My mom (89) was told from a routine chest x-ray that she has an enlarged heart and not to drive anymore, Why?

Hi Tris1957. My aunt developed nausea, increased bp, and then vomiting because she was "full of poop". The culprit with her was too much thyroid onboard. She was told to use miralax daily by a gastro doc. Her new primary doc reduced the thyroid meds and now she is doing fine in that area. She did not complain of belly pain like your mom but the exrays will clearly show that the colon is full. My mother had congestive heart failure and complained of her stomach hurting from time to time. She also took miralax and was not constipated. The swelling can cause pressure. To get to the bottom of this dr visit if I were you I would call the dr and ask for a copy of the medical visit. Mom may have to go back and sign a release. If you are POA they will usually accept a copy of that as a sufficient release of liability. When you know your mother has an appointment contact the dr office and ask that it be noted for her to be sure and sign the proper paperwork so you can call and discuss the drs findings. If you are the person who is going to help her with her health care you need to get this set up with all her drs. Regardless of hearing issues it is difficult to remember all the details on dr visits and helps to have an advocate with the patient. I lived three hours away from my mom but I took her to all her appointments. It's difficult but doable and in the long run took less overall time because I knew what was going on. I hope it turns out to be a case of constipation and not CHF. That has to be managed daily.

Tris, may I ask how old is your mother and does she have any noticeable memory issues or hearing loss? Why I say this is that as one gets older they then to mis-understand what their doctor is saying to them.

I went with my parents to all of their doctor appointments, and afterwards when they were in the back seat of my vehicle I would hear them chat about their appointment.... good grief, were they in the same exam room as I was with their doctor? They would have things so mixed up.

By the way, high blood pressure doesn't stop any one from driving as there are easy to take blood pressure pills with little side effects. I would suggest if your Mom does have an enlarged heart that she start seeing a cardiologist. I have my own cardiologist and she is such a sweetheart :)

Texas has a long list of conditions that restrict driving including congestive heart failure. Once the MD says you can't drive, your license is suspended.
Drivers over 85 have to renew in person every other year. Check her license, it may be expired and she did not notice. Multiple medical conditions can trigger a driver evaluation, including road test.

She was not told she had CHF, nor was she referred to a cardiologist. She just renewed her drivers licence in August. We have requested that the doctor call us so that we can understand what is going on.