Advice on injecting in public

dazzeur said:

So the advice I need is, are they living in the stone ages?

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In my book, yes they are.

dazzeur said:

How can I educate them more?

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I think you will have problems doing this, as they seem very inflexible.

dazzeur said:

Should I not inject around them?

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I would if I was insulin dependent, but then again they are not my family.

dazzeur said:

I'd like some advice please. In the last month or so, my diagnosis changed from type 2 and taking pills to type 1 and injecting insulin. Since injecting I've had no problems in public or at restaurants or at work to inject. The weekend just gone was the first time I was around my family as we all live in different countries. Anyways at dinner I sat at the table and discreetly tested and injected. As I did, one sister made a scene to look away as she has an aversion to needles, which I wasn't aware of. My other sister asked me 100 times if I was allowed to eat dessert and had I allocated for it, not in a concerning way, more sarcastic and irritating way.
On discussing this with my mother, she had told me of my dad being somewhat horrified a few years ago when they were out for dinner with a friend who was type and he injected at the table. She suggested that I should have gone to the toilet to do it, or away from the table. Additionally she suggested that around the older kids in my family (ages 8 to 17) I shouldn't inject in front of them at all.

So the advice I need is, are they living in the stone ages? How can I educate them more? Should I not inject around them?

I'll admit I am quite upset with all of this, especially from my family, who normally support anything and everything I do.

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Hi Dazzeur, families can be very hurtful even when they don't mean it and their opinion hurts you more simply because they are family. You of course, have the advantage that you all live in different Countries! Seriously though, you should NOT even think of slinking off to the toilet to do your injections. You are keeping yourself alive and it is nothing to be ashamed of as you know. I would refuse to keep it hidden and indeed would do it out in the open (perhaps announce it beforehand so your sister can look away if she has to). This is now part of you and they have to accept that. As for the 8 to 17 year olds, I am 100% certain they would have been fascinated and very interested in what you were doing and would have asked you a million questions, probably asking you to test them! My advice would be to explain to your Mum that this is now who you are, you refuse to act as if you were injecting heroin and basically, Mum or no, she can like it or lump it. Now having said that, I don't advocate jumping onto the table to do it but yes, inject in front of them if you need to. They will get used to it and before long they won't even notice. Any trouble from your Mum and you can tell her 'Well you probably gave it to me'.

Youngsters are much more open and resilient than some adults. My 7 year old granddaughter was really interested in my finger pricking and asked if she could try it too, so I let her try. She didn't flinch but was a bit annoyed as she didn't get enough enough blood for a proper test as she'd been sucking her finger and it was still wet!

dazzeur said:

I'd like some advice please. In the last month or so, my diagnosis changed from type 2 and taking pills to type 1 and injecting insulin. Since injecting I've had no problems in public or at restaurants or at work to inject. The weekend just gone was the first time I was around my family as we all live in different countries. Anyways at dinner I sat at the table and discreetly tested and injected. As I did, one sister made a scene to look away as she has an aversion to needles, which I wasn't aware of. My other sister asked me 100 times if I was allowed to eat dessert and had I allocated for it, not in a concerning way, more sarcastic and irritating way.
On discussing this with my mother, she had told me of my dad being somewhat horrified a few years ago when they were out for dinner with a friend who was type and he injected at the table. She suggested that I should have gone to the toilet to do it, or away from the table. Additionally she suggested that around the older kids in my family (ages 8 to 17) I shouldn't inject in front of them at all.

So the advice I need is, are they living in the stone ages? How can I educate them more? Should I not inject around them?

I'll admit I am quite upset with all of this, especially from my family, who normally support anything and everything I do.

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First of all you are not doing anything wrong by taking care of yourself in a respectful, necessary, dignified manner in front of them or anybody for that matter, whenever you give yourself your insulin shot.
Any of them who does not like it, should wear a blindfold, whenever they wake up in the morning. Haha because its obvious, they'll have a lot more to worry about if they ever leave the front door. (reminds me of those folks who suggest babies be fed in a toilet, because they are being breast fed and mammary glands are haram!!, as if they themselves would sit down to a meal in a toilet).

What if they happen to be out in public, and they happen to see somebody with an epi pen giving themselves a jab, due to an anaphylactic shock, will they make a scene? - we know the answer is no.

Frankly ignore them. You have T1 and taking Insulin shots its your new normal - they should get used to it.
You have enough to deal with on a daily basis, dealing with family drama should not be one of them.
Anyhoo you get my drift

I have recently gone onto a pump so it no longer impacts me. After many personal horror experiences (although I live in Australia) I will only inject in a cubical if out and about.

Most concerns are linked to illicit drug taking, but as few illicit drugs are injected, most are tablets, liquid or smoked maybe those that object to Diabetics injecting in front of children link that to setting a bad example and enabling children to inject illicit drugs. The logic should therefore extend that they demand all tobacco smokers to quit smoking in public and all vitamins and prescription tablets must be hidden from sight as that may encourage kids to smoke and pop illicit drugs. I'm leaving the health issues of tobacco out of this debate.

There are those here that are more than happy to rub peoples nose in it and inject anywhere and everywhere and some even take great delight in causing chaos and mayhem with injecting in public. My view is we are a small minority group and if we upset the majority we will lose a lot of the hard won rights we enjoy. We don't have human rights lawyers and their hangers on lining up to defend us unlike aboriginal and ethnic minorities. Upset enough people and you may find you have to go to special clinics at hospitals, chemists etc to inject and that would be a real issue. There are a lot of ignorant and intolerant people out there however upsetting them will NOT educate them, but put up more resistance and road blocks for diabetics.

I agree with @Chowie that it is a balance, delicate at times, between asserting one's right to not compromise one's treatment, and not upsetting others.
I have injected insulin whilst travelling on trains, buses, planes but do so as discreetly as possible. I refuse to do so in a toilet area as there is no guarantee of hygiene there.
I will ask a waiter in a restaurant whether there is a screened area where I might test and inject.
Testing and then injecting insulin in my car before getting out and entering the restaurant is asking for trouble. One can never gauge the time delay between everyone arriving, if is is a group booking, ordering and the serving of the first course.
I choose a seat nearest a wall if I can do so that I can turn away in my seat and more discreetly inject.
I too have relatives who are sensitive to the sight of injections - both develop severe anxiety and faint !!
The other factor so far not mentioned is the risk of a needle stick injury, particularly around young children or in a crowded setting. I take responsibility for minimising the risk of injury to others, by taking care of my location, estimating risks and ensuring I have appropriate means to shield sharps from others afterwards.
On the more positive side I have had many interesting conversations with those that have shown interest in my diabetes.
One memorable occasion was when explaining to a friend's 12 year old why I had to give myself injections she asked:
"So if I had an injection like that, could I eat more"? Smart cookie, that one !!

This conversation summed it up pretty well IMO : https://www.diabetes.co.uk/forum/threads/eating-alone-and-injecting-in-a-restraunt-how.157064/

I disagree with people who suggest we need to hide our injecting. Certainly here in the UK we do have the law behind us - disability discrimination isn't allowed. Yes, we do have the human rights lawyers on our side. It's possible people might pick on younger people using the injections as an excuse, but as you get older you tend to get less grief about this sort of thing.

OTOH there's also no point in making a song and dance about it. I remember tales of a young man who would ostentatiosly inject in public with his syringe - I'd not do that. Insulin pens are discreet enough to inject without most people noticing.

Re family - it's sad that they had that reaction. Mine didn't bat an eyelid, so I'm afraid I don't have any useful advice, though you can add me to the list of people who said that if you want to say "Almost everybody else in the world is fine with this".

Would they object to you using an inhaler if you had asthma? It's something that without, you will die. I find it strange they have an issue with it. Both myself and my daughter will inject wherever we are and there is food...

An interesting question re family. As I’m usually the one doing the cooking I tend to do my injections in the kitchen before I sit down with everyone. Especially with the fact I am pre blousing.
I would say that the best way to approach it, is to talk to everyone when they are all sat down together. Explaining that this is what keeps you alive now, that you may need to assess what is on your plate and that you are able to do it very discreetly. The important bit being discreetly. When injecting at table I always do it in the stomach nearly under the table. Most people do not notice. It is nothing to be ashamed of, has nothing to do with drug taking and is in fact just part and parcel of eating your meal. I am sure the younger generation will be very interested, and being up front allows them to know that there is nothing strange about it.
I’m afraid that for me peoples queasiness is their problem and they need to depart the room. In the UK we are lucky to have the disability act.

Thankfully, I have never had to hide away to inject.
I always try to be discrete and there are times when I try to be more discrete than others. But this is mostly around small children, partially because of the fear of being nudged and partially because I would feel uncomfortable explaining why I am doing it to a youngster.
On the other hand, maybe explaining it to the older children would be great for their education and may help to get the grown ups on board when they realise the kids are cool with it.

dazzeur said:

Additionally she suggested that around the older kids in my family (ages 8 to 17) I shouldn't inject in front of them at all.

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Well, T1 isn't as genetically linked as T2, but your young relatives still have a much higher chance of getting T1 than someone without a T1 relative. They'll probably have an injecting school friend at some point. I'm all in favour of education. If your sister is phobic then warn her not to watch but honestly injecting with an insulin pen is pretty discreet....
Tell your relatives how disappointed you are that they are discriminating against you for your illness and that it's perfectly normal for diabetics to (discreetly) inject and test at the table.

Having said that, if it's her house it's her rules, but injecting/testing in a toilet is not an acceptable option.

Whilst you can be discreet (and I'm fairly sure it is much more discreet these days with the pens we have access to!) and take into account phobias like your sisters by perhaps turning away or forewarning if you know they have an issue I see no reason to hide yourself away. You are simply attempting to manually replicate an automatic internal bodily function and so long as you're not waving the needle in people's faces shouting "Look at me!" most of the time nobody will notice. Those who do, protest and take issue, you will find that is 9 times out 10 their problem that they need to deal with.

As to anyone suggesting you should go to the toilet to inject - ask them if they'd be happy to stick holes in themselves in a room where people defecate and urinate. It's ignorant - plain and simple.

Chowie said:

There are those here that are more than happy to rub peoples nose in it and inject anywhere and everywhere and some even take great delight in causing chaos and mayhem with injecting in public.

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I inject to stay alive, not to rub peoples noses in the fact. I would never hide away the fact that I have to inject.....

@dazzeur unfortunately your family seem ill informed? Maybe trying to explain it to them on the reasons why you have to inject. Maybe do it as simply as you can?

Not surprised you're upset. I've had some odd reactions from my family to my T1 diagnosis - almost as if it's something to be ashamed of. I'm another who pre bolus for food, but if I'm not able to do that then I test and inject at the table. I fail to see why I should make adjustments to appease the sensitivity of others when I have a life threatening illness!

Kids are usually a lot more accepting and interested then adults imo

dazzeur said:

I'd like some advice please. In the last month or so, my diagnosis changed from type 2 and taking pills to type 1 and injecting insulin. Since injecting I've had no problems in public or at restaurants or at work to inject. The weekend just gone was the first time I was around my family as we all live in different countries. Anyways at dinner I sat at the table and discreetly tested and injected. As I did, one sister made a scene to look away as she has an aversion to needles, which I wasn't aware of. My other sister asked me 100 times if I was allowed to eat dessert and had I allocated for it, not in a concerning way, more sarcastic and irritating way.
On discussing this with my mother, she had told me of my dad being somewhat horrified a few years ago when they were out for dinner with a friend who was type and he injected at the table. She suggested that I should have gone to the toilet to do it, or away from the table. Additionally she suggested that around the older kids in my family (ages 8 to 17) I shouldn't inject in front of them at all.

So the advice I need is, are they living in the stone ages? How can I educate them more? Should I not inject around them?

I'll admit I am quite upset with all of this, especially from my family, who normally support anything and everything I do.

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hi yes just like u when i was about 12 -20 years old had to hide away to do injections ...
now when a lot older a new gadget was invented A PEN JET SYRINGE just like a fountain pen dial up units before meals press top and insulin is injected a small vial of insulin lasted me for about a week BUT THIS IS THE THING done injections in to stomach via shirt open small and move vest to one side and i do not tell you this should change needle every time not going to tell what i done would break all the rules ok .
not sure if the pen systems are about now
.and you know the best things is to get a pump this is done via blue tooth and operated by blood testing meter ei like ACC-CHEK SOME ONE WILL TELL ON THIS FORUM IF THEY ARE ABOUT ..
REGARDS VIC ON INSULIN shush 63 years

Chowie said:

I have recently gone onto a pump so it no longer impacts me. After many personal horror experiences (although I live in Australia) I will only inject in a cubical if out and about.

Most concerns are linked to illicit drug taking, but as few illicit drugs are injected, most are tablets, liquid or smoked maybe those that object to Diabetics injecting in front of children link that to setting a bad example and enabling children to inject illicit drugs. The logic should therefore extend that they demand all tobacco smokers to quit smoking in public and all vitamins and prescription tablets must be hidden from sight as that may encourage kids to smoke and pop illicit drugs. I'm leaving the health issues of tobacco out of this debate.

There are those here that are more than happy to rub peoples nose in it and inject anywhere and everywhere and some even take great delight in causing chaos and mayhem with injecting in public. My view is we are a small minority group and if we upset the majority we will lose a lot of the hard won rights we enjoy. We don't have human rights lawyers and their hangers on lining up to defend us unlike aboriginal and ethnic minorities. Upset enough people and you may find you have to go to special clinics at hospitals, chemists etc to inject and that would be a real issue. There are a lot of ignorant and intolerant people out there however upsetting them will NOT educate them, but put up more resistance and road blocks for diabetics.

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Are you seriously bringing up this myth about 'aboriginal and ethnic minorities' having hangers on and human rights lawyers lining up to defend them? Disgusting and unnecessary as far as I am concerned and nothing to do with diabetes either. As for 'most concerns' being linked to illicit drug taking, I am sure that is not the issue at Dazzeur's dinner table. I do not seek to rub anyone's nose in it, in what exactly?, taking a drug to stay alive? It is not my job to soothe the brow of the 'ignorant and intolerant' people out there, their ignorance is their problem.

I once sat at dinner with an ex’s family, listening to them complain about someone who had injected in a restaurant (they didn’t know I was diabetic). I always thought: nobody would complain about it if you were injecting a cancer treatment, would they? They’d be celebrating your bravery. Now I tell people I’ve been advised to inject at the table as 1) it’s quicker and 2) (somewhat theoretically!) it’s more hygienic than in the loo. I’m sure you can be as open with your opinion as they have been, and tell them to shove it

Jessitalia said:

Now I tell people I’ve been advised to inject at the table as 1) it’s quicker and 2) (somewhat theoretically!) it’s more hygienic than in the loo.

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It would not be advisable to inject in this public toilet.