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Johnnie M

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About Johnnie M

  • Birthday 14/06/1960

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  • Gender
    Male
  • Location
    SE London
  • Interests
    Driving and travelling. Happily the driving thing can now happen as I had my licence returned to me on 24th May 2018 (at 4.36 pm, approximately! ;-)

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  1. Thank you for your advice. I was pretty much expecting those responses. Off to have an audiology test soon then!
  2. Hi all, I've not been here for a while but 7 years after my stroke I feel the need to ask a question about brain function. As a 63 year old male it is not surprising that I am often accused by my lovely wife of not listening. I am slightly hard of hearing but not so much that I wouldn't hear her at all. As background I had a mini stroke (TIA) which transformed into an haemorrhagic stroke. This left me with a loss of vision on my right side (quadrantanopia). This was because the brain stroke was emanating from the left hand side, I believe. Just the other evening my wife said to me, 'I literally just said what you said...you never listen to me!!' To be honest it was embarrassing because I genuinely never heard her say what she said she did (she was sitting immediately to my right). My question is, did my brain injury (because that is what it was) leave me other problems such as not retaining and instantly forgetting what someone says or am I, as accused, just zoning out? I don't want to use my injury as an excuse but maybe there is something that I don't know that I don't know. If anyone has any advice I would be grateful. JohnnieM
  3. Hi Imogen. I was given a 12 year licence to take me up to 70 years of age. My understanding is that if they approve you for driving then it doesn't come with limits. If you can drive you can drive. Your age may limit the length of licence given, as would be usual. My father in law was still driving at 89 but had to get a licence renewal every three years I think. JM
  4. Welcome here Staystrong21. What a terrible time for you. Many of us here went through the same thing (although mine was quadrantanopia - lower right quarter of my field of vision - rather than homonymous hemianopia - which is over a quarter and less than a half). It really is a waiting game where DVLA are concerned but Tina's advice is good. Keep hoping and keep chasing. My understanding is that Hemianopia is a definitive withdrawal of your licence and it takes more to come back from than quadrantanopia, for the sole reason that you have lost more actual vision. I still think that you could convince the DVLA that you should be allowed to apply for your licence back using the 'special circumstances' criteria, which is very well documented in the various forum links Tina provided. Please feel free to ask questions as there is lots of help here. It took me 22 months to get my licence back but I happily achieved that and have been out on the road as often as possible ever since. Good luck!
  5. Gailpz. Have you actually received a letter from DVLA explaining the exceptional case rules? When your licence is taken away from your husband (because of the stroke) you need to send it to DVLA. They should then send you for an Esterman test at Specsavers (or some other optician nominated by them - they pay for it too). Once they have the results of the test they will probably send a letter detailing what is required to get them to agree to a driving assessment (not a driving test as such). If you look through my posts in the Quadrantanopia thread you will find the criteria that DVLA sent me. https://web.behindthegray.net/topic/2798-quadrantanopia/ Your husband can apply for his licence back under the 'exceptional case' rules, about 8 weeks before one full year after his 'stroke event'. If he had the stroke in 2014 he passes that criteria already! As to the question of adaptation, I have sent you a message direct. I hope this helps.
  6. Jenni So sorry to hear of your plight. So many emotions when this happens and especially hard for you as a Mum caring for little ones. As others have said already, there is hope for you and you are in the right hands. I also had a brain hemorrhage in 2016. It was just a headache at the back of my head (I was on my way to work on the train). It was a little strange as I don't really get headaches and it didn't seem that bad. Anyway, whilst emailing at my desk I noted that I couldn't see the right hand side of my screen without moving my head that way. Long story short, visit to Chiropractor didnt sort it. Visit to Moorfields Eye Hospital confirmed it wasn't an eye defect and they sent me in a cab straight to a stroke unit in London. That was a shock! No-one expects a stroke do they! I am recovered as I think I will be but still have the loss of vision. I do, however, have my driving licence back (woo hoo!) although it did take 20 months! We are all here for you and we all have our own stories and coping mechanisms. Come back here whenever you feel alone or unable to understand the issues you are facing. Be kind to yourself and keep hydrated!
  7. Sorry to hear of your troubles. In this instance I have to admit that I don't really know what the issue is as I have absolutely no idea what an 'optic disc drusen' is and how it affects your sight. Keep trying and hopefully you'll have a result after a while. DVLA take their time for sure and they are very behind with their paperwork, as you may have seen reported in the press! Good luck! JM
  8. Amazing news Kerry! I love this site and the fact that there really is help out there. It kept me going during the long wait to get my licence back. That you should never give up hope is the real point we try to get across. Another success story helps strengthen that view. I hope the little one arrives without trauma and that your partner maintains good health. There are some amazing drives in Scotland. The NC500 comes to mind (although I suspect it is pretty busy just now, what with all the 'staycationing' going on). Up hill and down dale but always happy to drive anywhere. I remember the day I got my first sports car - TVR - My wife asked me to pop out for some milk. 50 miles and 90 minutes later I got back. 'Appy as Larry, as we say down south. Onwards and upwards!
  9. Tony Welcome to BGT. I am sorry to hear of your nervousness but you should take great comfort in the fact that you are way ahead of most 'licence losers' that come here for advice. Many/most of us have had our licences revoked rather than taking the (purely personal) decision to hand them in. I would suggest that you focus positively on the test you have to take at Specsavers (we all had to do it!) and tell yourself that it will be a positive outcome. In the 18 odd months it took me to get my licence back I never lost the idea that I would get my licence back at some point. And eventually I did. You have the support of a consultant and you have already passed a test so why do you think you wont pass this one? Nervousness doesn't affect the eyes. Just do the test, focus on the spot in the middle and press the button when you see a light dot. Easy! Good luck fella and let us know how you get on. JM
  10. John It seems that progress is being made and from prima facie evidence (albeit verbal) you seem to have quite good results. I'm afraid that you are experiencing the sort of delays we all experience with the DVLA so there's no surprises there. They aren’t picking on you, it is merely the way things are there, compounded by the Covid shambles of course! Expect to wait for some time but don't be afraid to call every other day just to find out how the review is going. I had, eventually, to make a formal complaint as I was told I was a priority case yet heard nothing for weeks. The complaint will take around three weeks for them to deal with but once it has been received (don't rant in your letter, just put the facts down) then you will have a case officer and a case reference so that you can push forward. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the test results with prove favourable and that you will either get your licence back or get sent for a driving assessment. Good luck
  11. Kerry Thanks for posting the results. I don't think this will be acceptable to the DVLA and in normal circumstances the licence will be revoked as there are too many 'unseen' spots close to the central field of vision. The 'spin' on your case is that the 'event' which caused the loss of vision allegedly happened more than 12 months ago. I say allegedly as I am not sure how definite the medical experts can be on when the event happened and whether DVLA start the 12 month timeline from the date they were informed (if a definitive date cannot be confirmed. I imagine you found my posts explaining what each of the 'exceptional case' rules are and that this is the information you wish to send to DVLA? I think that this is the best thing for you to do. Cover all of the requirements in full (as best you can) and see what their response is. If your doctors can be specific about exactly when the event caused the loss of vision then all the better. All the information you send should be reviewed by medical professionals at DVLA but the corollary will be that your partner is likely to be asked to take a driving assessment. If that happens then come back to let us know and we can go through the likely content of the assessment (it isn't like a first driving test!). If you have any queries about the exceptional case rules then let me/us know. JM
  12. Hi Kerry If DVLA are happy to accept private tests from Specsavers then that is great and it will certainly give you a head start. I presume that the test results will be sent by you to DVLA? Explain that your partner has been driving for more than 12 months since the stroke/defect appeared (with no driving incidents presumably?). This may be taken as mitigating circumstances if he is on the cusp or revocation of the licence due to the confirmed visual defect. Just because there is some defect doesnt mean the licence will be revoked as it very much depends on the extent of the visual field loss and where the blind spots are. Whether or not he has to wait 12 months and use the exceptional circumstances rule is up to the DVLA but when you send the results in, use that chance to send a doctors report detailing when the defect occurred and why. Also get a report from Doctor/employer/professional occupational therapist that he is capable of carrying out all normal day to day activities such as dressing, crossing the road, shopping etc etc so that they already have that information when they make their decision. It might also be sensible to get the doctor to confirm that there has been no recurrence of the stroke event that caused the visual defect. I hope that all goes well for you. He will get his licence back so long as the defect is not too severe or centred around the middle of his vision. I am not a doctor and only have experience of dealing with this exact problem. I am happily driving around but it took 22 months to get there! Another thing re his work. Could he partner with another engineer? Does his employer have 'unfit to work' insurance. It's worth asking the employer now exactly where he stands. Take away the conjecture and you take away worry where worry is pointless. Good luck!
  13. Kerry AB, Firstly I am so sorry to hear about your partner's experience (tinged with the being happy that you have a little one on the way!) but depending on the results of the Esterman field test (if the DVLA ask you to take one) you may well find that he is able to keep his licence, espcially as he has been driving for some months, despite the field of vision defect. May I suggest that you come back here once you have heard from the DVLA. You can then appraise us of what their advice is and we can advise as to what the way forward may be for you. The DVLA took 2 days to revoke my licence when they received the results of my Esterman test,. Your partner's results may well be better than mine (I had blind spots near to the middle of my vision) and he may be lucky and retain his licence. If this is not the case then we may be able to help. A word of warning, whatever the DVLA decides is exactly what you have to put up with. I think there is an appeal process and there is certainly a, 'exceptional case' process so please don't give up. Be positive and try not to fret. We will help at whatever stage your partner finds himself. Finally, read the threads in this section. There has been much success in people getting their licences back when they have been revoked (me included). You'll find some really helpful threads here. Johnniem
  14. What a nightmare for you. I was sorry to read all that. I looked up the Goldman test and it is done to establish your peripheral vision. I did a similar thing at my driving assessment and it was very much focussed on reaction times. I sat in a test bed that was like sitting in a car drivers seat, with a matrix of lights in front of me. The idea was to press the brake as soon as possible when you see a red light. It means you need to move your head around. However, the Goldman test may well involve fixing your gaze on one spot and seeing how much you can see with the peripheral vision (similar to the Esterman Test you did at Specsavers. So in summary, I don't really know but google helped a little bit! Good luck and let us know how things turn out. It would be good to have your summary of what a Goldman test is too!
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