DIAB1 - form revised Mar 17 - thoughts please

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BigMalc

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Type 2
Hiya,
My 3 yr licence is due for renewal soon and the DVLA has sent across the forms. This is the first renewal since going onto a 3 yr licence.

Q1.6 is 'How many episodes of low blood sugar have you had in last 12m' 1, 2 or more than 2

Q1.7 is then 'when having these episodes did you need help from another person. No, once or more than.

Obviously the 1.7 More than 2 is the big red flag, but I am curious about Q1.6 - does any insulin dependant diabetic who tries to keep good control ever only have two times over a whole year when it dips into the hypo range?

Is the form trying to get me to lie and say never then bounce me for not being aware of hypo's or if I say more than two will that trigger investigations?

Not after assistance in how to answer as I will do that honestly, but just thought the options were very odd and wondered if anyone else had had this issue.
 
I'd read that as how many times I had actually had a hypo, my libre will show I've dipped into hypo range very often but finger prick says no! I'd only go from finger prick readings. On that basis I've only had 1 hypo and no help required in past 12 months.
Some people will have had none, so there ought to be the option of 0.
 
Good God - my answer to Q1.6 - is Sorry, I can't possibly tell you that - because my BG meter only has a memory of 3 months.

How can anyone answer it, cos they all only have 3 months?

True, I have pump software data and that includes meter readings for far longer than 3 months - but it would take me flippin ages to go through every entry and count them accurately. Plus if you or I have a hypo which we treat, and when we do the next test it's still in hypo territory - and with a real lash-up in insulin dosage for whatever reason - that can repeat any number of times and each one is recorded, BUT it actually is ONLY one hypo as far as I'm concerned, as long as all the lows arose out of the same individual reason.
 
Interestingly they have changed the reporting requirements for laser treatment as well. You now have to report it if 1 eye has been zapped.

I wonder what has brought this lot on.
 
Well - never know who's around without having a hunt, by which time one could have done it oneself - it's hardly onerous - and despite being naturally quite lazy - this is pretty urgent really, I thought - and anyway apart from that - I want to know myself! - mine isn't due till next year - but forewarned is forearmed LOL
 
Just followed the link from the Ask DUK thread ...
Good heavens, half the time for me it's more than 2 in the last 24 hours, I've no clue about the last 12 months! 😱 Sometimes I've had as many as 17 in a week. I do have all my old diaries, so I could count them, but like Jenny says, it would take forever.
Good job I don't drive - though I have only ever in 6 and a half years of pretty much daily hypos, had one hypo I needed assistance for.
 
Hello all

The DVLA have 2 main concerns in regards to driving & hypoglycemia
  • Do you have hypo-awareness?
  • Have you had 1 or more episodes of severe hypoglycemia in any 12 month period?
The key thing is the word 'severe'. The DVLA say that ‘severe’ is defined as hypoglycemia requiring another person’s assistance. This doesn't mean that you had help treating a hypo, only that you were physically unable - so even if you had a hypo and someone gave you a hypo treatment, it would only be considered 'severe' if you were unable to administer it yourself.

The DVLA are aware that it is likely for most people (especially those who manage their diabetes with insulin) to have had low blood sugar, so answering '2 or more' on Q1.6 would not be an issue. Their concern is around whether any of these were 'severe' (Q1.7).

I hope that clears things up for you!
 
@Hannah DUK can you also tell us why they are now asking about laser treatment on one eye, where as before you didn't need to inform them unless both had be zapped?
 
Pumper_Sue said:
@Hannah DUK can you also tell us why they are now asking about laser treatment on one eye, where as before you didn't need to inform them unless both had be zapped?
Click to expand...

Yes - this is actually to do with whether individuals have 1 or 2 eyes. You are still permitted to drive if you only have 1 eye (or 1 functioning eye). Therefore, if you have had surgery in 1 eye but you still have perfect vision in the other, you can still drive, but if you have 1 eye and you had surgery in this eye, you could not drive. The question is similar to how it was on the old form (there was a question about functioning eyes) but they have just worded it differently to be more clear and avoid confusion. There are no changes in the results to answering questions on the new form as far as we are aware, just in the way the DVLA are asking them - the old form could be a bit ambiguous and unclear and so we worked with the DVLA to request that they reconsider the wording to make it more clear cut..🙂 🙄
 
Hannah DUK said:
so we worked with the DVLA to request that they reconsider the wording to make it more clear cut..🙂 🙄
Click to expand...
Erm I would say the form is a complete disaster then as all it does install a lot of fear and worry as to whether you will lose your licence. :(
 
The DVLA aren't good at straying from the norm. When I reported my epileptic fits due to hypoglycaemia, that was fair enough, I lost my licence. But when I got it back, as well as the normal form I got the epilepsy form, with questions about fit frequency, and what treatment I was on. It's a bit like being asked when did you stop beating your wife.
 
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