Hospital advised GP I shouldn't be driving?!?!?

is your license due for review?

I would get ahead of it and speak to the GP as no one has informed the DVLA as yet by the sounds of it.....

I have never had any form to fill out regarding my driving like the one you have described...

what I do know when it comes to driving is that you need to be careful what you say....if you can spot your hypos normally [during waking hours] then thats it, nothing to report....there is no inbetween

First up, @London36_ get on the phone to your clinic and demand to speak to your consultant immediately.

Based on the information you have provided above and this http://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2016...g-laws-for-people-with-diabetes-94800107.html I'd suggest that your consultant has acted incorrectly in that advice and has failed to listen to anything you have said. They also appear to not be up to date with the change to the rules that was introduced last year.

The consultant really owed you an explanation of their rationale for making what is fundamentally a life changing decision.

Further, it doesn't matter whether your renewal is due in 2018 or not. GPs are now allowed to directly contact the DVLA to inform them if they believe a patient is unfit to drive, so I'd get on the front foot and get this resolved asap.

Maybe its just a mistake. If there is 'no' under driving it means you dont drive (not that you shouldnt or not allowed to drive). I would give them a call to explain what they meant

tim2000s said:

First up, @London36_ get on the phone to your clinic and demand to speak to your consultant immediately.

Based on the information you have provided above and this http://www.diabetes.co.uk/news/2016...g-laws-for-people-with-diabetes-94800107.html I'd suggest that your consultant has acted incorrectly in that advice and has failed to listen to anything you have said. They also appear to not be up to date with the change to the rules that was introduced last year.

The consultant really owed you an explanation of their rationale for making what is fundamentally a life changing decision.

Further, it doesn't matter whether your renewal is due in 2018 or not. GPs are now allowed to directly contact the DVLA to inform them if they believe a patient is unfit to drive, so I'd get on the front foot and get this resolved asap.

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Has the change to the rules allowing nocturnal hypos and waking hypos to be treated differently actually come in yet? There are supposed to be legislative amandmends by January 2018 but I'm not sure if it's been done or awaited

Really I think that's only about severe hypos requiring 3rd party assistance, for the no more than 1 severe hypo in the last 12 months rule.

The issue here looks to be hypo awareness. DVLA requires car drivers to have "adequate hypo awareness".

If you're a car driver impaired awareness of hypoglycaemia is "an inability to detect the onset of hypoglycaemia because of total absence of warning signs".

What is "adequate hypo awareness" isn't defined but I would think you've got a reasonable argument that not always being aware of hypos when you're asleep doesn't impact on the adequacy of your hypo awareness for driving.

If you're a bus or lorry driver you've got to have full hypo awareness.

It does seem like it's worth discussing with your consultant @London36_ hopefully it's just a mistake because if she doesn't think you should be driving she really should have told you that so you could have a chat about it.

London36_ said:

At a hospital annual appointment recently, on a scale of 'always 1-7never' I ticked 3 regarding 'how well I think I detect my hypo' This is documented on letter to GP.

I did this in my context, of my diabetes, that I always feel symptoms but occasionally WHEN ASLEEP ONLY I don't recognise until it's a bad hypo. Not requiring third party help but just a really horrible hypo at the low threes / high twos. I've also ticked 3 because I wear a sensor that stops my pump before going hypo so I don't feel it at 3.6 - 4 when asleep but my pump stops and then I rise. This is how I really see it myself- as per the question. I guess the doctor would say 1 or always?

Severe hypos since last visit (a year ago) are nil as also documented.

I discussed that I drive at the appointment. Nothing said.

Now the letter under driving says 'no'

I really don't know what to do. Feeling quite upset and feel like this is so unfair and unjust as I'd never, ever drive irresponsibly, I never have severe hypos in the day, and seem to follow all the DVLA rules/criteria.

I'm worried that if I bring these points up with the doctor I will make a big deal of it and it could get worse? Like it might look like I am really hypo all the time and then am pretending I'm not?! Sound crazy here but just sooooo ****** off.

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Wow now that's scary as I drive for a living to take that away from me would be devastating to say the least

H everyone, Very interested in what i have been reading above. I would like to relay my story to you. I am a Type1 diabetic and have been for 27 years. I have been on the insulin pump for a year.
This is regarding my driving licence which I have just lost due to having 2 hypos in a year. The first was May last year when I was just getting used to counting carbs, I was at an overnight stay at a hotel when my hotel called an ambulance for me. This hypo I am not desputing. On the second occasion which was in February I had been having problems with my pump (error messages coming up and blank screens) I called Medtronic and went through some checks over the phone and said it seemed fine, any more problems to call them back. I was nightshift that night, everything was fine. My husband was nightshift also and got up about 2pm leaving me to sleep. He came back upstairs about 2.45pm when he found me having what looked like a fit. He was extremely worried and called an ambulance. I actually came round before the ambulance arrived. They just waited till my blood sugars had risen and then left. I had no idea how this had happened until the next day when checking my machine when going into insulin settings which I very rarely go into 3 of my setting had changed. Normally they are between 0.5 and 0.6. Two setting were at 7 and one was at 0.925 at the time when the hypo occured the previous day. I actually got an overdose from the machine. When my machine went blank the previous day it started again 5 mins later when it told me a restart was required. I am sure this is when the settings have changed.
My doctor at the hospital told me to contact the DVLA, which I did and now my licence has been taken off me. I am appealing against this and now have a lawyer dealing with it. I do not think its fair that I have had my licence taken from me when it was not my fault. I have been driving for 33 years and never had any points on my licence and always check my blood before driving. I am fully aware of hypos. My doctor at the hospital is backing me all the way. They downloaded my pump and seen all the error messages on it.
Can you all please tell me what you think of this?

Jan28. said:

I do not think its fair that I have had my licence taken from me when it was not my fault.

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I don't think any severe hypo is anyone's fault. No one plans to have severe hypos and everyone is trying to avoid them. While its unfortunate that your hypo was caused by a pump error I'm sure everyone who's ever had a severe hypo will have an explaination that shows it was caused by an unusual set of circumstances that aren't going to happen again, but they would still get told to stop driving while stability and safety is restored.

London36_ said:

At a hospital annual appointment recently, on a scale of 'always 1-7never' I ticked 3 regarding 'how well I think I detect my hypo' This is documented on letter to GP.

I did this in my context, of my diabetes, that I always feel symptoms but occasionally WHEN ASLEEP ONLY I don't recognise until it's a bad hypo. Not requiring third party help but just a really horrible hypo at the low threes / high twos. I've also ticked 3 because I wear a sensor that stops my pump before going hypo so I don't feel it at 3.6 - 4 when asleep but my pump stops and then I rise. This is how I really see it myself- as per the question. I guess the doctor would say 1 or always?

Severe hypos since last visit (a year ago) are nil as also documented.

I discussed that I drive at the appointment. Nothing said.

Now the letter under driving says 'no'

I really don't know what to do. Feeling quite upset and feel like this is so unfair and unjust as I'd never, ever drive irresponsibly, I never have severe hypos in the day, and seem to follow all the DVLA rules/criteria.

I'm worried that if I bring these points up with the doctor I will make a big deal of it and it could get worse? Like it might look like I am really hypo all the time and then am pretending I'm not?! Sound crazy here but just sooooo ****** off.

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Hi London36 can I suggest that if you're really worried about this contact the DVLA for correct advice. Also, are you a professional driver? ie buses lorries or taxies?. If not I wouldn't worry too much. I'm a Bus driver, and if I have any issues I go to Occ Health at work. I get much better advice there. Good luck anyway. BTW I have NEVER had either a hypo, or a hyper.

I really feel for you guys. I on the other hand am absolutely not safe to drive I have hypos on a daily basis and have no awareness I have rapid onset hypoglycaemia and even a gcm does not help. I was very upset when I was told I could not drive but in hindsight with how bad mine are I totally understand why as its for the safety of other people. your consultant should be able to correct the mistake on your file and I would maybe ask the dvla to clarify their information as if they are only happening whilst you are asleep they should not be counting them.

I function and attempt to cook meals with glucose levels of 1.2 mmol so as you can imagine I'm not really safe doing anything. I had paramedics out yesterday and when I was coming round after my children had given me 2 galaxy ripples I was at 1.6 mmol.

@Hetty28 Have you been advised on how to try and regain your hypo awareness and how to treat them when you do have them?

They have tried running my sugars higher for a while but it never lasts so my only option now is pancreas transplant. I've been admitted to hospital to observe it was nothing I was doing in error. All part and parcel of having diabetes since the age of 17 months so I just get on with it and hope for the best everyday. Its a pain in the bum but I'm still here so there is always hope.

Hetty28 said:

I really feel for you guys. I on the other hand am absolutely not safe to drive I have hypos on a daily basis and have no awareness I have rapid onset hypoglycaemia and even a gcm does not help. I was very upset when I was told I could not drive but in hindsight with how bad mine are I totally understand why as its for the safety of other people. your consultant should be able to correct the mistake on your file and I would maybe ask the dvla to clarify their information as if they are only happening whilst you are asleep they should not be counting them.

I function and attempt to cook meals with glucose levels of 1.2 mmol so as you can imagine I'm not really safe doing anything. I had paramedics out yesterday and when I was coming round after my children had given me 2 galaxy ripples I was at 1.6 mmol.

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Hetty, get in touch with a Prof. Stephanie Amiel at Kings College London as she's developing/developed a Hypo Awareness Programme designed for people like you to regain your awareness and how to deal with it. She's a wonderful person and has undertaken e tensile research into this.

Hetty28 said:

I function and attempt to cook meals with glucose levels of 1.2 mmol so as you can imagine I'm not really safe doing anything.

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Why are you attempting to do anything apart from treat your hypo when your blood sugar is 1.2? Pause for 5 minutes and have some dextrose tablets to quickly raise blood sugar.

Options for resolving disabling hypos and hypo unawareness other than pancreas transplant include running sugars higher, CBT therapy, continuous glucose monitoring, pump therapy with predictive low suspend, islet cell transplant.

The Hypo Awareness Restoration Programme has recently recieved ethical approcal for RCT and they are recruiting for people who are hypo unaware with disabling hypos. Stephanie Amiel is running it in London and I think Simon heller is running it in Sheffield. It might be worth asking for a referral to see if the HARP course can help. I sought a referral to Kings when my team refused to apply for CGM for me and were very keen to get me on the transplant list instead. Prof Ameil has got me on the Medtronic 640 with CGM funded, this has a predictive low suspend feature so if it thinks you are going to go hypo it will stop delivering insulin, I'm not getting on especially well with the sensors (they don't particularly like working in me, but that's just me) and she's confirmed she'll get me funding for dexcom if the 640 isn't working so I'm pleased with that. I'm still being assessed by the transplant team and would still be elligble for HARP if disabling hypos continue and they will be opening it up for restoration purposes once it's been tested on whether it reduces disabling hypos (initial results were v positive) because the technology doesn't restore awareness.

Hetty28 said:

I really feel for you guys. I on the other hand am absolutely not safe to drive I have hypos on a daily basis and have no awareness I have rapid onset hypoglycaemia and even a gcm does not help. I was very upset when I was told I could not drive but in hindsight with how bad mine are I totally understand why as its for the safety of other people. your consultant should be able to correct the mistake on your file and I would maybe ask the dvla to clarify their information as if they are only happening whilst you are asleep they should not be counting them.

I function and attempt to cook meals with glucose levels of 1.2 mmol so as you can imagine I'm not really safe doing anything. I had paramedics out yesterday and when I was coming round after my children had given me 2 galaxy ripples I was at 1.6 mmol.

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@Hetty28 Have you tried a different insulin? It might be worth trying a non-analogue human insulin or an animal insulin. Different insulins suit different people.

I have a pump and use porcine insulin.