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

The Beginning of the End.....

mo1905 said:
So Noblehead, do you think those on Gliclazide, for example, should not be required to follow same DVLA guidelines as insulin dependant ?
Click to expand...


It's not something I particularly want to comment on Mo, however I do take everyone's points on board.
 
noblehead said:
It's not something I particularly want to comment on Mo, however I do take everyone's points on board.
Click to expand...
Fair point. Just for the records, I'm not trying to make it harder on those on tablets, I'd just like a little more flexibility for those on insulin. I appreciate it's for everyone's safety etc but for those with proven very good control, why are we limited to 1 or 3 years ? There are so many diabetics who have lost licenses/ livelehoods due to paperwork errors but DVLA very rarely admit fault or listen to reason. Perhaps I shouldn't comment either as I am biased. I have never ever experienced a hypo yet I have to drive 100miles every year at my own expense to renew my LGV license. Ho hum :-)


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
noblehead said:
But your forgetting that non-diabetics regulate insulin and glucose levels naturally where we have to administer insulin by injection, administering insulin by injection or pump is less predictable and for whatever reason our bodies are less effective in dealing with falling bg levels....hence why when we go hypo we have to treat with fast-acting glucose to get us out of trouble.

There has to be a margin of error with bg and that is why they state that the safe level in which insulin dependant diabetics can drive is 5mmol, were it to be 4mmol and someone's insulin is still active then in no time at all that bg could soon in up in the 2's, which undeniably is a pretty dangerous place to be.

At the end of the day these are safeguards for all diabetics and the DVLA will not make allowances by going on one persons experiences, as I say Smidge it's all about keeping road users and pedestrians safe.
Click to expand...

But my BG doesn't drop suddenly so why is me being at 4 any different than a non-diabetic? Perhaps the type of diabetes I have makes a difference or perhaps it's the diet I stick to and the small insulin doses - I don't know, but I don't see why I should be punished with a 3 year license because some diabetics can't or don't control their BG. In terms of insurance, the EU already ruled it discriminatory to use a person's disability or gender etc in a generalised way to set premiums and yet the DVLA is doing exactly that by lumping us all in as 'insulin-using diabetics' and issuing a set of rules that are inconsistent, unjust and do not treat us as individuals.

I applaud the objective to keep road users safe - but I have seen no objective evidence showing that these regulations are effective in reducing a real risk.

Smidge
 
The answer to that is yes! If I am a driving safety risk because I could go hypo - whether I take tablets or insulin - then YES my license should be restricted also!!

And what about the fact that many type 2s on sulfonylureas appear to have rationed testing strips?? Isn't it more dangerous to have these people who CAN hypo and CANT test their BS as regularly driving round on the roads??

I want fairness for all, I'm not saying restrict the sulfonylurea takers licences and NOT the people on insulin I'm saying IF IT APPLIES TO ONE IT SHOULD APPLY TO THE OTHER!!

Everytime someone on insulin complains on here about having to renew their license they are bombarded with "well don't u want to be responsible, don't u want to make sure u don't kill anyone whilst driving" well, yes, but shouldn't people on sulfonylureas have the same conscience? The same responsibility??

Also someone mentioned earlier that the restricted license is because diabetes is a degenerate disease and gets worse, well that applies to ALL diabetics!! It's not just degenerate for insulin users!

It's discriminatory and it's founded on nothing and they should be made aware of it.


Diagnosed with GD in 2010, Completely disappeared postpartum. Re-diagnosed December 2012 with type 1.5 diabetes, age 26, BMI 22 currently controlled by only Metformin, 500mg twice a day.
 
mo1905 said:
Fair point. Just for the records, I'm not trying to make it harder on those on tablets, I'd just like a little more flexibility for those on insulin. I appreciate it's for everyone's safety etc but for those with proven very good control, why are we limited to 1 or 3 years ? There are so many diabetics who have lost licenses/ livelehoods due to paperwork errors but DVLA very rarely admit fault or listen to reason. Perhaps I shouldn't comment either as I am biased. I have never ever experienced a hypo yet I have to drive 100miles every year at my own expense to renew my LGV license. Ho hum :)
Click to expand...


I'm well aware people have lost licences and livelihoods through mistakes being made by gp's and the DVLA and its just not good enough, we often see such stories on the forum. The appeals system of the DVLA does need a bomb up the rear end but tbh I've not had to appeal or had my licence revoked, I think if your lucky to get a 3 year licence from the DVLA then we have little to complain about.
 
smidge said:
But my BG doesn't drop suddenly so why is me being at 4 any different than a non-diabetic? Perhaps the type of diabetes I have makes a difference or perhaps it's the diet I stick to and the small insulin doses - I don't know, but I don't see why I should be punished with a 3 year license because some diabetics can't or don't control their BG. In terms of insurance, the EU already ruled it discriminatory to use a person's disability or gender etc in a generalised way to set premiums and yet the DVLA is doing exactly that by lumping us all in as 'insulin-using diabetics' and issuing a set of rules that are inconsistent, unjust and do not treat us as individuals.

I applaud the objective to keep road users safe - but I have seen no objective evidence showing that these regulations are effective in reducing a real risk.

Smidge
Click to expand...

But regardless of insulin doses and diet you are still an insulin dependant diabetic Smidge, it would be wrong to make exceptions for a few and not the many, a lot of what we say in the forms cannot be verified such as having a third party assistance or losing your hypo awareness (unless you've received medical treatment for the hypo or reported hypo unawareness to your HCP's).

Like you I'm not on high doses of insulin and in my 32 years of driving (and diabetes) I've never had to have any third party assistance, apart from retinopathy I've never been in hospital because of diabetes, nonetheless I'm all too aware of the dangers of insulin and the speed in which it can lower bg, therefore I'm more than happy to have a review and submit the relevant information every 3 years, it's not discrimination but keeping everyone safe which is the objective.
 
noblehead said:
It's not something I particularly want to comment on Mo, however I do take everyone's points on board.
Click to expand...
some countries use the same guidelines for glic users as they do for insulin users ,I think its a new eu directive and will be widely introduced
 
Exactly noblehead and so keeping everyone safe includes reviewing the license of people on sulfonylureas as well as they are a hypo risk too.

It's the same with insurances....they seem to only effect insulin-taking diabetics and, again, if it's all due to hypo risk then it should include everyone with a hypo risk.

Ideally everyone should be reviewed independently as individuals so that people with almost perfect control do not get penalised for the number of badly controlled diabetics, especially if they are going to refer to the degeneration of the disease or the complications.

Developments and changes are happening with diabetes all the time but professional bodies are not keeping up and adapting accordingly. It's no longer the case that u are either a full-blown, no endogenous insulin production at all diabetic or a type 2, insulin resistant diabetic and so this needs to be addressed and reflected in the policies that are made.


Diagnosed with GD in 2010, Completely disappeared postpartum. Re-diagnosed December 2012 with type 1.5 diabetes, age 26, BMI 22 currently controlled by only Metformin, 500mg twice a day.
 
I do hear what your saying Elaine, perhaps you should start a campaign group up to make the DVLA aware of your concerns and grievances.
 
i think your bitter about you having a restricted license therefore want others to suffer, sorry but thats awful, theres no way to draw the line that would suit everyone, anyone could have a heart attack, fit, fall asleep etc etc at any time when driving, the only way to make it safe is to ban driving altogether, you may have a valid point about your restriction but to put your unfortunate situation onto others is just plain awful

im ready for my slap but thats my opinion
 
Well Andy your completely wrong because I DONT have a restricted license lol! Shows how much attention you have been paying to the point at hand.

There is a hypo risk with insulin. There is a hypo risk with sulfonylureas.
There is a license restriction on people who take insulin for public safety reasons. There is no such restriction on people who take sulfonylureas.

Does not take a genius to work out that that's not right or safe.

Hmm I wonder if you are a sulfonylurea-taking driver who doesn't want his license restricted despite knowing you pose the same public safety risk as people on insulin..... If so....the word hypocrite comes to mind....and that's what's awful.


Diagnosed with GD in 2010, Completely disappeared postpartum. Re-diagnosed December 2012 with type 1.5 diabetes, age 26, BMI 22 currently controlled by only Metformin, 500mg twice a day.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
you are writing this because you are at a point where you think there may be a risk of having to take insulin though, i am not very good at paying attention but that is the gist i got, i appologise if im wrong with that, if you are as you say not concerned with your own situation but in fact just campaigning to make people that take hypo inducing medication lives a misery ..... why? because you think its unsafe for them to be on the roads? if this is a campaigne for the betterment of mankind, id suggest save the children or something like that
 
I think it's the complete opposite Andy, making lives for those who take insulin as easy and fair as those who do not. I certainly wouldn't wish to make anyone's life more difficult.


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
ok i accept your wish to make it fair, if as you say its unfair that insulin taking people to not have restrictions on their licenses, i dont know the ins and outs but can happily accept your opinion and bow down to your knowledge and my lack of, but to use the fact that its no fair because they dont have to and lets write to the dvla and insist they also have their licenses restricted is distasteful, when they put wells into african villages who dont have enough water, they have to wait until they have the funds to do the whole area because if they put a well in just one village, the neighbouring villages go and smash their well because they consider it unfair, this as far as i can see the same principle

why not campaigne to stop people having radios in their cars as im sure statistically there are lots of accidents each year from people changing radio channels or using hands free kits etc
 
i could be wrong so ill butt out especially as its nothing to do with me, ill leave you alone to burn sulfonylureas users
 
Nobody with radios have their license restricted so what would be the point ? Like the African well thing though lol !


Sent from the Diabetes Forum App
 
I was told from the start I would need insulin one day, not now, that's not the point here. I don't have a restricted license and I am not even on the highest dose of Metformin yet.

It's been said time and time again that this is about fairness and treating people who take insulin equally as fairly as people who don't, like Mo said.

The only people who would have a problem with the rules being that everyone with a hypo risk has a restricted license, would be irresponsible people on sulfonylureas who know for a fact they can suffer from a hypo but don't want the disadvantage of having a restricted license and so would rather endanger lives instead.

That is what's wrong and awful here, not that people on insulin want to be treated fairly!

It's rather simple really.....

Insulin usage = Hypo risk
Sulfonylurea usage = Hypo risk
Hypo risk = Restricted license........ But not for sulfonylurea users??

Hmmm no. Don't think so. I will do all I can to get this injustice corrected in the name of equality and fairness - nothing to do with dragging people down! Equality isn't dragging people down, but what your supporting is plain discrimination. Not to mention dangerous.


Diagnosed with GD in 2010, Completely disappeared postpartum. Re-diagnosed December 2012 with type 1.5 diabetes, age 26, BMI 22 currently controlled by only Metformin, 500mg twice a day.
 
no thats a race to the bottom, there are many better causes in this world that attacking diabetics imho, why choose that? and not something positive like, lets make people with good control not have license restrictions, its such a negative trying to do what your doing, as i say i may be wrong and im sorry if ive misunderstood, but thats how its coming across to me
 
for example, women dont campaigne for mens wages to go down because they arent equal they want theirs to go up, the blacks in america didnt campaigne for whites to have to sit at the back of the bus but for them to be able to sit up the front
 
Back
Top