
“Check your blood glucose levels before you get into the car. It’s not just something you should do. It’s something that legally you have to do.”
Few things give people a stronger sense of freedom than getting behind the wheel of a car and taking off. You may need the car to commute to work in the morning, go out for groceries or get out of town for the weekend. Many people also operate a car or truck as part of their work.
What should I do to reduce my risk of hypos while driving?
“Check your blood glucose levels before you get into the car. It’s not just something you should do. It’s something that legally you have to do.”
Important information
You must inform your insurance company and the driving licence authority that you have diabetes.
For full driving guidelines, please refer to the Road Safety Authority and Diabetes Ireland.
You should not drive if you are unaware of your hypos (low blood glucose levels). Please discuss this with your diabetes team.
It goes without saying that you need to be completely in control of your body when you drive a car, so hypoglycaemia is something to avoid.
“Do as much research as possible in advance. Look at foods, look at medicines, look at sanitary conditions.”
Travel is, for many people, a significant part of life. Whether you’re simply commuting to work or flying abroad to explore the most remote parts of the world, being able to get from A to B is essential. Travelling with diabetes requires just a little more planning!
“Prepare a check list for yourself. And bring enough medication to last you for your whole journey – and a little bit extra.”
When you travel, make sure to check your glucose levels regularly with a glucose meter – every 2 or 3 hours. Depending on the trend of your glucose levels, your monitoring may tell you it is time for injecting insulin or having a snack with fast-acting carbohydrates. Remember in warm countries you may find you are more prone to getting hypos.
Getting used to checking your glucose levels regularly works sort of like an insurance policy! When you invest in taking full control, the payoff is increased freedom to make (and keep) plans, be spontaneous and have fun. It takes a little time and commitment, but it pays off.
Being diagnosed with diabetes does not mean you cannot travel the world. If you are visiting a culture where customs and attitudes deviate from your home culture, you may run into surprising and unforeseen reactions to your diabetes. The local population may, for example, think medical injections in public are an unusual and triggering occurrence. What has become routine and second nature to you may be a little shocking or disagreeable to another.
“Be as discrete and thoughtful as possible while injecting yourself, especially in a new culture where it can be seen as a little bit shocking and in-your-face.”
Besides being discrete and thoughtful towards your surroundings, do
as much research ahead of time as possible:
Do:
Don’t:
Enjoy your trip and stay safe!
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