Driving and Hypo awareness

[Vicsetter]

A thought has just occurred to me - If you have not had a Hypo how are you supposed to know what your hypo-awareness is. I've only had Hypos at 3am during sleep, so don't know precisely what I will feel during the day. When my readings get close to 4 during the day I can feel a little dizzy and hungry, but haven't been any lower during a normal day.

 

[trophywench]

Well you need to be 5 to drive, so if you feel fuzzy at 4, best park up pdq as soon as you think you might be, take the keys out of the ignition and sit in the passenger seat, mate!

THEN test. Treat the hypo and wait 45 mins before you get back in the driving seat. Test again before you set off again.

 

[StephenM]

Interesting! On your meds I am not sure if you can induce a hypo. When I was diagnosed I had a hypo induced in the hospital a few days after diagnosis by giving me my morning insulin and no breakfast. I got very familar with the feeling over the next few years as the trend then (over 40 years ago) was two injections of fast acting insulin per day. The variations in BG through the day must have been mighty scary especially as it turns out the urine tests were basically carp. It might be worth asking your DS or consultant if one can be induced in controlled conditions. They might be able to do this with a few units of Actrapid or Humulin S.

 

[FM001]

Might be wrong but if you've had very few hypos then the likelihood is your hypo awareness should be very good, getting dizzy & hungry at 4 is a good indication that all is well.

 

[Vicsetter]

Well you need to be 5 to drive, so if you feel fuzzy at 4, best park up pdq as soon as you think you might be, take the keys out of the ignition and sit in the passenger seat, mate!

THEN test. Treat the hypo and wait 45 mins before you get back in the driving seat. Test again before you set off again.

You totally missed the point- I don't need a lesson in how to treat my D and drive and I'm not your mate, pal.

 

[Robster65]

You totally missed the point- I don't need a lesson in how to treat my D and drive and I'm not your mate, pal.

I think trophywench was trying to helpfully answer your question Vic, which doesn't warrant a reply such as this.

Rob

 

[trophywench]

I wouldn't dream of telling you how to manage your diabetes Vicsetter. I do however have a lot more experience than you - by your own admission! - of managing hypos. When driving and otherwise.

That's all. If you stay in the driving seat whilst hypo, you are in charge of a motor vehicle whilst under the influence of drugs. It matters not that they are properly prescribed drugs for a medical condition you or I happen to have. We can still be flipping well arrested for the offence. And charged.

You'd like to think the DPP would throw it out. But I certainly don't want to find that out and wouldn't like to think anyone I knew (of) had to, either.

 

[ypauly]

I think it is a good point, when I was first diagnosed I informed DVLA and my insurers and although my license was revoked it was immediately re-issued as a full UK restricted. But at that point I had never had an hypo so I could not be hypo aware.
I am now hypo aware but that comes with insulin intake and experience, but for the first few weeks after diagnosis I drove as normal and assume we all did that same. Maybe, just maybe there should be a break in the license provision for a few weeks after diagnosis to establish hypo awareness.

 

[trophywench]

Some of us didn't learn to drive until 13 years after diagnosis and so had to answer whatever the Q's were then to get our provisional anyway ! LOL

Think you had to squish it all onto form MED 1 which wasn't specific and I don't recall there being any Q's at all about hypos - I think they introduced them later .... probably after I'd voluntarily given up driving (but NB - not my licence!) for 12 months for going hypo twice on the M42 ....... Consultant advised me to do that. He said he absolutely HAD to write to DVLA and if I didn't do it, they'd ban me anyway. So he wrote and said that, and they never wrote back. To him or me. Potty. But I was too scared to drive anyway. After 12 months I spent some time only driving with another qualified driver, just in case, so I could get my confidence back.

Subsequently at my next appt I said I'd started again and I hoped that was OK - and it was then he said he'd never heard back from them anyway. So maybe they never knew?

 

[Vicsetter]

I wouldn't dream of telling you how to manage your diabetes Vicsetter. I do however have a lot more experience than you - by your own admission! - of managing hypos. When driving and otherwise.

That's all. If you stay in the driving seat whilst hypo, you are in charge of a motor vehicle whilst under the influence of drugs. It matters not that they are properly prescribed drugs for a medical condition you or I happen to have. We can still be flipping well arrested for the offence. And charged.

You'd like to think the DPP would throw it out. But I certainly don't want to find that out and wouldn't like to think anyone I knew (of) had to, either.

It's marvellous how people can't read - my point was about being hypo aware. It is not a matter of managing your diabetes at all. If you haven't had a hypo how do you know what the symptoms are? I was hoping that people would relate the symptoms they have. My 4 night hypos (when I took basal insulin at night) woke me with cold sweating. I haven't got that low during the day so how do I know what to expect?


I am perfectly well aware of how to drive and stay within the guidelines, it's probably easier for a T2 as I don't take bolus insulin so don't drop very quickly, I get hungry before I get low these days, so please stop telling me when to stop driving. I drove the 460 miles from home to my daughters for Christmas and stopped every 2 hours armed with bacon sandwiches and did the same on the way home (thats 10 hours driving each way) without dropping below 6, so I at least don't experience hypos whilst driving.