Being mistaken for a drug user

[Lucaswatts]

Hi,
Today I got steak bake and a gingerbread man from Greg’s and found a sheltered bench to check my blood sugar and inject some insulin. The bench was in the porch of a church (I won’t say which). As I was injecting, I heard someone come out of the church and he said, “You can’t be doing that there” in quite a stern voice. I looked at the person and saw that he was a priest. I took the needle out, showed him my pendency device and said, “I have diabetes, I wanted somewhere sheltered to check my blood sugar and have my insulin. I can go and eat somewhere else”. The priest appeared startled and a bit embarrassed maybe? He said I could sit there as long as I liked. Has anyone else had any similar experiences?

 

[Lucaswatts]

Penject not pendency (autocorrect)

 

[pm133]

There are always going to be people who mouth off first and then ask questions afterwards. I've not had this happen to me yet but, like Mr T, I pity the fool who tries it 🙂

 

[rebrascora]

Sadly, it is quite likely that such places do get used by druggies and the incumbents have the job of clearing their discarded paraphernalia etc from time to time, so his assumption might be slightly justifiable if misplaced in this case. I do sometimes wonder if anyone will think I am a junkie if they see me injecting publicly. For that reason I now try to be more brazen about it rather than discreet. It helps that I have lost most of my belly fat so I don't mind so much getting it out in public these days. 🙂

 

[Lucaswatts]

Thankyou. Both posts have been helpful. I don’t want to be discreet. And I won’t be too shocked if it happens again.

 

[Bruce Stephens]

I don’t want to be discreet. And I won’t be too shocked if it happens again.

There's a pretty good chance it'll never happen again. (I don't recall it ever happening in the 20 or 30 years I've been using MDI.) People might comment (that they know someone else with diabetes, etc.); that happens to me now and again.

 

[Dave W]

There are also members of the public who are needle-phobic, and my attitude is that 'if you don't like the sight, don't watch.' Though I do try to inject fairly discretely.

 

[Pumper_Sue]

Someone told me off very publicly many years ago about injecting. He called me a junkie, my reply was that I couldn't help having diabetes what was his excuse for being a a*se hole? His face was redder than mine 🙂

 

[Annemarie]

Hi @Lucaswatts, I had the same attitude when I was breast feeding my baby (43 years ago) whilst trying to be discreet at a wedding reception I was asked to go to the ladies toilet to do ‘that’. Surely attitudes have changed. Why don’t we all take a stand and get out our pens & needles when and wherever we need to?

 

[Thebearcametoo]

I’m saddened that a priest would judge a junkie anyway ‍♀️

 

[khskel]

In occasion I've been known to jab and exclaim "good s***" if I'm feeling particularly brazen

 

[Dave W]

In occasion I've been known to jab and exclaim "good s***" if I'm feeling particularly brazen

Oh, i must try that next time we are out for a meal. 🙂

 

[helli]

I’m saddened that a priest would judge a junkie anyway ‍♀️

I think it is sad anyone would make that assumption regardless of their role in society.
Thankfully, in all the time I have had diabetes and injected in public, including in church porches, it has never been suggested I am a drug addict.

 

[trophywench]

The only time I ever noticed anyone noticing was at the seaside in northern France when we were sitting on the sea wall about to eat frites from the chip van parked there. Just doing my jab when Pete commented 'Look at that couple, looking at you!' so I looked up, they were but then scurried off. I really really wanted them to find a gendarme, I really did! No such opportunity to practice me French though, buggrit.

 

[Lucyr]

I have had looks but not comments. I guess the priest has had lots of drug users and assumed, though not a great response

 

[Sally71]

We haven’t really got any stories like that, probably partly because my daughter is still a child, but mainly because we're pumping so not actually using a needle. Did once get a comment from a waitress at a restaurant though, she saw daughter testing her blood at the table and said “oh I've got one of those! What was your number, if you don’t mind me asking!”

My mum has got several though! One time we had been to London for a day out as my brother's birthday treat, he had been allowed to bring a friend with him. For tea we decided to get something at Waterloo station on the way back. Well it was extremely crowded and not many places to get food so we had to settle for sandwiches and eat them on a bench in the middle of the station whilst keeping an eye on the departure boards. Nowhere private for mum to inject either so she just did it standing up next to the bench. Of course we had to explain to my brother's friend what was going on, and there were some young men sitting on the next bench whose ears were out on stalks!

Another time we were on a long journey back from somewhere and stopped at a motorway services for tea. Mum went to the toilets to inject (I know a lot of people find that disgusting but it never seems to have bothered her!). This was in the days of mixed insulins and glass syringes which had to be stored in surgical spirit between uses. Whilst squirting the spirit out of the syringe, the needle shot off the end and rolled under the gap into the next cubicle, which was occupied! Mum had spare needles so was still able to do her jab no problem, but she said she didn't half run when she got out of there, didn’t exactly want to knock on the door and ask for it back!

(Actually what would you do in that situation, bit of a health hazard leaving needles lying around, I think attitudes have changed though and we're a lot more fussy/careful about things like that these days! Mum has never had a sharps bin in her life and just wraps her needles up and puts them in with the normal waste, I could never do that)

Mum did once get accused of being an alcoholic, in the very early days of her diabetes journey she was advised to carry a bottle of boiled water with her (for cleaning the syringe? No idea !) This would have been the end of the 1960s, before I was born. She visited a museum, and it was one of those places where they check your bags before they let you in, and the security guard who checked hers would not believe that the bottle only contained water! He was convinced it must have been gin or something and kept sniffing it! In the end I think he did believe her and let her in, but she has never forgotten that experience!

 

[Inka]

Soon after diagnosis while I was still anxious and embarrassed about injecting, I went into a McDonalds toilet to inject and a male staff member barged in, hammered on the door and asked me what I was doing!

Another time on a train in public a rude woman opposite me made comments about me “shooting up” and said I should go somewhere else. I told her I had diabetes and that if she didn’t like it she could move. She went bright red, got up and went away.

So it can happen both in public and in more private places. I admit I’ve got less and less patient with people fussing over the years. Even with a pump, some people can’t stop themselves tutting and fussing about my blood tests.

 

[Ralph-YK]

In the area where I love there are plenty of druggies, as well as drunks and dumb heads. They can be quite open able taking, and dealing. Though I've not spotted anyone injecting. A lot do pills.
An insulin user injecting comes across differently to a junkie injecting. So I'm given to understand. And apparently they do stuff to what they're taking just before. So if they were doing it in public, you'd know well before they got to injecting.

 

[Ralph-YK]

I admit I’ve got less and less patient with people fussing over the years. Even with a pump, some people can’t stop themselves tutting and fussing about my blood tests.

Too many people are bothered about what others do! They should just let you get on with it and mind their own business.

 

[Ralph-YK]

I'm not an insulin user, so don't know what it's like.