end stage renal disease and driving

[Everlasting]

Hello:  Those in my community who are dialysis patients and receive treatment at an established center travel back and forth from home by a transportation service specifically for this population.  Does this infer that when an individual is on dialysis that the privilege of having a drivers lisence is evoked?
     Also, when an individual reaches end-stage failure will they be asked to give up driving?
Thank you for any responses or experiences you might have on this topic.
Everlasting - from Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada
     

[twirl]

I drive all the time and I have been on dialysis five years this Halloween -
only thing, don't get IV benadryl an hour before you leave -
and don't let your BP drop too much

[jbeany]

I drive myself and pick up another patient on my way.  (The other patient has had his license revoked, but it was part of his probation on drug dealing charges, not his health that made that happen!)  He drove himself as well, when he legally could.

There is no reason to give up driving when you have ESRD.  Yes, you need to be cautious right after dialysis that you are not driving while you are light-headed, but any decent center won't let you leave until your bp is high enough for you to manage the drive.  I did get rides the first couple of weeks, since the beginning is very rough for most people, but after two weeks, I was sure I could handle it.

[willowtreewren]

My husband is on dialysis. He drives all the time. Today we drove 3.5 hours each way to Nashville, TN. He never asked me to spell him!

Aleta

[marti824]

i drive all the time as well.  i am actually more comfortable driving than walking because I am sitting down.

[Hanify]

I couldn't have driven home when I did in centre - but that was just me, and only straight after dialysis.  Other than that I did, and do drive now all the time.  No problems.

[Everlasting]

I drive all the time and I have been on dialysis five years this Halloween -
only thing, don't get IV benadryl an hour before you leave -
and don't let your BP drop too much

Thank you Twirl:  Great tip - have entered this one in my list of "assists"
Everlasting

[peleroja]

Don't know about Canada, but here in California the only restriction I know of is insulin dependent diabetics.  I think they get a license for 2 years instead of 4 or 5.  The state tried to do that to my friend, so she demanded they charge her less money.  Since the state couldn't figure out how to do that, they gave her a 5 year license!  Yes, you can fight city hall.

[sumodidit]

I drive all the time everyday, but there are some times when the treatment has gotten the best of me. Luckily the clinic will not let me leave until they think I am ok to drive. Also I only stay a few minutes from the clinic

[monrein]

I live in Toronto but used to live in Nova Scotia and there are no restrictions on driving, that I am aware of, just because one is on dialysis.  However, you need to allow time to fully figure out how you will react and feel after a session and be sure to make other arrangements if you feel odd even if it might be a bit inconvenient.  The main issue is that low BP after a session if a lot of fluid has been removed.

[Everlasting]

Thank you Monrein for your response to my query re driving.  It is interesting that you used to live in Nova Scotia and this info. is reassuring as your response reflects knowledge of the driving conditions we experience in the winter months.  Your words are most encouraging!!!
     I am rather new on this site and from what i have read your dialysis history is extraordinary!.  I was so sorry to read that your first transplant did not work.
     I was relieved to see that you are doing home dialysis as it must give you a little more comfort and take less energy in terms of getting to a clinic and home again despite all weather conditions.  I suspect that now that you are receiving dialysis in a more frequent schedule your body is less traumatized. 
      What on earth did you do when you experienced winter storm stayed days???
     Please know that your response to my post is inspiring and I so look forward to my partner reading it as it will give him (a potential renal transplant recipient) a lot of encouragement as well.  Thank you for sharing this topic with us!!!
Be Well
Everlasting

[monrein]

I sent you a PM Everlasting to explain that I did home hemo in Wolfville.  Halifax was at least an hour away on a perfect day so I wouldn't have been able to do that, and the winter situation would have been insane.  I would recommend home hemo if at all possible unless you live very close to your centre.
I had my second transplant in February from my sister-in-law but before that I dialysed at a self-care clinic here in Toronto. 

[del]

Hi everlasting I am just a trip across the gulf of St. lawrence from you in Newfoundland!! For 6 years (before he started home hemo) my husband had over an hrs drive to dialysis.  One day we were 5 hours getting to the unit - had to wait for the snowplow to plow the road!!  There were a few days when we went and stayed all night at a friends or stayed all night after his treatment.  It was always a worry what the weather was going to be like. We did buy a 4 wheel drive truck when he started and used that instead of the car when it was stormy or going to be stormy.   He always had someone travel with him for company but he was quite capable of driving on his own after treatment.  I just wanted someone with him just in case something happened.

[BigSky]

Some do not feel like driving and others may not be able to afford to drive to dialysis.

Here people who are on medicaid can have medicaid pay for a taxi to take them to dialysis and home.

[petey]

My husband Marvin drove himself for the 12 years when he was in-center.  (Well, the first month I took him and his brother picked him up, but after that he wanted to drive himself.)  His clinic was 10 miles from our home, and in all those years there were probably a dozen times when he couldn't drive himself home (crashed during treatment, was sick, etc.).  Then, he would call me and I would leave school to go and get him.  A friend would go back to the clinic later that afternoon with me to get Marvin's car home.

We live in southeastern North Carolina, so weather was never a big problem.  We did have a snow storm or two during those years (and, a "snow storm" here is anything over an inch or two), but Marvin was able to get to the clinic with no problems (I did go with him on those days, but he drove there and back because he said I didn't know how to drive in snow!).  We also had a couple of hurricanes during those years when there were trees down on the roads, but, again, Marvin didn't have any problems getting through.

Marvin always liked the independence of driving himself, but he was always extremely careful to make sure he was able to drive home after a treatment.  I will have to admit that I stayed on pins and needles during his drives -- both to the clinic and back home.  But, then, I'm an obsessive worry-wart...

Now that we're on home hemo, it's no longer an issue.

[RightSide]

I don't know what regulations are in Canada.

But here in the States,
I've always driven myself to and from the dialysis center.

The only time I can't do that is when we get one of our wonderful Massachusetts snowstorms, and it proves too much for my wonderful but little Honda Civic.

What would I do if we got socked in with a blizzard and I couldn't get out of my home to go to dialysis?  Basically, just skip it, and phone the center to let me have an appointment on the next day.

I've already been forced to skip dialysis once or twice, due to having to be in the hospital on the weekend when dialysis was just not available.  And i did just fine without it for a day or two.  Mostly because I was eating less (zonked by anesthesia) and building up less toxins.  So that's what I would do:  Just eat a light lower-protein very low sodium diet, read a good book and watch the snow coming down outside my window.

In Massachusetts, blizzards can be life-threatening.  The Blizzard of 1978 killed 54 people.  Not gonna risk traveling in that.  Not in my little Honda Civic anyway.

[monrein]

In places like Toronto, if people are unable to drive themselves for whatever reason or can't manage the bus or subway, they can get transportation (wheeltrans) to and from treatments.  Not sure how this works in a place like Nova Scotia where often people live more rurally. 

[ODAT]

Oh you sure can drive! My mom is a "rebel driver" - or so we call her. Just recently I went to her house to pick her up and she was not there. I could see that she had eaten. I went upstairs to the laundry room - not there. Called my sister and the first thing she asked was, "is the car there?" I told her I didn't even think to look because my mother was not cleared for driving (due to a recent full knee replacement surgery).

Well, you guessed it, the car was gone. She came back and had this smile on her face. I told her to stop smiling...do you see how much my hand is shaking? Didn't know where you were. She said she thought she'd get back before I got there!

Took her keys and hid them. Sorry for the long story, just that the dialysis has not slowed mom down and actually has given her life back. She is cleared for driving now and does so every chance she gets.

She does not drive herself to dialysis though. She is just too tired, but it is up to the individual.

[TiffanyJean]

so Richie is able to drive - some of the time. most of the time  i drive just to be on the safe side. but he is still licensed and able to drive. I think its personal feeling, as well as if how the caregiver feels.

TJ