The main problem I’m having is thatany classes I’ve got to go have got to be on a bus route or get a lift, because I’m going to have to stop driving very soon.I was sent by my GPto, the DVLA asked me for a, a test last year.And I think it was a combination of the Parkinson’s and my eyesight.I had a two hour twenty minute test with the DVLA asking me questions, giving me a physical, slightlyphysical examination, a mental examination, then drivingan unknown car round a track and then driving with two passengers all round the city and down the motorway.Two hours twenty minutes. And I passedand felt, that gave me such a boost to my morale.I hardly ever drive down motorways, but I had to do that in the test and felt oozing with confidence.But I’m not driving much now.

With the narcolepsy.I raised the issue with the hospital. The question is what about the question of driving when you suffer from narcolepsy?And the advice of the medical profession is that you’re the best judge.We don’t presume to be the judge in the in the matter.The individual is the best person to judge and I started out on the road in 1949 on a motorcycle and ended up with a three wheel and I had a van.I’ve been driving all the years and I’ve never had never had an accident, got a completely clean record.But well, my brother raised the issue with me one day when he and he said, Eddie, your driving is deterioratingHe said and he was quite right.And it was when it was when my right leg was beginning to get affected and so that was it, finished.All done.

I’m based at home,I can, as long as I’ve got an internet connection which I have broadband, and my laptop and a mobile, I do now ninety percent of the job from home.And one of the other reasons for that is that , that I think I’ve got a problem driving, which I’ve, I’m told the doctor and neurologist but they don’t consider it to be a serious problem at the moment, where I tend to lose my, it seems like I’m losing my balance, at night on a narrow country road. On motorways, roads that are lit up, no problem at all. But I tend to, for some reasonI feel like I’m losing control between the, the white lines and the traffic coming the other way. Especially with bright lights,to the degree where I feel like I’m going to hit the kerb or hit them. So that I’ve given up driving at night, down dark roads, especially narrow roads, and that affects my job because in the Winter I could be in somewhere like Newcastle and I’ve got to drive home in the dark and, so they, they tend not to send me out to customer’s sites any more. So it has impinged on my job.But they’re very supportive and , you know, they’re, they’re sort of sticking in there with me.

I’ve been a driver since I was twenty-one and got my licence and we have an ordinary car and I had difficulty using my right foot because of the shaking. So I learned to, it was an automatic gear car and I learned to use the left foot.But now, when I was dyskinetic which I was sometimes, I did find I had to concentrate very much to keep on track and maybe my driving was a bit unsteady. So once I was haunted by a lady whoinsisted that I must be drunk and there she even managed to get the police to believe that. Actually I wasn’t drunk of course, but I had forgotten to tell the police that I had Parkinson’s. So he discovered that and felt so elated about his finding that he took my drivers licence. So that was a, a bit of a setback but I got it back but with the message to get a new one, a new licence or a permit every second year, which was okay. I mean you need to keep an eye on these people.

But after the operation of course my right leg didn’t bother me any more, so I could shift back to the right leg and I’m not dyskinetic so I’m back to my normal driving. And well, still I have to go every second year and that’s okay but that’s a total normalisation of a function, I must say. And it’s very good for, because we have a veteran car which is not automatic and I’m the only person who can, can manage to gear down so my skills are needed.

Well, the disabled badge is about the best thing you can have, because it enables you to park practically anywhere…

Within my own borough it’s particularly helpful because you can use it for three hours in any bay, whether it’s ordinary parking bays or residents.And because I’m a student I got permission to extend it into the so-called green zone, which in my borough goes right down to central London. And then there are the other disabled parking spaces, which enables you to park outside the National Gallery. All major galleries, both Tates, have special parking allocated for the disabled. And in Tate Modern you have wheelchair buggies, electric buggies, and in the National Gallery you have wheelchairs.So they’re very user-, friendly towards the disabled badge holder.Terrific advantage. Wouldn’t do without it.

Holidays to me are a great release.I’ve always been determined to enjoy holidays right from the time I was first diagnosed, in fact when I was first diagnosed the first thing I did was went along to the travel agents and booked a holiday to Disneyworld because I was determined to go.And I think you, you know, everybody can go on holiday. You might have to think about things in a more round about way.

When you go through the airports it’s always a good idea when you’re booking your tickets through the airports just to advise them that you have a disability. And we have found, from our experience that they’re very, very helpful. And, you know, they can help you get through the airport without too much hassle. And so it’s always worth being, like I said before, be honest and, you know, letting people know that you do have a disability.And something like Parkinson’s it’s strange because you can look at me at one time and I just look perfectly normal and I’m moving perfectly okay and people must think well there’s nothing wrong with her’ and then an hour later and my medication has worn off and I can hardly put one foot in front of the other. And it’s very difficult to explain to people. You feel like you need a badge, you know, telling people what’s wrong and why you’re like that.But, you know, you do have moments when you cannot move properly and you need to let people know that that can happen, and they can help you, but I’m a great believer in holidays.

I’m aware of it, they’ve given me a card that I bypass the Airport Security, the household stuff like microwave, radio, tvdon’t affect this. The shop detectors don’t affect this, you know when I go to shopping I will pass through the security you know the shops, you know, that don’t affect it, the only thing affect is the airport security, and I’ve been given a pass and a letter and a drawing of thething that I have done to me, I show them at the airport and they, they’ll fingertip search you, you know, and let you bypass the system.If you, I said, Well what happen if I go through the systemThey said, You will go quickly through the system, quickly, through the middle, if you go slowly, or if you are stopped then it could either turn it off or it could make it fasterBut it could affect it in other words, you know?

I’m travelling next month to the Damascus and Saudi Arabia my family and I’ll show them the letter and if they don’t, you know, I’ve got an actual letter from hospital, and a drawing, and a card.
And the battery to show them.

Yeah, yeah and, I hopefully they, well these days are very, very careful. The bomb or gun or something like that, you know, but, that’s it meant to be seen that’s my first experience when I go abroad I’ll see what they, I mean British Airports no problem they know, there is something called Parkinson’s Disease, there is something called operations, stimulators, things like that, you know?But foreign countries don’t know that do they?So, you know, they, they’re a little bit iffy.

We wouldn’t dream of going abroad on holiday now.One reason is that I hate hanging around in, we both hate hanging around in airports anyway.Two is what might happen to me when I’m abroad.Your premiums go up when you’re 70 anyway on holiday insurance. And I think with Parkinson’s disease I’d probably have a job to get insured anyway.So, but that’s not a problem.But we do have to think twice about if we’re going away anywhere. And we’ve done very little of that in the last three years.

Myhome town is Bournemouth. I lived there for a good part of my life.And we do like to go back there once a year. And we’ve found a nice hotel in Bournemouth that if necessary would be able to cater for me.They’ve got invalid rooms, although we’ve just made sure we’ve got the right kind of room at the moment.they’re very understanding. We’ve, we’ve found a nice comfortable hotel there.And so, yes, we’re, we’re looking forward to going again for, just for a week maybe.