• Guest - w'd love to know what you think about the forum! Take the 2025 Survey »

Ignorance /neglect about hypos

Giovana

Member
Messages
5
Hello Everyody!!

Have you ever experienced problems when having hypos, due to the lack of knowledge of people trying to help, ignoring or overlooking it as something minor?

My partner is type 1 and we have recently been through a bad situation, he had an hypo in a boat, when in holidays. I was impressed to see how little (or nothing) general public know about "first aid during a hypo, or what is really a hypo...I dont expect people to be able to treat a hypo, but I have heard of cases when a hypo has been regarded as drunkeness

I believe this happens more often than we imagine, and even worse, involving medical staff, as recently a paramedic was struck off after refusing to treat a women having a hypo, saying that she was only drunk. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/m...de/8280785.stm

Just wondering if you had similar situation when hypo and how you managed it

Cheers

Gio :)
 
I saw a TV drama once where someone had a hypo and the "hero" declared he had to find their insulin.
Ignorance is rife
Hana
 
It's not just hypos, years ago I suffered from panic attacks. Collapsed in my local high street and people just walked round me (I was a student). However, I think it's sensible to wear medical alert ID
 
Do you think that wearing a bracelet saying you are a diabetic would help in the case of a hypo??

If you are going to be attended by a medical staff, that's is probably ok, but I wander how many people on street would realise that what you really need is sugar???

Some people I know were shocked to learn that hypos can be first-hand treated with sugar...

Have you heard of other people passing for similar situation than yours (panic or hypos) on public places?
 
Giovana said:
Have you ever experienced problems when having hypos, due to the lack of knowledge of people trying to help, ignoring or overlooking it as something minor?

My partner is type 1 and we have recently been through a bad situation, he had an hypo in a boat, when in holidays. I was impressed to see how little (or nothing) general public know about "first aid during a hypo, or what is really a hypo...I dont expect people to be able to treat a hypo, but I have heard of cases when a hypo has been regarded as drunkeness

Would you know how to treat someone, say with Narcolepsy? it is unrealistic to expect the general public to know how to treat a hypo. Also as Hanadr points out some people think you need to administer insulin (this happened on Emmerdale a few years back) so sometimes a little knowledge is dangerous.

If I feel even slightly hypo in company and I have nobody with me who knows what to do, I will say to someone I don't feel well I am diabetic if I pass out give me sugar. Fortunatley I have always sorted myself and most people will help and make sure you are OK.

I do think if you have a "problem" yourself you tend to look out for other people. Not long ago I saw an old chap staggering all over the place and he fell over in the road, cars were swerving round him. :shock: I stopped blocked the road which went down well in rush hour. Checked to see if he was OK and as it happened he was just drunk. :D and I mangaged to get him back on his way home. He could have been hypo. At least six cars in front of me swerved round him laying in the road. :cry: Makes you wonder what the worlds coming to.
 
Back
Top