"Diabetes interfere with your ability to do the driving job?

[AloeSvea]

Hi there! I'm going back into the big beyond of the workforce, and taking on a few different types of jobs. One of the jobs is bus driving (kids, and tourists!). For this I endured a few indignities, and my first experiences of diabetes related job application and training indignities. I was wondering what others may have experienced?

The first indignity was having to pee in full hearing of everyone in the doctor's waiting room for the drug test, so the nurse wouldn't have to actually be in there with me, I suppose, just in case I replaced pee with apple sauce or something I guess. I bore that. But I didn't like it. But that is not diabetes related... just thought I would say!

Then I had one of those ghastly conversations with a doctor with him going into a 'non-medicating patient !' shock about how I treat my blood glucose dysregulation with 'diet and exercise'. Even though it is supposed to be the golden standard of diabetes type two treatment - if I had a dollar for every medical professional who went into shock at the idea of someone treating their T2D this way I would be a rich lady! (Ok, I would have had more than a few free coffees....)

As my records are in front of all these medical professionals on screen, and my perfectly respectable track record in the HBA1c department too, I don't really get that line of talk. (I am not in remission in the non diabetes range, but I am in remission in the very well controlled in the prediabetes range, and have been for years and years now. 'Prediabetes' - or IGT, or IFGT, in NZ is 41-49 inclusive.)

Then I had some young snippet at the licensing depot ask me about if my type two would interfere with my ability to do the job (driving kids, and tourists, and - speaking of course!) As she had my doc's clearance in front of her, giving me the green light (hey - if having prediabetic range blood glucose stopped heavy traffic drivers in my country - the amount of drivers would be cut by at the very least a third! And I am not exaggerating, alas) to drive and entertain in a tourist bus, and our little darlings to and from school if called upon. I alerted her to the 'very well controlled' on my medical clearance in front of her. She then said, "But what if you, like,were not well controlled?"

How should I have answered her? I can't even remember what I replied. Seeing red, but controlling it very well. I promise. I think I was steely. Oh that's right - I told her I am always well controlled. (hmmm. we are just talking BGs here.) "But has your doctor ever said anything about not being able to drive with diabetes?" "No! Never." I replied. And this is at a public counter of course. Goodness gracious!

But I had a shock, as I had not been in the job training/job applying world with a T2D diagnosis before. The woman at the vehicle licensing place had no medical training, and she is supposed to pay attention to the boxes ticked by an actual doctor... or so I thought... or would have throught...

Should I complain to her superiors? Should I just put this down to ignorance and rudeness? Is this just life with T2D? What do y'all think?

 

[Bluetit1802]

Did you get the licence?

 

[AloeSvea]

Ha! Yes, @Bluetit1802 . Quite right! Now I just need to learn to drive the blasted buses.... (License was just a learners licence.)

 

[Listlad]

Funny post.

I had to go through those pee tests in the same way in my previous line of work. And someone I know has been through a similar test for a job delivering for Amazon.

 

[Bluetit1802]

Ha! Yes, @Bluetit1802 . Quite right! Now I just need to learn to drive the blasted buses.... (License was just a learners licence.)

Good luck with it all. It sounds like interesting work. I imagine you will also have to be checked out for criminal records and such like. Everyone here working with under 18's and vulnerable groups have to go through this. My daughter is a relief foster carer, and because my husband and I haven't had these checks her foster children cannot be left alone with us.

 

[AloeSvea]

Oh yes, quite right there too @Bluetit1802 . All done, in all countries. Now it really is 'just' the driving! . (I've had an interesting life, methinks, but not interesting in a criminal record kind of way!)

 

[AloeSvea]

Just a follow-up on how to present with type two and professional driving paperwork - I learnt from the initial experience when getting initial licensing, and was able to write something better for me and for the officials processing the licensing.

On the actual paperwork it stated that the two diseases that affect one's ability to drive, that need to be 'discussed' on the form, was diabetes (yes - no stipulation about whether it is type 1 and type 2) - and .... (sorry I can't remember the second disease! Oops! I got kind of way-laid with the diabetes.).

By this time I had written it up in here on this thread, and figured that they must mean not the raised blood glucose levels that diabetes presents with, but the use of medications to treat this. Because the use of medications, some medications is absolutely something that you must declare when driving professionally in that many medications affect your awakeness and ability to focus etc.

So I wrote simply 'Not medicated, treating with diet and exercise', and the officials dealing with my paperwork were very happy with that. (Yes, it was about medications.)

Just a ps - If I took metformin, and there may be times when I do that, then I would write 'Taking metformin - which has no effect on driving/awakeness/focus (or some such).' And I am sure that will do the trick. About other diabetes medications I have no idea.

Yes - now I am fully licensed. Haven't been assigned anything as yet, for tourists (it's currently the wet and cold season), or little ones (currently school hols).

 

[AloeSvea]

I did have a good laugh with the officials and other workers dealing with driver licensing, the second time at least, that if raised blood glucose levels affected people's ability to drive, or be properly licensed, then they would have to deny licenses to about a third of the population. (In the USA according to my current reading, it would be 50% of the population.) And then wouldn't we have a problem getting our abysmal public transport offerings up to scratch!

Everyone agreed. On the numbers of folk with prediabetes or diabetes, and on the public transport. .

 

[LooperCat]

I’ve recently had fun and games with three levels of medical required to get my small bus/lorry licence here in the U.K. All went well, it just took a while.