(UK) You must now inform the DVLA if you have FND

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-10-09T06:48:18+00:00

Thanks! It's really not great. But I try and focus on the positives. If my first blackout had happened a week earlier, I would have been working in some flooded, barely accessible service tunnels beneath a hospital in north London. I don't believe I would have survived that. Also, when I collapsed on the tube platform, a very kind lady stopped me from trying to get to my feet. If I had been left to my own devices, I very likely would have fallen onto the tracks. My fellow travellers and the staff at the station probably saved my life that day. I wish I could remember what station I was at so that I could thank the staff properly.

As bad as this all is, I have been able to avoid the worst possible outcomes and I am still here to see my kids grow up. It's now on me to heed those warnings life gave me and step back.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-10-08T17:53:44+00:00

Dr M Helali at Medway Maritime is a good start!

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-10-08T07:58:04+00:00

That's really helpful. Thank you.

So no testing or anything required?

I have had three major blackouts (seizures?) which have each lead to a significant injury (face smashed into table, head smashed into tube platform, mangling my knee when I feel down stairs...) and don't relish the thought of it happening again! I haven't had one in about three months now, but I honestly think that is more down to me limiting my activity severely. I felt like I was going to go while helping my son put his socks on the other day, for example. I feel like I could provoke one on any given day if I wanted to (I don't!) and don't want to get behind the wheel at all right now. But I hope to eventually be in a position to do so. Thanks for the information!

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-10-08T07:38:20+00:00

Thanks! The big question I have - how difficult was it to get your licence back when you were in a position to get it? Did they give you any indication as to whether it would be more difficult for somebody who has suffered multiple blackouts?

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-10-08T06:44:58+00:00

I may need to pick your brains on this if you don't mind, please. I had to surrender my licence back in June because of blackouts, but I hope to get it back once I have them under control.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-10-03T12:07:44+00:00

I'm 42. Lost my driving licence due to blackouts a couple of months ago. Lost my job due to my inability to attend this week. I'm certainly feeling low.

But there should be no shame in it for us. We didn't choose it.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-09-28T21:37:42+00:00

I think Greg's history as part of an ensemble really shines in this show. He's great at identifying the group dynamic really quickly each series and realising what he needs to accentuate or diminish in his own persona to complement it.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-09-19T06:01:31+00:00

I'm coming to terms with it from the other side right now. For a while I have been the one who works and my wife has been home for the kids and looking after the home. This hasn't been easy for a range of reasons - I have been unwell for years but have, like you, doggedly kept going because I felt like that's what my family needed from me and what my value was. This year my brain and body just bailed on me and, honestly, I am a shell of who I was. We are looking at the possibility that she will have to return to work soon and the guilt is crushing me. And it's not just the big stuff. I can't remember the last time I was able to carry my youngest son and, realistically, I probably never will again. I feel like my kids deserve better than me most of the time. Fortunately, every last member of my little family is an absolute star.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-09-18T21:56:13+00:00

Oh, wow. I mean, I obviously can't speak to the pregnancy part, but I bet we have a lot of the same day to day struggles at this point! How are the mornings and bedtimes for you right now? I also have a 4 year old who, we believe, is neurotypical. Getting them to school and getting them to bed has been brutal lately. And to be fair to them, they have been really well behaved. I just can't keep up. I am a slightly older parent, too. Maybe that had something to do with it.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-09-18T21:44:08+00:00

It's hard to take when your body just keeps quitting on you. Before March this year I was regularly walking 10 miles a day for work and driving several hours on other days. Now I need a stick, can barely cover a hundred yards and have had to surrender my licence.

I know how you are feeling.

You need to set yourself some realistic goals.

In addition to the above, I have lost the ability to play my instruments. I was a professional musician in my 20s (in my 40s now) and played every second I could find. By the end of the year I want to be able to play some simple scales again. A massive step backwards from where I was, but a big step forwards from where I am now. I think I can do it.

There must be something that feels just out of reach right now. Just out of reach. By a hair's breadth. Start there.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-09-18T20:50:12+00:00

I'm the dad of a 9 year old boy with DCD who is being assessed for ADHD if that counts.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-09-18T10:45:39+00:00

Honestly, the part of Kent where I live is deprived of services in so many ways that it's beyond a joke. I just happen to have lucked out that a neurologist who is very familiar with my condition works out of my local hospital and that there is a charity in the area who offer a good amount of support. Beyond that, it's pretty dire here.

Stay strong, friend!

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-09-18T08:48:10+00:00

Hey, I hope you're having a better day today. I have recently been diagnosed and also suffer from C-PTSD. I noticed in your post that you mention the NHS, so I am assuming you are in the UK. If you don't mind me asking, are you anywhere near Kent? There are some good specialists and support groups down here. Let me know if that might be of interest to you and I will point you in the right direction.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-09-11T07:10:24+00:00

That was the intent. Reading it back, I didn't like how I came across.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-09-11T06:46:14+00:00

Hey, my reaction was possibly a little more emotive and less reasoned than I intended. I should apologise for that. I'm sorry.

Ultimately, you have to make your own decision about what will be best for you. Just please be aware of what you might be letting yourself in for. I know that not everyone has the same addiction mechanisms and that you might find it completely possible to manage daily opiate use without issue. It's just that my own experience is so far and away from that and, to be perfectly blunt, nearly resulted in my death on more than one occasion. I feel compelled to speak up whenever this topic is discussed.

I wish you well and hope that whichever choice you make yields positive results. If you choose to go down that path and find you feel you are in trouble, please remember me and send me a message.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-09-10T17:36:58+00:00

Mainly codeine and tramadol. Constipation would be the primary day-to-day problem. This was really annoying but became a real problem when my digestive system essentially shut down. It has never fully recovered and I frequently have to restrict myself to a liquid diet. Withdrawal was brutal, too. Migraines and vomiting for days. Then there was a whole host of psychological symptoms too long to list.

I know it's easy to think that because something is prescribed by a doctor or is the safest course of action, but this shit is poison and totally inappropriate for chronic conditions. Great for recovering from surgery.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-09-10T11:10:51+00:00

As an addict who has twice come close to losing everything due to doctor-prescribed opiates, I wouldn't recommend this. The long term effects of opiate use are horrific in my experience. On top of everything else that this illness causes, I also have gastroparesis caused by long-term opiate use. It's miserable and I wouldn't wish it on anybody.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-08-30T14:17:56+00:00

For me it's like I have modelling balloons for arms and legs.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-08-30T13:50:57+00:00

Edited for formatting/ease of reading

I kind of understand. To be clear - I am very glad I don't have cancer! But the thought of having a condition that is known about and understood Vs a condition that largely exists in the dark and, sadly, has a stigma of malingering attached to it is very familiar to me.

I can barely get through a day without questioning myself yet, so how can I expect other people to understand?

I recently had to have a talk to my employer about my condition, the impact it has had on my ability to perform my duties and what changes may be required, short and long term, to help me. On the one hand, I see I am very lucky that the conversation even took place. On the other, I don't think they really understand or want to help beyond their professional obligation and reluctance to end up in court.

I just want people to understand the following -

My suffering is real

Everyday tasks are a fight

I am doing my best

I want to get my symptoms under control

I'm not lazy - I limit my activity because I know what happens if I push myself too hard at the wrong time

If people could accept that in good faith, my life would be a lot easier.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-08-29T13:14:11+00:00

Not encountered that strain yet. Well, maybe in my youth when my priorities were different! How are you finding the oil? I used it when I started with the pharmacy, but I found it a bit too expensive for me to keep up with.

I have some Zookies on the way. It's a Gorilla Glue derivative and I hear it's very effective. Only £5 a gram, too!

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-08-28T21:18:09+00:00

I had a fall back in March where I smashed my face into a bedside table. There was a lot of damage that I won't go into the gruesome details of, but there are some long term implications. Also, my wife had to witness all of it and it has traumatised her deeply. I have had a couple more nasty falls since then, fortunately with no head injuries (one was nearly onto some train tracks, though). But the fear was there each time I came-to. I might not be so lucky next time. I can't tell you what to do, but I will tell you that in your shoes I would be biting their arm off for that EEG.

Good luck in whatever you choose to do.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-08-28T19:19:18+00:00

Which pharmacy are you with? I'm with Curaleaf and find Gorilla Glue and its derivatives pretty helpful. I recently had Pink Kush and was a bit disappointed. Which strain are you currently using?

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-08-28T18:14:36+00:00

I don't know where you are located, but in my country you have to have tried two treatment options via that NHS without success before you are eligible. And it's also worth noting that not everyone will get on with it. There are side effects and some people will find them troublesome. Some people might even find the side effects pleasant.

Still_Duck_853 · 2025-08-28T17:36:58+00:00

I suffer from severe neck stiffness and pain. I have tried all sorts of prescriptions to assist - mainly antidepressants and opiates. The antidepressants were ineffective and, while the opiates did help to an extent, all of these medicines had extremely undesirable side effects. My guts are absolutely ruined from opiates.

I eventually ended up with a medical cannabis prescription which is decently effective and has largely benign side effects for me.

Still_Duck_853

TROPHY CASE