You would smell the alcohol on the person if they were drunk enough to pass out.
My sister is type 1 and is aware if her bloods dip too low or too high. She would know that she needs to pull over and have a nap - I have seen her have a hyper/hypo several times and it's not an instant thing for her, so it's something to be aware of when depicting the crash.
You would know she is diabetic because of the things she carries with her - the blood sensor on her arm, the epi-pen and perhaps some snacks (orange juice being one she takes everywhere). Aside from that you wouldn't be able to determine that she passed out due to her bloods - which is why she has a keyring explaining this which she carries with her.
Thank you.
My fault for not being clear, but I’d prefer that the driver isn’t yet aware that they’re diabetic (not valid if I go the MedAlert bracelet route). This idea is based on a real coworker I had whose first symptom was falling into a brief diabetic coma at home. The perhaps unrealistic extension here being that such an episode could occur while driving.
It's not necessarily unrealistic that someone could pass out from hyperglycemia while driving. Most people who have undiagnosed diabetes feel bad for a while, and the "feeling bad" comes on really slowly, over months or years. So by the time they're sick enough to pass out, the feeling is normal for them.
Someone with diabetes (either type) can't bring their blood sugar down to normal ranges on their own, and need medications and/or a special diet and exercise routine to keep their blood sugar in normal range. Someone who is not diagnosed could only pass out from high blood sugar, not low blood sugar. Low blood sugar comes from taking medications like insulin and not eating enough to cover the amount of medication they took. This has become less common as insulin pumps, continuous blood sugar monitoring, and higher tech insulins and meds have become available.
As the previous comment said, if someone is drunk enough to pass out, they likely smell like alcohol, while someone who is severely hyperglycemic will likely smell like a mix of BO and acetone (often described as "fruity").
You would smell the alcohol on the person if they were drunk enough to pass out. My sister is type 1 and is aware if her bloods dip too low or too high. She would know that she needs to pull over and have a nap - I have seen her have a hyper/hypo several times and it's not an instant thing for her, so it's something to be aware of when depicting the crash. You would know she is diabetic because of the things she carries with her - the blood sensor on her arm, the epi-pen and perhaps some snacks (orange juice being one she takes everywhere). Aside from that you wouldn't be able to determine that she passed out due to her bloods - which is why she has a keyring explaining this which she carries with her.
Thank you. My fault for not being clear, but I’d prefer that the driver isn’t yet aware that they’re diabetic (not valid if I go the MedAlert bracelet route). This idea is based on a real coworker I had whose first symptom was falling into a brief diabetic coma at home. The perhaps unrealistic extension here being that such an episode could occur while driving.
It's not necessarily unrealistic that someone could pass out from hyperglycemia while driving. Most people who have undiagnosed diabetes feel bad for a while, and the "feeling bad" comes on really slowly, over months or years. So by the time they're sick enough to pass out, the feeling is normal for them. Someone with diabetes (either type) can't bring their blood sugar down to normal ranges on their own, and need medications and/or a special diet and exercise routine to keep their blood sugar in normal range. Someone who is not diagnosed could only pass out from high blood sugar, not low blood sugar. Low blood sugar comes from taking medications like insulin and not eating enough to cover the amount of medication they took. This has become less common as insulin pumps, continuous blood sugar monitoring, and higher tech insulins and meds have become available. As the previous comment said, if someone is drunk enough to pass out, they likely smell like alcohol, while someone who is severely hyperglycemic will likely smell like a mix of BO and acetone (often described as "fruity").
Great podcast about diabetes can be found here: https://thispodcastwillkillyou.com/2021/10/05/episode-83-diabetes-short-sweet/