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Type 1'stars R Us

Robinredbreast said:
Happy September folks, the 1st day of hopefully an Indian summer.
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It looks as though it could be. I am officially semi retired as of today and drop down to 3 days a week with Mondays and Fridays off - after working full time for over 40 years it seems a bit surreal but sure it won’t take me too long to get used to it :D:D:D
 
Daphne917 said:
It looks as though it could be. I am officially semi retired as of today and drop down to 3 days a week with Mondays and Fridays off - after working full time for over 40 years it seems a bit surreal but sure it won’t take me too long to get used to it :D:D:D
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That's lovely Daphne :)
 
It's the last day of my summer break. I'm back at work tomorrow. I'm apprehensive about being back at work, now that I'm on insulin. I'm worried about eating at work as I always wait until my blood sugars have dropped 0.3 mmol/L before starting and that can take from 20 to 50 minutes. I've been told by HR not to inject in front of my colleagues and have been offered an office, miles away if I need to inject. I'm on MDI and tend to sugar surf which requires 8-10 injections a day. I keep thinking I should not eat until 4 pm to avoid the entire situation. That's the easiest fix, even though there isn't anything easy about fasting. All of this must seem silly to someone who's been on insulin since they were small. In the end, the secret is not to overthink anything and just keep going. I'm going to try to spend the day avoiding the elephant in the room. I hope it doesn't bat me with its ears or stomp on my toes.
 
ert said:
It's the last day of my summer break. I'm back at work tomorrow. I'm apprehensive about being back at work, now that I'm on insulin. I'm worried about eating at work as I always wait until my blood sugars have dropped 0.3 mmol/L before starting and that can take from 20 to 50 minutes. I've been told by HR not to inject in front of my colleagues and have been offered an office, miles away if I need to inject. I'm on MDI and tend to sugar surf which requires 8-10 injections a day. I keep thinking I should not eat until 4 pm to avoid the entire situation. That's the easiest fix, even though there isn't anything easy about fasting. All of this must seem silly to someone who's been on insulin since they were small. In the end, the secret is not to overthink anything and just keep going. I'm going to try to spend the day avoiding the elephant in the room. I hope it doesn't bat me with its ears or stomp on my toes.
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Hi and good luck going back to work tomorrow. I am really saddened and annoyed that you have been told to inject miles away in an office, diabetes is not contagious !!, nor is it offensive, because the pens are so discreet, they just look like pens, the needles are very small too and no one would even know what they are.
I can't help with injecting 8 to 10 times a day, as I have never done this. I only eat my 3 meals a day and I, personally, would worry about the over stacking of Insulin with constantly injecting.
Are you an office worker, desk or a manual worker, more active or less active ?
I hope tomorrow goes well for you, take care
 
ert said:
It's the last day of my summer break. I'm back at work tomorrow. I'm apprehensive about being back at work, now that I'm on insulin. I'm worried about eating at work as I always wait until my blood sugars have dropped 0.3 mmol/L before starting and that can take from 20 to 50 minutes. I've been told by HR not to inject in front of my colleagues and have been offered an office, miles away if I need to inject. I'm on MDI and tend to sugar surf which requires 8-10 injections a day. I keep thinking I should not eat until 4 pm to avoid the entire situation. That's the easiest fix, even though there isn't anything easy about fasting. All of this must seem silly to someone who's been on insulin since they were small. In the end, the secret is not to overthink anything and just keep going. I'm going to try to spend the day avoiding the elephant in the room. I hope it doesn't bat me with its ears or stomp on my toes.
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@ert I'm with @helensaramay on this. 'Reasonable adjustment' is what your employer has to make to accommodate your diabetes. Giving you a far away office in which to inject without additional time is not reasonable. Do the HR staff who've issued this instruction have any understanding of T1 or what minimal intervention an injection actually is? I'm also not at all sure they're entitled to tell you not to inject in front of your colleagues. Years ago when I was emplyed by someone else, if I needed to inject in front of people and there was, for instance, no convenient table under which to conceal it, I'd tell them I was going to do it and ask any needlephobes to look away, or turn my back on the room to do it. That seems to me eminently more sensible and reasonable than a long walk for an essential injection. If your regime is working for you, I really don't think you should adjust that; the adjustment should come from the other direction.

Finally, fwiw, when I went back to work after my diagnosis, apart from my colleagues teasing me about all the little pricks I'd now be experiencing, lots of them were very curious and all of them very supportive, and keen to know what they should do if there was a problem. I hope you can negotiate through this and that you find at least some of the kind of reactions from colleagues that I was lucky enough to have. Good luck xx
 
@ert I’m with everyone else re work. Sounds ridiculous to me and something that a sit down discussion should be able to sort to better advantage. Going back to work on insulin is stressful. I was very het up for a couple of weeks. I worked in a primary school. Luckily there were 2 other type 1 staff plus at that time a young child. So a lot of support and understanding. The hardest part was remembering to check levels when distracted by children and their needs. But I did it, pre Libre days, and eventually everything came naturally and I wondered what I had ever been worried about. You will achieve that also.
I am interested in the reasoning behind that 0.3 drop. I personally do not believe that glucose monitors are that micro accurate. Having tested with three different monitors at the same time, I found the difference eye opening. Like @helensaramay I eat if below a certain number and wait if above. Though I rely much more on the directional arrow on my Libre these days.
Good luck tomorrow! You will win!
 
I think I mentioned a few pages ago that I had failed to take my basal. Well that experience has been interesting. I’m on Toujeo and take at 8:45am an alarm rings on my phone/watch to remind me. Which it did, but I must have got distracted, as in the afternoon it dawned on me that I may not have taken it. I decided to ride it out until the following morning, taking the hit and injecting extra bolus accordingly. As the day wore on I started to doubt that I had indeed forgotten it. Lovely straight line in the 4s right up until 3am when the rocket started. 18 hours after the missed dose. Cue many basal doses! Took it the following morning and the levelling out has just started, 24 hours after that injection. Am now in the 8s and looking as though it is gradually levelling out.
What have I taken away from this? Well Yes i am a silly Billy! But also how long all this has taken to work through. No wonder I am a few days noticing a difference when I adjust up or down a unit. And why it is important to wait a few days before deciding if that adjustment is correct.
 
Morning friends,
8.3 on waking so I’m currently deciding what to have for breakfast. @ert Best of luck to you and the arrangements they’ve made doesn’t seem fair. Was there not anywhere within the building that you can go to? I feel they are prioritising needle phobias than helping you. I inject anyway, no one knows because it’s so quick nowadays.
 
@ert I am another who agrees with what has been said so far. The conversation with HR seems to have been 1 way, they telling you what you should do.This should be a 2 way conversation with you at least telling them the concerns you have, about eating and taking insulin. They should also be made aware what needs to be done in the event of you experiencing a low blood sugar. Most diabetics I know are very discreet at taking their injection and most of your colleagues would not even know you are doing it, some may even be interested. Unless you are standing in middle of office and making a song and dance of it, announcing look folks i am about to inject, there should be no reason why you cannot inject in front of them discreetly.

If you have a decent employer they will make reasonable adjustments for you. If necessary encourage them to get their occupational health team involved and ensure they carry out a risk assessment on you.

Oh and good luck. If you need any advice please ask away, the knowledge on here is fantastic
 
becca59 said:
What have I taken away from this? Well Yes i am a silly Billy! But also how long all this has taken to work through. No wonder I am a few days noticing a difference when I adjust up or down a unit. And why it is important to wait a few days before deciding if that adjustment is correct.
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Looks like it has been a useful experiment, even if it was unplanned :)
 
I agree with the others, well worth having a chat with your co-workers and/or HR about simply injecting at your desk. I would try to find out what your rights are on this before talking to HR though. If it can be solved in a friendly conversation, all the better, but it can't be bad for you to know if they're allowed to tell you you can't inject everywhere you happen to be during that friendly conversation. Good luck!

ert said:
I'm worried about eating at work as I always wait until my blood sugars have dropped 0.3 mmol/L before starting and that can take from 20 to 50 minutes.
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When I started insulin (novorapid) I pre bolused by 30 to 45 minutes as well and I found it one of the most annoying things about diabetes. After 6 months or so Fiasp was released in the Netherlands and I called my practice nurse right away to get it. Solved the problem nicely for me, I now inject and eat, and usually manage a flattish line if I don't go too far overboard with the carbs.

I can't remember what insulin you're on but it might be worth to look into Fiasp.
Good luck!
 
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I’m seeing my dsn soon, I don’t know what to tell her other than I’m stressed, depressed and a hot mess. Also I’ve had a lot of issues trying to get fiasp and sensors, I’ve been without a sensor for over a week now.
 
@helensaramay a hop bone! Don’t think I have one of those
A frustrating night for you. Crackers and cheese are the worst aren’t they. It is supposed to be such a pleasurable grazy meal. I have to count my biscuits onto my plate now before I start. Or I go mad,
 
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