I am type 2 and poorly managed at the moment. I recently had a HYPO and was unconcious for a short while at work. Luckily i had colleagues that were with me who called the ambulance. Now my employer wants me to go onto a callout rota which will involve lone working at remote sites during un-sociable hours. WOULD I BE EXEMPT ON MEDICAL GROUNDS ? Many thanks for any advice.
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Working on call
- Thread starter andyf98
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Docb
Moderator
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
Hi @andyf98 and welcome to the forum.
I'll ask the question that many on here will want to ask. Are you on medication and if so what? As a T2 you should not be getting hypos (dangerously low blood glucose levels) unless you are on insulin or some other medication that induces you to produce more insulin naturally.
I'll ask the question that many on here will want to ask. Are you on medication and if so what? As a T2 you should not be getting hypos (dangerously low blood glucose levels) unless you are on insulin or some other medication that induces you to produce more insulin naturally.
harbottle
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
In the U.K. diabetes is classed as a disability which may mean your employer has some extra responsibilities, based on medications you are taking.
www.diabetes.org.uk
Might be with reading up on this to see if there’s anything here that applies to your situation and being told to work alone on call.
Work and diabetes
This information is about how to manage diabetes at work and to support you in knowing your rights at work. Jump to:
Might be with reading up on this to see if there’s anything here that applies to your situation and being told to work alone on call.
Lucyr
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
It sounds like improving your diabetes control would be beneficial if this situation scares you. Many diabetics work alone and live alone, I live alone myself, exercise alone too and feel perfectly safe doing anything alone during all hours. No need to let diabetes stop you doing things that are legal to do.
What medication do you take and any ideas what is causing the poor control? Have you made any changes to improve things?
Thank you for the quick response. I am type 2 but insulin dependant now, not sure if that classes me as a type 1 ??
Lucyr
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
No, makes you a type 2 on insulin
Hi, i take toujeo as a long lasting insulin and nova rapid when required. The poor control is due to shift work (i think). The issue is, will it be ok for me to work alone on unsociable hours ? Thank you.
Lucyr
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Yes, you should work on improving your diabetes control so that you feel safe alone and then you’ll be able to work alone unsociable hours and do anything else in life alone safely too.
A good place to start would be basal testing, and considering running higher to improve your hypo warning signs if you went so low that you fell unconscious.
Did you lose your driving licence through the hypo unawareness / unconsciousness episode? I presume you’ve advised the DVLA. You may have to consider how you’ll get to the sites during unsociable hours if you previously drove which may be the only issue.
Docb
Moderator
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 2
As others have said, it classes you as T2 on insulin. I will leave you to the insulin users who will have loads of ideas how to work towards avoiding hypos by getting your insulin corrections sorted as you can see.
@andyf98 do you have a Libre?
You should be entitled to one according to the latest NICE guideline as you are on insulin.
Sadly, people with type 2 are often refused this but, with your current hypo experience, I would push your doctor to have one.
This should help with your confidence working alone as if can fore-warn you when your levels start to fall.
As has been said, diabetes should not be a reason to stop living. Like @Lucyr I have lived alone and worked alone.
However, as @harbottle mentioned, diabetes is covered under the disability law. I recommend talking to your doctor and manager about your concern.
I am sure few people enjoy working shifts. Before I refused, I would consider my relationship with my colleagues.
You should be entitled to one according to the latest NICE guideline as you are on insulin.
Sadly, people with type 2 are often refused this but, with your current hypo experience, I would push your doctor to have one.
This should help with your confidence working alone as if can fore-warn you when your levels start to fall.
As has been said, diabetes should not be a reason to stop living. Like @Lucyr I have lived alone and worked alone.
However, as @harbottle mentioned, diabetes is covered under the disability law. I recommend talking to your doctor and manager about your concern.
I am sure few people enjoy working shifts. Before I refused, I would consider my relationship with my colleagues.
Pumper_Sue
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Learn to manage your diabetes, it's your diabetes and no one else's responsibility but yours. 🙂
I worked for many years on farms which obviously involved very early mornings milking cows tractor driving, calving, lambing at all hours of the day and night.
I have the attitude that is if I can not do the job I wouldn't be doing it and B certainly would not expect to be paid for a job I couldn't do without a nanny holding my hand.
Do you drive? If so does someone hold your hand when driving? Oh if you have another assisted hypo that's your licence gone. So in your interests to make sure you have better management of your diabetes.
As you are on insulin do you not have the use of a Libre? If you haven't got one then ask for one.
Spathiphyllum
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Harbottle's right. Definitely read the material at the link he provided.In the U.K. diabetes is classed as a disability which may mean your employer has some extra responsibilities, based on medications you are taking.
Work and diabetes
This information is about how to manage diabetes at work and to support you in knowing your rights at work. Jump to:
Might be with reading up on this to see if there’s anything here that applies to your situation and being told to work alone on call.
Andy: On the one hand, you do clearly need help improving your diabetes management. And, if you recently had a severe hypo, bad enough that you became unconscious and colleagues had to call an ambulance-- you need that help urgently. Your insulin regime clearly needs adjusting, and, as Helli says, you need a Libre.
On the other hand-- if this experience was recent, and nonetheless your employer is proposing to put you on "a callout rota which will involve lone working at remote sites"-- your employer must be out of its mind. No sane employer would propose this until and unless you had had help with your diabetes management *and* it had clearly worked, such that your diabetes consultant or GP was satisfied that it was safe for you to be working alone at remote sites. (And especially outside the normal working day; shift work is known to make it more difficult to manage diabetes.)
Do you have a union? If so, speak to them.
Does your employer have an Occupational Health department? If so, speak to them.
If neither, speak to your diabetes consultant or your GP and ask them if they will give you a letter to give to your employer.
It's a shame you have been put in this position, but I'm sure it can be sorted out. All best wishes!
D
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What does your employer do for lone workers as a general protocol?
And as @Pumper_Sue has said, one more hypo where you need assistance in the next twelve months, and you need to advise the DVLA, who will usually suspend your driving licence.
If having a driving licence is a condition of employment, that's something you need to check where you stand as well.
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- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Welcome to the forum @andyf98
Sorry to hear you had such a nasty hypo at work. Must have been very worrying for you, and I can understand how vulnerable severe hypos can make you feel (I had a few back in the bad old days, and the really shook me up!)
However be encouraged - these episodes are not inevitable. I’ve not had a hypo where I needed 3rd party help for a decade or more now, and there was a time when I was having several each year.
If you’ve not been offered a structured education course about insulin therapy, and how to better adjust your doses, including around illness, stress, activity (and by extension irregular working hours) there’s a free online course you can use. It’s designed for T1s, but the basic ideas would apply just as well to T2 on a basal:bolus MDI regime
www.bertieonline.org.uk
You might also want to call the DUK Helpline who can discuss your rights at work, and perhaps put you in contact with the advocacy service. The number is at the top of each forum page. The helpline runs 9-6 Mon-Fri.
Good luck! And let us know how things go with your employer. 🙂
Sorry to hear you had such a nasty hypo at work. Must have been very worrying for you, and I can understand how vulnerable severe hypos can make you feel (I had a few back in the bad old days, and the really shook me up!)
However be encouraged - these episodes are not inevitable. I’ve not had a hypo where I needed 3rd party help for a decade or more now, and there was a time when I was having several each year.
If you’ve not been offered a structured education course about insulin therapy, and how to better adjust your doses, including around illness, stress, activity (and by extension irregular working hours) there’s a free online course you can use. It’s designed for T1s, but the basic ideas would apply just as well to T2 on a basal:bolus MDI regime
www.bertieonline.org.uk
You might also want to call the DUK Helpline who can discuss your rights at work, and perhaps put you in contact with the advocacy service. The number is at the top of each forum page. The helpline runs 9-6 Mon-Fri.
Good luck! And let us know how things go with your employer. 🙂
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