Today a lady at work told me that I need to go in a different room to take my insulin because she can't stand watching people get shots. I just agreed with her, but inside I was fuming. First of all, if you don't like it, deal with it. You CAN look away. Why should I have to go to another room? Second, I don't like shots anymore than the next person but I don't have a choice, I HAVE to do it to live. Has anyone else had this happen? How did you react? I'm usually pretty chill about how people act about my diabetes, but telling me I have to leave because they don't like it... I mean honestly people.
Yeah people have said things to me before. I had a few colorful phrases for them and went about my business. I could care less about who is or is not comfortable with it, I do it to live, not for the satisfaction of sticking myself.
[quote user="CHLjoe"]
Yeah people have said things to me before. I had a few colorful phrases for them and went about my business. I could care less about who is or is not comfortable with it, I do it to live, not for the satisfaction of sticking myself.
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i'm the same as Joe. I usually give them a piece of my mind and then continue on with what i was doing. if they have a problem with it, they can leave the room.
the only case where i don't do that is if it's a little kid..but if there's a little kid around, i go someplace else anyways cuz i dont like doing it in front of little ones; unless i can do it somehow without it being in their view.
[quote user="Audra"]
Today a lady at work told me that I need to go in a different room to take my insulin because she can't stand watching people get shots. I just agreed with her, but inside I was fuming. First of all, if you don't like it, deal with it. You CAN look away. Why should I have to go to another room? Second, I don't like shots anymore than the next person but I don't have a choice, I HAVE to do it to live. Has anyone else had this happen? How did you react? I'm usually pretty chill about how people act about my diabetes, but telling me I have to leave because they don't like it... I mean honestly people.
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I have only one reply, "It's a big world, you leave!!!"
i have plenty of replies. juvenation will censor them all. :o)
Tell her to freaking close her insensitive, beady, scrutinizing, selfish, meany eyes and go back under the bridge, seriously, the fascist. But that's just me. I sort of take a preemptive strike...I say, "Don't mind me...I just have to refill me reservoir." No time for dismissive replies...
My coworkers and my supervisor rock, though...knock on wood. I think that people just don't even expect to see a big old honkin' syringe pulling out smelly clear fluid in the office, so they are struck dumb. Ah, life...
My favorite one is when someone looks at you when you're testing or taking insulin and says "How can you do that" or the ever popular " I could never do that. I can't stand needles." Most of the time I'm patient, but every now and then I end up responding with: "Well as a general rule I enjoy living" or "when it's that or death you get pretty good at it." I know that they mean well, but their comments make it seem like we do this for fun. Normally, I like to think that I'm a nice person, but sometimes it's just frustrating...
I work for a family business. There are a total of 4 people that work in the office all the time. I share an office space with one other person and I will either go into the bathroom or wait til the other person is not around to test. I don't like testing, giving injections in public. First, I don't need people to comment either positive or negative or better yet ask the most annoying question of all, "So what's your bloodsugar?" It's none of anyone's business. Second, you are dealing with blood and bodily fluids. Injecting or testing in public is usually very rushed. In a bathroom behind closed doors I can take just a little bit more time to make sure everything is cleaned up and disposed of properly. Lastly, it does make other people uncomfortable. Although I don't like it - this is my disease to deal with - no one elses. It's no ones fault I have it. It's just bad luck. As far as I'm concerned I don't want my diabetes to effect anyone else's life even if it's something as petty as making someone uncomfortable. That includes my family members, co-workers, friends, etc...
Since I started with my pump almost a year ago, administering insulin is easy... just a few button presses and it's done. So, no worries about public or private!
As far as BGs, when I am at home, my meter sits on a shelf in the kitchen, so it is always handy around mealtimes. There, I test "openly", no matter who is around, that is that even if my husband and I have guests over, I don't hide. I am somewhat discreet in the sense that I don't make an announcement, such as "Hey everybody, keep still and watch, I'm about to make myself bleed!" LOL
When I go out, my meter gets stored in a pocket on the outside of my purse. When I do a BG, I just discreetly open up that pocket, do the BG in a somewhat hidden way, then just leave the test strip in the bottom of that pocket. Nobody really sees what's going on - or, for those who do know, nobody pretends like it's a big deal.
I find that with the 5-second tests, it all happens so quickly that people don't generally have time to respond!
i see no reason to go to the bathroom where it is DIRTY and take a shot like a heroin addict. It's digusting and probably WAY more unsanitary than doing it at your desk with your back turned to the person.
The only time I've ever had anyone say something to me about it was when my boyfriend's sister in law was in town with her husband and two kids. I tested my BG under the table while the kids weren't paying attention and she asked if I could go somewhere else and give myself insulin. The best part was, I had gotten my pump 2 weeks earlier and she didn't know I didn't do injections anymore. Needless to say she apologized and never said anything rude like that again.
When I was on injections I never found the need to do it in private unless there were kids around. If people don't want to see it, look away. It's not like it makes a huge loud sound or something! Bathrooms are dirty and I would never do an injection in a bathroom. People need to be educated about the disease, and if they want to know, I'm happy with sharing. If it takes me doing an injection in public for them to ask, so be it!
The people at the restaurant/bar where I used to work years ago gave me the same trouble. "Why do you have to do that here!?" With the snobbish furled lip to accompany the comment. My response was the same as you guys..."it's what I do to live, if you don't like it, don't look." Mind you this was during my dinner "break" and that I was sitting by myself.
I used to have a friend that would purposely instigate people when they starred at him. He would actually keep syringes behind his ears and say ridiculous things just to egg people on.
I generally just stare back really intensely if they stare at me and pointedly ask "yes? can I help you?"
i get stuff like that all the time! like "do you have to do that?" "how can you stand needles?" "omg i cant watch that's disgusting!" its sooooooo annoying people need to learn how to suck it up!
Some of my least favorite comments have been , "I could NEVER do that to myself." It is such a lead in though to a nice comeback, "Yeah, in your case, self-injection for the sake of continued living does seem like a waste of time."
But seriously though, in the last few years I have been very public. When I used to teach class to eighth graders, I'd poke my finger right there in the middle of a lecture without stopping. Lots of times I am moving fast through the hospital just walking to lunch or whereever and I poke while moving. This past weekend at Candlestick Park, to my son's chagrin, I was poking as we rode the escalator up to our seats in the stadium (I should have mentioned to him that the 49er's lost because I was poking in public:P)
Do it whereever, folks. Insulin, BG's, breastfeeding, whatever. It's a condition that too many people in mainstream put on a shelf labelled "somebody else's problem" and then get offended or bothered when they are reminded of it's realties. Don't cater to small-minded sensibilities....
HAH sometimes i test unecessarily or pretend it’s super painful and horrible for the sole purpose of seeing people squirm. i also love it when people try to gross me out with blood, and it’s like, uuhhm thanks but i have seen more blood in my life than you could ever imagine.
ahaha
Lol. Sometimes if im in a restaurant and i know that people are staring at me while i take my BG, i'll use a alcohol prep pad and make sure my finger is a little wet from that and when i poke my finger it runs down my finger and they get grossed. But i laugh!! O well.
YAY! :-)
For all those who said they do their test or shot whereever, except if kids are around - kids will probably be the most likely to be understanding or nonchalant about what you are doing, compared to some adults. I test my son's BG and give him shots in front of his friends, cousins, etc. They are usually interested (no one has ever gotten freaked out) and I just tell them an age appropriate message like "John needs to have a shot to keep his body healthy." It is done so fast, that usually by the time I'm done saying it, the shot is done and the kids are off playing. I think it is good for them to see it and hopefully will make the other kids more sensitive to his needs or other kids with disabilities needs. We need as many people on our side as we can get - might as well start 'em young! ;)
Testing/injecting at your desk with your back turned to the person is a little different than doing it in front of someone. I personally am more comfortable testing when no one else sees for reasons given in my previous thread. Your reference to a heroin addict is exactly what every diabetic is trying to avoid. Using discretion is a behavior that can be used by all - not just heroin addicts. How would you like it if someone questioned you, "Why are you going into the bathroom to inject only herion addicts do that?" I'm sure there are many of us that have at one time or another tested or injected in a bathroom. Proper precautions to make sure an area is sanitary should be taken by all no matter where they are. In my work situation I go into the bathroom wash my hands, take a paper towel place it on the window sill put my meter on it, test, wash my hands again and I'm done. In out 2 seconds. In public restaurants, I go into the bathroom wash my hands, rest my meter on my bag, etc..