Re: Dear Abby on shooting up in restaurants

On Mon, 13 Apr 2009 10:55:45 -0700 (PDT), Tim Shoppa
<shoppa@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

A Dear Abby question on shooting up in restaurants and what Abby
thinks:

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/life/dailycols/6370454.html

A possibility that the writer and Abby didn't consider: a lot of us
shoot up in public all the time, we just do it so quickly and
efficiently that most people don't notice.

I do it on the train or bus or outside at least a couple days a week.
Certainly I check my bg in a public place at least 2 or 3 times every
day and only rarely (I think!) will anyone notice. I have noticed one
other (non-regular) rider on my bus checking bg's.

Tim.

I don't inject but I do test in public without a qualm. I
mentioned a few weeks ago watching Henry inject at dinner; I
doubt anyone in the restaurant noticed and if they did there
were certainly no objections.

I wrote this several years ago and I have not had reason to
change my opinion since. At the time several insulin users
expressed similar opinions about injecting.

Testing Etiquette
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com/2006/12/testing-etiquette.html

Once newly diagnosed diabetics have started using Jennifer's
Newly Diagnosed testing advice, and they've learnt to do it
with painless pricks , the next question is usually
something like "how can I test in public without
embarrassing myself or upsetting others".

Well, I learnt fairly early that my health was more
important than their sensibilities. That doesn't mean I make
a spectacle of testing, or that I get aggressively
"in-your-face" about it, and I do use a little tact and
discretion, but I normally test anytime and anywhere I need
to. I treat it as no different to blowing my nose or
clearing my throat.

In my Newly Diagnosed period I tested publicly quite often.
I found my peak timing by testing up to a dozen times daily;
I would set my watch count-down timer to alert me at that
peak timing at the end of a meal or snack and when it went
off I tested - no matter where I was or who I was with. Of
course, I don't test so much these days because I can
predict most results - but I still use that timer when I
need to and still test whenever it goes off.

No-one seeing me test has ever fainted, or become upset in
any way. In fact I occasionally met other diabetics that way
and had some interesting chats - Accu-chek as a conversation
piece (read the detail:-)
http://loraltraveloz.blogspot.com/2006/10/sentimental-journey-lost-railway.html

If your friends have a problem with it, change your friends;
if your relatives have a problem with it, you can be a
little blunter and drop some unsubtle hints about the
genetic component of type 2. A few times relatives have said
something and I offered to test them too (with a fresh
lancet of course). For one of them that may have been a
preliminary to their own diagnosis. If it's your workplace -
then, of course, don't jeopardise employment; you'll need to
use your own judgement of the effect on employers and peers
there. Sadly, ignorance will always exist and you must cater
to it occasionally.

The only places I will NEVER test is in places full of
possible infection - a public restroom or toilet, or a
doctor's waiting room. And of course, there are certain
exceptions where a tactful delay is appropriate - but not a
lot.

It's your life. Literally. Test when and where you need to.

Cheers, Alan, T2, Australia.
--
d&e, metformin 2000 mg
Everything in Moderation - Except Laughter.
http://loraldiabetes.blogspot.com (I Ate Nothing! Why Are My BGs high?)
http://loraltravel.blogspot.com (To Delhi)
.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Testing at work
    ... I learnt fairly early that my health was more ... I found my peak timing by testing up to a dozen times daily; ... I would set my watch count-down timer to alert me at that ... If your friends have a problem with it, ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: Dear Abby on shooting up in restaurants
    ... I don't inject but I do test in public without a qualm. ... I found my peak timing by testing up to a dozen times daily; ... I would set my watch count-down timer to alert me at that ... I carry a huge purse and one side of it zips pretty much all around to open. ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: I didnt panic, but I did get some great data!
    ... | exercise are your friends, ... There is no reason for any ... I could sit down and eat whatever I wanted, ... I too can inject less and usually do when I eat ...
    (alt.support.diabetes)
  • Re: Why Pot Is Better Than Alcohol
    ... >> Unless you distill the escence and inject it with a hypodermic as a ... > Yeah but you dont hear alot about people being killed by a Stoned Driver, ... theyre on other ... I was with some friends, I was driving, and we were all feeling quite ...
    (sci.electronics.design)