Handicap

Like others here in the USA, I got my drivers license when I was 16… (1990).

Twenty-some years ago, I sprained a wrist or finger or thumb or foot or something, and I visited a local clinic to get it looked at. When I was there, I told the doctor my entire story of my “falling (a pretty-good distance) out of a tree” when I was 10, spending a month on a coma and leaving my brain with a permanent bruise on the left-frontal lobe. The doctor at the clinic (after telling my “impressive story”) gave me a sheet to take to the DMV and I’ll get handicap parking. Went there to turn the paper in and I received a handicap hang-tag that had the word PERMANENT on it. I asked the lady…

“Why does this say ‘Permanent’? How long is it good for?”
“You can park in handicap spots for the rest of your life.”

I laughed!

So, after having the hang-tag in my car for some years, I thought…

“If I have a ‘permanent’ hang-tag, does it mean I could just go and get a handicap license plate?”

Well…. YES… Yes I can!

That is what I did. That is what I still have today.

See? Being handicap is cool… 😉

Drivers License

It has been quite the process of healing after receiving the brain surgery (2014), but the day has come for me to finally transport myself from the house to Walmart. I have successfully taken the driving test and got myself a freaking Drivers License. The day-after doing that, I got myself a car. Wow! This is incredible! Something I haven’t done for 10+ years, and the test was pretty straight forward.

I mean, I’d previously drove a car for over 20 years before getting the surgery, so taking the test to drive again wasn’t too new…

What’s next?

Six Months…

Visited the Neurologist today. The doctor asked how I was feeling, since being on this new med.

“I’m feeling good. It’s taken time to have my body and brain get used to this newest medication.”

When changing to a new seizure medication, it takes my brain and body time to get completely off the old and completely on to the new. At this time, I can easily say it’s taken me nearly a year to get through the change. But it has been worth it…

Next thing the doc was able to help me with, is filling out the paperwork to say it’s “okay” for me to finally (after nearly 12 years) get a drivers license. I’m not running out to get this tomorrow, or anything like that. I’m certainly not in any rush. I’ll need to have this doctor fill out these papers every year to say that I’m well enough to drive.

If this is what I have to do from now on, I’ll do it. At least I can get a license.

Now, taking the Drivers License test…. THAT is something that I haven’t done (what seems like) forever.

Visit the Neurologist

Saw the Neurologist last week. The main thing that we were talking about was just my new Oxcarbazepine. I feel fine with it. Even though there are other seizure meds that I’ve taken twice a day, and they were quite an ordeal with the drowsiness, this one seems to work just fine. I asked my Neurologist if we were seeing each other again in three months, and she tells me: “No, I’ll see you in six months…”

“Eh, okay.”

Meds switched back…

As explained, the Oxtellar XR is too expensive. I’m back with the Oxcarbazepine twice-a-day. What I have to say about Oxcarbazepine is to be careful with it. I definitely have found out that this seriously needs to be taken 12 hours apart. Don’t take this one off schedule with the control and side-effects it has.

With all the previous medications I’ve taken over the past decades, the 24-hour pills have been better when dealing with these side-effects of making me tired. I’ve taken those 24-hour ones at night.

So far…. not bad. No “serious” side-effects for me.


Last Sunday, I received the new third COVID shot. I’ve had no problems at all after receiving that. Heck, I got my shot a day before President Biden got his. 😀