OK.So I had a few heart palpitations and I mentioned it to my GP.He told me it’s nothing to worry about but the DVLA were informed and they sent me for a heart scan.The cardiologist who examined me has told me there’s nothing wrong with my heart but to try and and find out what’s causing the palpitations.Ive realised I was drinking too much coffee.The only problem is now the DVLA will only renew my LGV entitlement annually and I’m looking about changing jobs at the moment.Is this going to affect my prospects?
I just feel like I’m being punished for being honest,also,last year there was a period when I was driving under section 88 of the RTA.while they continued their investigation s,you can imagine the hassle I had with my boss sorting that out…
A change in the licence renewal is not going to affect your job prospects…i would write to DVLA and ask them why they think you have a heart problem…as doctors say different…even get a letter form the doctors concerned…dvla think they can do as they please…they dont…they also have rules they have to abide by…palpitations are not a heart problem…
I would be having serious words with your doctor here. He states on one hand theres nothing wrong and then reports the matter to DVLA??
By the sound of all the issues you guys have with this authority just on this forum alone it seems the less DVLA know the better…
The problem here, is that you could end up throwing your licence away over a slight “bump” in the road of your otherwise good health.
I had a palpitation issue about a decade ago, got taken to hospital, kept in overnight, released in the morning - and then got taken off driving for three weeks at work.
Felt like a bit of an idiot over the false alarm of it all.
The only prior occasion for me to have got palpitations was after catching the sun something rotten snorkelling in the red sea with a tee shirt on in 2001. I hadn’t covered up my legs, and got very badly sunburned there to such an extent that my heart was racing, and I couldn’t stand up all the way back across the desert home to Luxor, where I was staying at the time. It was a good job someone else was doing the driving for a change, of course. I’d never been ill with anything “sunstroke” related before, but it scared the crap out of me - I remember that.
These days, as a middle aged geezer - I’m lucky to not be one of those people who stop breathing in their sleep, between snores, I guess. 
About 75 % of the population have occasional heart flutters or palpitations now and then, I am 64 and have had them for as long as I can remember, I have my heart checked regularly, even more so now I have blood cancer, I have passed every physical exam I take. Your doctor has told you not to worry so do as he said. The only time you should worry is if you get severe or sudden pains in the area of your heart accompanied by a numbness in your left arm.
We all need to have our eyes checked on a regular basis, of course.
whether it was a one off or not id take it as a warning sign to change things in my life. A job change might be going too far ,but anything that might change what might have been cause of it worth a shot
last year i collapsed at work , nothing could be found to be the cause of it apart from id got the flu at the time.
iv since lost 2 stones in weight and have a different routine. now im up out of bed at 6am sitting in a cafe reading paper by 6.30 but dont start work till 8.30 was another change
to be honest i feel odd rather than jumping for joy -nontheless iv changed things
TiredAndEmotional:
It would appear the doctor has acted correctly.
Yes,it looks like it.I don’t mind telling them ,in principle,because,after all ,I don’t want to be in charge of a 40 ton truck if that’s putting others at risk.Its just that,when I go for another job,they’re going to ask why my license is only valid for less than a year,and when I mention heart palpitations,it’s going to put them off hiring me.
Thanks for all the replies,I’ve read them all.Lots of good information here.
I have an occasionally erratic heartbeat (Artrial Fibrilation, a family ‘thing’) and it is a notifiable complaint these days so my Doctor had to declare it on my form. I have to renew my licence annually anyway owing to age but it took eleven months for the DVLA to confirm that I was OK to drive and then renew it. They did say I was fine to continue driving while they decided wether to renew it or not though.
Pete.
Yes,just like me,I found that using those nicotine gums brought on palpitations too.So,I had to give up smoking without any aids.That wasn’t easy.
Like i have mentioned before, DVLA are a law unto themselves…I had my 3 year treadmill test ( ecg stress test ) and had to stop with 8 minutes to go…but my consultant stated that i had been stresses, my blood levels etc were all fine…and i was fit to drive ( i had to stop as i couldnt keep going because of pains in my legs, aching etc )
So after my reports were sent to swansea, they decided to get me to do another stress test, and in my opinion, putting one consultant against another…is against ethics blah…blah ) so i have to go tomorrow, this second test is only given if the first one fails, and isnt a this one or the other choice…but this involves a drug to stress the heart…whilst blood pressure stress is monitored…i cant fail this…only die during the process ha ha but as its a 3 year examination, this is my last, as i wont be renewing my licence after that…
Good luck with that.Those treadmills are great for getting in shape if you can use one three or four times a week,and increase your distance each time.I need to get back in the habit of using one.
I had to go this morning to another hospital for an ecg stress test…in the room was also a treadmill…so i mentioned that i had took one of those a few weeks ago, and failed due to my legs not wanting to walk that far or fast…The consultant told me that the treadmill is now old fashioned, and the one i was about to receive was where a drug is inserted into the vein, and after the heart is stressed to a certain level, he then via the canular inserted a beta blocker drug supposedly on a drip…in my case, because i had been on beta blockers for a number of years, my heart was being stubborn…and so more drug was needed, in fact it had to be stressed like it had never been before…anyway i passed the test with flying colours…so all paperwork will be sent off today. However he did say that this test is much better than a treadmill, as it stresses the heart directly, and DVLA will start to use this type of testing over the treadmill…whereas it cannot be given at the moment on a stand alone test, first its the treadmill…then if you dont succeed…they give the other one…so theyre just waiting to see if DVLA is gonna switch.
The test itself is a doddle…first the weigh in ( this and your age determines the amount of drug needed to stress the heart ) Then its a strip off to the waist, get wired up in order to monitor your vitals while the test is conducted…once wired…its a lie down on one side on the couch…then the consultant gives you a scan ( similar to a baby scan in a pregnant female ) and looks at your heart on screen, listens to it…whilst slowly giving you the drug in stages…then at the end was a shot of a beta blocker to slow the heart down…and also aids recovery faster…as i had been off my usual tablets for 48 hours…and had to fast 4 hours before the test…so all good to go…apart from muscle damage from my original heart attack…which has left scars…and a oneway valve thats leaking, but will require surgery up to 3-4 years down the line…depending on my fitness…just cant wait to get my licence back…but it will be my last stress test as its every 3 years now…and i`ll be hanging up me boots for good.
I hope it all goes well for you.