Hi all! I’m wondering how long your double vision and dizziness lasted- and how long after your SAH you were cleared to drive?
Kristin, what does your doctor say? For me, it was almost a month in ICU after the pipe burst in my head. Doc said I could drive when I was comfortable riding as a passenger. It took awhile. I now have what I call my driving comfort circle. Driving is a privilege and I treat it as such. I have what’s now diagnosed as higher occipital lobe disfunction it means what my eyes see, my brain doesn’t register immediately or it just doesn’t get or keep the message. I don’t drive during rush hour or when school buses are on the road. Remember to clear everything with your doctor. Some states have restrictions for driving after brain surgery. Your doctor should be familiar with this information.
+1 Moltroub
Ask your dr.
My dr's told me no driving for a minimum of a month post op, but even after that month I was not safe and had a couple of close calls. I'm now 2yrs post op and still I keep my driving to a minimum and even then only short distances. I've found that if I drive to town, 50km, then do what I needed to do in town, driving home I would start to get a headache. By the time I got home I was in agony and needed a bed. Personally I'm photophobic now and I find if its a bright day the distance I can drive is much less before the headache kicks in. For trips on these days I need to take a co-driver, someone who can take over if the need arises. Also like Moltroub I avoid rush hours.
Merl
Oh Merl the photophobia can be a real brain party stopper! I forgot to mention on bright days, I avoid tree lined roads as I have learned photophobia doesn’t like the sun running through the trees. I also don’t drive when it rains because the wipers and the rain drops play havoc with my brain. Having a co-driver is a great idea! Perhaps Kristin when your doctor releases you to drive, have someone with you, just in case. Better to trade seats then get stuck on the side of the road…
Kristin...what has your docs, including an oph or neuro-oph explained to you?
A doc signed a form for me to re-test...after my initial neuroposych test...w/my reading level ranging from 2 years to 13.8 years... Suggest you check with your dept of licensing...as requirements can/do vary by states... ironically, I passed my test on the computer...and, then the driver testing...but that testing is/was (usually is) done in a quiet area...no difficult traffic, freeway driving, etc etc...
And, driving made me anxious...tho I began only with driving to out-patient care... only a couple of miles... And, with continued therapy on my healing right shoulder ...I could hold/manage the wheel...
I did not drive distances for quite some time...and, they began in short distance advancements..
However, my vision failure really advanced after my two sets of angio f/u's...leading to the extreme reactions to light changes and to rain glare...and, (blanking on a word)...to eye-rotation ...i.e. looking to left or right lane...to move into...
W/in days after my first f/u angio ...I was in to my eye doc..got the new specialty sunglasses (losing word)...and, I have used that if caught in rain glare at night... If I know of heavy rain, I do not go out in it; sometimes, we can be caught in heavy rain unexpectedly. After the next angio f/u, I was off to a neuro-oph...which generates my dilbertonianism...and, then off to vision therapy...
So you may have lots of questions for your neuro-docs and oph...and, perhaps, you have already had your vision tests?
Wishing you best results...
Just found this…read it all, SAH mentioned towards the end
http://strokeconnection.strokeassociation.org/Summer-2015/Getting-Behind-the-Wheel/