Nightclub took DDs epipens

[anaphyl4xis]

My DD - 18 and a 1st year uni student - went to a nightclub last night and they refused to let her keep her epipens on her. They said if she needed them
She had to go to the medical room.

She was with a group of friends and had all paid to get in and the venue also refused to refund if they decided not to go in.

AIBU to be absolutely livid and to follow this up with the company.

For context my daughter has a life threatening allergy to nuts - but not peanuts.

Yes, possibly - insulin units have replaceable cartridges. My partner uses one and they are different in appearance than the epipens I use.

Not so long ago a little boy died at school as a consequence of his epipen being kept in the medical room. When he had a reaction they couldn’t find it. Still think it’s incredibly hard ? Several posters have also recounted their stories including one who actually had a doctor telling a security guard that the person was having a diabetic hypo and he was still refusing to collect insulin confiscated at the door because he believed the person was just drunk. Come on.

I’d post it on their social media page

They've been taken away because of spiking. People stabbing others with syringes and drugging them.

Have you read the actual thread?

terrible
i wonder if they take inhalers away as well!

Sorry but can I just clear up a possible misconception regarding why type 1 diabetics carry insulin?
A T1 diabetic can not produce the insulin hormone needed to break down sugars/carbs eaten which are then absorbed into blood to make 'energy' as that part of the pancreas is dead. Insulin injections do this and help keep the sugar balances in check. Whenever my DC eats/drinks something with more than 10g of carbs/sugar then they must inject insulin to 'process' the carbs or the sugars stick to the red blood cells which causing too high blood sugars called hyperglycaemia which makes them feel very ill. An insulin injection is the only way of dealing with a hyper - alcohol is very high in carbs/sugars so insulin is needed.
Insulin helps keep the sugars stable in blood but often the sugars become too low in the blood and all the 'energy' has been used up due to overdoing insulin/exercise/excitement/not having eaten etc and hypoglycaemia occurs. So a simple fast acting sugar needs to be consumed such as juice or glucose (we used a liquid glucose that comes in 60ml plastic bottles) followed by something high in carbs like a few biscuits. A T1 diabetic having a hypo or having become unconscious should NEVER EVER be given an insulin injection - this will kill them.

Sorry just thought I needed to pop that in as some one up thread mentioned a story about someone having a hypo and no one could get their insulin which just gives me the spine shivers!

Treatment for hypoglyceamia is something sugary, or in rarer cases a glucagon injection, which I'm guessing the PP was referring to.

An insulin injection will lower blood glucose further and could be fatal!

Not always obvious whether someone with T1DM is ill because they are hyper or hypo, so you need someone who knows what they're doing to help them.

Ah... glad someone as pointed that out as I've seen several references to 'hypos' and 'injections'. It is rare someone would carry glucagon and if they do, you'd only give that if they were unable to eat/swallow something sugary.

Absolutely NEVER stab anyone with insulin without doing a BG test!

Diabetics know how to manage their own BG, and should not be separated from their kit.

The idea that diabetic kits are being taken and then left unattended in cloakrooms or 'medical rooms' where just anyone can grab them fills me with horror, as a dose of insulin for someone who doesn't need it could be fatal. In a club, where people wobbly, slurry drunk and then passing out, thats even more likely!

I meant high blood sugar - hyper, sorry. DH is diabetic so know the difference. The quote was from an earlier post and there was a doctor involved in that particular instance, so I’m guessing she’d know what she was doing.

The club never answers its phone and its parent company doesn't have a working phone numbers and my email has been ignored.

I've reported to trading standards but that is a one way system apparently so they don't tell you if any action has been taken.

Feels the only way things like this get dealt with is when a tragedy strikes.

Not entirely sure what to do next.

Any ideas - not keen on naming and shaming.

council? environmental health?

Written DD complaint.

Definitely council or environmental health but maybe go to the newspaper (you can have your name kept private)

Shame them on social media. Do a post, tag them and get people to share it like crazy. Put the link in here we will share it.

Name them and hopefully the papers pick up this thread 🤣

I assume the council would be interested as they will have issued the business with a premises licence and they have the power to revoke it if they are not operating safely.

Council, licence board, name them.. absolutely terrifying.

Make her a vest with a hidden pocket for the epipen.

Newspapers!

Shouldn’t have to

I think this is what I'll be doing for my DC.

Hopefully before they are old enough for nightclubs sublingual epinephrine will be available. 🙏🏻

Contact your local authority and tell them what’s happened. Quote the Equality Act 2010 - the club are breaching disability discrimination legislation by refusing entry unless essential medication is handed over.

@Zapzep
And I would guess that this is how spikers get their stuff in to pubs & clubs! Spiking isn't an opportunistic crime, it is a planned one so I would presume that spikers make special pockets in their clothing etc. It actually makes me feel quite nauseous thinking about the amount of planning must be involved.
With regards to this then the fault lies with security people. When DC and I go to a gig then we often both carry a hypo kit just in case one of our bags get stolen or damaged (yep, this has happened) but a proper bag searches are rarely done. It's nearly always a quick look in with a torch so it's pretty pointless. I've been to 10 gigs in the last 4 months and I have only received a proper body search once and at last weekend's gig (smallish venue with standing only) our bags weren't even searched.

I would be interested to hear from someone on here who is door security for their reasoning and methods about procedures etc.

The point remains that life saving equipment should never be separated from it's user. No one would take a wheelchair off a paraplegic so why take away epipens and hypo kits etc.

The Guardian has a consumer rights column where they often take on misbehaving companies. Maybe worth a try, OP?