[mellitus]

Situation: I have been offered insulin by my Endo, it would likely help with glucose levels. I am job searching however, and do not want to declare that I use insulin because some of the potential jobs require commercial driving. I am in Virginia, and insulin using drivers are allowed, but I suspect that employers would rather avoid such drivers.

Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with employers, commercial driving, and insulin?

Thanks.

 

[jwags]

Why does your endo want you on Insulin? Are you having problems with your current bg levels? What other things have you tried to lower them? If you have tried lowering carb level, exercise and normal type 2 drugs and you are still high you may have no choice. I know last year my doctor told me I could benefit from insulin. Since I have to pay for all my own meds, I wasn't ready for that additional cost. So I tightened up my diet to 30-40 carbs a day and banished all processed foods from my diet including hormones in meat. The chemical free diet really helped me lower my bgs to where they should be. So far I am still on oral meds and no insulin in my immediate future. But if enough of beta cells are destroyed in you pancreas, you may have no other choice.

 

[Vytautas]

I would imagine that there should only be a problem if the company does not want to hire diabetics in all. It might just be Europe, but the only limitations for a diabetic (then again I have epilepsy as well and these are probably caused by that) is height limitations (scafolding) and weight limitations (again probably due to epilepsy).

There is no difference between diabetic drivers and regular drivers. We all have the same driving liscense, it does not state that you are diabetic, it does not say you use insulin. Why should it? It's unimportant.

Then again, even our insurance system is different. We don't register the DRIVER in the accident, we register the CAR. This is because my brother is living in the US and he was asked for a accident list of the driver (or something like that) and all he could say: "We don't have anything like that"

 

[mellitus]

My Dr. offered me insulin last visit, I opted for "Byetta", which is an injection that increases insulin production, among other things. I am on two orals also. I am not overweight, and I do not exceed 120 grams carbs/day. A1c is 7.6 with all that. It's my desire to get it under 7.0. My type 2 is progressing, 18 months ago I was getting A1c=6.5 on metformin only, same diet.

Two doctors have said insulin is coming at some point.

In Virginia, the drivers license has a restriction code on it for insulin users. Employeers cannot by law, hold this against an applicant, but they do.

 

[Shanny]

Thank you for explaining what Byetta is.

 

[diabetes86]

If you are going for a CDL for interstate driving

ANY medication that can give you a hypoglycemic reaction is restricted. That includes Byetta.

the good news is you can get a federal waiver to drive commercial vehicles that supersedes the state restrictions.
The waiver requires a annual physical by a endocrinologist as well as an ophthalmologist and 3 quarterly exams by the endo. It is a pain in the ass. But,... I got a federal waiver for CDL and I am on insulin.

if you are going to drive ONLY intrastate the state can regulate the license

As far as jobs I got a job in CO. driving a water truck in the gas exploration fields. And a job driving a dump truck in MA.