NorthernRose
Member
- Messages
- 9
- Location
- North of England
Hi,
I'm Rose, stuck out in the wilds of the north of England. I've been Type 1 since I was 6 years old - and that's quite a few decades ago!
Back in 2009 I did a DAFNE course, and my control improved, not that it had been bad, but it was good actually having a valid reason for checking BG levels. Oh, and being able to eat anything, and simply calculate how much insulin to take.
Unfortunately that year my fiance died of cancer. As he'd been in a wheelchair for most of his life I ended up doing some voluntary work to help disabled people who need transport. Then in 2010 I had a hypo while volunteering. Stuck in a place where I couldn't get to my supply of glucose immediately, and ended up in A&E. I'd taken quite a knock to my head and was admitted for a week, had scans etc, which confirmed I'd 'bruised my brain'. This was 3 weeks before my 3-yr-term driving licence was due to expire.
I told DVLA - you have to, it's the law. They took 2 months to tell me they were revoking my licence for a statutory 6 months 'following this type of head injury' - nothing to do with having diabetes, just because of the head injury, or so they said.
So when the 6 months were up I sent off the form, then completed 3 more, waited, waited, and waited... until one year to the day after the licence had been revoked, I rang them. I already knew that my GP and consultant had verified my suitability to drive. They gave some poor excuse over the lengthy delays, and said I would definitely have an answer within 6 more weeks. That was 8 weeks ago.
I only recently stopped taking the 'happy pills' following my fiance's death. Now, being labelled 'guilty' of some heinous crime I haven't even commited, I'm wondering if I should start taking them again. I'd prefer not to, as any medication can affects your diabetes control.
But I suppose if it all gets too depressing and (apart from illegally) I can't drive again, then at least I do have insulin to rely on.
Sorry to sound fed up, but the world continues to single out the innocent and punish them.
Hope to see some of you in Swansea / Whitehall? when this all blows up!
Rose
I'm Rose, stuck out in the wilds of the north of England. I've been Type 1 since I was 6 years old - and that's quite a few decades ago!
Back in 2009 I did a DAFNE course, and my control improved, not that it had been bad, but it was good actually having a valid reason for checking BG levels. Oh, and being able to eat anything, and simply calculate how much insulin to take.
Unfortunately that year my fiance died of cancer. As he'd been in a wheelchair for most of his life I ended up doing some voluntary work to help disabled people who need transport. Then in 2010 I had a hypo while volunteering. Stuck in a place where I couldn't get to my supply of glucose immediately, and ended up in A&E. I'd taken quite a knock to my head and was admitted for a week, had scans etc, which confirmed I'd 'bruised my brain'. This was 3 weeks before my 3-yr-term driving licence was due to expire.
I told DVLA - you have to, it's the law. They took 2 months to tell me they were revoking my licence for a statutory 6 months 'following this type of head injury' - nothing to do with having diabetes, just because of the head injury, or so they said.
So when the 6 months were up I sent off the form, then completed 3 more, waited, waited, and waited... until one year to the day after the licence had been revoked, I rang them. I already knew that my GP and consultant had verified my suitability to drive. They gave some poor excuse over the lengthy delays, and said I would definitely have an answer within 6 more weeks. That was 8 weeks ago.
I only recently stopped taking the 'happy pills' following my fiance's death. Now, being labelled 'guilty' of some heinous crime I haven't even commited, I'm wondering if I should start taking them again. I'd prefer not to, as any medication can affects your diabetes control.
But I suppose if it all gets too depressing and (apart from illegally) I can't drive again, then at least I do have insulin to rely on.
Sorry to sound fed up, but the world continues to single out the innocent and punish them.
Hope to see some of you in Swansea / Whitehall? when this all blows up!
Rose
I'm sorry to hear about the sorrow you had in the past with the loss of your fiancé followed by your health problems. The driving licence business is a difficult one and I hope you can finally get your licence back. There are members who have been through this and may be able to share experiences with you and perhaps give you some useful information.
