"Balance" letter about injecting in public

I am appalled that people ( a nurse especially) would be so narrow minded to think that injecting in public is a "no no". People eat in public and diabetics inject in public - dealt with it - it keeps us alive.

I personally now inject in public, prior to my dafne course i never would but meeting other diabetics who would openly inject made me confident enough to do it. However my father-in-law is diabetic and i have never seen him inject as he always goes to a private place and this makes me do the same. In my opinon if someone doesnt want to look then they dont have to. If they have a problem then just ask. I personally dont see the problem. And for the nurse to say this, she is obviously in the wrong profession!

Hi all It seems that all posters would happily inject in public. Me too but we may be missing one important point. Perhaps the person in question was injecting in her rear end as i do with my BI. Now even i draw the line at doing that in public. Joking aside i heard recently about a chap who was asked to leave a pub before he got his meal because the landlord thought he was a junkie as he was found in the toilet with a syringe. PS i'm a nurse as well.

This is completely disgusting the 1st post that is. it rely makes me cross when people say to me, can you please not do that infront of me because i dont like injections/needles. now im not a rude person, but for me, i didnt choose to be diabetic or ask to have to take injections 2-6 times a day, but i dont let that ruin my day to day life. the nurse mentioned should be ashamed of themself.

but if i were someone who needed to take a tablet form of medication in a restaurant of take an inhaler for something thats fine not a single person would say a thing. i think its absolutley shameful for anyone to say something like that. when i need to take a shot out i try and do it in my stomach or arm, and do it so people cant see what iam doing, to avoid this kinda of scene.

frankley it sickens me to hear and read about these kind of things.

I work in healthcare and I am a type 1 diabetic. Not that long ago I accidentially did my injection in our staff room and later recived a email from my manager who is not medically trained telling me to basically hide away to do my injection!

It made me feel like a total leppar like I got some catching horrid disease.

Like someone else said in a previous post we did all not ask to get diabetes

When I am eating out like we did on the dafne course or yesterday when I had lunch out I did my injection under the table and no one batted an eyelid!

I hope that the people who make such a fuss over it get diabetes themselves and see how they like it.
You would think being in the medical profession they would be more understanding but obviously I am very much mistaken! We often toilet or clean people up at lunchtime and then go and eat ourselves! Its second nature to us. I would hate that nurse looking after me!

Melissa
Dafne graduate
28th may 2010

I personally wouldn't take a shot in public although i certainly admire anyone who has no problem doing it. I agree it shouldn't be a big deal and some non-diabetics should be more open minded. I saw one girl taking her shot in a restaurant and she was getting some strange looks but it didn't seem to bother her. My mother and grandmother were both type 1 diabetics and when they took their insulin they always did it in private so maybe that's where i got it from. I was told at the Dafne course that if your mother is diabetic then you have roughly a 100/1 chance of getting it.....pity i can't get a bloody horse to come in at those odds

I am quite comfortable about injecting in public after all it is life saving medicine. The nurse in question should be more tactful and respectful . Sometimes its just not convenient to go to a toilet , i try to be as quick and discreet as possible and most people dont even notice.

Hi Everyone,
There seems quite a consensus on this as is no surprise. I have been a diabetic since early 2009 and it takes a bit of adjustment to get used to the new regime of injections and testing etc. My view is that I have no choice about it and that since I am likely to be doing this 4-5 times a day forever means that I cannot afford to be squeamish or scared of getting on and injecting when I need to. I don't want to draw attention to myself as it is embarrassing. But I made the decision early on to be confident and just to do it, (this is on the proviso that I only inject into my tummy). It has been much easier to manage my condition as I am not ashamed of myself. I sometimes hide away in particular circumstances as it is just easier to do so, eg when at a funeral this afternoon - it seemed the right think to do to go to a quiet place. But normally I am fairly upfront and if with people I ask if they are OK with it as a gentle warning. I don't offer to hide away. I just them to have opportunity to turn away if they are so bothered. Nobody has complained yet.
Another reason for my actions is tat I am always travelling for work and I am often involved with leading groups in events and meetings. My work is volunteers. I am upfront with them and explain what I am doing. I don't really have time to find a place to hide away. My work means that I might need a test or a jab at places diverse as railway platforms, on trains, in the middle of a long meeting, during cycle rides, on work parties etc. What normally happens is that most people don't notice it and some are curious and others just acknowledge you by saying that they recognise it as something someone they know does.
Lastly, I believe that we as diabetics are protected by the Disability Disacrmination Act 2004 (?). In short we cannot be asked to hide away to give us our lifesaving medication. Imagine the life we would have if it were otherwise - pretty intolerable - and do you kike the idea of hiding away in a toilet everytime? I certainly don't and toilets in many places are not that hygienic.
I am still new to this and I am doing my best to make light of it and that ploy seems to work and helps others not to feel anxious on my behalf.

Looks like that debate is finished....................

Its not as if were shooting in a bag of smack into our veins.....

Pftttttttttt........