What's wrong with me?!
Discussion
Got a message from Vas last night....
Hi Ross. Unfortunately an emergency op kept me in theatre till 20:00, and I have another one tomorrow of similar size. Nothing planned just emergency admissions that keep coming. I have not forgotten about you and I will definitely do it, tomorrow if I finish before the end of the day or on Friday. You have been unlucky on this but we'll not give up. I will let you know. Cheers. Vas.
What an absolute hero. He really does continue to exceed expectations!
I hope he can convince them to let me drive now!
Hi Ross. Unfortunately an emergency op kept me in theatre till 20:00, and I have another one tomorrow of similar size. Nothing planned just emergency admissions that keep coming. I have not forgotten about you and I will definitely do it, tomorrow if I finish before the end of the day or on Friday. You have been unlucky on this but we'll not give up. I will let you know. Cheers. Vas.
What an absolute hero. He really does continue to exceed expectations!
I hope he can convince them to let me drive now!
crikey said:
Any response from your MP yet ? That's your best hope I think.
Not yet, it was Tuesday lunch time I sent the email so if I hear nothing by tonight I'll send another email tomorrow morning, I'll give her my phone number too as discussing over the phone may be easoer. Cheers
No problem at all, having been in exactly the same position and having to go through it myself I know how frustrating it can be when you're trying to get back to a normal life.
While looking back through my stuff I found my first letter to the DVLA which included a screenshot of the guidelines on their website:
I pointed out that the eg bit and that my tumour was a grade 1 meningioma treated with surgery by craniotomy and lo and behold that information disappeared from their website a few days later (it's back now, but I'll bet they don't stick to it), they are nothing but a dishonest, and infuriatingly unhelpful bunch of t
ts.
While looking back through my stuff I found my first letter to the DVLA which included a screenshot of the guidelines on their website:
I pointed out that the eg bit and that my tumour was a grade 1 meningioma treated with surgery by craniotomy and lo and behold that information disappeared from their website a few days later (it's back now, but I'll bet they don't stick to it), they are nothing but a dishonest, and infuriatingly unhelpful bunch of t
ts.https://www.gov.uk/guidance/current-medical-guidel...
Very interesting! I've just forwarded this to my MP and Vas!
Very interesting! I've just forwarded this to my MP and Vas!
With me their reason for banning me was the surgery rather than the type of tumour, which makes a bit of a mockery of their guidelines. They told me it was because they opened the middle fossa, and that had it just been the rear fossa I could have driven after a month, although had they just opened the rear fossa I'm sure they would have come up with another reason to ban me.
Sent that off to the MP and have just got a response....
Dear Mr Fripp
May I confirm I have received Mr xxxx’s email and having spoken to my contact at the DVLA to warn her that I was sending in a further question relating to your case, she will be looking out for it. I have since sent the additional information in via email.
As soon as I hear anything I’ll get back to you.
Thanks
Sarah
Dear Mr Fripp
May I confirm I have received Mr xxxx’s email and having spoken to my contact at the DVLA to warn her that I was sending in a further question relating to your case, she will be looking out for it. I have since sent the additional information in via email.
As soon as I hear anything I’ll get back to you.
Thanks
Sarah
crikey said:
Good stuff, keep hammering away at them 
You'll have to remind me, what type of tumour did you have ?
Grade 2 ependymomaYou'll have to remind me, what type of tumour did you have ?
I'm not going down without a fight....though I feel I may be losing it, it's worth trying!! At the end of the day, the DVLA just want to do as little work as possible. They really are a bunch of arses!
TheAngryDog said:
I cannot believe the trouble that you are having! Utter madness!
Good luck!
Tell me about it.....it gets worse!Good luck!
I had a message from Vas this afternoon telling me of the conversation he's had with the DVLA drs and....even he couldn't convince them to let me get my licence back early. He said it's ridiculous; and he seemed really disappointed he couldn't help me with this.
I sent him a nice message back thanking him for all he's done for me, and I'd like to keep in touch etc and he's just replied and given me his mobile number and said he wants to keep in touch
Once I can drive again I'm going to see if he fancies meeting up for a bite to eat for lunch or something
no harm asking. He's just a really decent bloke.So my last chance at getting the licence back early lies with the MP, and tomorrow could potentially be "decision day", so we'll see. I think I'll either be driving before the end of this coming week, or I won't be driving at all until December.
It sounds daft but, thinking now I'm basically 12 months on from diagnosis (bar just over 2 weeks) this past 12 months can be viewed as ultimately a very positive thing in my life. Sounds crazy, right?
Well....I've learned an awful lot about myself and my character, I've learned who my real friends are (and, conversely, who aren't worth the light of day....eg my dad's parents who haven't once asked me how I am THIS YEAR). I've learned that many people in the world are extremely kind and generous (this includes everyone who's helped me on this thread both with kind words, donations or otherwise!), that the NHS is bloody magnificent when it has to be (less so when it doesn't, mind). I've also learned what really counts in life, that you can't take things for granted, and life is too short to worry about small, minor things.
Yes, I'd rather be back to exactly how I was before being sick but I'm generally well and healthy and enjoying life again....except for not being able to drive yet
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