Diabetic people injecting at the meal table whilst people are still eating?

[KatieWatie]

I'm not sure if I'm being unreasonable about this or not. I haven't said anything or done anything, but I'm a bit about it. I don't want to get accused of being unsympathetic.

It is my BIL, who I can't stand and he likes to make a big show of his various ailments, so maybe I'm being really unfair because of how I generally feel about him anyway. It's not done in a quiet way, he gets his wife to come round the table to do it and insists on showing off the needle, talking about it etc.

What do other diabetic people do?

I'm due to (reluctantly) go on holiday with them in a few weeks and I'm dreading every meal time (dreading the whole thing tbh but that's another story). My mum suggests I just walk away but then I think I would get thought of as precious.

[madonnawhore]

Wow. I think a lot of people on this thread wanted to get up on their high horses.

Sure, the thread title is a bit misleading, but the OP's OP was perfectly clear as far as I can see.

OBVIOUSLY IT IS NOT UNREASONABLE TO TAKE LIFE SAVING MEDICINE AT A DINNER TABLE.

But OP's BIL is being a show-off twat about it. No one really wants to see a wife injecting her husband while he goes on about his intimate health problems in a crowded restaurant.

It's not about him having diabetes, it's about him having no manners.

[Prelur]

@ diddl &alpinepony

No, adapting insulin to the level of carbohydrate eaten is not 'bad' 'cheating' or 'mis-using' insulin. It's called a basal bolus regime, or carbohydrate counting. The idea being that you learn to assess the level of carbohydrate (which is what impacts bg levels) and then, using your insulin to carb ratio, adjust your quick acting insulin accordingly. This allows for far better, tighter control and also makes it easier to adjust for things like exercise, illness etc. It allows for much better control of the condition, the pay off being that you need to see what your eating and inject straight away for it to work. Diabetes management has moved on significantly in recent years, and I wouldn't expect people not closely associated with the condition to know the ins and outs of different regeimes but please don't cast judgement and consider someone's methods 'bad' before knowing all the facts.

[AlpinePony]

Prelur - what you say is of course complete sense. But, I am referring specifically to a woman I know who lives mostly on chocolate cake & chips, but uses more insulin rather than eating sensibly.

[Megatron]

Prelur your post is exactly what I wanted to say but I'm not very good at putting it into words!

Part of the problem is that as you say, people really don't know very much about the condition, but are very quick to tell others where they are going wrong! I also find that people don't consider it to be particularly serious and have no idea how much it impacts on life in general. But then I guess you could say that about a lot of different health issues.

[tiredgranny]

alpinepony
she might b a type 2 diabetic do u have any idea how hard it is to change eating habits and realising that its forever a lot of diabetic find it hard especially teenagers

[madonnawhore]

All people with diabetes on this thread: when out for a meal with others at a restaurant would you loudly ask your DP to inject you and then tell everyone seated at the table all about your condition?

If you would answer 'no' to that question, then you ought to be able to see where the OP is coming from.

[AlpinePony]

She's a type I, I don't know any type II's. She is in her late 40s and has been Type I for over 20 years.

[breathing]

I guess the thing is alpine pony that people who are dose adjusting can eat whatever way they like, just like the rest of the population. (Of course they need to be wary because of the greater cardiovascular risks and problems associated with weight gain). Insulin isnt the "excuse", its just replacing what endogenous insulin would have done.

[NorthernGobshite]

It wouldn't bother me at all. If he needs to do it then he needs to do it. It keeps him alive.

[breathing]

People with Type 1 can eat a whole cake if they want to, as long as they give the correct insulin. Greedy but thats they way it is.

[Megatron]

Madonnawhore The OP has had a bit of an unfair pasting, granted, but the thread title does say 'Diabetic people injecting at the table whilst people are still eating' suggesting that that is the problem. It's only in later posts that the OP says that is not the problem, but the song and dance made about injecting, so perhaps that's why people may take issue. It could be seen as backtracking given the thread title.

[melikalikimaka]

My old neighbour used to whip up her top and inject her stomach in front of us regularly. She now has a pump, it did shock me at first but I felt sympathy too, I wouldn't want to have to do it. I think there are far worse things in life to worry about.

[tiredgranny]

at the end of day does not like bil if he wants to make a big thing of it ignore
as for people with needle phobias they r so minute and only come out of casing when injected so how would u c if diabetics want to shoot up a table so be it

[NorthernGobshite]

and the needle is barey visible in insulin pens so not sure what needle phobes would find icky?

[tiggersreturn]

Vis a vis your relationship with your BIL you may NBU. I have an aunt with type 2 who's made more fuss about taking her pills and what she can and can't eat than I have about injecting as a type 1 done at the table at the same meal. Drama queens are drama queens whatever their conditions. The only thing you can do is ignore them and just carry on with what you're talking about.

YABU if this is a general comment. Most diabetics will inject as and when they need to and discretely. It's bad enough having to do it (and no you can't eat what you want when you've done it -particularly if you're having to keep very tight control for pg or ttc, which I've been doing one or either of for the past 3 years) without having to be called "junkie" or "drunk" because you're having a hypo. Yes I can and will do it discretely despite the fact I draw up with a syringe from a vial. The only bit I'm concerned about is lifting my skirt as I belong to a religion which places importance on modesty and exposing the bit of leg above my knee up to my thigh would be considered far worse than injecting per se. It can all be done at a table depending on how you're seated and my dh generally blocks me from view or I use coats to erect a barrier to passers by.

Why should I have to go to a disgusting unhygienic toilet to do it? I'll go if there's no other option but it's never pleasant and it's more difficult to manage glass bottles when balanced on a toilet seat than a chair. You shouldn't see blood or even the needle if someone is doing it discretely so YYABU as are half the others who've posted here. As said I feel enough of a pariah having had this wretched disease for 28 years isn't it nice when people treat you as one too?

[diddl]

I didn´t mean to imply that seeing a meal & injecting the necessary amount of insulin was bad & if I did I apologise.

What I was trying to say was there are surely limits?

By which I mean surely you can´t just eat as much as you want as long as you inject enough insulin?

Doesn´t there also need to be some "portion control"?

[mrswhiskerson]

I think you are being perfectly reasonable, a work collegue of mine will just whip up her top and inject in front of us (and fart and burp) whilst we were eating , I did not mind but I do not think is appropriate at the dinner table .

Yes people have disabilities and illnesses and no they shoul not hide but there is also such a thing as manners and they apply to everyone Ill or not.
What if the bil had a vomiting disease where he couldn't help being sick after each meal? Would the op be being unreasonable if she opposed to him throwing up in a bucket at the table?

He sounds like a right baby btw.

[tiggersreturn]

diddl - it depends what regime you use. I low carb which is based on the old system where you manage your food strictly to your insulin intake. It's not much fun (no bread, potatos, rice, pasta, sugar and limits on all fruit and many veg) so sometimes I want to take a bit extra because I'm going out and having a treat and don't want to sit there miserable all through the meal because I can't eat anything except a salad with no tomatos (and I hate lettuce!) or it's supper and I have to inject then anyway. If I do it too much in advance e.g. at home and the meal or other people are delayed I'll end up hypoing and that's unpleasant and embarrassing.

The more common regime is the multi injection one where you match your insulin to what you want to eat. Less control on what you eat more injections. You're still meant to follow a certain diet and certain foods particularly high glycaemic index ones will raise your sugar more than the recommended levels even with this.

[Sirzy]

He shouldn't kick up a fuss about it, but I see nothing wrong with him doing it at the table.

I wouldn't hide somewhere to take painkillers, or hide Ds to give him his inhalers so I see no need for a diabetic to hide taking there medicine unless they are comfier doing that.

[breathing]

diddl nope. Just the same as anyone else. (Ideally of course everyone should control their portions)

[breathing]

Advanced carb counters will be reading that and screaming at me about really high carb loads, fats and GI and latent peaks (and splitting) but Im talking basic principles here.

[diddl]

I´ve obviously only heard of the old system then tigger.

[tiggersreturn]

diddl -old system went out of fashion at the end of the 80s but the myths have persisted for much longer cue diabetic meals on planes. There are good bits in it but it's all based on what suits you and how tight control you need to have.

[GetOrf]

I think to be diagnosed and live with diabetes must be such a shock. It is not the nicest thing to live with, my friend was diagnosed with type 1 and she was utterly shocked and heartbroken, before she came to terms with it she worried that she would end up blind and limbless by the time she was 70.

I think people who are offended at someone injecting a lifesaving substance into themselves are incredibly selfish. Diabetes is a stigma in itself without the diabetic thinking that what they are doing is shameful and should be hidden away. If you don't like needles don't look! The diabetics NEED to do this as soon as possible.

It is like the analogy of BF babies - why should they be fed in the toillets because the sight of a BF mother may inconvenience some people?

There but for the grace of god you go OP - you may not like the bloke but develop some empathy for his condition.

[GetOrf]

Perhaps he is making a song and dance about it because he is still not completely happy with having been diagosed as a diabetci? I don't know what the majority of people's feeklings are on being diabetc, however my friend was completely crushed. She still HATES it and is ashamed. She would never in a month if Sundays inject at a table, as she is so self conscious and LOATHES it still. However other people may feel better by talking about it and seeking validation from others.

Or your BIL is an irritating wanker