Ever been asked to leave a shop or restaurant due to a hypo?

kimkennedy89 · Feb 21, 2014

Hello

I was going to a local cafe for a bit to eat with my other half. I felt a little light headed, checked my BG and was 2.6, due to being 22 weeks pregnant I automatically took a little kids size can of coke out my bag and drank it.

The waitress then shouted across the cafe to advise that I could not drink the juice on the premises as it wasn't bought there. My partner explained I'm T1 and that I was low as well as being pregnant, he explained I needed something sugary due to this and also advised that we would be buying juice along with a meal each for our lunch.

She proceeded to tell us that management had a strict policy and that I would have to leave the cafe and go back for lunch once I was 'normal' again. I was so embarrassed, the cafe was busy and I was very upset at how she approached the whole subject.

I know that lots of people don't know anyone who's T1 therefore don't know much about diabetes as a whole but my partner explained accurately and in detail about what was happening and why, safe to say I'll never think of eating from the cafe again!

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noblehead · Feb 21, 2014

No never.....thankfully!!!!

The cafe treated you appallingly and should have made an exception for you going low and needing some fast-acting glucose. I'm pleased that you won't go back and I would spread the word locally on how they treated you, if you did want to take things a little further you could write to your local newspaper about your ordeal.

novorapidboi26 · Feb 21, 2014

that's terrible..........

i would hope this would be an isolated incident....

anna29 · Feb 21, 2014

I know it was very unfair treatment towards you .
Understandably you wont wish to revist this cafe .

Do you wear any medical alert ID at all ?
Bracelet or necklace ?

This can act as a public prompter and folk do react
more positive if see persons wearing any of this .
Its seen as medical emergency ID formally .

Shame your partners words were not heeded by the waitress .
Wonder what she would have said and done if you had collapsed ?
It is very shocking to hear this kind of thing is yet happening

novorapidboi26 · Feb 21, 2014

a manager should have been asked for...........

its their loss as you have took your custom elsewhere.....

CollieBoy · Feb 21, 2014

Probably a problem with low intelligence waitress, but then again the management did employ her!

kimkennedy89 · Feb 21, 2014

Thanks everyone, you've all made me feel better I was starting to think that I was in the wrong for treating my hypo....

I do wear an I.D necklace with the diabetes symbol on the front and type 1 on the back which I also showed to the woman.

We did ask to speak to the manager/owner but he wasn't in at that time. My dad did phone up to make him aware of what had happened and he did apologise and stated that it has never been the policy to act in this way when someone makes them aware of a medical issue. But to be honest the damage had already been done.

I know, goodness knows whether she would even have felt the slightest bit guilty had I collapsed!

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carty · Feb 21, 2014

I hope this didnt affect you too much ,some people are just jobsworths with no common sense this waitress seems like one of the worst I hope you have a lovely healthy baby
CAROL

kimkennedy89 · Feb 21, 2014

carty said:
I hope this didnt affect you too much ,some people are just jobsworths with no common sense this waitress seems like one of the worst I hope you have a lovely healthy baby
CAROL

Thank you very much the hormones definitely didn't help the situation, I cried for about 20 minutes after this all happened lol x

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Stefano · Feb 21, 2014

I'm actually shocked and deeply sorry to read what happened to you. It's simply appalling. In 34 years of diabetes I never faced anything like that.
I'm sure they must have a duty, when it's justified by health reasons, to let you drink or eat whatever you need as an emergency. This is by law in my country and I'm sure the same is in UK. If it had happened to me I wouldn't let it pass so easily, I would definitely sue them.

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ElyDave · Feb 21, 2014

You'd have to be a very brave waitress to tell me to leave in those circumstances.

I can't even begin to understand her rationale for that reaction.

Mud Island Dweller · Feb 21, 2014

Sue for stupidity? that is just a way to raise extra money l am tired of this sue them culture it serves no purpose.
Put an official complaint in as your father did but seems the owner was genuinly sorry. Probably not something that they had thought of happening and as stated the waitress was a numpty.
The owner apologised tell your friends what happened if you wish but move on. dwell on it wont work you will suffer.

Mud Island Dweller · Feb 21, 2014

Let you baby puke on their doorstep...from what l know of babies they seem happy to do this for any reason

BaliRob · Feb 21, 2014

I wonder what this restaurant would have done should a customer have suffered a heart failure and died - tell the partner that this kind of behaviour is just not allowed?

iHs · Feb 21, 2014

At the end of the day.... the waitress after all said and done was just doing her job. She didnt know about hypoglycaemia or diabetes from the sounds of it and yes it would have become a huge problem for the cafe if an ambulance had been called because you had fainted........

But......

Can I suggest that next time you go out to a cafe or restaurant that you have some jellybabies in your pocket or glucose tabs as these are fairly discreet to use and no one really need be any the wiser.

kimkennedy89 · Feb 21, 2014

iHs said:
At the end of the day.... the waitress after all said and done was just doing her job. She didnt know about hypoglycaemia or diabetes from the sounds of it and yes it would have become a huge problem for the cafe if an ambulance had been called because you had fainted........

But......

Can I suggest that next time you go out to a cafe or restaurant that you have some jellybabies in your pocket or glucose tabs as these are fairly discreet to use and no one really need be any the wiser.

I fully understand that iHs, as I didn't know anything about Diabetes until I became T1. However, had anyone ever clearly explained to me exactly what was happening while someone was hypo, I wouldn't have ever asked them to leave and come back when they're 'normal'

I carry kids sized cans of sugary juice as it's the perfect amount to bring my BG up to a normal level. Being pregnant my BG's run under 5.5 and jelly babies ect are just too easy to eat too many.

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pavlosn · Feb 21, 2014

iHs said:
At the end of the day.... the waitress after all said and done was just doing her job. She didnt know about hypoglycaemia or diabetes from the sounds of it and yes it would have become a huge problem for the cafe if an ambulance had been called because you had fainted........

But......

Can I suggest that next time you go out to a cafe or restaurant that you have some jellybabies in your pocket or glucose tabs as these are fairly discreet to use and no one really need be any the wiser.

I am sorry but she was not just doing her job she was an idiot

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Alanp35 · Feb 21, 2014

Mud Island Dweller said:
Sue for stupidity? that is just a way to raise extra money l am tired of this sue them culture it serves no purpose.
Put an official complaint in as your father did but seems the owner was genuinly sorry. Probably not something that they had thought of happening and as stated the waitress was a numpty.
The owner apologised tell your friends what happened if you wish but move on. dwell on it wont work you will suffer.

If this occurred in the UK the Equality Act 2010 covers this type of behaviour.m I would not let it go, no way. Write to them with a balanced complaint,smug guest yiu are taking legal advice under the above act, sit back and see what happens.,,it usually works.

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Squire Fulwood · Feb 21, 2014

ElyDave said:
You'd have to be a very brave waitress to tell me to leave in those circumstances.

I can't even begin to understand her rationale for that reaction.

Her day job was a medical receptionist.

douglas99 · Feb 21, 2014

Alanp35 said:
If this occurred in the UK the Equality Act 2010 covers this type of behaviour.m I would not let it go, no way. Write to them with a balanced complaint,smug guest yiu are taking legal advice under the above act, sit back and see what happens.,,it usually works.

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This is the correct way to do it.
You're not suing them for the money, you're educating them for the rest of us.

Ever been asked to leave a shop or restaurant due to a hypo?

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