A serious hypo

[zuludog]

See if you can follow this; it helps if you have some knowledge of the motorways around Birmingham
For all the 20 years that I have had T2, treated with Glargine, Novorapid, and Metformin I have driven with no problems. Only once did I feel a hypo coming on, and I was able to stop and rest & have something to eat; but on ordinary roads it is fairly easy to stop or come off onto a minor road

I had visited friends in Gloucestershire last weekend, which should not have been a problem as I have been up & down the M5 & M6, lots of times before, and even Spaghetti Junction isn't usually a problem if you take it carefully

I was driving back yesterday, Monday 25th June
It was very hot ( found out later it was the hottest day of the year so far) and I didn't feel very hungry so I just had a cereal bar for breakfast
I carried on driving north;passed a couple of service stations as I still didn't feel like anything to eat, but thought I'd aim for Frankley Services

However, as I reached the south of Birmingham two things happened close together -

I felt a hypo coming on
There were warnings that the M5 was closed ahead, and that access to the M6 should be made by using the M42

I didn't fancy coming off the motorway and getting lost in Birmingham, so I thought I'd go onto the M42 and stop at Hopwood Services - big mistake
The hypo came on faster than I was used to, and before long I was drifting across a couple of lanes, and as there is now no hard shoulder I couldn't stop but at one point I drifted left off the inside lane and bounced off the kerb at the side of the motorway
My situation was not helped by the fact that about 95% of the motorway system now appears to be made up of roadworks
I looked for these emergency refuges (what we used to call lay-byes!) but never seemed to pass one; and that section doesn't have many exits.
By now I was sweating & panicking, so as the lesser evil I just slowed & stopped in the inside lane

As I expected and hoped a police car found me quite quickly. They took me & my car off to a side street to sort things out
I had some jelly babies and a choccy biscuit bar and gradually recovered
After they were satisfied I was OK they pointed out how to get onto the M6 and left, saying they would take no further action
I think they were impressed by the fact that I had a couple of packets of sweets in the glove compartment, and in the boot I had a record of my blood sugars, testing kit, and more food
They also agreed that the combination of roadworks & closures had made for unusual conditions, and that it was by no means the first time they had met motorists who had become trapped on Spaghetti Junction

I am surprised that I did not cause an accident, and I have learned a couple of lessons -
Be more careful about testing and eating, especially if I haven't eaten much beforehand
Get off a motorway asap if I feel a hypo coming on, and stop sooner rather than later

But there might be a problem in the future -
My driving licence is reviewed every 3 years, and I think there is a question along the lines of' have you had a hypo that requires assistance?'
I think I will have to inform them; so will that mean revoking my licence or a prolonged investigation, or will they accept the incident as a one off caused by exceptional circumstances?

 

[khskel]

That should not count as an assisted hypo because you were able to treat it yourself.

 

[Robin]

See if you can follow this; it helps if you have some knowledge of the motorways around Birmingham
For all the 20 years that I have had T2, treated with Glargine, Novorapid, and Metformin I have driven with no problems. Only once did I feel a hypo coming on, and I was able to stop and rest & have something to eat; but on ordinary roads it is fairly easy to stop or come off onto a minor road

I had visited friends in Gloucestershire last weekend, which should not have been a problem as I have been up & down the M5 & M6, lots of times before, and even Spaghetti Junction isn't usually a problem if you take it carefully

I was driving back yesterday, Monday 25th June
It was very hot ( found out later it was the hottest day of the year so far) and I didn't feel very hungry so I just had a cereal bar for breakfast
I carried on driving north;passed a couple of service stations as I still didn't feel like anything to eat, but thought I'd aim for Frankley Services

However, as I reached the south of Birmingham two things happened close together -

I felt a hypo coming on
There were warnings that the M5 was closed ahead, and that access to the M6 should be made by using the M42

I didn't fancy coming off the motorway and getting lost in Birmingham, so I thought I'd go onto the M42 and stop at Hopwood Services - big mistake
The hypo came on faster than I was used to, and before long I was drifting across a couple of lanes, and as there is now no hard shoulder I couldn't stop but at one point I drifted left off the inside lane and bounced off the kerb at the side of the motorway
My situation was not helped by the fact that about 95% of the motorway system now appears to be made up of roadworks
I looked for these emergency refuges (what we used to call lay-byes!) but never seemed to pass one; and that section doesn't have many exits.
By now I was sweating & panicking, so as the lesser evil I just slowed & stopped in the inside lane

As I expected and hoped a police car found me quite quickly. They took me & my car off to a side street to sort things out
I had some jelly babies and a choccy biscuit bar and gradually recovered
After they were satisfied I was OK they pointed out how to get onto the M6 and left, saying they would take no further action
I think they were impressed by the fact that I had a couple of packets of sweets in the glove compartment, and in the boot I had a record of my blood sugars, testing kit, and more food
They also agreed that the combination of roadworks & closures had made for unusual conditions, and that it was by no means the first time they had met motorists who had become trapped on Spaghetti Junction

I am surprised that I did not cause an accident, and I have learned a couple of lessons -
Be more careful about testing and eating, especially if I haven't eaten much beforehand
Get off a motorway asap if I feel a hypo coming on, and stop sooner rather than later

But there might be a problem in the future -
My driving licence is reviewed every 3 years, and I think there is a question along the lines of' have you had a hypo that requires assistance?'
I think I will have to inform them; so will that mean revoking my licence or a prolonged investigation, or will they accept the incident as a one off caused by exceptional circumstances?

Goodness, what a nightmare! Glad you were ok. I think you will be Ok on the 'assisted hypos' bit, as long as you were able to stop and reach for your hypo sweets yourself. I think the wording makes it clear that if you received assistance even though you didn't need it, you don't have to count it as an 'assisted hypo' ( basically, the only assistance you needed was to relocate to a safe stopping place)

Edit.@khskel types faster than I do!

 

[Matt Cycle]

Sorry to hear this Zuludog. Unless it's changed I believe the wording states no more than 2 assisted hypos in a 12 month period.

 

[Brando77]

Cops didn't report it, you sorted it yourself. The only 'Assist' was cops helping you off the motorway. I wouldn't count that....you have a couple of Assists before licence is looked at. Good luck.

 

[zuludog]

Thanks for your reassurances

After the police left me I stayed in that side street for over half an hour, to recover and have another choccy biscuit bar
I stopped at Keele Services and had a sandwich and an ice cream

Now I've realised something - even if I don't feel very hungry and/or it's hot weather I could have an ice cream, which would be easy to eat, and give me a load of sugar

 

[Pumper_Sue]

technically as you hypoed at the wheel of the car your licence is gone as others have found out to their cost. I'm very surprised the police haven't dobbed you in it for driving whilst under the influence of drugs

Why oh why didn't you have glucose/carbs within reach? The sweets etc are no good what so ever in the glove dept or the boot as you have now found out.

 

[Ljc]

My heart was up in my mouth when I realised what had happened and what could have happened . Phew Thank god you are alright .

 

[Robin]

technically as you hypoed at the wheel of the car your licence is gone as others have found out to their cost. I'm very surprised the police haven't dobbed you in it for driving whilst under the influence of drugs

Why oh why didn't you have glucose/carbs within reach? The sweets etc are no good what so ever in the glove dept or the boot as you have now found out.

I didn't know that! Do you have a reference? I don't think I've ever come across it in any of the government guidelines, the only thing I remember reading is that if you hypo at the wheel, you should pull over, switch off and remove the keys from the ignition, and immediately get out of the drivers seat so you are no longer in charge of the vehicle.
edit. I've found the wording in the guidelines, it's 'if you have a disabling hypo at the wheel' I guess it depends on the interpretation of 'disabling'

 

[Pumper_Sue]

I've found the wording in the guidelines, it's 'if you have a disabling hypo at the wheel' I guess it depends on the interpretation of 'disabling'

I would consider this disabling and dangerous to other road users

I didn't fancy coming off the motorway and getting lost in Birmingham, so I thought I'd go onto the M42 and stop at Hopwood Services - big mistake
The hypo came on faster than I was used to, and before long I was drifting across a couple of lanes, and as there is now no hard shoulder I couldn't stop but at one point I drifted left off the inside lane and bounced off the kerb at the side of the motorway

 

[zuludog]

The two police officers were quite sympathetic, and didn't even ask for my name or any ID, though I suppose they could have got that from the number plate, or any other details.
Once they were satisfied that I had recovered they were happy enough to allow me to continue to drive
They did not say I would have to inform DVLA or anything else like that
But they did give me a card with their names and an incident number

I'll phone DUK tomorrow for their advice

 

[Bubbsie]

You felt a hypo coming on but failed to stop?...you were fortunate you didn't cause an accident

The two police officers were quite sympathetic, and didn't even ask for my name or any ID, though I suppose they could have got that from the number plate, or any other details.
Once they were satisfied that I had recovered they were happy enough to allow me to continue to drive
They did not say I would have to inform DVLA or anything else like that
But they did give me a card with their names and an incident number

I'll phone DUK tomorrow for their advice

You were so very fortunate you did not have or cause a major accident...I agree with Sue it would be classified as a disabling hypo...he drifted across two lanes...then drifted again to the side of the road where he bounced on a kerb...you need to have official guidance as the officers may make a report...and you need to ensure that any insurance you have in place is valid...anything that remains undisclosed that should be disclosed could invalidate that.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

They did not say I would have to inform DVLA or anything else like that
But they did give me a card with their names and an incident number

Excuse me, that's your job to inform the DVLA without being told by someone to do so. It's part of your licence agreement.

It was obviously an incident which has been logged with the police data base so you could be in trouble.

 

[Vince_UK]

See if you can follow this; it helps if you have some knowledge of the motorways around Birmingham
For all the 20 years that I have had T2, treated with Glargine, Novorapid, and Metformin I have driven with no problems. Only once did I feel a hypo coming on, and I was able to stop and rest & have something to eat; but on ordinary roads it is fairly easy to stop or come off onto a minor road

I had visited friends in Gloucestershire last weekend, which should not have been a problem as I have been up & down the M5 & M6, lots of times before, and even Spaghetti Junction isn't usually a problem if you take it carefully

I was driving back yesterday, Monday 25th June
It was very hot ( found out later it was the hottest day of the year so far) and I didn't feel very hungry so I just had a cereal bar for breakfast
I carried on driving north;passed a couple of service stations as I still didn't feel like anything to eat, but thought I'd aim for Frankley Services

However, as I reached the south of Birmingham two things happened close together -

I felt a hypo coming on
There were warnings that the M5 was closed ahead, and that access to the M6 should be made by using the M42

I didn't fancy coming off the motorway and getting lost in Birmingham, so I thought I'd go onto the M42 and stop at Hopwood Services - big mistake
The hypo came on faster than I was used to, and before long I was drifting across a couple of lanes, and as there is now no hard shoulder I couldn't stop but at one point I drifted left off the inside lane and bounced off the kerb at the side of the motorway
My situation was not helped by the fact that about 95% of the motorway system now appears to be made up of roadworks
I looked for these emergency refuges (what we used to call lay-byes!) but never seemed to pass one; and that section doesn't have many exits.
By now I was sweating & panicking, so as the lesser evil I just slowed & stopped in the inside lane

As I expected and hoped a police car found me quite quickly. They took me & my car off to a side street to sort things out
I had some jelly babies and a choccy biscuit bar and gradually recovered
After they were satisfied I was OK they pointed out how to get onto the M6 and left, saying they would take no further action
I think they were impressed by the fact that I had a couple of packets of sweets in the glove compartment, and in the boot I had a record of my blood sugars, testing kit, and more food
They also agreed that the combination of roadworks & closures had made for unusual conditions, and that it was by no means the first time they had met motorists who had become trapped on Spaghetti Junction

I am surprised that I did not cause an accident, and I have learned a couple of lessons -
Be more careful about testing and eating, especially if I haven't eaten much beforehand
Get off a motorway asap if I feel a hypo coming on, and stop sooner rather than later

But there might be a problem in the future -
My driving licence is reviewed every 3 years, and I think there is a question along the lines of' have you had a hypo that requires assistance?'
I think I will have to inform them; so will that mean revoking my licence or a prolonged investigation, or will they accept the incident as a one off caused by exceptional circumstances?

Just read this and I have to say words fail me.
This could have developed in a very serious road accident involving others.

 

[Northerner]

Just read this and I have to say words fail me.
This could have developed in a very serious road accident involving others.

It needs to be borne in mind that @zuludog was going low and his judgement would have been impaired, yet he tried his absolute best to stay rational and find safety, which because of the situation with the roads was far from easy. Low blood sugar can hit however well prepared you are for them,and however unexpected they may be, and an impaired ability to concentrate on driving is not confined to people with diabetes. Hypo treatment to hand would have helped, of course, and I'm sure ZD has learned this lesson.

 

[Lisa66]

While obviously relieved to read that you, and the other road users, are ok I too am amazed you didn't have something to eat or come off the road earlier as soon as you felt a hypo coming on. I have sweets and cereal bars in my door pocket, central section and always pastilles in my pocket.

I don't mean to sound harsh, as I realise the this must have been very frightening for you, and I realise your post seemed to be enquiring more about the dvla side of things, but I write this from the point of view of someone who was in a car incident a few years ago, having been hit by a type 1 who had been drifting in and out of his lane for a few miles....until his car met mine head on!

I'm presume you did a test before you started your drive. So please make sure, if you don't already, that your snacks are easily accessible. The gentleman who hit me is not here to tell his side of things.

 

[Vince_UK]

It needs to be borne in mind that @zuludog was going low and his judgement would have been impaired, yet he tried his absolute best to stay rational and find safety, which because of the situation with the roads was far from easy. Low blood sugar can hit however well prepared you are for them,and however unexpected they may be, and an impaired ability to concentrate on driving is not confined to people with diabetes. Hypo treatment to hand would have helped, of course, and I'm sure ZD has learned this lesson.

While I understand this Northie and I am not being unduly critical, my analysis after reading the initial OP's would suggest that the OP was fully aware of what was happening. The decision to drive on incase they "got lost in Birmingham" was a conscious one even if totally irrational.
If there had been a traffic accident resulting in fatalities as the result of this decision I wonder what views of the families of those involved or even the police for that matter would have been.
Let's hope the OP has had a very beneficial lesson.

 

[Bubbsie]

It needs to be borne in mind that @zuludog was going low and his judgement would have been impaired, yet he tried his absolute best to stay rational and find safety, which because of the situation with the roads was far from easy. Low blood sugar can hit however well prepared you are for them,and however unexpected they may be, and an impaired ability to concentrate on driving is not confined to people with diabetes. Hypo treatment to hand would have helped, of course, and I'm sure ZD has learned this lesson.

I cannot agree with that statement...he made a conscious decision to continue his journey despite feeling a hypo coming on because he did not want to get lost in Birmingham...from his post there is nothing there that suggests his perception was impaired...on the contrary he gave consideration to what was an obvious risk...he decided to take that risk...I wonder how the responses here would have read had he been using a mobile...or under the influence of alcohol...it was fortunate he didn't kill himself or anyone else...can you imagine anyone receiving the knock at the door to be told 'I'm sorry there's been an accident'...what happened yesterday cannot be dismissed so lightly...it was irresponsible & reckless...completely avoidable in this particular instance.

 

[Bubbsie]

While I understand this Northie and I am not being unduly critical, my analysis after reading the initial OP's would suggest that the OP was fully aware of what was happening. The decision to drive on incase they "got lost in Birmingham" was a conscious one even if totally irrational.
If there had been a traffic accident resulting in Fatalities as the result of this decision I wonder what views of the families of those involved or even the police for that matter would have been.
Let's hope the OP has had a very beneficial lesson.

Lets hope we've all learned something from it Vince.

 

[Northerner]

would suggest that the OP was fully aware of what was happening

That is my point though, with a blood sugar that is low (or possibly not yet low, but falling and therefore producing symptoms) judgement is impaired. There have been many occasions when I have delayed making the correct decision and in retrospect realise that the actual fact I am going low is the cause for the delay as you can overthink things and the reduction in rationality can be very subtle. Effectively, you have to think rationally about whether you are being rational in your decision-making, whilst not being capable of fully-rational thought processes. Personally, I'm glad I don't drive so I will never be placed in this situation.

I'm not saying that this wasn't a situation without potentially very serious consequences, just trying to explain what can happen which is very difficult if you have no direct experience of it.