I got my driving license before I was diagnosed with CLL. I'm currently in watch & wait period and usually do not have any significant symptoms other than some periods of fatigue from time to time.
I'm wondering how compatible it is to be driving with this condition. My CLL doesn't interfere with my driving but I just wonder, if I was involved in an accident, would my insurance bail on me if they found out about my condition.
I realize this is quite specific and will most likely depend on the country and the insurance policy, but I'm interested in hearing from you, if you drive with CLL and how you deal with this issue.
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TrenchcoatPenguin
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Unless you are taking medication that can cause dizziness or drowsiness, I don't see how it's a problem. CLL is not like epilepsy or other diseases where the central nervous system is involved.
I personally try not to drive the day after nights I have problems sleeping such that I wake up feeling exhausted, and seem to stay exhausted. If you notice patterns of sleepiness during the day (some here have commented they seem to need a nap), avoid driving until after the nap, if you can. Or try to go earlier in the day, when you aren't as fatigued.
Hello - I’m so glad you posted this as my sleep has been all over the board since starting Calquence this past spring. I’ve chalked it up to old age (68 - hah!) and I’m having very erratic sleep nights. Be well!
I have CLL 18 years. It doesn't stop me from doing anything. I only had fatigue during my chemo. On days that I don't have a lot of energy, I rest & pace myself.
Shoot that is a good question & I don’t know the answer since insurance companies are experts at not paying claims🤨 I often feel very anxious on the road in my diminished state from time to time. I just don’t drive much, make sure I’m well rested & I even need to not eat before driving because that routinely makes me tired 🥱 Its all an adjustment & we are all different. This is the time to pay attention to your body. Please stay safe & don’t take chances 🙏🏾
Thank you for your message. I listen to my body and only drive when I feel it is safe to do so and I think I'm a pretty confident driver. I just don't want to take chances if my insurance will screw me over in the event of a claim since that can pretty much ruin your life if it's serious.
Going for my provisional HGV license, with the form asking about if I had any medical conditions, and I sent a doctors letterabout my cll, and that was it, got granted my HGV provisional.
I drive and have never thought about it. I behave as if I don't have CLL (my haematologist said - 'get on with life'!) - so if fatigued, I don't drive: and I look at any medication, which if it says don't drive, I don't.
I agree with your way of thinking. This is also the way I see it and try to life my life. However, there are cases such as insurance where that could be a problem in the event of a claim.
I checked requirements soon after my CLL diagnosis and learned I did not have a notifiable condition with the DVLA. Here is the means to check (in the U.K.). I’m unsure as to legal requirements in other countries.
It’s advisable to advise your insurance company but the key issue is whether the condition affects ability to drive and/or medication causes issues which could impact on safety.
"If in doubt, check" is a good guiding principle when it comes to insurance. The insurer will gladly take your premiums, but if you submit a claim they will level questions that were buried in the fine print back at application time. I never heard of anyone's insurance premiums being loaded because of CLL per se, but...
"Driving against medical advice" would include against the advice of a doctor, of a pharmacist, or anything written on the patient leaflet of a medication you're taking. If you're driving under the influence of unlicensed meds that might conceivably affect your ability to drive, you're on your own.
Finally, if as driver you have an accident, and plead you were suffering from a blinding headache or double vision, who's going to cop the blame?
"Finally, if as driver you have an accident, and plead you were suffering from a blinding headache or double vision, who's going to cop the blame"?
Excellent point bennevisplace, in the end the driver is always responsible for the handling of the vehicle and accountable for any life or property impacted by the operation of a vehicle.
I am not aware that CLL per se would affect car insurance coverage, although perhaps it might affect the premiums for life insurance. There are so many other conditions that cause fatigue such as diabetes, depression, various heart conditions including coronary artery disease, arrhythmias and treated heart failure. But when treated appropriately under medical supervision, I have not heard that these are contraindications for driving or obtaining a driver's license unless a physician advises not to drive and documents this in the medical record. A common sense approach for all of these conditions or anyone without CLL is to avoid driving when significantly fatigued. BTW, I've had CLL for 17 years. When very ill (including covid), I stop driving. When feeling well, I drive.
TrenchcoatPenguin, I'm in the United States. Auto insurance here only looks at who is at fault for the accident. Having any illness does not make you automatically at fault.😊Sandra
I have been in watch and wait for nine years now I wouldn’t know I had anything if it wasn’t for my six month follow-ups and lab work. Live your life as if you had no disease until if and when something changes.
I have CLL and was able to get a "DOT card", which you need in the USA to drive commercial passenger vans. It was not an issue in the least other then I had to get a note from my onc/hemo that he had no concerns. This even continued when I had to start O + V (that is, once the regimen had stabilized and there were no more significant side effects which defininetly were an issue during the start/rampup).
The DVLA doesn't include CLL in its list of illnesses you have to declare, type 1 diabetes has to be declared along with a number of other ailments. Some illnesses require filling in a moderately complex form, with sections by your GP and others by your consultant after which they may impose conditions such as downgrading your licence (car) from A to B so you can only drive automatic transmissions rather than manual. My wife has just had a pacemaker fitted and that has to be declared, she also had a benign brain tumor excised and that has to be declared, with a separate, 4 page, form. As for insurance, you have to declare that you hold a valid licence for the class of vehicle insured so if DVLA are prepared to license you then your insurers are happy. Clearly if you hold an HGV or PSV licence then the declarations required are far more stringent.
It’s not just type 1 diabetes requiring declaration if the diabetes (of whatever type) is treated by tablets carrying hypoglycaemia risk and of course if there has already been vision damage.
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