Driving anxiety and Type 1

[Lizzy_type1]

Hello,

Had a search on the forum but couldn’t see much about this, hopefully a new thread is ok.

I am fairly new diagnosed type 1 diabetic (nearly a year now). Before diagnosis I know I suffered with anxiety, and I was always an anxious driver, but I would get on with it regardless and wouldn’t let it stop me doing things.

Since diagnosis, I have been struggling a bit with separating out my anxiety about driving from actual low blood sugar symptoms. It doesn’t help that some of the symptoms are the same such as feeling dizzy, palpitations and fuzzy vision…and now I am more prone to panic because I am worried about lows whilst driving. This hasn’t happened yet at all, but I’m avoiding motorway driving because of this. Even on local roads I’m looking for the next place to stop, just in case. I have had a couple of dizzy episodes while driving, pulled over to test blood sugar which was in fact fine, and therefore was feeling dizzy due to anxiety. Not fun.

I have a libre which is great for low alerts if this did occur, and have dextrose on hand. However does anyone have any advice or practical tips for dealing with driving anxiety as a type 1? Or even help figuring out what type of dizziness you are experiencing?

Appreciate I probably need to seek some professional help too if it’s stopping me from living.

Thanks in advance

 

[Lucyr]

I have experience of feeling hypo and feeling anxious feeling the same, and it does make fear of hypos an issue. I had majors problems performing for a while as anxiety about performing felt like I was hypo.

My advice would be, write down how you feel when anxious and do the same about hypos. There will be some differences even if subtle. You can use those to help you distinguish them and calm down. Eg with a hypo I get pins and needles in my face, and slow deep breaths doesn’t stop me feeling hypo, whereas that does help with anxiety. If in doubt and unable to immediately test though I have a glucose tablet or sweet, and test as soon as possible.

 

[Lucyr]

Another one I get with hypos that I don’t get with anxiety is shaking hands. When I feel low I do my little checks of what does cgm say, are my hands shaking, do I have tingling lips or pins and needles in my face, then I can work out whether it’s most likely anxiety or hypo. I can’t rely on racing heart or feeling dizzy or odd.

 

[Lizzy_type1]

Thanks @Lucyr I think I haven’t had many bad hypos yet. Don’t get me wrong I have had lows but they were short lived and not severe. Which is why I think I’m getting them confused. Definitely had more anxiety since diagnosis which has made it trickier to tell the difference. Shaking hands is a good one though- I have had quivering muscles in my hands and feet with lows so I’ll definitely be making your list as suggested.

 

[Inka]

Hi @Lizzy_type1 Set your Libre Low alarm at at least 5. That way you’ll know you’ll get plenty of warning if you’re dropping. Also, I make sure I’m in the 6 or 7s minimum to drive. If I drive on the motorway, I tend to run in the 8s and 9s and don’t bolus beforehand. That way I’m far more confident that I’m not going to drop too low.

 

[SB2015]

Hi @Lizzy_type1 I can understand the anxiety around driving, but the sensors do make this a lot easier. As @Inka has said, your sensor will give you good warning if you can set your low limit higher, say 5. The arrows on the sensor help too and show the direction of travel of your BG.

If I need to get to a meeting I will check my levels an hour before I need to leave. This gives me time to check and make adjustments if there is any chance of going hypo, which would then cause a big delay. By checking early I can head off a low if there is any indication of that.

When driving on a motorway I have my jelly babies accessible next to me, and will run a bit higher than normal. I tend to eat something just before I set off so that my levels are rising. That will give me a good hour where I know I am safe, and the sensor will soon tell me of any issues.

If driving a long distance I will stop every hour for my own confidence. Better to avoid a stop on the motorway. I could go longer in theory but I would rather be safe both for myself and for others.

There is one journey where I have a choice of the parallel A road or the motorway. It is often more pleasant on the A road, so why not.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

@Lizzy_type1

I completely understand your frustration.

I’m lucky not to have to wrestle with anxiety too much, but one of my hypo ‘tells’ is feeling very hungry. And sometimes, I am just feeling hungry!

When I am a bit nervous about something (eg performing) that gnawing unease and anxious head-fog spaced-out feeling is very hypo like, so I can completely understand how difficult it would be for you to be able to tell them apart if anxious feelings come on when driving (and when low BG is so important to avoid).

I second the suggestions of making your low alert quite a bit higher (at least in the 5s), which means you have plenty of time once you’ve been notified to find a place to stop and check.

You may also want to consider a BG-falling alert - though obviously you don’t want your car journeys plagued with unnecessary alerts that need to be silenced and checked!

@SB2015 ‘s suggestion of pre-drive prep is really helpful too. Most journeys are fairly planned, and starting to keep an eye on things at least an hour before you set off means you don’t risk wanting to set off only to see you are in the low 5s with a down arrow!