After 2 years and 4 months I was back behind the wheel!! I drove myself to the store!

I was super anxious and scared but determinded to be independent. It may have only been a 2 mile trip but I'm over the moon!

That is GREAT news!!! I'm so glad to hear that you achieved a milestone like that. Now, don't go pushing yourself...Make sure you ease into things to avoid a relapse. I don't want your next post to be about how horrible you feel after driving for 10 miles LOL.

Congratz on driving! That definitely is a HUGE improvement in my opinion. Keep up the good work =D and i Second Nicks opinion on taking it easy.

Way to go! I can't imagine what it would be like to not drive for 2 years ands 4 months. It has been 6 months for me, and I have just been given the "go ahead" by my doc to start trying to drive around my neighborhood.

I can relate to you being excited, but also scared and wanting your independence back! Did you notice how your processing speed was? Just wondering as that has been a big issue for me.

Congrats to you!

Gosh, How I understand that feeling.

mbrook. Well done! That is a HUGE step. Gotta keep pushing ourselves. Little by little, step by step. I get scared about going out there on the road or into busy places. I don't want to fall again. I stopped driving for a long time after my concussion but now live in a fairly quiet area so I just play it by ear... day to day. See how I feel. Sometimes I push myself. Not a bad thing.

You should be very proud of yourself under the circumstances.

Congratulations!!!

I was unable to drive for over a year - I couldn't imagine having to wait for more than 2!!! I'm still not able to drive long distances or on the freeway, and I've been driving regularly since Nov '11 and 5 days a week since Dec '11. But I do notice that I'm able to drive more safely, I feel like I'm more aware of what's going on around me and that makes me more confident. It's going to take more time and more healing before I'm able to drive more than I am now - but I'm hopeful that will happen someday.

Baby steps. (Maybe we should call them brain injury steps?)

HeadStrong-

Any problems with peripheral vision? I feel like everyone is in my lane. Now, I live in Charlotte-and this could be the issue, but I feel like I might be overcompensating-I always feel like AND in my defense-a lot of people are driving over the line.

Funny you should ask that. When I ride as a passenger, I feel like others are encroaching our lane. My husband doesn't even flinch. so I guess they aren't that close. I did see an Opthamologist (sp?) and was given a series of machine tests.

One of them showed I have peripheral vision issues, but they were random. I think that was due to the fact that my prosessing was very slow at the time. I would click on the button as soon as I saw the flashing lights in the test, but maybe it was registering late?

I still haven't attempted to drive, maybe hubby will take me this weekend. can't believe I am so nervous about it!

I believe that I experienced a serious decrease in my peripheral vision for the first 8 months or so after the accident I was in and I didn't even realize it. It's healed pretty well since then. I want to go to an eye therapist to see what else is going on... if anything... A lot of research has proven that people who sustain concussions can have a lot of damage to their vision like this and other issues -but it's rarely caught by doctors or explored. It usually corrects itself over time and can heal faster with therapy.

Be careful!

Independence is very important but so is your continued safety as well as the other people on the road. 21 months ago, I sustained the head injury that I'm still recovering from in an auto accident. If you're not able to drive as well as you were before the accident, please be very careful about driving!! I know you wouldn't want to give someone else a concussion because you're driving skills aren't tiptop!

Reason to celebrate your continued progress.




I was only about 6 months for me and I remember being nervous... I had to take the behind the wheel test like I was 16 again

Congratulations on your progress and your inspiration.