Injections at work?

That's a shame, she could do one of two things....either look away when you inject or she could sit at another table.

Hope the job works out for you

One of the girls I work with has an awful phobia of needles. I never inject in front of her. Other colleagues, however, I inject whenever I need to. I'm discrete about it but, at the end of the day, I need it if I want to stay on good health!

As for whether it is allowed, I honestly have no idea. I just try and be subtle about it. Personally I would much ether inject at my desk than in a toilet!

Sorry I cant be of more help.

Em

If she's got a problem, tell her to look the other way!

If she requests that you remove yourself to the toilet to inject, I would totally refuse, ask her if she would eat her dinner of the toilet seat! If she won't then ask her why she expected you to carry out an injection in an high risk area where there's know germs!

If she's uncomfortable, just tell her don't look! pretty easy...

If work kick up a stink, then they must provide you with a suitable place, clean etc with consideration to distance ect, to where you are going to be eating....

Hi Commotion, welcome to the forum! Sorry you have had this experience, I don't think you should be skulking to the toilets, but maybe she is a bit squeamish with needles. I had a colleague who injected at the lunch table and we hardly saw anything so there is not much to get squeamish about. If you are close to her or need to make a good impression maybe its worth taking some time to educate her that your insulin is keeping you alive and without it you probably wouldn't have made it to double digits. If you don't care about her oppinion, I would just carry on - just maybe sit with different people with your back to her.

I will investigate workplace rules for you, but tolerance is universal if it was my place of work I would tell her to GET OVER IT!!

What a hideous thing for her to say. I wouldn't have been so polite as you but then am sure you were totally thrown off guard.

It isn't against the law to self administer medicine.

I tend to turn my chair away to the side or try to do it under my desk, or flip over a cardi or jacket.

That was then, now I don't bother at all and no one has said a word about it. The other day a senior manager came over to congratulate me for bringing in a big investment and talk about awkward moment when I had the insulin pen in my tummy, however he was great and just carried on talking and didn't look down. :lol:

Why should you be ostracised for adminstering medicine? It's not as if you do a human trumpet and create a fanfare and announce to the room and draw attention to it...and what if you're going a bit too low just before you eat...is this not safety issue for you to be sent to the loo on your own? Why is she gawking in the first place?

What next, is she also going to tell an Asthmatic to use their inhaler in the loo?

If you end up unconcious and need a glucagon injection is this person going to tell others to do this in hiding? Imagine if it was her mother or child, how would she feel knowing that other people are telling them to go do it away somewhere private.

She sounds horrible, is she going to get annoyed with how loudly you type on your keyboard or the tomatoes on your salad? Where does it end and why is she taking it so personally? That's what I would ask her. You're not intentionally making her feel uncomfortable, you're priority is to adminster medicine, and sometimes it's not practical to walk away and do it.

Will I have to then take my handbag/kit etc and do all that on the loo? Also you need to look at your food to know how much to put in. Sometimes I forget and have to refer back to the internet or my Carb & Cals pictures and sometimes need to use a calculator...

Some people are unbelievable, if you're unable to talk to this stupid woman then talk to your boss first or in confidence to HR if you have one?

I hope she hasn't upset you too much, she's not worth it.

I found this, its a bit vague ... http://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-and-jobs-faqs.html

Hey commotion!

What a terrible thing to happen in your new job! Just stand your ground. At lunch tomorrow, say to her very loudly 'I'm about to jab and I know it makes you uncomfortable, so you might want to go to the toilets until I've finished.' I bet she doesn't leave her lunch and skulk away :lol:

Take care

Smidge

Personally I inject in a disabled toilet in work, personal preference but I do my testing at my desk with no queries. If there was they'd be told where to go!

Don't let it affect you Commotion.

Can you inject at your desk before going to lunch?

I think we can get on our high horses about this being essential medication and all that, but a while ago I saw someone at a party injecting themselves in the stomach and I thought it was all a bit much and I'm a Type 1 myself...

We need to meet people half way really; I find I can pretty much always inject underneath a table without other people knowing if I have to, and there are many other strategies so that we don't rub people's noses in it.

We all have to pee after all and yet I don't think it's acceptable to have a **** in the road...

Best

Dillinger

If this happened to me I would totally ignore her and make a point of just doing my injection, not over emphatically or anything, just normally, and then perhaps look up after wards and flash her a nice big smile and say 'lovely day isn't it?'.

Its hard enough being diabetic without idiots like this coming along and making people feel bad.

I know it's not right, but at only 2 months in the job I would try and be a bit more accommodating until I was sure I "had my feet under the table" as it were. Until you've been there a year your employment rights are pretty much non existent, disability discrimination act or not. Did they know you were Type 1 and would be injecting before you started? If they've not got a first aid room you can use the only thing I can suggest is that you find a quiet corner to inject.

Hey Commotion!

Given your manager's attitude, I'd make sure you keep a record of this if I were you. In my experience, people who are intolerant of diabetics injecting in public are generally intolerant of people's differences. Just in case you have any issues with your employer due to being diabetic, it would be wise to note the attitude and words of both the colleague and manager and how it made you feel. Hopefully you won't need it, but best to keep notes just in case!

Smidge

Someone tutted and walked away from me yesterday when I was testing my sugar levels in the opticians! I was trying to be discreet by doing it in my handbag. Seems that whatever you do someone is always going to be upset. I just laugh at how small minded some people are and wonder how they would cope in my situation.

In my view your employers are obliged to ensure that you can take your jabs wherever you want because Diabetes is a long term illness and is therefore covered by Disability Discrimation Law: its up to them to educate theior employees - similar to other discrimation education and orientation.

I have being injecting at work and in public for the last 10 years and the one time somebody made a comment I suggested they look away. I would not stand for this sort of treatment.

Rob