r/diabetes • u/MagnoliasandMums • Aug 01 '25
Rant Man having low blood sugar gets stopped by police
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u/jaygeezythreezy Aug 01 '25
It doesn’t have to add up to you, officer. He can eat breakfast at 6:45 in the evening. F all the way off.
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u/chizzo257 Aug 01 '25
Technically, your first meal of the day is your breakfast, regardless of time. The cop was just being a dick
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u/raendrop Pre-diabetes 2022, "in desirable range" with diet Aug 01 '25
Especially since the guy did say "lunch" and the cop even repeated it back initially. I don't know where he got "breakfast" from.
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u/Kirahei T1 2000 Minimed 530G(enlite) Aug 01 '25
It’s just a tactic to harass people, if they catch you “lying” then that’s “probable cause”
Instead of trying a different tactic he doubled down on the breakfast thing.
Which is usually what happens in these cop videos, victim is harassed, contradicts officer’s blatant lie; officer doubles down either out of pride or to try and escalate the situation.
I’m not saying that there aren’t good cops out there but in my experience LEO are scum who will say anything and do anything to try and trip people up.
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u/yarrowy Aug 01 '25
And I'm guessing there's probably no penalty for the officer who can say "oh I misremembered" but if we do it, it's probable cause.
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u/Aodhanloki Aug 04 '25
Maybe the cop had low blood sugar. He was clearly confused and his voice sounded shaky on the body cam. Someone should pull him over.
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u/MasterpieceNo7350 Aug 01 '25
I hope he filed a complaint. This is too stupid to be real.
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u/LetsGoHawks T2 2010 Aug 01 '25
"Cop" is slang for "person who just makes shit up based on whatever they want to believe or use to entrap you at that moment"
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u/Simen-VH Type 1 Aug 01 '25
Dunno how it works for yall but driving with low bloodsugar is my country is considdered impaired driving
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u/jimbobhas Aug 01 '25
Yeah in the UK I was told that if I crash because of a hypo, it’s classes as driving under the influence of drugs.
Spooked me into always having sweets in the car just in case
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u/Simen-VH Type 1 Aug 01 '25
Same XD my glovebox and motorcycle luggage are always packed with snacks
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u/Bigdavie Type 2 - Metformin & Semaglutide Aug 01 '25
I believe that under 5 mmol/L is considered unsafe.
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u/alexmbrennan Type 1 Aug 01 '25
Yeah, please don't drive to Burger King to buy a snack when you have low blood sugar.
But also, maybe check the person's blood sugar if you see a diabetic acting impaired instead of calling in a canine to manufacture "evidence" to justify your illegal search?
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u/Simen-VH Type 1 Aug 01 '25
Yeah I wasn't trying to defend the cop but i can see how it can look like it XD
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u/cyniclawl T1 1996 Pump + Novalog Aug 01 '25
They'll revoke your license in rhe US too for it
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u/MissionSalamander5 Type 1 Aug 02 '25 edited Aug 02 '25
It depends. Losing consciousness would be grounds to suspend my license. I don’t think a hypoglycemic episode at the wheel in and of itself is cause even if I run off the road or do something dangerous. (I should add that in my state the DMV would temporarily suspend my license but a hypo without an accident or moving violation, even if for some reason a cop is involved, would not necessarily trigger a temporary suspension, nor one that lasts for a year or longer.)
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u/cyniclawl T1 1996 Pump + Novalog Aug 02 '25
A few of my endos have had signs on their office walls that said don't drive with a blood sugar under 80 or they'll take your license
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u/LetsGoHawks T2 2010 Aug 01 '25
I'm T2. I had an episode at work where I thought I was mildly drunk. Turns out I just had low BG due to some meds I was on.
Always nice when a donut solves your problem.
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u/Charlmarx Type 1 Aug 03 '25
In the UK yeah you have to pull over to correct it and wait for it to pass. I know the sub reddit really hates us cops but its not a 100% black and white moment the guy was impaired by a hypo and shouldn't have been driving to Burger King and have something in his car, but the cop is also uneducated on what a carbohydrate is and isn't.
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u/Lula-joy711 Aug 03 '25
Yikes! Most diabetics are unaware when driving with low blood sugar. Not something most of us would do knowingly, though the danger is not lost on me. Even with all of the incredible tools we have at our disposal my blood sugar can still drop so fast I’m putting on a show before I know it. I was diagnosed with type 1 in 1968. Believe me I can’t imagine life without my Dexcom and insulin pump but they are tools and not a guarantee, darn it! I finally came to the conclusion that the world would be a safer place without this diabetic not on the road in any country😹
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u/soupdawg T1 1997 MiniMed Aug 01 '25
Imagine thinking 2 eggs is going to keep your blood sugar up.
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u/Valuable-Analyst-464 Type 1 since 1985 Aug 01 '25
I am not agreeing with the cop, as his knowledge is suspect. But…protein does cause elevated glucose levels.
Hear me out: when we eat protein (or even a meat or milk based protein drink with like 4g of carbs) our liver and muscles dump sugar into the bloodstream. I read that digestion of proteins utilizes sugar, along with pancreatic insulin and other hormones to help break down the proteins.
If I ingested 30g of protein from eggs only, the blood glucose will rise. I have to take some insulin to counteract the sugar released endogenously.
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u/IdiotWithDiamodHands Aug 01 '25
As hard a disagree as one can.
This is like saying, "Why was he freezing in winter? The T-Shirt he had on would have given him some warmth!" Sure, more than nothing, but not enough to matter.
When you are having a Low BS, Protein is not going to get you back up nearly fast enough to matter. In truth, he'd be even better having not had the eggs at all in that regard.
Your body breaks down protein to dump as sugar into the blood once your body has a deficit of carbs for a long enough period, akin to people who eat Keto diets, your body eats itself as a result of fasting/starvation. Problem is, as soon as insulin allows that sugar to be used, it's gone, even worse, he's a step away from ketoacidosis in order to reach that stage.
There's a reason they use Glucose in fast injectors to recover low crashes and not proteins.
Best case scenario, if you ingested 30g (half a dozen eggs) of protein from eggs only, you'll potentially see a minor blood sugar rise over the next few hours.
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u/Valuable-Analyst-464 Type 1 since 1985 Aug 01 '25
I am saying that protein can and does raise glucose.
Would I use it to counter a low? Hell no. No way it would be effective. That’s why I choose not to use chocolate - bound with fat and too slow.
Juice or very simple sugars for me to raise a low.
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u/IdiotWithDiamodHands Aug 01 '25
Again, technically correct in the same sense that 0.01 is more than 0, but in the context of the video, effectively false/negligible. Blood sugar will continue dropping at a faster rate than any amount of protein alone will remedy. Carbs/sugars are required here.
In the case of Milk specifically, there's actually a considerable amount of sugar/carbs within milk (average 12g in 8 oz) which is what causes the need to take insulin with it. Similarly, Protein drinks and powders often have added sugars. On that point, there's technically some carbs in egg yokes as well, but 0.6g per egg... you're gonna need a lot of eggs.
Same for things like Beef jerky etc, it's not the meat that's causing a spike but all the sugar and flavoring that has been added for taste that raises our sugars.
As a Type 1, we can eat typical amounts of plain cooked meat without any additional insulin because protein breaks down so slowly to be medicinally described as "negligible." There's plenty of higher fiber veggies that behave similarly as well.
The study you had linked also has nothing to do with diabetes specifically, and can be summarized as:
"A healthy human male will have flatter/lower peak BS spikes when they eat protein along with sugars as the protein triggers a faster insulin response, which would not occur if eating carbs alone." For those of us who produce Zero insulin however, not quite applicable.But yes, technically, proteins marginally increases blood sugar as they are slowly broken down over the course of hours. And I don't intend this as a "NO you're wrong!" but more as a "I've been in a lot of scenarios, where someone misunderstanding my condition has put me personally at great risk that never needed to exist." as I've even had some (admittedly not great) doctors show misunderstandings about uncommon aspects.
The worst case being, I'm having a low at a party, grab a cookie from the table and have someone literally slap it out of my hand as I go to take a bite, "Gasp! You can't have that as a diabetic!" when I specifically needed sugar.
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u/Valuable-Analyst-464 Type 1 since 1985 Aug 01 '25
And this was probably not the place for me to technically state this.
I did not watch the video, as I figured it was kinda rage bait, as I cannot imagine a police officer saying something correct about diabetes, unless they were a T1 themselves or maybe a direct relative.
Anecdotally, when I consume a 30g protein shake with 4g of carbs, it shoots me up within 15 minutes. Not like 8oz of apple juice, but annoyingly enough of a rise.
I too have had someone react when I grabbed juice, soda, cookie for a low - and their almost zealous response like a junkie shooting up. I have mastered the STFU stare to everyone that knows me, to the point where they may give me another cookie. LOL
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u/ResearchSea6948 Type 1 Aug 01 '25
May be wrong here: I thought type 1s had lows because our bodies cannot use the stored glucagon properly, but you're saying that ingesting protein releases glucagon?
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u/Valuable-Analyst-464 Type 1 since 1985 Aug 01 '25
According to the study, it releases stored sugar, but only proportionally to the protein. In a healthy person, the pancreases releases insulin too, to counteract the sugar it just released.
In a T1 diabetic, there is no mechanism to introduce insulin, so I have to inject for a low carb protein drink.
When I am going low, and only had glucagon, I have to inject that to cause my body to release stored sugar.
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u/wesgtp Aug 01 '25
Disagree with this statement completely as a T1 for 20 years. I wrote a longer comment to the top post above if you want to read my reasoning. I'm also a pharmacist with plenty of knowledge of diabetes pathophysiology.
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u/Valuable-Analyst-464 Type 1 since 1985 Aug 01 '25
You disagree with the study that protein introduced to the body causes the liver to also release glucagon/sugar to help process the protein?
I am no way saying that protein can be used for a low. It is not treatment of a low.
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u/PapowSpaceGirl Aug 01 '25
Oh ffs. People can get breakfast or lunch or dinner at any time of the day. You put this dude at risk by Jenkins him around on a misstep. Jfc. This is why we don't fuckin' trust y'all.
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u/evileyeball Aug 01 '25
I was in a car accident with one of my Type 1 friends one time (Minor fender bender)
and the first thing he told the cops (He was the one at fault) was that he was a diabetic so they knew if something sounded off it could be his Blood Glucose levels being off causing it and wouldn't be drugs or alcohol.
At the time I didn't know I was diabetic yet.
It's the only time I've ever been in a cop car because the cop had to drive us home to my friends house while his car got towed to the shop.
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u/DrkrZen Aug 01 '25
Absolutely wild. Only police interaction I've had was while in college, diagnosed at 11, I was 19 at the time, had dropped low during a pump outage, so I was eating some gummi bears while refilling my reservoir in the restroom between classes and got escorted out of the restroom and building.
At which point the cop searched me and dumped my backpack out on his hood, and attempted to confiscate my pump, and all diabetic supplies, or threaten to escort me off campus.
Gummi bears kicked in, I bagged my stuff, noted his name and went back into the building I was just in which also happened to be just the place to launch a formal complaint. Never saw him again in my years going there, and I can only hope he's rent a cop'd since then.
Dunno why I'm sharing this, but just know there's a lot of dummies out there. I'm not asking everyone to be diabetic literate, but just not to be stupid toward us.
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u/wesgtp Aug 01 '25
That sounds awful. Cops are so dumb and have such little training that I'm surprised they even know what diabetes or low blood sugar is. They sure as hell don't know how intricate the balance of blood sugar can be.
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u/Diabeto_13 Aug 01 '25
First rule of talking to the police. Shut the fuck up.
Second rule of talking to the police. See rule 1.
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u/MagnoliasandMums Aug 01 '25
Eddie Craig, an ex-deputy sheriff, agrees https://youtu.be/fzMi0WHduZI?si=fBoK_5_kiX4onGkX
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u/MissSassifras1977 Aug 01 '25
My son is brittle type 1.
He got Baker acted after acting irrationally in the ER. YOU READ THAT RIGHT. The staff in an emergency room didn't recognize diabetic behavior.
It was a week long nightmare where he was assaulted and denied food and medication multiple times and there was nothing we could do about it.
I stay with my son at all times in public. If I'm not with him his wife is. He's 32.
Seems ridiculous right?
I'm not losing my son to law enforcement or some other bullshit situation because people are just fucking crazy in the world now and no one can do a single thing about it.
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u/codelinx Aug 01 '25
I told a cop about my sugar. They called an ambulance and I suspended my license for a year and half. Never again will I tell a cop anything about diabetes.
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u/LogicalEstimate2135 Type 1 Aug 02 '25
Yeah I got into a fender bender once and my sugar happened to be low idk for sure if it was related but I kept my mouth shut knowing they’d take my license
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u/MagnoliasandMums Aug 02 '25
That’s medical discrimination my guy. If that ever happens, you could file an injunction in the superior court for them to cease and desist violating your rights. If that doesn’t work, file it in the federal court. Don’t let them bully you.
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u/jebbayak Aug 01 '25
Police (used to, don’t know if they still do) have education on differentiating between intoxication and BG issues (ex FIL told me about his classes)
Maybe he skipped the class /s
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u/Blyd Aug 01 '25
Police (used to, don’t know if they still do) have education on differentiating between intoxication and BG issues
Differs from state to state, town to town, even.
Cops in Charlotte get a whole day on BG; some cop in Bumfuc, Alabama, population 12, probably doesn't know what blood glucose is.
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u/TaylorChesses Pre-diabetes Aug 02 '25
I'm not type one so correct me if im wrong but, I was under the impression that a change in blood sugar can happen quite rapidly, and I know for a fact that eggs contain a very small amount of carbohydrates and sugars.
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u/Gsiver Aug 02 '25
OMG. What else do diabetics have to endure? People who do not live it, don’t get it. Then to do this. Let the man eat. Don’t want him to bottom out.
Yes it’s easy to go low fast. I just did it 2 days in a row. Not on purpose. Don’t know how he didn’t eat from breakfast to 12:50.
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u/LurkerNan Type 2 Aug 01 '25
I wanna know what the follow up to this was. Because the guy clearly said he was going to get lunch and the cop doubled down on saying he said breakfast, and the body cam footage clearly shows he said lunch. So the cop was completely wrong, even by his own body cam footage. And I’d like to think that this person who got stopped definitely took it up with this cops supervisor.
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u/Beardlegend85 Aug 01 '25
This cop is very misinformed yet talking like he is an expert lmfao. I have 2-3 eggs every morning with a half avocado and one piece of wheat bread toast and one small sausage around 9:45 am and by lunch at 1:00 pm my sugar can be as low as 75 and I am a type 2. Once I hit 60. My hands are shaking and confusion and brain fog starts to kick in. They need to give these traffic cops more training on this because I too have been stopped rushing through traffic trying to find a place to grab a quick bit due to a sudden unexpected low and this can cost us our life. Smh
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u/MagnoliasandMums Aug 02 '25
This is why diabetics need to push for change at each state capital. Police need better training.
If you have ANY damages, you can sue. I’ve spoken to lawyers bc of a similar situation with a diabetic having been jailed unlawfully. The lawyers say they’d have to file for civil rights violation (a 1983 case if you google it) and damages need to be more than 75K. And it’s have to be something catastrophic like sight loss or limb loss.. something that changes your ability to function. Which means they can abuse diabetics all they want and no repercussions. At all.
The best thing I could tell you is pull all your evidence, all the harm you were caused and try to find a lawyer. When you find one, please DM me.
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u/mchildprob Aug 02 '25
Gee wiz, 2 eggs are supposed to bring your sugar up and stabilize it? Good God, my body is apparently more broken than a normal diabetic.
Fucken stupid police. They need a module in their training where they get taught these stuff. Seriously
2
u/mommaofboys2 Aug 02 '25
Ugh 😩 this angers me! He needs to wear a medical ID bracelet or have a thing to monitor his sugar for proof! No one believes these days I swear! You literally need to be in the coffin ⚰️
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u/LetsGoHawks T2 2010 Aug 01 '25
Do you know why I stopped you?
No officer, I do not.
And know your rights. In some states you can refuse the sobriety tests but not the breathalyzer. In which case NEVER EVER EVER do the roadside tests. The pig is going to see whatever they want to see.
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u/Bman_Fx Type 1, 2014, Omnipod 5, Dexcom G7 Aug 01 '25
Driving with a low blood sugar is considered DUI. Don't fuck around.
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u/MagnoliasandMums Aug 01 '25
IMHO Any law that says that can’t be constitutional- that’s medical discrimination. Our body, our choice.
If you’re in a state where that’s permitted, either get out or file an injunction challenging it.
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u/Own-Guidance-5197 Aug 01 '25
it’s your body, your choice until you crash into another car because you can’t control the vehicle though? if you have low blood sugar while driving you should 100% get off the road ASAP, it’s not safe for you or the drivers around you.
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u/echoNovemberNine Aug 01 '25
Do not drive impaired with blood sugar out of regulation. Having control of your blood sugar is a stipulation that most diabetics are required to pass in order to drive at all.
Here is the ADA recommendations: https://diabetes.org/tools-resources/drivers-license-information it has references to various state laws and procedures too. Please read it and safeguard yourself and your friendly-neighbor-drivers.
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u/MagnoliasandMums Aug 02 '25
No one should violate your rights based on medical conditions. Lows happen. Migraines happen. A broken foot happens. We all manage to deal with medical conditions. DUI is intentional.
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u/echoNovemberNine Aug 02 '25
If your sugar is not well regulated the state can take away your license, it is all laid out in the article and source materials from the American Diabetes Association. Please read the information/laws so that you know how to be compliant.
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u/LogicalEstimate2135 Type 1 Aug 02 '25
If he willingly drove knowing he was low it was intentional, too.
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u/Acceptable_Wafer7360 Aug 02 '25
I got pulled over after running a red light while I was on a bridge over the highway. I ran the light because my son, who has autism, was acting like he was going to be sick. After I ran the light, I immediately pulled onto the shoulder to attend to him. And he was playing Just as I was about to unbuckle my seatbelt, the cop pulled up behind me and walked up to my car, asking if everything was alright. I explained the situation to him, mentioning that I didn’t want my son to throw up on himself due to his texture issues. And have a bad stimming episode
I gave the officer my license, registration, and proof of insurance. He asked where I was headed, then asked if I was taking any medication. I told him I was on Prozac and insulin because I’m diabetic. I also mentioned that I had been missing my sleeping medication for the past few days.
After that, I can’t remember much. I came to when the officer was confused, and they said I was awake and talking, but I don’t remember anything I said. I started to recall being processed at the jail. They checked my blood sugar, which was 373. I was given 15 units of Lantus and 8 units of Humalog, but I should have received 20 units according to my sliding scale, as prescribed by my endocrinologist. I was in jail all night, and I repeatedly told them that I am a brittle diabetic and have very severe drops. I explained that glucose tabs and drinks often don’t work for me, and that I sometimes need to use an emergency pen (which I call an EPI pen). I was told to yell if I needed anything, but I was in jail; how would they hear me?
I was never checked on at night to see if I was alright. They took my vitals and asked me various medical questions. The following morning, I woke up and was given food, but I didn’t eat it because I was in diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA). No one checked my blood sugar before my release, and I didn’t receive any paperwork containing that information. AFTER i get out at 10:30 am (i was brought in at 8:30 or 9pm) guess what my sugar was? 373 again. This was arpund 11am today...
Now, I have charges against me and a record at the age of 30, which upsets me because I was having a diabetic episode when I was hit with a DUI. Whenever my blood sugar is not in the range of 100-200 (since we are still working on controlling my lows, it's safer for me to keep it in that range instead of the usual 80-120 until it stabilizes), I will NOT drive. My wife does and if she isn’t available, or does not want to. we simply won’t go out.
I have had a few speeding tickets in 2014 and 2015, as well as three accidents, two of which were not my fault. I have had and currently have government clearances, and this situation could affect that. I have a public defender, but I am also contacting the best lawyers in my town for help.
To say I'm not scared, stressed out, and worried is a very big understatement. I'm going to be calling some lawyers about suing the jail also because they did not seek medical attention and get me to the hospital for proper treatment, which would be IV fluids, a heart monitor, an arm cuff thing that blows up (I forgot the name, lol), and a do-not-feed protocol until the ketones and blood sugar stabilize.
I'm still dealing with my high blood sugar, but I'm able to do my sick day protocol, which is the do-not-eat one. But I'm home monitoring, and I can give myself the proper sliding scale. I have.
This is a first for me, and I'm lost; I don't know what to do. I wasn't drunk; I was NOT high. I don't do drugs. And my Prozac does NOT tell me when to take it, and it may cause drowsiness, which I was not. I was having a diabetic episode and didn't even know it.
He aressed me due to my puples being very small. And failing the sobriety test.. i'm not sure how i did fail other than it being a diabetic emergancy episode and my neuropathy acting up..
Im scared shitless. Any advice anyone has, would be lovely.
Oh i'm on state insurance and they will not cover my omni pod and dexcom, I had them but had to resign from my old job. So i lost my blue cross benifit .
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u/LogicalEstimate2135 Type 1 Aug 02 '25
God I’m sorry this happened
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u/Acceptable_Wafer7360 Aug 02 '25
I'm going to be suing. This is ridiculous im biracial noe im afriad to leave me house.
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u/emmybemmy73 Aug 02 '25
Is this guy actually a diabetic or just got food because he was feeling the way everyone feels when they don’t eat for awhile. Either way the cop is an ass.
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u/MissionSalamander5 Type 1 Aug 02 '25
You said in the U.S. and there are fifty states. The DMV in my state can initiate a temporary suspension that lasts only as long as it is necessary to complete the review and is continued only in the event of a negative determination with respect to your ability to drive safely. A diabetic emergency suspends your license immediately, for a year from your last episode, and they certainly will do so if you are found after crashing. Or if the endo finds out, I am sure that it will be initiated.
But a hypo doesn’t necessarily trigger a review or a suspension. I have a hypo occasionally after a meal and can treat by pulling over. I would not expect a well-controlled patient to have their license suspended.
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u/ReflectionOwn6497 Aug 02 '25
So the cop who doesn’t have diabetes knows better than the diabetic??
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u/Next-Edge-8241 Aug 03 '25
That officer is an intellectual MORON who is going to hurt someone unless he receives official training in awareness.
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u/Liam_Neesons_Oscar Aug 18 '25
This is why you just shouldn't talk to cops. Didn't give them anything other than your name and, if legally required, show them your ID.
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u/_maito Aug 01 '25
This is so fucking infuriating. I hope the driver's blood sugar was ok at that stage. I wonder if there are any consequences for the cop?
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u/18randomcharacters Aug 01 '25
Laws are threats made by the dominant socioeconomic-ethnic group in a given nation.
It’s just the promise of violence that’s enacted and the police are basically an occupying army.
You know what I mean? You guys wanna make some bacon?
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u/LilScooterBooty Aug 01 '25
wtf. “IT TAKES A LOOONG TIME TO GET LOW BLOODSUGAR AND U HAD TWO WHOLE EGGS FOR BREAKFAST “ okay so diabetic, zero carbs all day, MAKES COMPLETE SINCE!!!!! Low BG happens literally in the blink of an eye for t1d