Understanding Diabetes

lEatregularly.lYoumayneedtoeatmorecarbohydrate beforeandafterphysicalactivity.lKeeptosensiblealcohollimitsanddonot drinkonanemptystomach.lTakeyourmedicationattherecommended doseandtimes.lIfyouaretestingyourbloodglucoselevels, andnoticeyourreadingsareregularly dropping,discussthiswithyourdiabetes teamasyoumayneedachangein medicationoryourinsulinregimenadjusted.lAlwayscarryglucosewithyoutotreat hyposquickly.

lKeepglucosetreatmentsinthecaratalltimes.lCheckyourbloodglucosebeforedriving.lDonotdriveifyourbloodglucoselevelisless than5mmol/L.Ifyouhaveahypowhiledriving,stopthecarassoonaspossible.Removethekeystodemonstrateyouarenotinchargeofthecar,andmoveintothepassengerseatifsafetodoso.Treatthehypoasadvised.Youshouldnotdriveforatleast45minutesafterrecoverybecauseyourresponserateswillbeslower.

TheDVLAhasguidanceinplaceforreportingepisodesofhypoglycaemia.Itisimportantyounotifytheminlinewiththisguidance.ThelatestMedicalStandardsofFitnesstoDrivecanbefoundontheDVLAwebsite:http://www.dft.gov.uk/dvla/medical

Driving and hypos

Diabetes:

lWhat is a “hypo”?lWho gets a hypo?lHow do I treat my hypo?lHow do I avoid a hypo?lWhat else do I need to know?

Why do I sometimes feel shaky, dizzy and sweaty?

How to avoid hyposlHavingahypomeansthatyourblood glucoselevelistoolow.lActIMMEDIATELYbyeatingordrinking somethingthatwillraiseyourblood glucosequickly.lNeverignorethewarningsigns.lMakesureotherpeopleknowwhat todowhenyouarehavingahypo.lAlwayscarryglucoseanddiabetes identification.

Consequences of frequent hypos:

lYoumaynotrecognisefuturehypos.lFearandanxietyofgettingfurtherhypos.lEffectsonemploymentanddriving.If you are concerned about anything within this leaflet please discuss this with your healthcare professional.

Remember …

Further informationlDiabetesUKcareline:08451202960lDiabetesUK:www.diabetes.org.uklDriverandVehicleLicensingAgency: www.directgov.uk

ThisleafletwasdevelopedbyTREND-UKandSBCommunicationsGroupincollaborationwith

MSD.PrintinganddistributionwasfundedbyMSD.

Dateofpreparation:April2013Jobcode:DIAB-1077809-0000

How to treat hyposIfyourecognisethatyouarehavingahypo,youshouldtreatitimmediatelywithsomethingthatwillraiseyourbloodglucosequickly.Suitabletreatmentsare:

l100mLofLucozade™,OR

l150mL(asmallcan)ofnon-dietfizzy drink,althoughamountsmayvary,OR

l200mL(asmallcarton)ofsmooth orangejuice,OR

l4–5GlucoTabs®,5–6dextrosetablets, or4jellybabies.

Ifyoudonotfeelbetter(oryourbloodglucoselevelisstilllessthan4mmol/Lafter5–10minutes),repeatONEofthesetreatments.

Whenyoustarttofeelbetter,andifyouarenotduetoeatameal,eatsomestarchyfood,likeasandwichorbanana.

Ifyouarenotabletotreatyourhypoyourself,butyouarestillconsciousandabletoswallow,someonecangiveyouglucosegelifyouhavethisavailable.

If you become unconscious, you will need immediate emergency treatment. Someone should dial 999 for an ambulance. You should be put on your side with your head tilted back. Glucose treatments should NOT be put in your mouth.

Symptoms

What is a “hypo”?

Earlysignsandsymptomsofahypoinclude:lSweatingheavily.

l Feelinganxious.

lTremblingandshaking.

lTinglingofthelips.

lHunger.

lGoingpale.

lPalpitations.

Symptomsmayvaryfrompersontoperson,butyouwillfeel“different”veryquickly.

Ifyoumisstheseearlysigns,thesymptomsmaygetworseandinclude:

l Slurringyourwords.

lBehavingoddly

lBeingunusuallyaggressiveortearful.

lHavingdifficultyinconcentrating.

If you do not treat your hypo at this stage, you may become unconscious.

Glucoseisasugarcarriedinthebloodstreamthatyourbodyusesforenergy.Ifyouhavediabetes,yourbloodglucoselevelscanbeerratic,sometimesbecomingverylow–thisiscalledhypoglycaemia(ora“hypo”),andcanhappenwhenyourbloodglucoselevelsdropbelow4mmol/L.

What causes hypos?

Who gets a hypo?

Anumberofsituationscancauseahypo:

lToomuchinsulinortoomanydiabetestablets.

lDelayedormissedmeals.

lEatinglessstarchyfoodsthanusual.

lUnplannedorstrenuous activity.

lDrinkingtoomuchalcoholordrinkingalcoholwithoutfood.

Sometimesthereisnoobviouscause,buttreatmentshouldalwaysbecarriedout

immediately,asadvised.

lIfyouareinjectinginsulinortakingdiabetestabletsthatmakeyourbodyproducemoreinsulin,thenyoumaybeatriskofhypos.

lIfyouarenotsurehowyourdiabetestabletswork,discussthiswithyourlocalpharmacist.

Symptoms may vary from person to person, but you will feel

‘different’ very quickly.” “

BEERWINE