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GP just told me not to drive. Help

Deadeye_Pete

Member
Messages
15
Type of diabetes
Type 3c
Treatment type
Insulin
Ok, so I've just come back from my gp appointment where i said that i had a hypo while driving without being aware i was hypo.


The doc said not to drive until fitness to drive has been assessed by the diabetes team and has referred me for an urgent consultation.

Now I've got home and checked the history of my blood sugar, it was 4.7 mmol/l at the time in question. I was on a long journey and had stopped at a motorway services for a routine blood check. (1hour and 53minutes since the last test). We decided that it was a good time for lunch. My sugar did drop to 3.3 half an hour later by which time I'd already had glucose tablets and a pasty.

Have i shot myself in the foot with this, since the doc has said i must tell DVLA about reduced hypo awareness - we also discussed my sudden onset of hypo symptoms without warning when my BG drops to the 3's.

Help, please.,
Pete
 
Hi Pete,

The issue here is that you are reporting a lack of hypo awareness which would affect your ability to drive. Had you also gone hypo whilst driving as unsure from your post if the hypo occurred whilst driving ?

Have you been running your levels fairly tight to lose your awareness ? Your team will want you to run levels high for a while to improve your hypo awareness, once you can prove that you have improved your hypo awareness then you can resume driving.
 
Thanks for all the replies so quickly.
I found i was getting low by doing a routine 2- hour test while driving(4.7). Since this was below 5 and around lunchtime we decided to stop & eat, only my blood went lower still and i started to feel it then.

I think the problem i have is that I'm not feeling the hypo until I'm well below 4 mmol/l. It's not even been two years since diagnosis and i could feel getting low at 5-6 mmol/l a few months ago.

I'm not either a T1 or T2, but a T3c caused by gallstone pancreatitis which has completely destroyed my pancreas. I didn't feel that coming on either...

I'll have to wait and see what the diabetes team say, and hope my boss is understanding enough to let me work from home mostly. Unfortunately the nearest public transport is six miles away.
 
From what I'm aware you are not clinically classed as hypo until you are below a reading of 4mmol

You are allowed to drive below 5 although they recommend that you have a snack if you are..

I think you made a mistake in telling them you were unaware as you didn't need to be at 5mmol

Even if you sensed it a 3mmol and you treated it without help then you didn't need to tell them anything other than you were low

I drive HGV I'm allowed hypos But I have to treat them myself. The Dvla are only concerned about hypos to the stage that you need help from someone else whether family or ambulance etc.. Even then you are allowed 1 of those per year so long as it wasn't whilst driving. So a reading of 2.2mmol is ok if I was aware and treated it myself.

So you need to clarify with them that you were aware and were able to treat it yourself.. And make sure that your care team are aware that you are allowed hypos that you self treat..

And next time consider what you say before you say it. As if you say something slightly wrong or even if it's misunderstood it can have big consequences.

 
On this though - it’s if you have a severe hypo - it would be barmy to report if you slipped down to 3. whilst driving. All you have to do is pull over, treat it and do not drive until you are ready again (and feel ready). And not feeling hypo at 3.5 is not that unusual as different situations and reasons will apply as to why that is at that time. I.e your readings might be a bit slow as the food is taking longer to process etc. This is why the libre is so good because you can test constantly/repeatedly and tell if your sugars are due to be rising or falling; something all other testing systems neglect due to their simplicity.
Think a reality check is required sometimes when it comes to interpreting definitions. A severe hypo is when you require intervention or lose control surely? Also not all GP’s really know as much as they should about diabetes and can make rash decisions based on their lack of knowledge - request a second opinion if you can.

One other thing: has anyone tried testing the other hand straight after testing one hand, as I find the readings can be quite different - ie left hand is usually best indicator.... heart 1?
 
I am a type 2 diabetic, I only had to contact DVLA because I was initially given gliclazide to lower my high blood sugar count when I was diagnosed. DVLA have now sent forms for both myself and my GP to complete to assess my ability to drive hgv’s.
I am no longer on gliclizide and I test my blood count at 3 times a day. They also want to know how many hypo’s in the last 12 months, none in my case. No mention of how low or high your blood sugar should be. My average is about 7.1 hope this is some use to you
 
I was recently in hospital due to a kidney infection. I had been testing my bloods but one nurse wanted to use the hospital meter. Her meter measured 3.2 mine and they seemed to panic drink juice given toast etc. My meter read 3.9. She asked me if I had hypo symtoms which I didn't. I was on pain meds and I an arthitic so put my non hypo awareness down to that. Now I am concerned they report me to DVLA and I loose my license for not reporring it. Scared to discuss with the doctor. I have replaced the meter and have done a check with calibration fluid both new and old meters read the same and are within the limits stated. So do I have to report hypo unawareness. The hospital says there meters are checked every day. Somehow I doubt it. Weekly maybe. Normally I can sense hypo's coming on at 5.1 and below and feel really bad at 4.1 - 4.8. To loose my license due to this would really be the end for me. I have thought about suicide a few times more so recently. I struggled with medication for 2 years before being put on Humilin and hoped that that would increase control and give some more freedom from all the worry it didnt work. Now on long and short insulin and it seems to help but has now taken over my life.
25+ yrs diabetic, ED, depression, marriage problems and kids with mental health and health issues I just feel like giving up and going. If I do that the family who needs my financial support will loose most of my pension and I think thats the only reason I havn't gone yet. Been close to going a few times. Close again tonight. I was 4.1 this morning and finding it difficult to get a handle on dosage.

Sorry for the rant no one else to talk to.
 
@Tiger 2 So sorry to hear that you are feeling overwhelmed. Maybe repost in the 'Emotional and Mental Health' section to get more feedback. Meter brands can be inconsistent to the point of several mmol (my local diabetes clinic is now doing a formal trial I think on about 8 brands). If you have more than one assisted hypo in a year you will need to report to the DVLA and do make sure you comply with DVLA rules for testing before and during driving. But I am not sure the hospital incident is relevant. If finding you are waking up low, then maybe discuss with your diabetes nurse/GP adjusting your MDI doses.
 
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