Rob’s journey with secondary progressive MS led him to car hand controls. But would they help maintain his independence? Read on to find out more.
My name is Rob. I am 54 years old and I have secondary progressive MS. My first MS symptoms (optic neuritis) started in 1995. I was 25 years old at the time. After lots of hospital visits for scans and tests, my MS was classed as relapsing remitting MS (RRMS).
For the first 15 years, my symptoms were not that difficult to manage, and a lot of the time I could hide them. People didn't really know I had MS unless I told them.
I was still working full-time as a long-distance truck driver, as my MS was manageable.
It wasn't really until my MS changed to secondary progressive, around the 15-year mark, that things started to get more difficult to manage. This led to more noticeable weakness in my right side and the start of bladder issues.
Eventually, the DVLA contacted me to tell me I needed to have a driving assessment to retain my licence.
During the assessment, it was decided that I needed to start using hand controls, as I was finding it difficult to use the pedals with my feet. I had a steering knob fitted to the steering wheel and a push-pull lever to operate the accelerator and brake.
I have a small lever on top of the control to enable me to operate the indicators easily.
I have had a Motability car for several years. So doing the assessment didn’t involve a new car.
However, I had to pay for the hand controls to be fitted myself. Not the cheapest thing to pay for, but because the location I live in is nowhere near a public transport link, I regarded it as a necessary investment.
I have since changed my Motability car, and as it was new, the scheme paid for the adaptations to be fitted to the new car! Although the controls are the same, they could not be transferred from one vehicle to the other.
The adaptations work for me, and if you are required to have a driving assessment, it’s not as bad as you think. They put you at ease and really listen to your needs. I did contemplate adding a hoist for my Motability scooter but was unable to cover the cost.
I’m still able to drive fairly easily, and even though I don't drive as much as I used to, it’s definitely useful to have the hand controls.
I would encourage anyone to consider adaptations and to talk to your local company that provides these.
