[quote user="Gina"] live in New York and I have never heard of getting a doctors note either? Why would you have to tell the DMV you have diabetes? Is this a requirement by your states?[/quote]
Hi folks,
Since driver's licences are issued through provincial/state ministry, each province/state has its own rules. When I got my licence, I was living in Ontario. There, I simply had to tell the Ministry of Transportation that I had diabetes and they made a note of it in my file. I think the reasoning behind this was that, if I ever got pulled over, the police would know I have diabetes and would be aware that I may be experiencing low blood sugar. When I moved to British Columbia, I had to get a form filled out by my doctor (as Batts explained above) before the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) would issue me my BC licence. It was a bit of a runaround but everything is in order now. My point, though, is that you should read up on the driver licensing regulations specific to your own province/state.
that is SO interesting! I did not have to tell them or anything!
I live in indiana so maybe the laws are different here, but they never asked so i never told! I don't really think diabetes is considered a disability, but who knows in your states.
I had only had diabetes for about a year when I got my learners permit, and I got it with no problem!
I quite honestly don't remember if I had to go through any special hoops of fire to get my license, I am from Pennsylvania.
BUTTTT- For PA- I know that Type 1 diabetics that are insulin dependent, can't get a CDL license (driving a truck or bus). I am not sure if thats an actual law or not, but I know that doctors are not 'suppose' to approve Type 1's for this type of license....which I find stupid...if your getting your license, I hope by that point we all know how to control or notice our sugars at different rates...if we are all smart- we test our sugars before driving- especially when being a new driver!---- but why should that stop us from driving buses or trucks!? (not that I want to personally, but my mom is a school bus driver and she was telling me about these rules)...but the other part that interest me in this was--- a type 2 regulated with pills can get whatever license they want!??!?!.....
just frustrates me when thinking about the topic of differences between type 2 and type 1....
I didn't have any trouble obtaining my license, I live in Pa. I did notify them I am a T1d on my application to obtain my license. I NEVER drive if my sugar is low.
The rule about the CDL restrictions on T1's is actually a federal law enforced by the FMCSA ( Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) here in the states, I am not familiar with the canadian rules. I worked for a Trucking Company for 2 years and had knowledge of this regulation. If you click the link below you'll find a more detailed explaination of the diabetes exception regulation. Although this exception is not granted in all cases it is definitely an option for those T1 drivers with excellent control on insulin. They have very extensive medical forms that have to be completed by endocrinologists, optomitrists, etc. before you can even be considered for this program . I too feel it is very unfair to have limitations just because you are a type 1, but on the other hand safety is the #1 concern of the FMCSA.
I live in Cali...and i was told that i need to get a note sayin my BG is under control...on a form that i had to fill out it asked if i had diabetes and other stuff.But when it led to my driver test i was never asked to get a note from the doc...the day of my test diabetes wasn't on my mind and i did nearly perfect on my test...i did meet another diabetic who had to go to court or sumthin and was asked basic questions...but yea ive had sum incidents while drivin i was low and yea u might wanna pay attention to your BG
As an endocrinologist it has been my experience that the rules differ from state to state. In some, the application asks specifically if the driver has diabetes. If so, they must have a form completed by their physician documenting that they are in good control. If one has had a loss of consciousness from hypoglycemia it may be required that the physician report that to the state--the patient is then sent a form to have completed regarding their control. If your control is good and you can document the steps you take to avoid being low when behind the wheel you should be fine. Having had a young woman with a 3 year old child die when she ran head on to a truck while low (and eating an apple) I take the risk of driving with a low very seriously.
Where do you guys live? I never heard anything about having to get a doctor's note or anything because of being diabetic. I was able to get my license with no problems.
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I am at work so I didn't have time to read the other 2 pages of this but basically what Brian said above...I was diagnosed after having my license for a few years, but have not had to do anything when renewing my license (like when I turned 21). I don't recall my sister having to do anything related to diabetes when she got her license either.
My advice would be, if they don't ask about it, don't tell them if it's only going to cause a hassle. Just make sure you're in control of it and you don't have a low episode while you're out on the highway.
Snacks in the car (as suggested numerous times) is probably your best bet...glucose tabs/granola bars etc. Anything with carbs.
My daughter got type1 at age 12.Nothing shook me to my core like hearing this.....I did not want her away from me or out of my sight.I would worry if she left for just a short time.....She on the other hand was ready to go on with her life.She loved her friends and being on the go with them.It took time.....and a cell phone.I hate the cost but the peace of mind is worth it.I let her do more and more and she showed me she could do it.I would call-now I text too...she is close to college age now........I think it will take time and telling others around her to call anytime they have questions.My daughter always had good friends with parents that were there for both of us.....I think parents know their little ones best and they have to decide when to let them go more.The health care team is there to help with education and d health. Parents want the world for their kids and we do want them safe if they have d--That is the most imp. to parents I believe.
She will be able to do all those things because she will learn how to take care of herself. We still have to let them grow up. Right now I have the same fears but know once we are sure of what we are doing we can teach those who will be in charge while we are not how to care for them. My daughter is really shy and has not nor does not go to friends houses as of yet. We have family in town and will teach them how to care for her. What her highs and lows are when to call us and how to treat them until we get there. That is all you can do. Oh and I plan on getting a third line added to our cell phone plan so when she is away from us she can call me directly when she feels she needs to. She will only have access to the phone during those times tho. I am not to worry about highs and injections right now we are on a fixed carb plan. So she only gets her insulin twice a day and she can drink water and run until I can get to her to help bring it down. If she is low others can give her 4 ounces of juice or she can drink it herself. She already knows below 70 you drink a juice box wait 15 and retest. She needs to know that for school alone. So she both our she's will be able to and once we are more comfortable with their care it will be easier to train others in a short amount of time on how to care for them. We wont lose ourselves in this (mind you I am convincing myself this as much as I am trying to you) Its hard but it will get better fears will ease up and they will live as close to a normal life as possible for kids their ages.
My son is just over 2 years old and was diagnosed at 19 months back in May. As a parent I think we will always worry about our children even if they didn't have T1 but this puts more stress on us, obviously. My son goes to daycare, and they were trained by our hospital. We are very happy and feel more confident now knowing that his teacher is really good with his situation. She gives us the day's rundown every time. Snack at 9am, they go outside and play, if she feels he was really active she tests him when they come back in. They play some more, test, shot and eat, then it's nap time. Back up at 3pm another snack and I go get him around 4. He eats really good food there and we decided with his diabetes clinic that he eats the amount he wants and WE deal with the highs at dinner time if that's the case. The only other people we let him go out with for now is his grandparents but we make sure to test him before he goes and give them his glucometer and snacks just in case.
But even with all that I worry, so does his mom. I get up at night sometimes to go test him just to make sure, even though he's fine. worry worry worry!
Beth, How old is your daughter? I'm sure you must be terrified to leave her now, but you and she will adjust and you'll absolutely be able to leave her. I always appreciated growing up knowing that my parents would let me live as normally as possible. They let my go to stay w/ a friend (who also had T1) in Japan for 2 weeks when I was 16 for example. I flew over alone and adjusted my own insulin for the time change.
I was diagnosed when I was 4, and wanted to have slumber parties soon after when I was 5 and 6 and couldn't manage yet by myself. As a compromise (as well as giving the parents basic information), my mom came to the house before bed for my injection, let me sleep over alone, and then came in the morning to inject me again. Also, is your daughter at an age where she still needs a babysitter? Through JDRF, my Mom found a local teenager w/ T1 who she left me with when I was young. She and the girl's Mom are still friends! Also, any local family or a close friend who wants to learn about T1 in greater depth and be your "back-up" caretaker from time to time? Maybe you could do an exchange and watch their children too?
Right now I can absolutely see how you aren't yet ready to leave her alone, but don't worry -- this isn't forever!
First of all DON'T beat yourself up!! Sweety we are new to this and though we don't want to make any mistakes, we are human, and will. We just have to learn from them. I'm kinda going through the same situation this week. My daughter is on winter break from school and is at the babysitter. Of course the babysitter has no idea how to handle T1. The first thing i told her was do NOT be nervious. I told her that for 2 reasons. #1 if you think you will make a mistake then you probably will and #2 kids can truly since when you are nervious. I gave the babysitter all my phone numbers and told her to call me for ANYTHING!... Trust me i know how you feel wanting to be there every single second of every single day. I even thought about quiting my job just so i could go to my daughters school everyday. Then i really had to "check myself" and realize SHE IS OK!!...I have also put going out on the back burner (for now). What my fiance and i do are have just little "dates" at the house (and believe it or not they are actually fun and hey you save alot of money)..... Please whatever you do, don't stop her from going to the parties, Girl Scouts or anything else. It will only effect her more in the end. I've learned to just talk to my daughter about where she is going, what kinds of things will be there to eat and to just make right choices. I also let the parent or whoever she is going to be with know what her situation is and again give as many phone numbers as you can so they can contact you.
We all make mistakes (and we'll continue to make them) I took my daughter to the mall and about an hour into shopping realized duh, i don't have anything with us and i had missed taking her afternoon BG. I cried the entire way home, got in the house, took her BG and guess what her number was perfect :)....I gave her the biggest hug and just told her she was the best. ......And honestly, pretty soon she will be asking you before you all leave the house if you have all her stuff (trust me everytime we hit the door my daughter makes sure i have her bag with us)...
So just chalk this up as a learning lesson, kiss you baby on the forehead, smile because she is OK and keep on going :)
Sarah,I am so glad you brought age up because that does make a difference.I also thought about all these moms with little ones with d.Who do they leave their children with ?? My daughter was older-age 12-so she could do many things on her own.The younger ones have to have someone looking out for them-that knows about d...........I remember when my daughter first got this-I always kept a close eye on her.At night like all parents I would check on her.Sometimes I would pray while she slept.One early morning I went to look at her and I must have been staring.She woke up and said MOM,What are....you STARING at ??? Kids are so wonderful to ground us in life,ha
One suggestion is finding a diabetic high schooler or student home from college in your area and seeing if they would babysit. I was diagnosed as a freshman in high school 6 years ago, and since i have babysat for multiple young children with diabetes. That way you can have peice of mind and you have someone who is completely comforable and knowledgable about diabetes.
When i was growing up my parents made sure from very early on that I knew how to take care of myself, however, this is not to say that there weren't times that I went low without them there. When they left me with other adults they would give them my dad's pager number (cell phones weren't so popular as they weighed a couple of pounds at the time, lol) and told them that if anything happend to give him a call ( he had them type in 9911 as the call back number, you could do it as a text now days). They also told parents, as well as teachers that they would rather have me high then low.. so if in doubt they should feed me. Of course neither option is great, but lows are a lot more dangerous than being high for an hour or two. Sometimes they would come, i remember many parties when i was in the 1st and 2nd grade that my mom would "volunteer to help watch the kids." Either way i think the biggest advice i have is to make sure your daughter learns quickly that she needs to take resposibility for her own care. I met a 6th grader the other day that still needs his teacher to tell him when to check his blood sugar and when to eat ect. Teacher's aren't always going to be there. I know it seems like you'll never be able to let her out of your site, and she will probably pick up on your protection of her eventually. A couple of years ago my high school was planning a trip to Spain and a couple of my friends wanted me to come with them. I thought my parents were surely going to say no...by my sophmore year in high school i had heard, what if you go low? whose going to be there? about a million times...Never the less they let me go, and i'm still here. There are always going to be extra precautions you will take as a parent, but remember that some of these precautions will be hard on her too. My parents wouldn't let me stay home alone overnight when I was 16 unless my sister was there. Now that i've been dating my boyfriend for two years (and i'm 18) if my family is leaving town they have him stay over since he is better at handling lows than my sisters (i think i'm probably the only teenager whose parents feel she is safer sleeping alone in a house with her boyfriend than by herself) i know i kind of rambled, but hopefully there are a couple of tips you can use now and later so that your daughter can have some freedom and you and your husband can resume date nights! good luck!
My daughter was diagnosed on 10/29 and I have felt just like you. We took my mom with us to the endo clinic and they trained her so we have been able to leave her with my mom many times and feel completley comfortable, though last week she did overdose her on a correction but since she called us to tell us what her level was and what she did we were able to tell her and fix it no harm done. My sister-in-law also took the initative that every time she was with us and we were checking levels and giving shoots she asked to take emmies blood and give her the shoot. She did this 5 or 6 times and then asked if Emmie could come spend the night with her last week. It was wonderful, she would call each time she took her blood and find out what dose she should give so it made us feel totally comfortable. Emmies liked it too because she is completely aware that some freedoms have been changed. It amazes me what they are aware of at such a young age, she just turned 5.
I know it is hard but you have gotten some great suggestions here on how to adjust the diabetes to fit into your life. It will take time but eventually you will find ways to go out again and leave her with other people.
i dont know how old your daughter is but if shes any older then say 11 i think thats going waaay too far. i was dxd right after my 12th birthday and pretty much from the get go i could manage on my own. if i went to a sleep over i would just bring a bag with my insulin, needles and glucometer. if i was going to give my dinner injections there i could callculate the carbs easy enough and i would just give me my injection. its as simple as that. i never had any problems whatsoever. definately if you kid is very young i would worry about her but i wouldnt go as far to say that she cant have sleep overs. just make sure she knows when to take her blood sugar and tell the other parents to look out for some low symptoms and give them your number. but if shes older than 10 i think your going way too far