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I,m an idiot -

C

Chris Type 1

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Hi I after nodding off after a hi intensity one hour cardio / spinning class at the gym recently , my levels slipped down really low - I was totaly gone , some loss of consiousness - blurred vision totally irational - I was flailing around like a nutter , but managed to get to my bottle of lucozade and poured it into me , as I was regaining a bit of consiousness I did a test and my levels were up to 1.2mmol , Just then my mobile went - "cold callers " wanting to sell me mortgage stuff - I cant realy remember exactly what I said but I dont like bieng cold called, at the best of times - I gave em both barrels and told them where to go - 10 days later I got knock at the door , The Police !! a report of offensive and racist comments made from a phone registered to me OMG - I,m an idiot, and I am right in it, up to my ears - they,ve taken a statement and I,m waiting to find out if its going to be refered to the CPS . I owned up straight away - apologised and offerd my apologies to the caller - but was told not to attempt to contact the company as this would be seen as "intimidation" !! So I just hung my head and went along with everything they said ,shame faced - I was wondering if Diabetes UK has some way of helping me get across to the officers involved the confusion - agitation and total loss of all sense that a minus 1 hypo does to you. Your thoughts please.
 
As a newly diagnosed type 2 I'm still learning about stuff but what about getting a letter from your GP to confirm your condition and any information of what can happen during a hypo? It may educate the police and go towards your case.

Good luck...and you know you are NOT an idiot!
 
Hi,
Just a thought, can you download the data from your tester as you want to make sure you have lasting proof of your level. If not photograph it. Then even if it takes an age to get resolved the evidence won't be overwritten and lost.
I hope you get this resolved as these callers are a pain.
Did they get your number by legitimate means? Can you turn the tables on them?
Good luck
Angie
 
Hi Chris,

I'm honestly not sure what your rights are and what, if anything, Diabetes UK would be able to do to help. However, it certainly wouldn't hurt to ask. Might also be worth consulting CAB or a solicitor just so that you have as much information as possible.

Hope you get it sorted. Keep us up to date..

Em
 
angieG said:
Hi,
Just a thought, can you download the data from your tester as you want to make sure you have lasting proof of your level. If not photograph it.
Click to expand...

I think Angies advice is absolutely spot on, assuming your meter recorded the event you will have proof positive that you were experiencing a serious hypo, get your meter checked by your gp or a solicitor and have him/her verify the mmol/L reading and the time and date in writing. Also contact Diabetes UK, incidentally, this forum is Diabetes.co.uk and not related to the charity Diabetes UK in any way.

Good luck.
 
Your meter data is permissible in court, but seems though you were at the gym any witness that can say, you were acting out of character?

Surprised though, cold callers don't normally report people to the police when they get a load of verbal abuse chucked at them, they just cut the call! Same if you phone a company, become abusive they cut the call!

How did they know where to send the police, as normally cold callers won't have any more details of you than a name and your mobile number! And for the police to get any telephone account details they have to give get a court order!

Which is bad news, if the police have used a court order to get hold of your address them I'm afraid it will land in court, normally when mobiles are used the police first ring the mobile... And it's only if they need to actually physically speak to the owner of the mobile, that they will seek a court order, to get the address etc..
 
Hi Chris

I'm not too pleased to read your msg....

Like Jopar, I'm wondering how the police have got involved with this.... have you got a mobile phone contract at all? Some time ago on TV there was a mention about mobile phone companies passing mobile phone numbers over to cold caller type companies and people getting loads of calls at all different times of the day.... it's a bit like receiving loads of spam emails. If its not your mobile phone company then look to see if your bank or building society has got yr mobile no and have passed it on..... A mobile phone number should never be shared so that others can unfairly call and this type of thing needs stopping.

You should be able to get your hospital consultant on your side with all this as people who are recovering from a hypo need some time to get over the feeling so its not at all fair that you might be prosecuted for abusive behaviour over the phone as you were not yourself anyway.... The police should know better..... and so should court magistrates.... If I worked in a court... I would be hopping mad if I was having to deal with solicitors who were trying their best to prosecute hypo diabetics for silly things........

My other advice is for you to DEMAND TO CHANGE to another type of insulin regime such as the older biphasic insulins. You should be able to get better hypo awareness when your bg levels are a bit higher... It is disturbing that analogue insulins are affecting the brain recognising hypo awareness the way they are... Years ago when human insulins first became available in the UK, loads of people reported losing their hypo awareness... I lost mine and demanded to go back to animal insulin again which I did for a few years... only to be told that the insulin I was using was no longer going to be made so I had no option but to switch to human insulins... Unfortunately..... I didn't know that Workhardt would take over manufacturing animal insulin again.... I did slowly learn to recognise the different hypo awareness signals that human and analogue insulins give but it is alarming that bg levels can literally drop as low as 1.?????? and some people dont feel hypo at all. In fact they feel normal and act normal as well... it's only when they get the shock of their life when doing a bg test just to see what level they are.. that they go into panick station, and quickly get something sugary and sit down just in case they fall down... This type of thing should not be happening for people.... I'm lucky now that I have a pump so really low bg levels are no longer.... but one of the reasons is because I test fairly frequently so I try to stop a situation from happening from acting in advance...... Definately, see your consultant fairly quickly and be polite and but be firm in what you want......
 
When responding to cold callers I utter the Eric Morecambe line, "There's no phone here!"
 
I had no idea Racism was a symptom of a hypo?

I thought Racism was a symptom of being an idiot.
 
Best that you seek some legal advice on this matter Chris if the CPS decide to prosecute.
 
Just to cheer you up:
My friend's hypo mum was picked up by the Police after she was found on a main road at three in the morning doing Phantom of the Opera impressions using a bed sheet as a cloak. Naked.
I'm sure you will get it sorted out.
 
kt78 said:
Just to cheer you up:
My friend's hypo mum was picked up by the Police after she was found on a main road at three in the morning doing Phantom of the Opera impressions using a bed sheet as a cloak. Naked.
I'm sure you will get it sorted out.
Click to expand...

:lol: :lol:
Dont tell me...... she's now been sectioned under the mental health act

Seriously.... I hope that she is ok and is back at home......
 
Ive had one hypo that went a little further than the dizzyness and feeling weak and shakey.

I had the one once a few years ago where i was with a friend, It was during a moving day and I was really excited so I dont know if that had nething to do with it, but I literally went nuts, started shouting and singing all weird stuff and pulling faces at him and making strange noises....

He was properly freaked out, especially as we were moving into a house share together that day...
 
As luck would have it..... cold calling... marketing phone calls etc was being discussed on todays lunchtime radio programme Radio 4 - You and Yours.....

I suggest many people listen to it to find out where they stand when dealing with this growing menance.....

My OH is not too polite when answering the phone to these type of people or in answering the front door either.... Just yesterday eve. had a knock on door from someone trying to flog beds from a van....... OH answered the door and person said I am selling double beds..... OH just replied.... not to me you're not.....and shut the door.... person quickly left :x :lol: :lol:
 
Dont tell me...... she's now been sectioned under the mental health act

Seriously.... I hope that she is ok and is back at home......
Click to expand...

This was in about 1985! She was fine and laughed about it herself afterwards! Once someone saw me hypo in my school uniform and called the school to complain I was drunk in the street... Apparantly, I also helped myself to a can of coke at a local newsagents... I have many embarrassing hypo tales come to think of it... :shock:

I feel the post originator's pain...
 
That made me laugh iHs :) I have to be honest, I do occasionally like to turn the tables on them and try and sell them something instead. They soon hang up. I need to get out more, I really do.

Back to Chris' predicament... Your meter will prove that you were hypo. Your GP can probably vouch for the fact that hypos can make people act strangely. I know that I tend to get quite emotional and/or angry if my sugars drop. The issue, however, is that having a hypo does not excuse you for making any racist comments. This is something that can't just be glossed over or forgotten about.

Do you remember exactly what you said? Could it have been taken out of context? Have you ever been in trouble before for making discriminatory remarks? These are all things that need to be considered.

If I were you I would definitely get legal advice as this is a very serious allegation you're facing. I'm not sure if playing the hypo card will excuse your actions which is why I think you need to talk to a solicitor and make sure you get all the information that you need.

As for how the company got your number, there are (sadly) loads of ways that they could have done this. If you have ever bought something online or apied for an insurance quote and not ticked the right boxes, if you've entered a prize draw etc. The company could be using a random number generator to randomly dial numbers. There are other companies that has used various (and often very dubious) methods to record and sell your contact details. Unfortunately it is very hard to trace. I would advise, however, that you register all numbers with the telephone preference scheme. This will stop many of the calls. As for the police, I would imagine that it's easy enough for them to track down the owner of a particular number if they have to. Either that or the cold calling company already had your address...

Anyway, I hope you get things sorted soon. Take care. Em :)
 
Oh dear Chris, I cant add anything else to what most poeople have said :cry: :oops: OUCH

Take care and I do wish you all the best

RRB
 
He doesn't have to remember what he did or didn't say... As the company in question will have recorded the whole conversation...

Without the recorded conversation, the CPS is very unlikely to take it to court, because it becomes their word against his! To get anywhere near enough evidence to make a successful prosecution, witnesses would need to be found to testify what they heard, and as this was a phone conversation you would have to get witnesses for both sides, as a witness would have heard one side of the conversation and not the whole conversation!

Even if it doesn't go to court, When somebody makes a official complaint against you, this is logged on the police computers, this information will show up if similar situation arises in the future, and if you are asked for an enhanced CBR then this would show up, as Standard CBR will only show any convictions that aren't spent against you and/or any cautions you've been given, Enhanced will not just show all conviction spent or otherwise, if you've been arrested whether your were charged or not, and any cautions you've received, or any complaints logged against you!
 
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