appropriate??? or not? on the airplane? at dinner? at work?
Is it more 'polite" to step into the restroom versus injecting at the dinner table or desk etc??
are insulin pens more acceptable to be used in public?
how about testing your sugars??
interested in your thoughts, please share!!! :)
Considering my main injection site is in my upper thigh, I always go into the restroom when I'm in a public place. Dropping my pants or pulling up my skirt in public would not be considered acceptable. :)
Personally, I'd feel the need to be more discrete about giving myself insulin than testing my blood sugar. I prick my finger and test my blood sugar wherever I feel like it and have never been questioned or stared at.
thanks for sharing Kristen! Yes, I would imagine hiking your skirt up in public is not appropriate, lol. It's interesting to me that you have no qualms about finger pricking but are more discrete about insulin shots. In my experience, non-diabetics get more weirded out when they see blood verses a quick injection. People can be so fascinating. Anyway, just wanted to see what other diabetics thought. thanks again!
when i was on shots, unless i had to disrobe (as kristen mentioned) i always injected in public. the same with blood testing. i've gotten a few weird stares, but i don't find it any different than popping a pill in public.
i don't think it's impolite at all. people who stare at you or make silly comments are the impolite ones :o)
I spent about 6 years at diabetic camp, and it was always interesting to see where people injected themselves. At camp, around other diabetes my age, there wasn't much discretion. Being 26 now, it's a little different story. Some people get easily freaked out when they aren't aware of what's going on. At work, I have found that letting my boss know the situation helps a great deal (and usually it comes up in conversation eventually with everybody else.) Out in public, it can be a much different story. I've had some interesting looks, a few gasps, and once someone asked if they could "get a hit". Hmm. I usually tend to go to the bathroom, but I give injections in my belly area most of the time, so I can sometimes get away with it at the dinner table. It can really depend on the situation, where you are, and the people who surround yourself with. If you're comfortable, go for it, but if there's even a hint of hesitation, then go with your gut...it's usually right. Happy injecting.
Think of it this way: the reason you're injecting and doing blood tests in public is for your health. The reason other people gasp or comment is because they're rude. Guess who wins that argument, every time?
Back when I used syringes and/or pens, I always went to the bathroom when I needed to administer insulin. Now that I'm on the pump, I just click in the numbers from anywhere - people probably think all those beeping noises are me texting someone or something. ; )
in public? course it's fine! as long as there aren't any little kids around watching me, I've even done a shot at the bus stop! it's not like you're doing drugs. i do my tests and shots at my cubicle, my co-workers don't seem to notice or care. i even take shots in the car while my boyfriend's driving! I do shots outside of the bar sometimes while my friends are smoking and we're getting air even!
in restaurants, unless I'm at a booth & there's kids close enough to notice me, i generally go into the washroom but never in the stall unless i need to pee anyways.
i prefer to stay out of washrooms when doing my shot because i find it's dirty. if someone has a problem with me doing a shot in front of them, that's their problem not mine.
i only avoid doing it in front of kids(under 10) because sometimes it bleeds and some kids are really scared of needles and i don't wanna freak them out.
i test my sugars wherever. bus stop, while walking, in a store, at the table at a restaurant..wherever. if i need to test, i test!
I do my shots in my tummy, my arm(sometimes) and my thigh. if i'm in public and i decide to do it in my thigh, i just do it through my pants or lift my skirt/dress up a bit on the side..it's not like i'm gonna flashing people. if i use my tummy, i just lift my shirt up a bit..again, not a huge deal.
at fairs, i used to go to the washroom, just because all of the kids and when i was a teen, parents would give me scary looks..of course cuz they thought i was another teenager getting high in front of their kids..but about a year ago i went to a local fair and i was gonna go into the washroom but there was a huge line(also..they are super gross cuz they are public park washrooms..so i didn't really wanna go, i hated having to do that) cuz there were SO many kids but i was eating cotton candy so i HAD to take a shot. my friend got really upset that since i was a teen, i had been nervous to do a shot at the fair..so he made me sit down at a picnic table and do my shot. him and my friends stayed with me, and he said he'd rip anyone's head off that gave me a look for doing my needle. haha.
i use vials and needles, no pens. pens actually freak me out. the clicking mostly is what bothers me.
For my boys, we do it all in public. We do it discretely when we can and try not to make a big production out of it. Bathrooms can be dirty. I also don't want my boys to think their diabetes is anything to be ashamed of.
Sometimes we aren't afforded the luxury of being discreet. If we are in line at the grocery store and one of the boys says he is low...we check. Kids with their growth spurts can have blood sugars that are very unpredictable. Sometimes you just never know what will be at the end of the three second countdown. I'm glad the public sees what my boys endure. The more people know, the more they want change, the faster the cure.
Meri- You make a great point about the public seeing what our kids endure. We also do it all in public. If there are other kids around I tell them what we are doing and give them the option to not look or go somewhere else if they are bothered by shots. We had a cousin who was really bothered by Emmie checking her blood or getting a shot and would make a big scene. Really she was just bothered by the attention Emmie was getting, I put a stop to that by asking her if she would rather have diabetes than Emmie, she has not made a scene since.
I assume as she gets older she may be more discreet about it but I don't want her to because I made her feel she had to be or others made her feel that way I want her to if that is what makes her comfortable.
-Meg (Emmies mom, diagnosed 10/29/09 at age 5)
Yeah, the downside of having to inject in a bathroom is that they can be nasty. I've been diabetic 23 years and I've seen many a sketchy bathroom! 9 times out of 10 however, I can make do. Sometimes I'll throw a blanket or jacket over my lap and inject myself in the car, if need be. As for fairs, most of them have a first aid trailer/station of some kind. Rather than brave a port-a-potty, I'll tell them I'm diabetic and ask if I can use their facilities real quick to inject. It's worked well.
I will do a blood test wherever, people seeing doesn't bother me at all. Plus, as the Type 2 population continues to increase, lol, more and more people are at least familiar with what a blood test is, I mean, there are huge displays in WalMart. I'm on a pump, so taking insulin in public isn't a problem anymore. I don't think I ever did a shot with syringe/vial of insulin in public, but I would use my pens if I could do it without attracting a ton of attention. Most people aren't paying attention to other people, and pens don't really look as exciting as a syringe, so I rarely ever even had people notice. But I like to educate/talk too, so if anyone does ask, I generally tell them half my life story, how I'd be a great thief b/c my fingerprints are all messed up, and whatever else I think of at the time.
I do it anywhere in public
Depends on what I'm wearing, who I'm with, and who is around. One time my husband and I went to Taco Bell and I injected right there at the table. There was hardly anyone in there, but I should have looked more closely. There was a little girl of about 4yrs old sitting on her mom's lap watching every move I made. She asked her mom what I was doing, and she explained I had to take a shot so I could eat. The little girl said, "OOHH... Remember the time I had to get a shot, Mommy? It hurt a little, huh, but then it was better." And that was the end of it. I'm a lot more careful now about who is around, but don't shy away from the possibility of teaching someone something.
I do in public. I will tell people that if they don't like needles, I am going to use one. It's up to them to look away, kind like changing the channel on TV. LOL
I have no problem testing or injecting in public. Unless I know for sure someone doesn't like needles. Then I'll either turn away from them or go to the restroom.
I do it in public.
I figure, you may have not asked to see me take an injection, but i didn't ask for diabetes. You win some, you lose some. Deal with it.
I've gotten a lot of rude comments. It used to bother me. Now I just tell people how ignorant they are, and that I'd get an infection taking injections in disgusting places like a bathroom. They don't have to know I'm exaggerating.
what's more disgusting? Someone blowing their nose at the table in a restaurant and eating with their mouth open or someone injecting themselves with a life saving hormone?
Totally appropriate....it's part of you....and many others.....too bad if people don't like it. That's my feeling. Public restrooms are disgusting and obviously unsanitary. I feel that testing and taking injections are totally fine to do in public!
I have absolutely no problem doing it in front of people. It is not like I am injecting meth or something.... just a little ole drug that keeps me living :) I really don't care what other people think, I gotta do what I gotta do haha