advise needed regarding medical

[lessonlearned]

Hi, I'm due to take my medical to get my licence back after a very long 18 months. Because my reading was 110 (breath) I was told on the rehabilitation course I attended that I was classed as a High Risk Offender and would need to do a medical and DVLA would contact me well before the ban ended to arrange the medical to be done.

I called the DVLA after the course and they said there was nothing on their system to say I would need a medical so left it at that.

I recently got the application form to get my licence so filled it in and called DVLA to check some questions on the form. I again checked if a medical would be needed, they said they had not yet had my breath reading from the courts but it had been requested. Two weeks later I called again, still nothing so I decided to chase the court myself as I was worried it would lead to delays in getting my licence back. After a lot of phone calls DVLA now have my reading and I do indeed need to have the medical done!

I haven't really drunk since I was banned as soon after I fell pregnant and since my baby was born earlier this year I have had 3 nights out. The last time was a week ago having 7 small glasses of wine which I know if a little excessive but was a birthday dinner for a good friend.

Since this week I have started taking milk thistle and drinking green tea and eating more fruit etc. One other thing I’m a little worried about though is that I have been drinking a lot of red bull recently and I started smoking again (not while pregnant!). I'm a little worried that these would have taken a toll on my liver as I understand the blood test is to check liver function plus the fact that I did binge drink throughout my 20s (I'm now 30) I worried there may be some long term damage

I'm presuming I will probably get my medical done in the next month or so, I haven’t had the letter from the DVLA telling me to book it yet but should have it in the next week to 10 days as they are processing my case now.

If I cut out the redbull and stop smoking now do you think I will be ok to pass? Obviously I will not be drinking alcohol either.

Does anyone have advice or reassurance for me that I will be ok for this medical or any other tips?

Also had anyone else has this experience where the court did not give the DVLA their reading so had the medical sprung on them?

Thanks for reading guys x

 

[kayoko]

Also had anyone else has this experience where the court did not give the DVLA their reading so had the medical sprung on them?

Yep, I'm in exactly the same boat. Got a letter shortly after my ban stating I did not have to do a medical. I rang DVLA as I knew that above 87.5 you are required to do so. As I blew 94, the letter was i suprise so, I rang the DVLA who said they did not have a record of my breath reading from the court. I rang again a year into the ban to see if the readings had shown up and was again informed that i was not required to do the medical as they had no breath reading on their system.

Turns out that after sending my renewal application in 6-7 weeks ago, the DVLA contacted the court and obtained my reading - Next thing a letter in the post saying I need to send in a D1 and wait to hear from them regarding a medical examination. What a joke!!

So, im waiting now for the letter to arrange the medical, my ban is up in 12 days.....


Basically, as soon as i discovered that i need to do the medical (3 weeks ago to the day) , i quit the drink straight away. With advice from this forum, I'm on Milk Thistle, drinking plenty of water and am down the gym working cardio 30-40 minutes 6 times a week.

Before I found out about the medical, i was drinking a fair bit over the summer, very weekend and a couple of times a weeks.

That said, I'm confident that i will pass the medical. 4-6 weeks off the source, milk thistle, water and exercise should do the trick. I have done some research and unless your liver is completley f**ked, you "should" be fine if you do that. Some say on this forum the liver will be fine after a couple of weeks not drinking, but I'm playing safe and will not be touching a drop of alcohol for 6 weeks at least.

Also, im a smoker too - 20 a day, I'm not worried about this, although i will be stopping for a few days before the medical as smoking can raise enzymes short term.

As for the red bull, I'm not sure about that, but I would give it up a week before to be on the safe side.

You should be fine if what you say is true about your drinking habits and quit completley for 4-6 weeks before the medical. Myself, I'm not worried about it. The test is no catch out the people with pretty "serious" drinking problems as far as i can tell, basically people that can't stop.

Also, the thing to look out for is an ALT:AST ratio of >2:1. If its greater than 2:1 then test is pointing to a drink problem as i understand. I have a blood test with my GP on Monday to check this as a precaution. As i said, i'm confidant i will be fine, but there is no harm in checking with the GP first, thats my view anyway. One thing that might not go down well is if you have been to the GP with a drink problem in the past, the guy from DVLA asked me that question when i spoke to them this week, seems the medical team will check up on you for that one.

 

[lessonlearned]

It definitely seems you need to be proactive with the DVLA, keep on their case, surely if a DD offence is reported through a court without a reading it would just take a 5 minute phone call to get this information so records are kept up to date!
I received the DVLA’s letter this morning asking that I arrange the medical and pay £96 for the privilege, this has turned out to be a very costly mistake, one I will not be making again for sure! As I understand it once the medical is booked you can ring DVLA to ask that they provide a cover note to drive until the results of the medical has come back (and hopefully a new driving licence!!)
Will start drinking loads of water now then and try and arrange the medical for about a month’s time (medical has to be done within 6 weeks or receipt of the letter). Will try and do more walking or something, with my little one getting to the gym is near impossible. Sounds like you are taking it really seriously and will have no problems passing.
I had also read somewhere that smoking raises liver enzymes so think I will just stop now, wish I hadn’t bothered starting again, but that’s another story!
Thanks for replying and for your advice, best of luck for your medical x

 

[Wilber]

My partner was not told that he needed a medical before he could get his provisional licence after a drink driving and dangerous driving offence. He took the completed application form to the local DVLA office andalong with details of his convictions and no mention was made of a medical. He received his provisional licence, bought and insured a car (at enormous expense) and had some driving lessons. When the driving instructor applied for the theory test on his behalf, it was declined. On phoning DVLA he was told that a medical was necessary and that when his provisional licence was granted they did not have the breath test results from the court. (Two years before) DVLA are investigating and promised to get back to us within a day or two (That was a week ago) I find it amazing that the breath test results appeared so miraculously.They also told him that he should not drive. In the meantime my partner has a car that he cannot use, with associated insurance that might cost more than he would save by cancelling for a short (hopefully) period. Has anyone else had the same experience of having a wrongly issued licence. Also, what is the position of driving as it says elsewhere on this site that the person may drive while waiting for the results of a medical providing they have a valid licence and are not subject to a current disqualification.

 

[lessonlearned]

Hi Wilber, I can't believe they actually issued your partner with a provisional licence then asked for it back again! You would think if they had got as far as posting it then they would have to take it as a mistake on their part and leave it at that!

I have read about this happening with other people’s licences in older threads on this website so might be worth having a scan through to see how things panned out for them.

I believe that because your partner has to do the actual driving test again section 88 will not apply so he will have to wait until the provisional has been reissued to drive.

Best of luck, I hope things sort themselves out quickly for your partner, keep ringing the DVLA if they are taking their time, and get the name of the person overseeing the case.

 

[Wilber]

May be a slight misunderstanding. My partner still has his provisional licence but was told by DVLA, when he phoned regarding the theory test refusal, that he should not drive. What a fiasco.