Type 1 and your job.

[Craig1978]

I've always had a long term issue with maintaining my glucose levels and activity required in my job role. I feel that I have it now at a good level and relatively stable.

My job involves very varying levels of physical work. Some days I can be virtually desk bound, but others demand high physical input, and obviously this has an effect on my levels. So much so that it makes meal planning and routine quite hard.

I do, however, consider that I balance my levels long term quite well, but would like to here experience from people who are constantly active in their job role.

 

[Deleted Account]

My job is rarely physical but I still experience bg fluctuations. For me it is my bg going high when I attend a stressful meeting.
I have found this easier to manage with an I sulin pump which I use to temporarily change my basal.
I guess the same approach could be used if I suddenly needed to do something physical

 

[KK123]

Where to start.....my job over a period of 10 hours can have me sitting at a desk doing a report..5 minutes later driving an emergency vehicle to an incident...5 minutes later fighting and rolling around on the floor trying to restrain someone...10 minutes later standing in a custody block preparing an interview...2 hours later back at a desk...even later still standing at the scene of a fatality...dealing with a stressful domestic incident...sorting out a neighbour dispute...guarding a crime scene....and on and on and on. Planning a meal?, forget it. I'm not complaining, it's my choice but it all occurs over an early, a late and a night shift too! Most of the time I have no idea what my glucose levels are as I am not in a position to stop and check.

 

[Jaylee]

I have had many jobs over the years. Some, on first appearance would come under the "nice work if you can get it" hashtag?
I found these pretty unstructured in thier nature, compared to something like the repitition of production. Even with "overtime" thrown at me, it doesn't have the same issues of trying to monitor BG through a padded fur "wonderful world of Disney" suit on a Southwest coast holiday camp in the height of summer, then changing into hospitality fatigues, putting on a show & doing "Agadoo" till 1am..

Give me a straight shift anytime...

 

[WuTwo]

I sit down and work on spreadsheets all morning. Some mornings I don't even manage to slurp a quick drink or go to the loo but the odd thing is that the mornings when I am really concentrating hard for hours at a stretch and the work is very complex, my blood sugar goes low. Lower than a morning when I am at home running around like a blue bottomed fly. It's very odd, and I actually have to keep Glucotabs in my desk drawer to top up.

My consultant says that the brain uses up loads of glucose when it's working hard, and to be aware of that. Came as a bit of surprise to me but makes sense.

 

[Craig1978]

Where to start.....my job over a period of 10 hours can have me sitting at a desk doing a report..5 minutes later driving an emergency vehicle to an incident...5 minutes later fighting and rolling around on the floor trying to restrain someone...10 minutes later standing in a custody block preparing an interview...2 hours later back at a desk...even later still standing at the scene of a fatality...dealing with a stressful domestic incident...sorting out a neighbour dispute...guarding a crime scene....and on and on and on. Planning a meal?, forget it. I'm not complaining, it's my choice but it all occurs over an early, a late and a night shift too! Most of the time I have no idea what my glucose levels are as I am not in a position to stop and check.

Blimey, that is a varying workload! How do you normally test and monitor your levels? I've got another thread going on here with issues that I am having with the DVLA, and supposed 'poor' management of my Diabetes, yet I feel I do everything I can to keep myself well, Just really tricky with no routine as such.

 

[therower]

Many years back when times were different I worked 12 hr nights, Monday to Thursday. Played havoc with trying to find a pattern. Monday to Thursday, sleep daytime, work nighttime. Friday to Sunday totally opposite.
Nowadays biggest challenge is trying to figure out if the following day is going to be easy or hard. Tend to go middle ground, if it’s easy then a small correction dose maybe needed, if it’s hard then a few carbs to see me through.
Just another one of the little unknown joys of being diabetic that so many fail to realise.

 

[Craig1978]

Nowadays biggest challenge is trying to figure out if the following day is going to be easy or hard. Tend to go middle ground, if it’s easy then a small correction dose maybe needed, if it’s hard then a few carbs to see me through.
Just another one of the little unknown joys of being diabetic that so many fail to realise.

You are bang on with this! I find trying to explain to Family/friends this quite hard, some just think I have to have a couple of injections a day and not eat sugar!!!

 

[KK123]

Blimey, that is a varying workload! How do you normally test and monitor your levels? I've got another thread going on here with issues that I am having with the DVLA, and supposed 'poor' management of my Diabetes, yet I feel I do everything I can to keep myself well, Just really tricky with no routine as such.

Hi Craig, I just test as I am going along (when I can) and keep my meals fairly low carb so as to prevent any wild fluctuations (to prevent going hypo which is my greatest worry). My glucose seems stable at the moment but this could also be down to a honeymoon period (diagnosed 2 years ago). My A1c is fine also. What 'evidence' are they using that you have poor management (I have read your dvla posts) but what factual evidence is there? They normally rely on whether you are having hypos (where a 3rd party is involved I think) plus your 1ac results? It's hard as I don't always get a chance to check my levels when in an unhygienic or unsafe environment but it would probably be easier if I had a CGM?

 

[Craig1978]

Hi Craig, I just test as I am going along (when I can) and keep my meals fairly low carb so as to prevent any wild fluctuations (to prevent going hypo which is my greatest worry). My glucose seems stable at the moment but this could also be down to a honeymoon period (diagnosed 2 years ago). My A1c is fine also. What 'evidence' are they using that you have poor management (I have read your dvla posts) but what factual evidence is there? They normally rely on whether you are having hypos (where a 3rd party is involved I think) plus your 1ac results? It's hard as I don't always get a chance to check my levels when in an unhygienic or unsafe environment but it would probably be easier if I had a CGM?

As far as it stands at the moment, there is no actual evidence of any poor mangement, only that it looks like there needs to be some clarifcation as to having 'Hypo's' and 'severe' Hypo's. Some of the questions on the forms are not totally clear, but I know I answered them correctly. I have stated to them they I have had low blodd sugar episodes, but never, ever requiring 3rd party help.

My only 'black marks' otherwise, are being behind with my Annual reviews, as the DVLA require evidence of 'regular' reviews, but don't state what they class as regular, and having no recent record of NHS eye screening, although I have had this done via my opticians.