what i can see on the web sites the only basis for winning this type of appeal is to be able to prove either it did'nt happen or it was something so isolated that doctors are willing to document there's no chance of it happening again.

i feel for both sides of the situation-i have a friend who has epilepsy that was very well controlled, but if she has so much as one seizure california yanks her licence for a mandatory 6 months so long as she is seizure free for that period. on the other side we have friends who lost their dd and dgs when a diabetic man chose to drive despite multiple revocations. there's also a case in the town we recently moved from wherein a young man with a medical history had an episode that resulted in his driving through a school crosswalk killing 3 children and injuring maybe a dozen (big issue with that is his doctor's failure to send the revocation forms to dmv becuase he had a diagnosis that was prone to loss of consciousness, doctor argues that since he had'nt had one yet he was waiting until he did to file the forms-sad consolation for the victims of his first documented instance ).

i think states are getting more restrictive-when we went to establish our lic. here a few weeks ago i was surprised to see a spot on the dmv form where we had to list all the regular meds we take-i asked the dmv rep. about it and she said that if the meds fall under certain categories it's a mandatory med. evaluation.

i know it's hard-but it's for your husbands safety as well as that of the public.

 

[Talking Hands]

I have been diabetic for more than 25 years and have had episodes of low blood sugar but have not passed out that we know of. If I am driving I test my sugar before driving and at regular intervals. Also I know when my various insulins start up and peak and go down. Knowledge is power in the control of diabetes. You just can't depend on the doctor to decide what is right and then follow. You have to be constantly aware of your blood glucose levels and test, test, test. Every diabetic is different and doctors don't always know what will affect you and how. Your control and therefore your right to drive is your responsibility, no one else. Simple fact of life living with diabetes as an adult. And with children the responsibility starts with the parents with guidance from the doctor and gradually is taken over by the child as the child grows and matures. In some cases the parents or care giver will always be needed but in most cases kids become responsible by the time they are teens although parents do continue to check up on them.
Edited to say. I rarely drive now although I do have my license. My husband does the driving for the most part. It is a decision we made because he feels more comfortable at the wheel. I do drive on occasion but since work together at the same school there is no use in taking 2 cars.

 

[BeccaGrace]

My husband has well-controlled epilepsy and has had break-through seizures approx. once every 2 (or as many as 6) years when he ends up needing an adjustment in his medication. Each time that happens, even if he is fine as soon as he has the increase, he loses his license for six months. And honestly, I am so thankful when he does not have his license because I know he will not drive if he is not allowed to (when he has his license he only drives back and forth to work, I do all the other driving). Is it difficult when he can't drive? You bet! In our case we had the kids up every morning at 4:30 to get him to work by 5:30 and he stayed at work until Grace was out of school and we would go pick him up. It's a huge adjustment for everyone and takes a lot of changes to make things work but I always view it as a blessing because I don't have to worry about him behind the wheel. The hard part is to not make him feel like he is being a burden because it's such a loss of freedom.

As for the getting SS disability; I wish it was that easy. My dh had to leave his job because his seizure risk made him a liability and there were no reasonable accommodations that could be made in the position. He couldn't drive and couldn't work at his same career but had to go find something he could do for less money at a farther distance. As the other posters said; he CAN work, he just can't get there. I know it stinks but just remind yourself that it could be worse...that's what I tell myself, it can always be worse

I am so glad your dh is doing better and that they are going to get his medication straightened out. I'm so sorry for what you are going through and hope the 6 months (or whatever the guidelines are in your state) go quickly and he remains seizure free.

 

[Janet Hill]

My husband has been diabetic for >25 years. He never gets behind the wheel of a car without first checking his blood sugar levels and then checks regularly while driving. Must be done for safety sake.

You can say that his doctor overmedicated him; however, doctors are not around to see everything that goes into a diabetics mouth. They also cannot forsee normal fluctuations in a person's metabolism throughout the day. Diabetes is a disease that the diabetic must own, learn their body and medicate themselves (well controlled diabetes is all about constantly adjusting) There are lots of support groups and maybe joining one would benefit your husband greatly.

A good doctor teaches the patient to be in control (doesn't sound like his doctor does this).

Sounds to me like it was a hypoglycemic episode and not a seizure (but what do I know). My husband had an episode like this when he had a very bad virus. I had to call EMS and he was taken to the ER for his extremely low blood sugar. No one ever mentioned seizure or revoking license.

That's the angle I would take - hypoglycemia not seizure. In any case your husband really needs to more closely track and adjust his blood sugar levels.

 

[SueM in MN]

i don't think what the cause was will make any difference to the dmv-they simply look at the fact there was a loss of consciousness or control. doctors in most if not all states are mandated to report to dmv when they become aware of a lic. driver falling under this category-so it's not the doctor's choice if they do or don't (and if they don't and an accident occurs-the doctor can face some major financial and legal issues).

The loss of consciousness is the situation the Department of Motor vehicles is looking at, not the cause of the loss of consciousness.
What happens for followup might be determined by the cause, but the need for evauation and the license being restricted to start with is 'triggered' by the loss of consciousness.

I know in Minnesota, there are questions about health on the driver's license form and the renewal form. There is also an extra form that needs to be filled out in Minnesota for people with diabetes who are on insulin. Other states probably have similar requirements.

 

[bopper]

Perhaps your DH needs to go to somebody who specializes in diabetes, like an endocrinologist. Does your DH check his blood sugar regularly? He should always check before he drives so he is not too high or too low. My DH is a type 1 and has an insulin pump and a continuous blood sugar monitor so if he goes too high or too low an alarm sounds. The pump puts out a continous basal amount of insulin plus you give yourself "boluses" of insulin when you eat. That way the insulin covers the carbs you eat, not that you have to eat to make sure you don't have too much insulin in your bloodstream.

 

[Michigan]

We just returned from wheelchair sports camp where my youngest made friends with a little girl that became paralyzed when her father who had started having seizures after 3 years seizure free and didn't tell anyone. He hit a wall going 50 mph with her in a seatbelt in the back seat.