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Work And Driving Advice For A Newbie

P

Pete_FMT

Member
Messages
11
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Hi, I'm a newbie type 1 diagnosed yesterday and going through the blood sugar roller coaster balancing trial and error. I was wondering firstly whether people had any special facilities at work for blood testing and injecting or whether you just find a discrete corner.

Secondly, how long does it take to get stuff reasonably under control to drive for a reasonable period of time (my commute is just over an hour each way) without worrying about being hyper or hypo.

Thanks all in anticipation.
 
Good morning Pete.
I've been a type 1 diabetic for over 26 yrs now so can't honestly say how long it took for mmy diabetes to get itself under control but i think if you follow everything that you have been told i reckon 2 weeks wouldn't be too far off being a realistic time frame.

Don't let your diabetes stop you from driving even now just make sure your bg is 5 or above, if need be pull up somewhere safe and recheck your bg part way through your commute.

Firstly inform DVLA that you are diabetic, they will send you a questionair and information regarding driving and diabetes.
Make sure that you have some quick acting carbs available in your car along with some slow acting carbs should you need it.

As for special places to conduct blood tests and taking injections i personally don't worry where I'm doing this so long as the environment you are doing it in is clean. Having said that if you injecting in your upper leg you will need to find somewhere where you can drop your trousers to do this. Forget toilets its a little degrading in my opinion but ask your employer if you can have a key/ access to the first aid room.

Give yourself a few weeks to settle down a bit but ask your diabetes team to get you on a DAFNE course this will help you tremendously in understanding diabetes and carb counting. Also there is a book which comes highly recommended called "think like a Pancreas" it's excellent. If i had done what i have just recommended to you at the beginning i would have been a better diabetic.

Regards

Martin
 
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@Pete_FMT welcome to the forum - I've found it really helpful in understanding my diabetes (tho I'm type 2). Someone here will have been there - I'm sure you are going through a roller coaster now but it does get better.

Sorry to go a little off topic but do you have to let DVLA know if you are type 2?
 
Thanks Martin, really good to know. I've picked up on think like a pancreas elsewhere and will be sure to get a copy. Thanks again. Pete
 
@PenfoldAPD
From your sig you appear to be off all meds so you should be OK, DVLA only want to be told if you are on meds that (can) cause hypoglyceamia (eg Insulin or Gliclazide).
 
Pete_FMT said:
Hi, I'm a newbie type 1 diagnosed yesterday and going through the blood sugar roller coaster balancing trial and error. I was wondering firstly whether people had any special facilities at work for blood testing and injecting or whether you just find a discrete corner.

Secondly, how long does it take to get stuff reasonably under control to drive for a reasonable period of time (my commute is just over an hour each way) without worrying about being hyper or hypo.

Thanks all in anticipation.
Click to expand...

Hi @Pete_FMT :)

I think the answer to your question about control depends on what information you've been given. When I was diagnosed, I saw a consultant, DSN and dietician and was taught carb counting immediately. That meant I was confident in what I was doing matching the insulin to,food. My blood test results were pretty much fine.

Do speak to the DVLA immediately and get that process in motion. It's up to you when you feel ready to,drive, but I'd advise you to get used to the diabetes first if you have such a long commute. If there's another way to get to work like a bus or train, that might be sensible while you're getting your blood sugar settled and getting used to the whole thing.

At work, speak to your manager so they understand what you have to do and when. It's a case of making them aware that you need to,test regularly and that you'll be injecting. You may also want to speak to,your colleagues and explain about hypos too.
 
Pete_FMT said:
Hi, I'm a newbie type 1 diagnosed yesterday and going through the blood sugar roller coaster balancing trial and error. I was wondering firstly whether people had any special facilities at work for blood testing and injecting or whether you just find a discrete corner.
Click to expand...

I would just test and inject at my desk (or where ever I am eating should I be lucky enough to leave my desk for lunch). Work did offer me use of a room if I wanted it, but I guess I felt that would be more of a fuss than just getting on and injecting at my desk.

If you particularly want special facilities and your work place is big enough to have the room to offer, this might be considered a reasonable adjustment for your disability. Especially if you have any concerns about cleanliness etc otherwise in your workplace - I mean injecting at my desk is fine, it would be a bit different if I worked on a building site or in an abottoir. If youre nervous about colleagues seeing you inject, try not to be. It's probably a good idea to let people you work with know you are diabetic and what to do if hypo. And there's really not a lot for anyone to notice with the testing and injecting - it's honestly vanishingly rare that anyone noticed me injecting and, as my colleagues know I'm diabetic the most it ever got was a passing glance.
 
I would be inclined to give myself a couple of days to let things settle down a bit before going back to work. It's a big shock and can take a few days to get your head around...although saying that...we all deal with things differently so only you will know when the time is right.

Just another thought...you will also need to notify your insurance company...it shouldn't effect your policy but they do need to be aware.
 
Pete_FMT said:
Hi, I'm a newbie type 1 diagnosed yesterday and going through the blood sugar roller coaster balancing trial and error. I was wondering firstly whether people had any special facilities at work for blood testing and injecting or whether you just find a discrete corner.

Secondly, how long does it take to get stuff reasonably under control to drive for a reasonable period of time (my commute is just over an hour each way) without worrying about being hyper or hypo.

Thanks all in anticipation.
Click to expand...


I was diagnosed in late July and I think my sugars were under control pretty quickly. I rarely go outside the 4-7.5 range now. During the first week I tested far more regularly and made adjustments to the carb-ratio at different times of the day and those adjustments seem to have been a pretty good approximation now.

I do find that driving has a very sharply downward affect on my sugars. I have a packet of jelly babies in the car and operate on a one jelly baby per 15-20 minutes of driving on top of the DVLA testing recommendations. :)

With my daughter our DSN suggested a carb-free day (chicken, eggs, fish, mushrooms, etc) to ascertain what the correct basal level was.

I have a discrete room I use for injecting but that's only because I don't want my work colleagues to see that. Testing I will do at my desk.

John
 
Thanks all. I really appreciate your comments and advice. John, I particularly like your driving minutes to jelly babies ratio, which not only made me laugh but also is a top tip. Thanks all. Peter
 
Hi Pete,

Depending on how high your bg levels have been, you might well find that your eyesight gets too blurred to drive over the next couple of days. It's nothing to worry about and corrects itself in a few weeks.

All the best,

SP.
 
When I was diagnosed I want in to work and told the blokes I work with I have never hid when testing or injecting I just do it in staff room I find they do ask me questions but that's ok with my don't be ashamed of testing you have to do it most bosses will understand

Good luck
 
For me wearing my freestlyle libre (or any kind of CGM) helps with driving as I can just scan myself while driving to see how my blood sugars are doing, very very handy. Not cheap though (roughly £100 a month).
 
@no_more_spikes the libre is not recognised by DVLA so to stay within the law you should still test with a DVLA authorised meter.
 
jharding said:
Look in the driving and dvla section. I've seen it mentioned a few times.

Cgm devices measure different blood substances, I think cgm is 15min behind meters and dont confirm to the iso standards for accuracy. Hence the dvla position.
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I get this but how is it enforced, under what circumstances?
 
DVLA state you need to be above 5 mmol/L before driving and every 2 hrs of driving. If you have an accident and have just been using the libre you will lose your licence and possibly void your insurance, as they can ask to see your meter and down load the readings. Hope this helps
 
delmcp said:
DVLA state you need to be above 5 mmol/L before driving and every 2 hrs of driving. If you have an accident and have just been using the libre you will lose your licence and possibly void your insurance, as they can ask to see your meter and down load the readings. Hope this helps
Click to expand...

Interesting, thanks.

Still going to use the libre though, in between the 2 hour legally required blood samples to make sure I'm not on the way down.
 
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