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Gigs

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This thread is now closed. Please contact Anna DUK, Ieva DUK or everydayupsanddowns if you would like it re-opened.
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Music&InsulinSavedMyLife

Active Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 1
As i'm newly diagnosed I have no idea what the deal is with gigs. I have a gig on the 13th February, can we take needles in with us? Really confused and i've emailed the venue (o2 academy sheffield) and they haven't replied :/ I don't feel comfortable not having my needles with me, do you think they will let me take them in?
 
Hi, I'm far too old to be able to answer this question for you, but I know it has been discussed before and there should not be a problem. Is there a phone number so you can speak to someone if they are not responding to your email, or a website that details their policy? Will you need to inject at the gig, or can you time your injections so you don't have to? Don't forget to take some hypo treatments in with you!

There wasn't a problem in this previous discussion:

http://www.diabetessupport.co.uk/boards/showthread.php?t=18422
 
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Hi! Don't worry too much - why not get a little pencil case and put all your diabetes stuff in there? Security guards never bother looking inside them.

I've done this loads and loads of times 🙂
 
Thank you 🙂 Being 16, I usually get weird looks and they do a thorough search of my bag, damn stereotypes! But I have sent them an email, so it isn't like I haven't tried to ask them, I have proof that i'm diabetic and proof of who I am so they can't really turn me away at the door...hopefully!
 
Music&InsulinSavedMyLife said:
Thank you 🙂 Being 16, I usually get weird looks and they do a thorough search of my bag, damn stereotypes! But I have sent them an email, so it isn't like I haven't tried to ask them, I have proof that i'm diabetic and proof of who I am so they can't really turn me away at the door...hopefully!
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Hopefully if they respond to your email then you can take a copy of the reply along. I asked a few people on Facebook and they all said it's never a problem 🙂
 
Ive never had a problem carrying my needle anywhere, whether it be out clubbing, going to gigs, even Airports. Maybe its my naiveity, and it will catch me out one day, Or I just have the gift of the gab! If I get searched, I simply pull it out of my pocket before they get to me and explain first that its for my diabetes, I usually get just an approving Nod, and nothing more about it. If I havnt done that, and it has been found on me without me introducing it, again I just explain, and theres usually a smile and a "Carry on". Dont worry 🙂
 
bennyg70 said:
Ive never had a problem carrying my needle anywhere, whether it be out clubbing, going to gigs, even Airports. Maybe its my naiveity, and it will catch me out one day, Or I just have the gift of the gab! If I get searched, I simply pull it out of my pocket before they get to me and explain first that its for my diabetes, I usually get just an approving Nod, and nothing more about it. If I havnt done that, and it has been found on me without me introducing it, again I just explain, and theres usually a smile and a "Carry on". Dont worry 🙂
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I'm naturally shy, so they usually think I have something to hide. I stress about little things like this, so forget to explain or forget what I should say! Thanks, hopefully will be fine, just worried about missing my fav bands!
 
Music&InsulinSavedMyLife said:
I'm naturally shy, so they usually think I have something to hide. I stress about little things like this, so forget to explain or forget what I should say! Thanks, hopefully will be fine, just worried about missing my fav bands!
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In having diabetes for 20 years - Ive never missed a thing because of being diabetic - Promise 🙂
 
bennyg70 said:
In having diabetes for 20 years - Ive never missed a thing because of being diabetic - Promise 🙂
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Good! I don't think i've missed out on things, especially food! But I don't often ask the questions I should to make sure that I can do everything, and with no one around me knowing about it, they assume I can't do everything!
 
You could ask your GP for a note, keep it with your stuff in a pencil case, ifyou get stopped, just show them the letter, then at least you wont have to stand the explaining.
 
Someone advised a while ago to just carry your prescription on you as proof. It has all the details of what you regularly get supplied with, and would match up with anything you are carrying.
 
[full disclaimer on experience - front row for Green Day, Oasis, Noel Gallagher, Stone Roses at 100,000+ capacity gigs, plus the pit for several down-and-dirty punk things at Brixton Academy and others far too numerous to mention]

I've been to plenty of gigs (including the sort where they have metal detectors on the doors and do full patdowns). I've never had a problem. Security staff are trained to recognise insulin pens (although they always refer to them as Epipens) and generally I don't think you're going to need any additional ID.

The only problem I've ever actually had at a gig was at Benicassim last year. I keep my glucose tabs in a reusable caddy that clearly has 'glucose' printed on it...but unfortunately, not in Spanish. The security guy (actually local police) was very interested in this so I had to drunkenly just explain "Azucar, diabetico". Then of course we got to open the little packet which is filled with a lot of chalky round white tablets, exactly what a police officer wants to see you carrying around with you into a music venue. :D

Fortunately the bloke next to him was much more on the ball and understood what they were!

Best advice I can give you is to carry your insulin in something with a pocket that zips or buttons up securely - if you go to the kind of gigs I do, there tends to be a lot of movement and it's no fun having your insulin fall out. Keep it in the same place you'd keep your phone.
 
DeusXM said:
[full disclaimer on experience - front row for Green Day, Oasis, Noel Gallagher, Stone Roses at 100,000+ capacity gigs, plus the pit for several down-and-dirty punk things at Brixton Academy and others far too numerous to mention]

I've been to plenty of gigs (including the sort where they have metal detectors on the doors and do full patdowns). I've never had a problem. Security staff are trained to recognise insulin pens (although they always refer to them as Epipens) and generally I don't think you're going to need any additional ID.

The only problem I've ever actually had at a gig was at Benicassim last year. I keep my glucose tabs in a reusable caddy that clearly has 'glucose' printed on it...but unfortunately, not in Spanish. The security guy (actually local police) was very interested in this so I had to drunkenly just explain "Azucar, diabetico". Then of course we got to open the little packet which is filled with a lot of chalky round white tablets, exactly what a police officer wants to see you carrying around with you into a music venue. :D

Fortunately the bloke next to him was much more on the ball and understood what they were!

Best advice I can give you is to carry your insulin in something with a pocket that zips or buttons up securely - if you go to the kind of gigs I do, there tends to be a lot of movement and it's no fun having your insulin fall out. Keep it in the same place you'd keep your phone.
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For starters..jealous about the gigs!! But thank you for the advice, I usually keep my phone in my pocket but as going in a dress I cant do that this time! I will have to find a bag I can keep everything together. I don't really fancy having to fight mosh pits to get my insulin from the ground :')

I did fiinally get a response from the venue, and they just said to declare my needles at the door, and they will show me the first aid room as I will need to do my injection when I am there -.-
 
Don't forget your glucose tabs - these are probably far more important than insulin in this context. Depending on where you like to be in a gig as well, think about accessibility. It's no fun having a hypo when you're crushed up against the bars and realise even if you could somehow get your hands into your pockets, there's no way you'd be able to them to your mouth!

Also, as general advice (although you probably know this), WATCH YOUR PHONE. I went the Japan tsunami benefit gig a couple of years ago at Brixton and at the end of it there were something like 100 people all searching on the floor because their phones had gone missing - or in other words, a gang had done a very good job of pickpocketing a lot of people that night.
 
DeusXM said:
Don't forget your glucose tabs - these are probably far more important than insulin in this context.
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Got too second that! Two of the worst hypos ive had (With forgetting glucose tabs) moshing too the wildhearts and metallica.. Got caught in the moment , knew I was heading downwards, but needed too see out that next song before heading to the bar for a sugary drink! Then that one finishes, and your favourite comes on... Ahhh another 5 mins ill be ok... , Or not. I luckily scraped through and got a full fat coke down me gob (Yuck)
 
DeusXM said:
Don't forget your glucose tabs - these are probably far more important than insulin in this context. Depending on where you like to be in a gig as well, think about accessibility. It's no fun having a hypo when you're crushed up against the bars and realise even if you could somehow get your hands into your pockets, there's no way you'd be able to them to your mouth!

Also, as general advice (although you probably know this), WATCH YOUR PHONE. I went the Japan tsunami benefit gig a couple of years ago at Brixton and at the end of it there were something like 100 people all searching on the floor because their phones had gone missing - or in other words, a gang had done a very good job of pickpocketing a lot of people that night.
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I'm not going to the front this time, I don't feel comfortable doing it as I've only been diagnosed a few months. What glucose tablets do you use? I find the ones I have now don;t work too well.

Haha I know! I usually keep my phone in my bra because I know people who have had there's stolen, and I couldn't live without mine! Lucky them haha, some people just think that something like that would never happen to them though so don't take precaution. I just worry a lot so take too many precautions
 
bennyg70 said:
Got too second that! Two of the worst hypos ive had (With forgetting glucose tabs) moshing too the wildhearts and metallica.. Got caught in the moment , knew I was heading downwards, but needed too see out that next song before heading to the bar for a sugary drink! Then that one finishes, and your favourite comes on... Ahhh another 5 mins ill be ok... , Or not. I luckily scraped through and got a full fat coke down me gob (Yuck)
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Metallica 😱 So jealous! And this is the reason I am not going too far forward, I've only had a couple of hypos, but I hated them, I'd much rather have my sugars too high during a gig than too low!
 
Music&InsulinSavedMyLife said:
Metallica 😱 So jealous! And this is the reason I am not going too far forward, I've only had a couple of hypos, but I hated them, I'd much rather have my sugars too high during a gig than too low!
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Good too see the music taste of todays 16 year olds / teenagers dosnt all revolve around Justin Beiber!
 
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