The perfect storm

As I'm sure you've noticed, the clouds have been gathering over our lives for a week or two now as the tussle for the driving license goes on.  Ash has seemed fairly calm this week but that obviously wasn't going to last and matters haven't been helped by the memory clinic report on his assessment last week going astray somewhere between there and the surgery.  On Tuesday when it became clear that something had gone awry our new lady from the clinic actually came to the house with hard copies of her notes and the assessment.  Ash and I raced to the surgery explaining that we needed a GP to read them and then say whether or not he/she would consent to him driving.  We left those pieces of paper in what we hoped were safe hands and returned home to wait but no phone call or email came our way.  Yesterday I went to London for the day to see the Dolly Parton Musical '9 - 5' (hence no 'post'  - and I love the fact that several people have contacted me to check we're ok!  It's so reassuring to know there's support out there).  Now going to London for the day from where I live takes some stamina.  I left home at 8.30am, met a friend for lunch, went to the show with her, caught the train home and arrived back at 9.45pm.  So a long day but definitely worth it.  I love London and the buzz begins the minute I walk out of Kings Cross into all the hustle and bustle.  I love the fact that we can think 'what sort of food would we like for lunch and where shall we go to find it?';  I love the anonymity of the place; I love the fact that I have a choice of public transport and that if I miss a bus or a tube train there will probably be another one along in 1 or 2 minutes.  None of those things play any part in your life if you live in a small village in the heart of the Lincolnshire Wolds and as a result London always gives me a boost.   On top of all that the show was brilliant and had such a feel-good vibe that I couldn't fail to feel buoyed up as I made my way home.  So there was only one blip in my day and that came when the GP phoned while I was enjoying my lunch to say she wasn't happy to say that Ash could continue to drive until such time as the DVLA made up their minds about what was to happen.  She quite rightly said that she'd only met him twice, had never seen him driving and didn't feel that she could pass judgement on his driving ability one way or the other.  I do appreciate the fact that she takes this all seriously and I know that there are lots of people out there still driving who would have stopped years ago if only their doctor had been committed to road safety but I'd rather it wasn't happening to us.  Anyway it is and we're back to waiting for the DVLA to contact the memory clinic and then make a decision which won't be for at least another week.  For obvious reasons I kept this latest piece of information to myself but knew, as soon as I walked in the door, that trouble was brewing.  I ignored it right up until we were getting ready for bed when Ash went into meltdown.  The stress over the lack of a license combined with the vagaries of the NHS system and the fact he was on his own for most of a 13 hr day had obviously combined to create the perfect storm.

Working on my premise that there is a solution to every problem I'm now investigating the advantages of electric bikes (it always pays to be prepared I find) so watch this space to see what happens next in this long running saga.


memoryfortwo@gmail.com


Comments

Sarah H said…
Electric bike(s) - brilliant. Richard has one . . .
Jane said…
Why am i not surprised! I'm quite excited about the idea but Ash obviously isn't. All he wants is to be able to drive his truck again.
Ann said…
It feels to me that, every day, living with Dementia is like a rollercoaster ride. The secret to coping (I’m learning from you Jane) is to be able to adapt, and always have a Plan B.

Jane said…
Definitely always have a plan B and C, D and F if necessary but also remember that it's ok if you fall off the rollercoaster occasionally.
Jane said…
sorry, forgot about plan E!