driving -- how many of you limit or don't drive at all?
 

I haven't been driving...but recently now I take short (10 min) trips ...to grocery store or chiropractor.

I have no issues when I do drive...just my head feels sort of tingly...I just don't want to overdo it.


I feel awful saying no to the kids == wanting to go to a friend's house or to the basetball courts, etc.. I just encountered that again now.

So...how many of you are NOT driving??

Am I babying myself...or not pushing myself enough??

I really limit my driving since my concussion. There are some days when I cannot drive at all - like when I am feeling dizzy or when I have a BAD headache.

Otherwise, I only drive locally, street, not highway driving so far, because I find that the highway has too much going on. I can't attend to so many things. Even just driving locally is sometimes difficult, but i drive slowly and for really short periods of time.

I thought of not driving at all, but then I am really stuck. As it is, I don't go out as much since my accident. Without the car it would be hard to get to doctor appointments, etc. Once or twice I took the bus, but it made me feel nauseous.

I also try to drive during the day only. Nighttime driving is harder than daytime driving.

I hope that as I feel better I will be able to drive more.
You just have to see what feels right for you. Everyone is different.

ShellyK

I have limited my driving since Jan 2001. I only drive on my good days and not in heavy traffic. I do not do well in my wife's Yukon SUV. It has to many comforts and my brain forgets that I am driving. Been on too many sidewalks.

If I drive at night, I do much better. My brain can only see the objects in the head lights. During the day, my eyes are jumping all over the place.

I do not drive highways very often. When I do, I only go 45 mph. I cannot handle the road coming at me any faster. My comfortable speed is about 25 to 35, depending on the day.

aireyden, If you are going to drive your kids anywhere, you can make it a strict rule that they must be completely quiet. No second chances. Your distractability is what puts you at risk.

btw, I do OK with unfamiliar cars. I drive them quite often since I am repairing and selling cars to stay busy and make some money. I often drive the one I just finished fixing to road test it and to go get parts for the next one I am working on. By the time I am feeling too comfortable in the car, I know it is time to push harder to sell it.

Driving onto a sidewalk will wake you up to the risks in a hurry. Done it once and almost did it a few times. Good thing nobody walks any where any more.

I drive but hand the keys over if I feel even the least bit out of whack.

i have no actual problems driving .... the problem is I feel all this weird tingling going on in my head. It makes me tired ...and most times gives me a headache ..or pain in the back of my head (where I hit it).

The driving -- not difficult..no visual perception problems....so is it just me worrying too much?

This subject is a tricky one. Each head injury is different. I will give you my experiences.

I limit my driving. I live in a big metro area so I do not drive in rush hour. I can get overloaded with too much traffic. I do not drive at night or in bad weather. I only drive locally.

Like you, I thought maybe I was babying myself too much until I had an OT/PT assessment. The assessment was eye opening. They urged me to even further limit my driving.

The good news is that I am at 18 months and undergoing therapy -- and still seeing improvement.

My driving is better than it was in december. Now looking back I shouldn't have driven. A drunk would be better. I now drive no more than 70 km/hr. I don't go on any highway. I get drives to doctor. Everything out there is coming fast and distracting. I used to love cranking the stereo with sub...now NO noise.

I drive without problems most of the time. I have someone else drive if I'm headed more than 5 miles away and I expect to be overloaded. (Like when I went for Neuro-Psych test.)

I think the important thing is to know your limits.