Injecting & testing in public??

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SaladCreamQueen

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Hi everyone

I was just wondering what your thoughts are on injecting & testing in public?
Do you inject say at the table if you are eating out, or always in the toilets?
I always inject and do sugar tests in private and as I never see other diabetics doing it, just wondered what the general consensus was!

Thanks!😛
 
SaladCreamQueen said:
Hi everyone

I was just wondering what your thoughts are on injecting & testing in public?
Do you inject say at the table if you are eating out, or always in the toilets?
I always inject and do sugar tests in private and as I never see other diabetics doing it, just wondered what the general consensus was!

Thanks!😛
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At the table or wherever you are. The toilets are so unhygenic. I see lots of people testing and injecting in public. Most people ignore you and some may ask as they are interested. I only know one person who was 'told off' by someone and that was because she was testing her son in the A&E department of a London Hospital. The mother blew a gasket as I would have done.

You have done nothing wrong, you are not a drug addict, you are having injections to keep you well so go for it and don't let any non diabetic tell you otherwise. 🙂
 
There have been several discussions on this, mainly prompted by a letter in Balance a few months ago!

I always inject and test in public as necessary. If I’m with someone who’s not seen me do it before I’ll mention it in advance just in case they’re needle phobic, but that’s more so they have a chance to turn away as opposed to me going elsewhere!

I rarely see other people inject/test in public, but I’d have also thought people rarely see me either as it’s easy enough to be pretty subtle about it, most of the time my friends and family will ask me if I remembered as they didn’t notice.

I think it is a personal preference thing though, for the first few years after diagnosis I always went elsewhere to inject, for me it was a confidence thing but I’m sure there are other reasons why that’s preferred by some.
 
At the very beginning I used to go to the toilet and do my injection and never tested when I was eating out.

Nowadays, I always do my injections in public - anytime anywhere. I don't think it's something we should have to hide although I have to admit I don't normally carry my meter with me so don't normally tend to test in public - although if I had a small enough meter I would. One drawback of being a male diabetic you don't have bag to carry all your supplies and tend to take what fits in your pockets ;o)

If out for a meal I inject sitting at the table (usually discreetly into my stomach). Other times, I do it whenever I need to. This weekend I took my bolus while waiting for the lift in Debenhams and don't think anyone even noticed, and even if they did it's nothing to be ashamed of. I've also done it just standing in the street.

The things that people get worked up about 'doing in public' is crazy. Would anyone stop an asthmatic using their inhaler? Someone having an allergic reaction using an epi-pen? And don't get me started on breastfeeding, etc.

In my opinin, if people have a problem seeing you injecting, they can simply look away or close their eyes.

NiVZ
 
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I inject and test in public! Like many people I used to run off to the toilet at first and hide it from people, and sometimes I used to not take my insulin for ages after I had eaten just to avoid being seen as a Diabetic!

I would love to see a fellow diabetic 'shooting up', but unfortunately I havent so far. Some of my friends have though and theyve told me about it, it's good to hear 🙂
 
I inject and test in public, and will continue to do so. I'm always discreet about it, so I don't see what the problem is. It's far worse IMO to inject in a toilet - it doesn't matter how smart the place is, toilets are always full of germs, and not the place to be carrying out something medical.
 
Wow thanks for all your reply's. Ive been diabetic for ages and still go off to do it. I guess its something to do with the slight stigma surrounding needles or something and being too worried what people will think which is just silly really!! I think its great you all do and now I know I will follow in your steps and stop being embarrassed!
 
I inject and test at the table or where ever I am at the time , I'm doing nothing wrong so why hide 😉😉
 
When we were out on the ran dan on Saturday I had to make that choice, it being the first time I've been away from home for an extended period since the diagnosis. After a long internal debate I decided to go ahead and test at the table and have done with it. I did get a few odd looks but I also got one thumbs up from someone who held up his own testing kit. Given a choice, I'd rather not do the test in some public loo as though I have something to hide.

I begin to think I may be a 'militant' diabetic.😛
 
When I was at a wedding recently all but one of the people at my table were strangers. I explained that I had diabetes and needed to inject insulin, and asked if anyone would mind. They all said, 'No, go ahead!' and weren't in the least bit bothered. I thought it polite to ask first since they may have had needle phobias. I didn't go round all the neighbouring tables though!

I do think it's very different anyway from the normal perception of 'injections', since the majority of us use tiny pen needles.
 
Hiya ...

Nathan always injects or tests in public ... or where ever he has to ... :D

In the past 2 1/2 years we have come across a few raised eyebrows ... and sly comments .... I have an answer for those .. but would not post on here exactly what they are told ... 😱 .... Only once has he been asked to use a toilet .... and that was in a well known family fast food restaurant .... Too which I immediately summoned the manager .. and told him exactly what I thought of that idea ... He was mortified as his own daughter is type 1 diabetic .. needless to say we got a free meal and sincere apologies ...

Heidi
xx🙂
 
I always test and inject in public - if eating out I'll do it at the table, I did it in the middle of an archaeology trench a few times and the other day did it in the middle of a busy open day. I've also been known to do in the street or on a bus. Wherever. Sometimes I am put off by dirty looks (hence what I wrote in my last post about how i felt the other day), and in the past I have had some nasty comments: I've been called a heroine user before and in fact had that whilst on the underground the other day (though I had to laugh because said 'dirty hobo' kept asking me if i had any drugs on me and if he could have any hahahahahaha!).

I don't see what the problem is if people get funny over injecting in public. As others have said, would someone stop an ashmatic from using an inhaler in public?

What got me though was mcdonalds forcing me to go and inject in the toilets if i needed to, rather than in the office 'in case customers get offended' 😡 not that i would have done it on front counter but STILL! Let them get offended if they want, i'm not going to stop injecting just to please them!
 
sasha1 said:
Hiya ...

Nathan always injects or tests in public ... or where ever he has to ... :D

In the past 2 1/2 years we have come across a few raised eyebrows ... and sly comments .... I have an answer for those .. but would not post on here exactly what they are told ... 😱 .... Only once has he been asked to use a toilet .... and that was in a well known family fast food restaurant .... Too which I immediately summoned the manager .. and told him exactly what I thought of that idea ... He was mortified as his own daughter is type 1 diabetic .. needless to say we got a free meal and sincere apologies ...

Heidi
xx🙂
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Well done on calling the manager on that one. Was it someone behind the counter or a customer asking that?
 
salmonpuff said:
Well done on calling the manager on that one. Was it someone behind the counter or a customer asking that?
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Hi Sam ..

It was the floor attendant ... Funnily enough just spotted you saying about Macdonalds .... It was there that we encountered this ... The one we went to has 2 floors and upstairs was'nt open at that time .. down stairs was full and lots of little ones running about ... so part of me asking if we could go upstairs was for this reason .. as I didnt want Nathan knocking or a little one getting hurt .. the floor attendant said you will have to use the toilet .... I dont bloody think so immediately came out of my mouth .. followed by toilets are about as unhygenic as you can get ... The person said it was that or nothing .... Mananger now I said .... I can honestly say at that point I have never been so furious in my life .... 😱

Heidi
xx🙂
 
sasha1 said:
Hi Sam ..

It was the floor attendant ... Funnily enough just spotted you saying about Macdonalds .... It was there that we encountered this ... The one we went to has 2 floors and upstairs was'nt open at that time .. down stairs was full and lots of little ones running about ... so part of me asking if we could go upstairs was for this reason .. as I didnt want Nathan knocking or a little one getting hurt .. the floor attendant said you will have to use the toilet .... I dont bloody think so immediately came out of my mouth .. followed by toilets are about as unhygenic as you can get ... The person said it was that or nothing .... Mananger now I said .... I can honestly say at that point I have never been so furious in my life .... 😱

Heidi
xx🙂
Click to expand...

god thats awful. I can't believe anyone, especially someone working at said 'family resteraunt' would be so rude! The mcdonalds toilets are always as unhygenic as you can get anyway. So well done for putting that person in their place, I hope they got a good telling off from the manager!
 
More often than not I couldn't give a shit where I test or inject. I try to be discreet most of the time or if people give me disapproving looks I either give them evils or the length of my tongue (6 3/4 inches 😛) Fortunately I've never been asked to do it in toilets but have only done so out of choice. Provided the khazi in question looks clean that is.

Tom
 
like been said i test where ever i am at time once i had to test on the bus , what was i guna do ask him to stop the bus for me or what ! i test where i am , im not doing no harm to nobody
 
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