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MP's campaign to force testing before driving
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<blockquote data-quote="LittleGreyCat" data-source="post: 182829" data-attributes="member: 6467"><p>Sue,</p><p></p><p>thanks for the explanation.</p><p></p><p>If I understand it correctly you have controlled your diabetes so well that you are maintaining normal levels, and can respond like a non-diabetic to too much exercise without eating enough (by having a hypo).</p><p></p><p>If this is correct (unless diabetes makes you more vulnerable to hypos, which again would be an interesting discussion*) then you are responding like a non-diabetic.</p><p></p><p>This in turn means that this is not a diabetic issue as such - you sometimes get "faint with hunger" just like most people would in similar circumstances.</p><p></p><p>As it happens you are more aware of BG levels than a non-diabetic and have the equipment to test BG levels.</p><p></p><p>The point I am trying to make is that your personal circumstances do not seem to be directly relevant to the main strand of the argument - should all (diagnosed) diabetics be made by law to test before driving.</p><p></p><p>If you are prone to hypos and have a testing kit it is responsible to test.</p><p></p><p>If you are a non-diabetic and you feel faint with hunger whilst driving it is responsible to eat something and in future avoid the circumstances which caused the problem.</p><p></p><p>However these circumstances are not suited to specific new legislation and this thread is mainly about new legislation to force diabetics to test.</p><p></p><p>Some posters seem to favour a blanket law covering all diabetics.</p><p>This is why I keep banging on about DIAGNOSED diabetics <img src="data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7" class="smilie smilie--sprite smilie--sprite1" alt=":)" title="Smile :)" loading="lazy" data-shortname=":)" /></p><p>Anything that starts "All diabetics should...." seems logically wrong to me.</p><p></p><p>As I see it, the real risks are where the body's natural mechanisms are being over-ridden by drugs and so the natural balancing act (such as a liver dump) is unlikely to happen. When drugs (especially insulin) force glucose out of the blood there is a constant manual balancing act by the self medicator. In turn, if the self-medicator becomes irrational and/or unconcious due to low BG then there is no feedback mechanism and all sorts of life threatening problems can occur.</p><p></p><p>Cheers</p><p></p><p>LGC</p><p></p><p>* If you use more energy than you take in you lose weight. </p><p>If your body cannot release enough energy quickly to match your immediate exercise level you hypo, or at least your body refuses to sustain the exercise level.</p><p>I'm not sure how a hypo differs from "hitting the wall" when you are e.g. running long distances such as a half or full marathon. Is "the wall" a level of control which prevents you entering a hypo by shutting down your ability of burn energy? </p><p></p><p>I am wondering a couple of things:</p><p></p><p>(1) If you are diabetic and have problems getting glucose out of your blood and into your tissues do you also have the same problem in reverse - you can't get the glucose out again as effectively as a non-diabetic? Is the liver, perhaps, a little slow to dump into the bloodstream when BG goes low? Has your body learned to over-produce insulin because you were insulin resistant and now you have lowered your insulin resistance you are releasing more insulin than you need?</p><p></p><p>(2) Can a diabetic only maintain normal or near normal BG levels by maintaining a very low reserve of glucose in the tissues and thus be more susceptible to hypos if the energy demand increases?</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="LittleGreyCat, post: 182829, member: 6467"] Sue, thanks for the explanation. If I understand it correctly you have controlled your diabetes so well that you are maintaining normal levels, and can respond like a non-diabetic to too much exercise without eating enough (by having a hypo). If this is correct (unless diabetes makes you more vulnerable to hypos, which again would be an interesting discussion*) then you are responding like a non-diabetic. This in turn means that this is not a diabetic issue as such - you sometimes get "faint with hunger" just like most people would in similar circumstances. As it happens you are more aware of BG levels than a non-diabetic and have the equipment to test BG levels. The point I am trying to make is that your personal circumstances do not seem to be directly relevant to the main strand of the argument - should all (diagnosed) diabetics be made by law to test before driving. If you are prone to hypos and have a testing kit it is responsible to test. If you are a non-diabetic and you feel faint with hunger whilst driving it is responsible to eat something and in future avoid the circumstances which caused the problem. However these circumstances are not suited to specific new legislation and this thread is mainly about new legislation to force diabetics to test. Some posters seem to favour a blanket law covering all diabetics. This is why I keep banging on about DIAGNOSED diabetics :-) Anything that starts "All diabetics should...." seems logically wrong to me. As I see it, the real risks are where the body's natural mechanisms are being over-ridden by drugs and so the natural balancing act (such as a liver dump) is unlikely to happen. When drugs (especially insulin) force glucose out of the blood there is a constant manual balancing act by the self medicator. In turn, if the self-medicator becomes irrational and/or unconcious due to low BG then there is no feedback mechanism and all sorts of life threatening problems can occur. Cheers LGC * If you use more energy than you take in you lose weight. If your body cannot release enough energy quickly to match your immediate exercise level you hypo, or at least your body refuses to sustain the exercise level. I'm not sure how a hypo differs from "hitting the wall" when you are e.g. running long distances such as a half or full marathon. Is "the wall" a level of control which prevents you entering a hypo by shutting down your ability of burn energy? I am wondering a couple of things: (1) If you are diabetic and have problems getting glucose out of your blood and into your tissues do you also have the same problem in reverse - you can't get the glucose out again as effectively as a non-diabetic? Is the liver, perhaps, a little slow to dump into the bloodstream when BG goes low? Has your body learned to over-produce insulin because you were insulin resistant and now you have lowered your insulin resistance you are releasing more insulin than you need? (2) Can a diabetic only maintain normal or near normal BG levels by maintaining a very low reserve of glucose in the tissues and thus be more susceptible to hypos if the energy demand increases? [/QUOTE]
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