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talking about diabetes at work

hollyslot

hollyslot

Well-Known Member
i had never 'come out' about my diabetes to anyone at work before this weekend, where it came up in conversation. (although my boss already knows).
i was talking about how annoying i find some vegan 'youtubers', particularly those who say that their high carb low fat diet works for everyone, (as i was talking about veganism with a coworker) and i added that i feel this way due to my diabetes, and if i ate how they recommended it'd be detrimental to my diabetes. and the next day one of my coworkers asked me to try some juice so i told him i was diabetic and couldn't.
i guess i feel embarrassed about it and that they might think of me as a liability, and worry about me when i'm there, which i wouldn't want.
does anyone else feel like this about their coworkers knowing about their diabetes? i wish i could be more confident about it!
 
I'm actually quite proud of mine really! I don't mind telling people at all:) I do feel quite awkward and different though when people ask you to try things or 'just have a little taste' when you can't :/
 
Please don't let what you think others may think affect your confidence. Having diabetes does not hinder your ability to do your work, when I was first diagnosed it bothered me alot and unfortunately one boss took the view that I had the 'bad diabetes' and that then affected my confidence, her opinion should not of affected me but I let it - don't let this happen to you, be proud what you do daily is leaps and bounds ahead of anyone else - now I leave my pens and monitor on m desk, anyone who comes to my desk can see them, does it bother me ? Not one a shred now !! ;)
 
My boss and immediate co-workers know about my diabetes because I was hospitalized before my diagnosis, and I needed a couple of weeks off work as I recovered from ketoacidosis.

Other than that, I don't really discuss it unless it comes up in conversation. I'm not embarrassed, just more of a private person.
 
I spent many years not mentioning my diabetes to ANYONE, not work, socially etc, family were different of course.
I remember how furious I was after having my 3rd baby, I had a visitor, one of the mothers of my eldest daughters school friends, and the dietician trotted in, announced some modification to my diet and said something along the lines of Type 1 , insulin and breastfeeding blah blah. It was an invasion of my privacy.
 
I think it's important that we do talk about t1 at work to educate people on the difference between the widely reported version of diabetes and the lesser known version.

Who knows, it might save a life one day!
 
I've always been pretty open about it, don't really talk about it unless someone sees my pens on my desk and I openly test often enough people tend to just ask and then I'll happily have a 5 minute conversation about it and explain it to them.

It shouldn't be something to be embarrassed about :)
 
I have also been pretty open about it from day 1.
This isn't something I caused and I had no say or influence in it either way.

As far as what others may or may not think, well I can't help that so I don't care. If people get uppity about it then I make it completely clear what my thoughts are on their thoughts or opinions. Thankfully only really had to do that a couple of times.
 
I don't care who knows. I test and used to inject in front of whoever was there. If I needed to do it, I did. No one else's business. My body, I'm keeping myself safe.
Now I'm on the pump, I wear it on my waist band. I know women who clip it on their bra. I'm a teacher, playing with my bra is just not going to happen. I'll end up getting sacked.
Kids ask about it and I tell them straight. Then they tell me about their dog with kidney failure who is diabetic........
 
I don't go out of the way to talk about diabetes to others but have no problem doing so if a discussion leads me to mention it which at the moment seems to happen roughly once a week as I get asked why I wear a wrist strap which says vital ID inside, strangely more often by people in a queue in a shop rather than people I know.
 
hollyslot said:
does anyone else feel like this about their coworkers knowing about their diabetes? i wish i could be more confident about it!
Click to expand...


Not embarrassed, but although I do tell co-workers that I have diabetes I've never really mention it much unless asked, likewise with friends and family.
 
Share by doing blood glucose test in front of colleagues, as I work in a hospital it's probably easier as people are aware of various medical conditions. However really glad I had shared the information as I had a bad hypo several years ago which needed them to help me. Now I have a pump I love to increase people's knowledge if they ask questions. Having coeliac disease complicates things further but does get me out of trying things. Each to their own, some people find it embarrassing others like me don't mind sharing, so long as someone is aware if anything goes haywire it's ok
 
Lol. One of the bands I'm in. The bass player is diabetic. (T1 since 18 months old.)
Gigging, he puts a bottle of Lucozade by his cab & says "it's there just I case you need it, feel free!" I bring my own..

Work wise? These days I'm doing agency work since getting laid off with my wife just over a year ago.. (We worked at the same place.) I like the different environments these days. I only notify them if they realy need to know. I've had some good vibes, except the last job where the gaffer expected me to go low off the "shop floor" he was also a sexist idiot who was expecting a "girl" due to my name. (Which I suppose could be both genders.?)

On the whole. I keep shtum.. I'm still fully hypo aware.. No one realy needs to know unless I get hit by a fork lift.. o_O
 
Jaylee said:
Lol. One of the bands I'm in. The bass player is diabetic. (T1 since 18 months old.)
Gigging, he puts a bottle of Lucozade by his cab & says "it's there just I case you need it, feel free!" I bring my own..

Work wise? These days I'm doing agency work since getting laid off with my wife just over a year ago.. (We worked at the same place.) I like the different environments these days. I only notify them if they realy need to know. I've had some good vibes, except the last job where the gaffer expected me to go low off the "shop floor" he was also a sexist idiot who was expecting a "girl" due to my name. (Which I suppose could be both genders.?)

On the whole. I keep shtum.. I'm still fully hypo aware.. No one realy needs to know unless I get hit by a fork lift.. o_O
Click to expand...

I honestly think its better people know if you have any illness just so they are aware of anything that may happen to yourself or others around you, but i guess its what ever suits the person
 
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