Eating Out - help needed please to stop my panic

[mum2westiesGill]

My routine when i'm eating out with family and or friends:

- choose what i want from the menu & memorise what are going to be the carby things in the meal ie potatoes, rice......

- sit and chat / drink

- meal arrives & i eyeball the amount/s of carbs

- at this point i start to get into a panic because i'm having to 1. test (which is done at the table if ideal and if not then i go off to the ladies), 2. fiddle through (almost ripping the pages in my panic) my pocket size carbs and cals book to try & find the carb things i'm having then 3. inject

- i start panicing bacause everyone else has started maybe eating then i usually have someone at the table reminding me my food is going cold.

I've eaten out many times but i always end up with this panic. Any help in trying to stop this panic would be greatly appreciated.

I have a meal out coming up this Saturday for my DS 21st.

 

[Mark T]

if you know where you are going, you might be able to look up the menu's online and have a good idea what you might fancy before you even get there.

If we are going somewhere different I often try to get a look at the menu due to having one 3 year old to cater for and a IBS sufferer.

 

[Otenba]

Best to aim to do your blood test during the "chatting" time probably. I personally take myself to the toilet if needed so I can wash my hands and then I return to the table and do the test, usually shortly after I've ordered food so I know it's on it's way.

I then inject once it's arrived and I've worked it out - or if it's a course, perhaps wait until after the starter to inject, keeping a tally.
Eating out can be a pain in the bum, but you've gotta do what you've gotta do.

Hope the next meal goes okay. 🙂 Take care.

 

[DeusXM]

Don't be afraid to make mistakes - it's just a meal out. Don't let diabetes turn your life into one long maths exams, there's no point.

Here's some practical pointers.

1. Test once you've ordered your food. Your BG meter is 20% inaccurate as it is, and unless there is like a 2 hour delay between ordering and your food being served AND you've injected a load of insulin, your BG simply isn't going to move that much. DON'T test or inject in the toilets. This is a place where people defecate and urinate. It's not a sanitary environment and you're carrying out a medical procedure. It's easy enough to do this stuff under the table. Practice it - with enough practice, you can inject yourself and carry on a conversation with someone opposite you without them even realising!

2. Learn to eyeball food. I personally think carb and cal books are the worst thing in the world for people with diabetes and lives. You need to develop your independence - the ideal situation is to be able to simply look at a meal and go 'hmmm, that's about 8u'. This is possible the most important skill you can learn as someone with diabetes. You can only get this with practice. Again, don't worry if you don't get it quite right first time.

Above all...look, you need to be able to relax. Does it really, really matter if your BG is a couple of mmol/l higher than you'd expect after a celebration meal? The answer is 'no'. Give yourself some slack.

 

[Otenba]

Great advice DeusXM - especially this:

DON'T test or inject in the toilets. This is a place where people defecate and urinate. It's not a sanitary environment and you're carrying out a medical procedure. It's easy enough to do this stuff under the table. Practice it - with enough practice, you can inject yourself and carry on a conversation with someone opposite you without them even realising!

I only use a toilet as an absolute last resort at any time! 🙂

 

[Northerner]

Gill, it sounds as though you are worried what your friends and family with think or say if you just go about your business at the table - don't be, it's not their concern. Or if it is a concern for them it should be in support of the fact that you have to do these simple things to stay well. I just do it at the table, discreetly and people don't usually notice anything. I would also test after ordering, wait for the food to arrive and then 'eyeball' the food (I disagree about the use of Carbs and Cals books and Apps - the ones with the pictures can be extremely useful as a guide and save faffing about with lists). I'd probably also under-dose and then test later in the meal and add the remainder of the dose in, as meals out often take a lot longer to eat (for me, at least!), or perhaps something extra for dessert.

I also wouldn't worry about getting things precise and aim to err on the high side rather than low 🙂 Hope you enjoy your meal 🙂