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

Learning the lesson. Flat tire in the middle of nowhere

M

mrtn.pllr

Active Member
Messages
33
Location
Hungary
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
So as I'm still new to this whole T1 thingy, I thought why would I bring my insulin with me if I only go out for a few hours, would be home for dinner. Well I got a flat tire. I didn't even know what to do, I didn't have a spare tire with me. I had a tire repair set, but had never used it before. Luckily I got home for dinner in time. But lesson learned, I always have to carry my insulin with me :D
 
and your hypo treatment!
and your testing kit!

Sorry to hear about the flat tyre. Pain in the derriere in this sort of weather/time of year. You are in Hungary, aren't you?
Glad you got it sorted.
 
Brunneria said:
and your hypo treatment!
and your testing kit! …………..
Click to expand...

Even in my relatively short T1 life I have found that if you have carbs in your pocket then you (probably) won't need them but step out of the house without them and you will invariably come to realise you've made a mistake :banghead:.
 
This is my future :-) not only have you reminded me to a) take everything but also b) I should really read and understand how to use the repair kit that literally I have never lifted out of the floor compartment in the car.
 
mrtn.pllr said:
So as I'm still new to this whole T1 thingy, I thought why would I bring my insulin with me if I only go out for a few hours, would be home for dinner. Well I got a flat tire. I didn't even know what to do, I didn't have a spare tire with me. I had a tire repair set, but had never used it before. Luckily I got home for dinner in time. But lesson learned, I always have to carry my insulin with me :D
Click to expand...

A Yes, the "black box" containing the "kit" where the spare wheel should be..? Noticed the trend on newer cars whilst perusing makes & models for my wife.. Settled on an 18 month old vehicle where the previous owner had spared no expense purchasing a 5th alloy for the space.

Personally, if i found i was driving a vehicle with a nail in the tire? (Slow puncture?) I would try to pump the pressure first without using the repair can? Thus saving the tire from being scrapped at a repair centre & further expense on a replacement..?

Did you find the experience raise your BG which needed correction @mrtn.pllr ?

JPW1 said:
This is my future :) not only have you reminded me to a) take everything but also b) I should really read and understand how to use the repair kit that literally I have never lifted out of the floor compartment in the car.
Click to expand...

@JPW1 , this is for you.. ;)

 
Last edited:
While I fully agree with always taking your insulin (and meter and hypo treatment) with you, have you thought about what would actually have happened had it taken longer to get home?

Your insulin goes together with dinner, so no dinner, no insulin, unless needed to correct a high. By the time you would've gotten home, even if it had been 5 hours late, you would have taken insulin for your dinner as usual and eaten your dinner, and nothing bad would have happened.
Just the same as before diabetes, the worst thing would have been feeling hungry for a couple of hours.

This is assuming you are on a basal/bolus regime (long acting once or twice a day, quick acting before meals). If you're on a mix insulin twice a day, things are harder when having to postpone a dose.

Would you mind adjusting your profile to say what insulin(s) you are on? It may make a difference to the answers you get on your questions.

Happy things turned out all right anyway :)
 
mrtn.pllr said:
Well I got a flat tire. I didn't even know what to do, I didn't have a spare tire with me. I had a tire repair set, but had never used it before.
Click to expand...
If you do not have a couple of spare wheels with you in your vehicle in Australia, there is a good chance of ending up in deep **** if you get a flat tyre out in the bush.
 
I've learned to always have sugar and carbs in your glovebox. Lucozade and a bag of crisps does the trick for me. I used to drive 50miles down the motorway each way to work, if i got stuck in traffic it was a horrible wait. My sugars drop a lot after waking up, i was normally at work in time to catch them before they went hypo. Got stuck in traffic once and went hypo, luckily i was near a service station. Managed to pull in and get some sugary drinks.

Always test before driving, no matter how long the journey.
 
Feel your pain and glad you got home safely for dinner! I have had this for many years but got caught out with a lowering blood sugar out in the woods with a dog that did not want to come back! Highs are unpleasant but there is nothing as scary as the threat of a hypo with no sugar in sight. It is all a bit of a bore and a chore but type 1 certainly makes you get your act together!
 
mrtn.pllr said:
So as I'm still new to this whole T1 thingy, I thought why would I bring my insulin with me if I only go out for a few hours, would be home for dinner. Well I got a flat tire. I didn't even know what to do, I didn't have a spare tire with me. I had a tire repair set, but had never used it before. Luckily I got home for dinner in time. But lesson learned, I always have to carry my insulin with me :D
Click to expand...

Few lessons learned on this one then.
Biggest one is always carry insulin, test kit AND hypo treatment
Not such a big one BUT still a lesson....always know how to deal with a tyre problem on your car :)
 
I won't leave the house without fast acting insulin, testing kit and sweets unless it's a 5 minute dash to the shop in which case I just take my testing kit.
 
I always leave the house with what my dad calls “why is your bag always heavy” bag. It has my hypo treatments, both insulins - fast and background insulin. Spares, strips and needles. I take it even if I leave for 5 mins, this is because I’ve been in situations where I didn’t have anything and it’s a horrible feeling. You can ask your team for a spare meter to leave at your workplace or car. (This is also good practice if anyone is considering a pump in future. You’ll always need spares or backup on a pump)
 
MeiChanski said:
I always leave the house with what my dad calls “why is your bag always heavy” bag. It has my hypo treatments, both insulins - fast and background insulin. Spares, strips and needles. I take it even if I leave for 5 mins, this is because I’ve been in situations where I didn’t have anything and it’s a horrible feeling. You can ask your team for a spare meter to leave at your workplace or car. (This is also good practice if anyone is considering a pump in future. You’ll always need spares or backup on a pump)
Click to expand...

Ha, MeiChanski, I've got just such a bag. You'd think I was carrying the Crown Jewels in my bag. lol. It contains blood testing kit; two set changes (cannulas and reservoirs) for my pump; insulin; Dextrose tablets; a couple of syringes ... just in case the pump actually fails; glucagon injection (GlucaGen Kit), though many 'professionals' state that they're not allowed to use it as they haven't been trained; and contact details for both my wife and my diabetes support team, just in case I'm found in an unconscious state which, I'm afraid, happens far too frequently for my liking.
 
mrtn.pllr said:
So as I'm still new to this whole T1 thingy, I thought why would I bring my insulin with me if I only go out for a few hours, would be home for dinner. Well I got a flat tire. I didn't even know what to do, I didn't have a spare tire with me. I had a tire repair set, but had never used it before. Luckily I got home for dinner in time. But lesson learned, I always have to carry my insulin with me :D
Click to expand...
Buy yourself a Frio wallet to keep your insulin cool and take it with you all the time asking with a BG meter. I keep sweets or chocolate in the pockets of all my jackets so I don't get caught out when I'm out walking, it's so easy to get caught out. It's a steep learning curve but now you've learned the lesson, you can't be spontaneous with T1. I often wonder how diabetics get on when they're caught up in long traffic jams? We have lucozade in our cars but that's s finite resource. Good luck, we're all with you
 
micksmixxx said:
Ha, MeiChanski, I've got just such a bag. You'd think I was carrying the Crown Jewels in my bag. lol. It contains blood testing kit; two set changes (cannulas and reservoirs) for my pump; insulin; Dextrose tablets; a couple of syringes ... just in case the pump actually fails; glucagon injection (GlucaGen Kit), though many 'professionals' state that they're not allowed to use it as they haven't been trained; and contact details for both my wife and my diabetes support team, just in case I'm found in an unconscious state which, I'm afraid, happens far too frequently for my liking.
Click to expand...

Haha, we could go to another extent and say carry a phone charger and spare batteries for blood monitors and your phone so you can call for help. My dsn said she was stuck somewhere and her phone died whilst having a hypo.
 
I don't step into an elevator without carbs!

Oh and a place I used to work developed an issue where one of the toilets could lock you in; didn't happen to me but when I heard about it it was sobering...
 
Lynne C J said:
Buy yourself a Frio wallet to keep your insulin cool and take it with you all the time asking with a BG meter. I keep sweets or chocolate in the pockets of all my jackets so I don't get caught out when I'm out walking, it's so easy to get caught out. It's a steep learning curve but now you've learned the lesson, you can't be spontaneous with T1. I often wonder how diabetics get on when they're caught up in long traffic jams? We have lucozade in our cars but that's s finite resource. Good luck, we're all with you
Click to expand...

Actually, in my first week out of the hospital, I got in a terrible traffic jam. Had to test BG inject insulin and eat in the car. It was a truly horrifying experience.
Also that's a real shame, that a T1 can't be spontaneous, I have always been a spontaneous guy, that's been one of my main drives in life, to be spontaneous :(
 
mrtn.pllr said:
Had to test BG inject insulin and eat in the car.
Click to expand...
But why? Are you on basal and bolus or on mixed insulin? You could've injected and eaten after getting home, although yes, you should always test before driving and during the drive if it's a longer one or if you feel unsure about whether you may go too low.
 
Back
Top