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I need to let off steam

WhitbyJet

Well-Known Member
Messages
1,597
I am so darn annoyed with one of our neighbours, diagnosed 12yrs ago with type 2, doesnt take a blind bit of notice, wont change his lifestyle, lives on take aways, pastries, jam doughnuts, crisps and biscuits, gloats that he has done this for all those years and still has no complications, that proves that all this talk about complications is just scaremongering.

Fair enough, you takes your chances, you take the consequences like the rest of us, I hasten to add that I am not pestering to do low carb, I have however in the past pointed him towards daisy's welcome post and some other threads.

He told me a while ago that his GP has added Gliclazide, recently Janumet as well, I asked if he is testing his bg levels, he said he doesnt need to, I pointed out to him that Gliclazide can cause hypos, although deep down I thought with the sort of food that he eats there is little chance of it happening.
Well this afternoon I walked back home with the kids when we saw this bloke staggering out of his car as if he was drunk, left the engine running, car door open, had problems unlocking his front door, I thought something isnt right there, another neighbour and I walked over to him, he was sweating profusely, shaking, first thought was its a heart attack.
Quickly realised it wasnt, got my tester, he was 2.3!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Plenty of hypo treatment in his house, but the very thought that he doesnt test, that he drives a car and this happens is making my blood run cold.

I am normally a calm and collected person, but this time I went ballistic. I waited until he had gone back up to safer levels, then told him that he has exactly 2hours 30 mins to get to the pharmacy to buy himself a tester and strips, he can afford them and if he doesnt come round to show me that he has done this I will be on the phone to the DVLA and police first thing in the morning. I sincerely hope he knows I mean business. He needs to get back to his GP as well, he said he has been having a few similar attacks recently but not as severe as this one.

Thanks for listening folks, I am still feeling rather unsettled by this incident.
 
Truly annoying and dangerous. There does need to be more awareness that people on blood lowering meds need to also inform the dvla. there is nothing in place and left to the person. Then even then they are not aware they need to notify dvla, and some who do, clearly don't.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
I'm with you on this one, there are so many people driving who are really not fit to do so. Woman over the road from me is in her 70s, had a stroke last year and I heard from another neighbour that she had glaucoma! The sad thing is that these people would probably survive an accident and someone innocent would lose their life. Stick to your guns and report him - you could save a life.
 
Well done WJ, It's people like him that put all our driving licences at risk.
 
Thats just scary that people like him are on the road without any thought of peoples safety.
 
Hi WhitbyJet,

What a frightening experience for you, what you did was very brave.God only knows how you feel as my blood is still boiling just reading what you have said.
Whatever happens I hope this person sorts his problems out.

Also this idiot is not the only one that thinks we do not need testers ( sorry just having a pop at the NHS.)

As others have said I am also with you whatever you do.

Roy.
 


No they don't.
The only requirement is to inform the dvla if you suffer more than one episode of severe hypoglycaemia within the last 12 months, or if you suffer severe hypoglycaemia while driving, or if you are treated with insulin.

As these weren't treated by the medical profession, (doctor, ambulance etc) they are not considered severe, and aren't on his medical record.

If he does get stroppy, Whitby has actually committed assault by taking the blood. Hope it was a new lancet.

I'm more impressed by his diet for 12 years, with absolutely no complications, and then that he could go down to 2.3!
Needs to up the donut intake.
 
If you had called an ambulance it would have been interesting to see what DVLA and his GP had to say then. If his licence got threatened it may knock some sense of responsibility into him.

So, so frustrating when we all try and do everything by the book and still get penalised but folks like that get away with it all.

He is not safe to be on the roads and at least if anything does happen you can say you tried to help him. If you report him then I'm sure you'll have the backing of a lot of folks here, me for one.

Regards
Angie
 
Have seen on dvla website certain meds, sulpha..... Something, there is a list there that they require notification. maybe theyve since changed it and was looking at old info. Hgv drivers on them certainly do.

Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/s ... F188_2.pdf


I know the leaflet defines severe as needing help from another person, but if it's not the medical profession, effectively it never happened, as the other person isn't qualified to make the judgement. So it's simply your word against theirs, and no way to communicate it to the dvla anyway.
 
Hi WJ, hope you are well and have cooled down a bit since this incident occurred and that hopefully your neighbour will have taken on board that his new meds can cause sudden drops in his bg levels and the implications of that.

If a patient is not advised of the risks of hypos when taking these drugs whos fault is it if there where to be a serious accident?

At the very least doctors should advice caution when taking these meds and if they are unable to prescribe test strips and meters due to NHS budget restrictions then they should at least advise their patients that they need to test their blood sugars before driving as the DVLA advises even if that means buying their own meters and test strips. Although if they did that I suspect many people would refuse the meds.....
 
This chap just sounds like yet another type 2 who has been left in the dark by the NHS. Lack of information and education for type 2s is such a worrying thing, especially when they're on medication that can cause hypos. I'll bet he's had little to no intervention from a dietician or GP about his eating habits, and I'll also bet they've never even suggested he get a meter.
 
And what sort of an idiot takes medication without knowing the effects it has on their body? In this day and age there's no excuse for being ignorant. Granted the docs should have advised him, but there again maybe they did. Its not hard to read the the leaflet inside the box, or look on the internet, especially as he admitted to having a '"few similar attacks previously". There is an abundance of information and education for type 2s out there, if they would only take the time to find it. But unfortunately, ALL the t2s I know completely ignore it.
 
Sweeping generalisation there Gar, all the T2's I personally know are extremely well informed, frequently better informed the the DN's who are supposed to be advising and treating them.
 
Thanks for all your support and responses. Am pleased to say that our dear neighbour turned up last night to show off his new Freestyle meter along with a box of roses chocolates to say thank you for the much needed kick up his posterior.

His doctor and nurse mentioned the possibility of hypos, no they didnt offer a test kit, and both his sisters are well controlled type 2 diabetics, the help and support would have been there for him.

Anyway, he said that he would go to the walk in clinic at the medical centre, test before he is setting off in his car, and have a look at this diet change thing (<his words), he admitted to feeling more and more lethargic of late, probably due to those roller coaster bg levels. He said this hypo has shaken him up, making him feel so ill, he is going to keep his head out of the sand.

Dont get me wrong he is a good guy, a nice neighbour to have, but driving with a hypo just isnt on.

Douglas, the finger pricker had a new needle in, and I didnt jab him, I prepared the finger pricker and put the test strip into the meter, gave it to him, he did it all himself, we were simply standing by watching him, so no assault has taken place

All the best to you all x x
 
Thommothebear said:
Sweeping generalisation there Gar, all the T2's I personally know are extremely well informed, frequently better informed the the DN's who are supposed to be advising and treating them.
Click to expand...

I know it sounds that way, but, unfortunately not. One has just lost his other leg, another slowly going blind but both still 'enjoying' their carbs and sugar, you try to point them in the direction, try to get them to check out the forum, but to no avail. Others carry on with their diet as they believe the medication is dealing with the problem even though all the evidence says otherwise. All very frustrating!! Apologies for the rant :roll:
 
Garr is right, but I think so much of this is down to diabetes itself and how it works. If all diabetics in early stages felt instant pain or nausea when their sugars were too high then uncontrolled diabetes would not exist. It is only human not to make the connection with a gradual, silent disease (especially given our culture's obsession with the idea that people must do exactly what they want to, and that any restriction is a denial of their personal freedom -- how many times have you heard people saying this even on this forum, let alone outside it?). Unfortunately, diabetes education needs to be more frightening, or drugs companies need to develop a pill that will make high sugars instantly painful - otherwise it is only natural that diabetics will not take their condition seriously until it is too late (and often not even then).
 
Good on you for being so supportive and persistent when he was being a pain in the backside. The world needs more people as caring and generous as you.
 




+1 :thumbup:
 
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