My dad crashed his car

[Richardbooth1973]

Hi my dad last night flipped his car due to having a hypo, he is fine but I think he should not drive now. The doc is reviewing his treatment and insulin intake etc. I think the doc is going to ban him driving. I am so worried. He lives alone as my mum dies. Is there anything on the market that he can wear that would sent an alert to my phone if he is having a hypo for example when alone at night in his home, any advice would be great

 

[donnellysdogs]

To get equipment like CGM’s or Libres then consultants at hospital are better to see tha go’s.

If your dad is taking insulin and crashed his car from a hypo he should inform the dvla anyway... that is the law... it is not his gp that will ban him. The gp can inform the dvla but your dad should do that.

He needs to see a specialist at hospital and a diabetes nurse and to get help quickly if he is that unstable and not recognising hypos.

 

[Richardbooth1973]

To get equipment like CGM’s or Libres then consultants at hospital are better to see tha go’s.

If your dad is taking insulin and crashed his car from a hypo he should inform the dvla anyway... that is the law... it is not his gp that will ban him. The gp can inform the dvla but your dad should do that.

He needs to see a specialist at hospital and a diabetes nurse and to get help quickly if he is that unstable and not recognising hypos.

Thanks I just been looking at CGMs looks like a good idea, He has been taking insulin for about ten years but has lost weight recently and I think his medication doses are wrong the hospital is looking into changing his doses and have informed the gp. I will call the DVLA in the morning. Thank you

 

[donnellysdogs]

Is your dad on fixed doses of insulin?

Does he test regularly during the day/night?

Losing licence is likely to be for a period of 1 year. Please discuss this with him. It could have a devastating effect on him. I know how devastated I was at the thought of losing my licence... I didn’t but that was because I had stopped car and had pulled over and was treating my hypo.... but still had 3 months of hell with dvla.
It is important that your dad is kept informed and aware that it is the law....

It is important that your dad gets to be seen by a hospital consultant urgently not by a GP. It is obvious that he is not coping or recognising hypo’s if you are questioning about night time hypos and keeping him safe...

Please ask GP for urgent referral to consultant, or if he has one - please ring the consultant secretary and get your dad seen ASAP.

In this day and age there is a lot of different insulin’s, insulin pumps and CGM’s etc to help and it does seem that your dads weightloss that you mention also needs addressing if it maybe unintentional loss. Even if it is intentional weight loss then as our bodies lose weight we may well need to lower our doses of insulin.

Well done for thinking about your dad... and coming here to support him and asking advice.. xx

 

[kitedoc]

Sorry to hear this happened to your dad @Richardbooth1973. For his sake and others it is likely best that he is off the road.
@tim2000s , is the best person to answer your queries about CGM, alarm systems for them and how you might track readings.
I have heard that the DVLA allow diabetics with night-time hypos to drive - just shows how crazy that 'rule' is.
I hope your Dad recovers well from his accident - scars can be physical but also psychological.
Over time he will need to appreciate how lucky he was to not seriously injure himself or anyone else.
And he may have to accept closer supervision, some loss of independence and the need to be in regular contact with his health team in regards to his BSLs and insulin doses.
Best Wishes to you both.

 

[Richardbooth1973]

I am so sorry that your dad had to go through this. Is it positive that he had a hypo or could he have had a stroke? Or both?

How old is your dad? Is it possibe to change your dad's living situation? Perhaps an apartment or house share where he could still have independence but also have both income and someone else nearby?

Hi we just moved hi very close to us as he was 62 miles away into a little bungalow around the corner so I keep an eye on him best I can. He is retired 73 and has money.

 

[Richardbooth1973]

Is your dad on fixed doses of insulin?

Does he test regularly during the day/night?

Losing licence is likely to be for a period of 1 year. Please discuss this with him. It could have a devastating effect on him. I know how devastated I was at the thought of losing my licence... I didn’t but that was because I had stopped car and had pulled over and was treating my hypo.... but still had 3 months of hell with dvla.
It is important that your dad is kept informed and aware that it is the law....

It is important that your dad gets to be seen by a hospital consultant urgently not by a GP. It is obvious that he is not coping or recognising hypo’s if you are questioning about night time hypos and keeping him safe...

Please ask GP for urgent referral to consultant, or if he has one - please ring the consultant secretary and get your dad seen ASAP.

In this day and age there is a lot of different insulin’s, insulin pumps and CGM’s etc to help and it does seem that your dads weight loss that you mention also needs addressing if it maybe unintentional loss. Even if it is intentional weight loss then as our bodies lose weight we may well need to lower our doses of insulin.

Well done for thinking about your dad... and coming here to support him and asking advice.. xx

Thank you

 

[Richardbooth1973]

He does test regular but with the strips that he has to prick his finger with, draw blood and then put it into a monitor. He hates this and I think there is a monitor that he can get that he can then just test himself every hour if need be with out pricking his finger. Ideally he needs something that gives an alarm when his sugar is low. He said to me he does not recognise when his sugar is low.

 

[Richardbooth1973]

Sorry to hear this happened to your dad @Richardbooth1973. For his sake and others it is likely best that he is off the road.
@tim2000s , is the best person to answer your queries about CGM, alarm systems for them and how you might track readings.
I have heard that the DVLA allow diabetics with night-time hypos to drive - just shows how crazy that 'rule' is.
I hope your Dad recovers well from his accident - scars can be physical but also psychological.
Over time he will need to appreciate how lucky he was to not seriously injure himself or anyone else.
And he may have to accept closer supervision, some loss of independence and the need to be in regular contact with his health team in regards to his BSLs and insulin doses.
Best Wishes to you both.

Thank you

 

[Diakat]

If he does not recognise when sugar is low (hypo) then he should not be driving according to DVLA rules.

 

[Richardbooth1973]

If he does not recognise when sugar is low (hypo) then he should not be driving according to DVLA rules.

I agree and he isn't now

 

[EllieM]

He does test regular but with the strips that he has to prick his finger with, draw blood and then put it into a monitor. He hates this and I think there is a monitor that he can get that he can then just test himself every hour if need be with out pricking his finger. Ideally he needs something that gives an alarm when his sugar is low. He said to me he does not recognise when his sugar is low.

He could investigate a cgm (continuous glucose monitor) such as the freestyle libre. Many doctors are now prescribing this, though they can be reluctant to do this as it's quite expensive. However losing hypo awareness is one of the qualifying factors and if the NHS won't pay he could consider self funding. You can get add-ons which allow the info to be sent to a smart phone and also set up blood sugar alerts.

 

[kokhongw]

Hi my dad last night flipped his car due to having a hypo, he is fine but I think he should not drive now. The doc is reviewing his treatment and insulin intake etc. I think the doc is going to ban him driving. I am so worried. He lives alone as my mum dies. Is there anything on the market that he can wear that would sent an alert to my phone if he is having a hypo for example when alone at night in his home, any advice would be great

It happened to my dad a few years back as well. He was forgotful and likely double dosed his insulin... ended with a spinal injury which he managed to recover from...