How Many Hypos is too many for the DVLA

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DeptyDawg

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Type 1
Thanks for letting me join this forum. My question is how many hypos do most people get when they can handle it themselves and is there any magical number when the DVLA get concerend. I guess like all of us I get hypos and treat them myself, the new libre 2 helps. Mine GENERALLY are in the middle of the night or snoozing in the afternoon but every now and then I can get a few in a week when I am for example doing the garden. Never need assistance. I don't want to start running high as a course of action to avoid them all together as long term that's never a good idea.

Thanks I really appreciate it.
 
I don’t think you need to declare them if you don’t need assistance.
But make sure you follow the rules about testing before driving and if you do have to stop because of a hypo, make sure you remove the car keys, sit in the passenger seat and don’t attempt to drive again for at least 45 minutes after your blood sugar has returned to normal.
 
DeptyDawg said:
Thanks for letting me join this forum. My question is how many hypos do most people get when they can handle it themselves and is there any magical number when the DVLA get concerend. I guess like all of us I get hypos and treat them myself, the new libre 2 helps. Mine GENERALLY are in the middle of the night or snoozing in the afternoon but every now and then I can get a few in a week when I am for example doing the garden. Never need assistance. I don't want to start running high as a course of action to avoid them all together as long term that's never a good idea.

Thanks I really appreciate it.
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I think the only question on the form you fill in for the DVLA is a tick box or 'one' or 'more than one'. If 'more than one' it just throws up questions about hypo awareness, to make sure you have it. So as far as he DVLA is concerned, they don’t want to know exactly how many, provided you’ve got good awareness.
But for general life, the fewer hypos you have the more likely you are to retain that precious awareness. I quite often start dropping if I'm gardening, or walking, so I set my Libre alarm for 5.5, to allow time to head off a hypo with a couple of jelly babies before it actually happens.
 
Robin said:
I think the only question on the form you fill in for the DVLA is a tick box or 'one' or 'more than one'. If 'more than one' it just throws up questions about hypo awareness, to make sure you have it. So as far as he DVLA is concerned, they don’t want to know exactly how many, provided you’ve got good awareness.
But for general life, the fewer hypos you have the more likely you are to retain that precious awareness. I quite often start dropping if I'm gardening, or walking, so I set my Libre alarm for 5.5, to allow time to head off a hypo with a couple of jelly babies before it actually happens.
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Thanks for that nearly all my hypos are when I am asleep (night) or napping particularly after being out fishing or gardening. Good idea on the 5.5....
 
If you are having hypos with any regularity overnight (and they are real ones that you have confirmed not compression lows from Libre), it may be an indication that your basal dose needs to be tweaked. Many of us find that our basal needs fluctuate through the year (and for some people week to week!) so needing to adjust up a bit and down a bit on basal dose is quite common. If you are using Levemir as basal insulin you can take 2x a day and adjust day time and night time separately. Other long-acting analogues are more of a Hobson’s Choice. Of course if you have an insulin pump, you can adjust your basal for just the hours in question which is ideal and one of the big benefits.

For post-fishing naps perhaps you could consider a biscuit to keep you topped up while you snooze?
 
As regards the original question about frequency of hypos, I average about 5 mild hypos a week. I have good hypo awareness and manage them very easily myself with minimal effort. Obviously if I have one before driving, then I am grounded for 45 mins after I come up. I have only once had one whilst driving and again I caught it early and it was easily fixed and just an inconvenience having to sit and wait the required time before resuming the journey, but these are situations which are acceptable circumstances within the rules of DVLA driving, providing the guidelines of testing before driving and every 2 hours thereafter etc. It is only if you have lost hypo awareness or have needed assistance with a hypo or you clearly are not following the guidelines.... ie you had an accident and you had no record of testing before setting off etc. that things start to impact your driving licence I believe.
 
My diabetes clinic last week said the target is under 4% below 3.9 on the libre, if you need assistance more than once or are not feeling symptoms of bgs under 4 then you need to tell the DVLA but otherwise you’re ok
 
The DVLA say you must test every 2 Hours when driving but what about you are on a CGM? The Libre 2 now gives you a continuas reading, If the low glucas alarm is setsurely this outdates the 2 hour rule?
 
Merryterry said:
The DVLA say you must test every 2 Hours when driving but what about you are on a CGM? The Libre 2 now gives you a continuas reading, If the low glucas alarm is setsurely this outdates the 2 hour rule?
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You need to look at it every 2 hrs. You can’t do that whilst driving as you can’t use devices whilst driving. So unless you’ve set something hands free up to look at the reading you need to stop and look at it.
 
To the best of my knowledge. You just need to tick the “box” you are hypo aware. And not been “blue lighted.” With 3rd party intervention. (Asking someone to, “be a dear & pass the jelly babies.” don’t count as HCP intervention.)
The symptoms they suggest you should be aware of on the DIAB1 form to my mind, are more akin to the hypo symptoms when I was on porcine insulin? (In my experience & opinion. It’s a dated question.)
But the form is what it is.

Beep beep, have many years of happy motoring.
 
Merryterry said:
The DVLA say you must test every 2 Hours when driving but what about you are on a CGM? The Libre 2 now gives you a continuas reading, If the low glucas alarm is setsurely this outdates the 2 hour rule?
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As I understand it, you aren’t allowed to rely on sensor glucose alarms as a substitute for your own hypo awareness.

Stopping and checking is still required 🙂
 
bujanin said:
Can hypo awareness be tested?
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Well, yes, I suppose - by yourself. If you’re not feeling hypo at low numbers, then you have hypo unawareness. My consultant usually asks what number I feel hypo symptoms at. For me, it’s in the 4s.

If you don’t feel symptoms or are losing your hypo signs, then that’s a concern. You can improve hypo awareness by trying to stay above 5 at all times.
 
Lucyr said:
You can’t do that whilst driving as you can’t use devices whilst driving. So unless you’ve set something hands free up to look at the reading you need to stop and look at it.
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Well there is no reason you cannot stop, even on a motorway, there is a dispensation for stopping when your Bg is low.
 
Inka said:
Well, yes, I suppose - by yourself. If you’re not feeling hypo at low numbers, then you have hypo unawareness. My consultant usually asks what number I feel hypo symptoms at. For me, it’s in the 4s.
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Yes it probably sounded like a daft question. I was curious if there was an extrinsic method or process that is used in medical circles.
 
bujanin said:
Yes it probably sounded like a daft question. I was curious if there was an extrinsic method or process that is used in medical circles.
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Not that I’ve heard of @bujanin My consultant seemed happy with my answer (in the 4s). And I didn’t think your question was daft 🙂
 
Lilly said:
Well there is no reason you cannot stop, even on a motorway, there is a dispensation for stopping when your Bg is low.
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Stopping on a motorway it’s advisable not to stay in the vehicle. Occupants must clear the barrier & stay on the verge away from the road. In fact I think it’s a RAC that suggest turning your wheels to the left which would knock the car off the road in the event of getting “rear ended?”
Many years back, I had a blowout on the motorway. Had high vis on & was about to change my wheel. A patrol stopped, said I was doing all the “right stuff” but suggested I get breakdown cover to do it for me?
 
Lilly said:
Well there is no reason you cannot stop, even on a motorway, there is a dispensation for stopping when your Bg is low.
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My post was not about stopping when low, of course you need to stop when low. My post was explaining that you need to stop every 2 hours even when your Bg is fine, to check your blood sugar (either with fingerprick or by reading the libre result).

If you have someone else with you who is monitoring your blood sugar on the libre app I imagine that’s enough but if alone you’d need to stop as you can’t touch your phone or the libre reader whilst driving.
 
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