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testing blood in work

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finger_pricker

Newbie
Messages
1
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Hi, I am a new member and have type 2 diabetes . The problem I have is that I work at a desk in an office situation. Last week I felt a hypo coming on and did my blood test at my desk, it was 3.9 and I took precautions
to stop the hypo. However, I have been advised by my manager that a work colleague is squeamish and has a blood phobia and made a complaint. She has also said it is not hygienic and she has to use the same pc and phone. I advised my manager that I did not normally check my bloods at work station and I use alcohol wipes . I have now been told in future to get a key for a nearby office and check my bloods there. Any suggestions and your thoughts would be great.
 
finger_pricker said:
Hi, I am a new member and have type 2 diabetes . The problem I have is that I work at a desk in an office situation. Last week I felt a hypo coming on and did my blood test at my desk, it was 3.9 and I took precautions
to stop the hypo. However, I have been advised by my manager that a work colleague is squeamish and has a blood phobia and made a complaint. She has also said it is not hygienic and she has to use the same pc and phone. I advised my manager that I did not normally check my bloods at work station and I use alcohol wipes . I have now been told in future to get a key for a nearby office and check my bloods there. Any suggestions and your thoughts would be great.
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It might be helpful for you to discuss your condition with your manager who may consider some sort of assessment. But really i am struggling to understand why testing your bloods at a desk would be unhygienic. anyone who works at a desk knows they are the most unhygienic places of all. I once read an article that said they (desks) carry as many germs as toilet seats - yuk. It's a real same that your work colleague is unable to give you a little bit of support. As for her blood phobia you dont see any blood other than a single drop. Your place of work should be offering you a CLEAN and hygienic environment to test bloods - reasonable ajustments stuff and not just another germ ridden desk. So sorry to hear you have been treated so badly.
 
Well, you are in the right, and your colleague is being somewhat unreasonable, but if you have the chance to go to another office and test your blood in peace then I would just do so to avoid the aggravation.
 
If your colleague is squeamish, why is she watching? If she looked by accident, you could just forewarn her next time you test.

I always tested at my desk. If you do it considerately and hygienically, there shouldn't be an issue.
 
I think I would just accept it and ask for more acceptance in my privatelife... I think a lot of people think in things like herpatitis and AIDS when they se strangers messing with their bloods, maybe it is so strange to them that some of them can even faint when seeing someone doing a blood glucose test... I think it is a fight you´ll loose if you make a big problem out of it...
 
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I always did blood texts at my desk too. When I started a new job, they asked me if I wanted to use the medical room. As this turned out to be several minutes' walk away, I pointed out that if my sugar level was below normal, the last thing I should be doing was traipse off to a room where nobody was ever around and using up more sugar in the process. They got my point and agreed to my staying at my desk.
 
I test at my desk and really not thought about it. My co-workers are interested in what I am doing and I've been fortunate that it hasn't caused any problems. Sorry to read you have a silly colleague who must have been bending over backwards to be offended... such is life. I hope they can work something out for you. @finger_pricker
 
How is your diabetes treated @finger_pricker ? If you're on medication there's a good argument that your type 2 diabetes is a disability under the equality act (it's a bit of a grey area but certainly arguable). This puts a onus on your employer not to discriminate against you because of your condition and to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate your condition. A reasonable adjustment would be letting you get on with testing at your desk, as being in the middle of having a hypo isn't the most convenient time to find a key, get to the other office, unlock the door, sit and test you blood sugar and then realise you've left your hypo treatment elsewhere, and telling the other staff member with a blood phobia to try the innovative treatment of simply not looking at you while youre testing.
 
Fortunately I'm not in your situation and do not have hypos, but in the circumstances I don't think you have much choice than to test where you are straight away. I do think the person that complained was being very unreasonable and should have had a little more consideration, and to make a complaint when you clearly needed to test your glucose level urgently was not very considerate. If I were you though and to avoid further issues with the 'very' sensitive colleague i'd use the other office, but I would also advise your company that if the need arises and you feel unwell then having to make your way to another location within the building could make you worse so to test where you are would be unavoidable and for your own health and safety.
 
My daughter faints when she has to have a blood test, and has ended up on the floor a couple of times when a medic has made light of the condition. She went wobbly when I told her how I test my blood - it is not something she can do anything about.
If the office for testing is close by and you can wedge the door open, attract attention if you had a bad one and get someone who knows what they are doing to assist if necessary then it would be kinder to your co-worker to arrange that.
It would be an incentive to always be ready for a hypo, to have people aware of what help you might require, but also to reassure them that the situation would be a rare one and that it is easily rectified, not requiring emergency services.
 
I think you should follow your own sense of what's important to you and gives you the best outcome. Might be worth trying to educate your manager and any first aiders about diabetes and hypos. Maybe your dsn or diabetes UK can supply a Leaflet or information pack for employers. You could also suggest that if they give you a £100 a month rise you could self find a libre and circumvent the problem! Good luck with it.
 
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finger_pricker said:
I have been advised by my manager that a work colleague is squeamish and has a blood phobia
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Blood Phobia?

Blood-injury phobia is a phobia subtype that differs from other specific phobias in that it induces syncope (fall in BP resulting in fainting) rather than fear or anxiety. The phobic response can be triggered by the sight of blood, by sustaining an injury, or by receiving an injection or other invasive medical procedure.

Crikey, how many pints did you spill? She's be no use if you had a bad hypo then?

It sounds like my dad, it's not the sight of blood, it's just the thought of drawing blood. You could be really cruel and when you go to do your finger pricking, make sure the colleague knows. Maybe that's too cruel as I do recognise it as a serious problem for some people. A mate of mine fainted when he first tried to give blood, he only tried once.
 
I do test where I happen to be at work but have always asked if there is anyone who has a problem with it as I've worked with those who do faint at the sight of blood or even at talk of it. Luckily this year, I don't, and I have colleagues who prefer it if I do test so they don't have to deal with potential hypos! I've pointed out I'd only be helping them do what they are all trained for (part of our job involves supporting students' varying medical needs and we currently do have T1s in our building, though not in my group.) but, oddly, they prefer me to take responsibility for my own health needs. Strange, that.

In public places, I have differing strategies for hiding what I am doing. A backpack is useful for hiding behind - it just looks like I'm rummaging in my bag...
 
I have fainted when giving blood in the past, hated the site of blood. Having 3 children I just had to get over it. More recently I was actually the main 1st aider
at work and didn't even think about not testing at my desk if I felt I needed to. Nobody ever objected. If they had I think I would have just said look away. If having a hypo you should never have to go into a room on your own.
 
I find this thread interesting.. having read members comments on this forum recently helped me a fair bit. I guess you can only do as you feel you must in a given moment. I struggled to cope when out with my partner at a restaurant recently.. I tested and injected a bolus at the table prior to our food arriving. This at the time was frustrating as I worried what people would say if they saw me injecting or what if the waitress arrived at that moment.. you just have to go for it I guess.. or use the loo.. and they aren't always clean enough for my liking. There are regulations for us diabetics in the uk regarding work and giving time and a suitable place to medicate. I found that a chat with my boss was very positive. I had to reassure him that I was taking all the safety precautions.. sharps bin and all.
 
I test in a small room just behind my desk so I'm fairly lucky

If you don't have a facility or nowhere near to you I would carry on testing at your desk and if possible turn your back on others to obscure their view

And I think your colleague is being unreasonable to complain after all she doesn't have to watch you

If I'm out for a meal I test and inject at the table why should I skulk off to a bog to do it

Good luck
 
Cumberland said:
If I'm out for a meal I test and inject at the table why should I skulk off to a bog to do it
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I have a very dear friend who injects at the table, wherever he is. He's so good at it that you would never know and in the thirty plus years that he's been injecting insulin, I'm not aware of anyone saying anything to him. He's not the sort to make a fuss anyway.
 
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