# “People with diabetes shouldn’t inject insulin publicly!” **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 10, 2005, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240 "2005-05-10T16:45:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/81 "2005-05-10T19:38:13Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > Fuck you both and the horses you rode in on. I never suggested “needle people stay home,” nor did I say I didn’t want to look at their “icky needles.” I said … heck, here, I’ll quote it for you: “If your son’s diabetes is severe enough to need injections mere seconds after he eats, maybe going out to eat at a restaurant isn’t the best option.” Ah, right. I did misunderstand you. What you’re doing here, is telling someone who’s spent seven years dealing with this illness… how they should deal with this illness. That is, indeed, much different than what I thought you were originally saying. Equally stupid, but much less assholic. I apologize for my misapprehension. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/82 "2005-05-10T19:42:47Z")
Fortunately, the only real-life feedback we have ever gotten while engaged publicly in the whole effort we have to go through was someone who was walking by our table. He simply said “He has diabetes?” and indicated my son. I replied yes, and he simply patted my son on the shoulder and walked away with a slightly saddened expression on his face. That kind of sensitivity touches me deeply, and I have been blessedly ignorant that others would have a different reaction until the “Atkins is stupid” thread. I talked about the attitudes expressed in these threads with other family members, and all have been somewhat shocked at the egocentricity and delicate sensibilities. But then again, we live in Pittsburgh. Perhaps folks here are just made of tougher stuff! ---
**Author:** ![sj2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/65b543/32.png) [@sj2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sj2)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/83 "2005-05-10T19:44:15Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > I’m fairly certain Miss Manners, Emily Post and other etiquette gurus frown on on picking one’s teeth at the table with a toothpick. If that’s verboten, I think it would be an even greater trespass to perform medical procedures at the table. > > If your son’s diabetes is severe enough to need injections mere seconds after he eats, maybe going out to eat at a restaurant isn’t the best option. Well, I see that [Ann Landers](http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read,1024,1382.html) had said something about it… For me, I had a boyfriend who injected insulin. I didn’t mind seeing the needle, the blood testing procedure or any of that _but_ I got the heebs seeing him poke himself in the leg. ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/84 "2005-05-10T19:55:51Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Ah, right. I did misunderstand you. What you’re doing here, is telling someone who’s spent seven years dealing with this illness… how they should deal with this illness. That is, indeed, much different than what I thought you were originally saying. Equally stupid, but much less assholic. Um … thanks. I think. > [@](#): > > I apologize for my misapprehension. Nah, I’m the one who should apologize – to you, to **Troy McClure SF** and to **Hentor the Barbarian**. I shouldn’t have flown off the handle like that. I fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous, of course, is “Never get involved in a land war in Asia.” But only slightly less well-known is this: Never get involved in a Pit thread when you really don’t know much about the topic at hand. That goes doubly when one is not making one’s point very well. ---
**Author:** ![Corii](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Corii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corii)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/85 "2005-05-10T19:58:10Z")
I’d be happy if people just didn’t blow their noses at top volume at the table. There’s a lot of distasteful things people do that we’re exposed to at restaurants - the most recent one for me was two ladies conversing loudly about an intimate medical procedure. However as long as someone is discreet about doing what they need to do and don’t make a big display about it, there’s little reason to be offended. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/86 "2005-05-10T20:03:14Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Well, it was supposed to be a ridiculous comparion to rebut a ridiculous complaint. I don’t actually think my distaste for tofu is realistically comparable to a phobia. And believe me, I know from phobias. Well, I’m saying that the complaint (IF someone is being ostentatious about the needle) is not ridiculous: whereas there’s no real etiquette need for anyone to eat purchased food discreetly at a restaurant, there is an etiquette need to make any necessary injections in a discreet manner. So the comparison don’t work. > [@light strand](#): > > My sister can’t stand the smell of fish, and yet we don’t expect fish-eaters to find another table. May I suggest that your sister not go to eat at a fish-camp? If she goes to a fish-camp and gets grossed out, it’s every bit as much her problem as if I go to a seminar of giving injections and get grossed out. But if you and I are sitting in the doctor’s waiting room, and I’m chowing down on a big stinky Filet o’ Fish, and your sister tells me that the odor is bothering her, I’ve got no problem with moving to a seat far away from her to finish my meal. After all, I’m now engaging in an activity in a location where other folks may reasonably expect not to encounter that activity, and so the impetus is on me to be discreet about it. This comparison, like **miller’s** , doesn’t work. > [@miller](#): > > Speaking of which, if you don’t mind my asking, how do you feel about sewing needles or pins? Is it just medical needles that set you off? No problem at all from sewing needles/pins; in fact, as a teenager I experimented with poking myself with them to see if it bothered me. It didn’t, other than the pain from it (which, since i was going slow, was a lot worse than from a syringe). It’s all in my head–which makes me even more frustrated, since I feel like I ought to be able to just get over it, yet I can’t. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/87 "2005-05-10T20:08:07Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > SumBITCH. Stellar point. > [@](#): > > A crowded restaurant is not the place I want to receive a subcutaneous injection. Good for you. Hopefully **Hentor** will take that into account when he is your legal guardian. > [@](#): > > I’m talking about doing everything possible to minimize risks. **Hentor** ’s kid is probably less than pleased about having to receive injections, regardless of the size of the needle – why take the risk of having somebody jostle you while you’re doing it? Like I said (funny you should accuse people of not reading posts), there is no way to eliminate risks, and keeping the kid locked up in a padded room is not condusive to a good life, even if he is physically safer there. So he’s gonna find a balance between risk and life he (or his parents, currently) are comfortable with. > [@](#): > > Fuck you both and the horses you rode in on. I like horsies! > [@](#): > > I never suggested “needle people stay home,” Yes you did. You said … heck, here, I’ll quote it for you: “If your son’s diabetes is severe enough to need injections mere seconds after he eats, maybe going out to eat at a restaurant isn’t the best option.” See, out, in this context means “not home.” So, if he can’t go out- and remember what “out” means- he’d have to stay home. Ergo, he, being a “needle person” for this discussion, whould have to stay home. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/88 "2005-05-10T20:10:33Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > Nah, I’m the one who should apologize – to you, to **Troy McClure SF** and to **Hentor the Barbarian** … Fuck, fuck, fuck! Maybe I should read the posts here, too. Apologies accepted, **Sauron** , and I’m sorry I missed this before I posted above. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/89 "2005-05-10T20:10:36Z")
> [@Sauron](#): > > A crowded restaurant is not the place I want to receive a subcutaneous injection. I’m talking about doing everything possible to minimize risks. **Hentor** ’s kid is probably less than pleased about having to receive injections, regardless of the size of the needle – why take the risk of having somebody jostle you while you’re doing it? Well, i don’t know what restaurants you frequent, but you make it sound like they suffer from nightclub-type levels of congestion and jostling. I can’t remember the last time i was “jostled” while seated at my table in a restaurant, and i would be rather uninclined to eat at any restaurant where this was likely to occur on any sort of regular basis. My friends and i eat occasionally at a well-known and very popular Baltimore restaurant (The Helmand, in Mount Vernon, for you locals). This place is full almost every night of the week, and the tables are set reasonably close together in some parts of the dining room. The waiters often have to move behind chairs and around tables to serve people, and when large groups enter or leave they have to make sure they move in single file. It’s a reasonably tight and busy space overall. And not once have i noticed being jostled or pushed. The waiters are very good at doing what they need to do without disturbing the diners, and people entering or leaving are conscious of not invading the table space of others. If you’re frequently subjected to jostling while actually seated at the table, you might want to think about changing restaurants. And if you really think that this is a safety issue for a diabetic, i suggest that your concern over his safety and comfort is somewhat out of proportion to the actual risk. ---
**Author:** ![whiterabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/cab0a1/32.png) [@whiterabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/whiterabbit)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/90 "2005-05-10T20:17:16Z")
I’ve been at a table right next to somebody injecting himself at the table in a restaurant and didn’t realize what he was doing until he was done. I can’t imagine how that was in any way rude, I simply can’t. I almost missed the whole thing, it was quick and discreet. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/91 "2005-05-10T20:37:48Z")
> [@cher3](#): > > Blood is cleaner than saliva, **Ninjachick** , do you worry a lot about whether someone set their used fork down on that table? Also, see **Qadgop’s** post above. Yes, I do, actually. You have a plate, put your used utensils on that, which will be washed thoroughly before someone else is expected to come in contact with it, other than clearing it off the table. And I saw **Qadgop** ’s post. I’m skeptical that someone can puncture their skin in an extremely public place, inches from where people are _eating_, and there’s absolutely no risk of contamination. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/92 "2005-05-10T20:42:54Z")
Good lord, what a bunch of ninny-hammers. I detest spiders, but if some dude is walking around with a spider on his shoulders, I’m just going to look away…just like I do when the little fuckers pop up on TV. Of course, if he crawls across my leg, that will be the end of him… I was at some Boy Scout camp as a kid (duh!) and we were standing in line for food when another scout pulled out a syringe of insulin and jammed it in his leg (really, from like shoulder height right into his thigh). I thought it was pretty damned funny. No one passed out or had need of any medical assistance, so I think the whole matter was a success. ---
**Author:** ![cher3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/da6949/32.png) [@cher3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cher3)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/93 "2005-05-10T20:47:26Z")
It occurs to me that the level of unawareness of 1) when and how often diabetics have to take insulin 2) what the apparatus and procedure looks like and 3) how much hazardous waste is (not) strewn about indicates that the average diabetic isn’t really causing a signficant amount of stress for the average restaurant-goer. ---
**Author:** ![kidchameleon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/898d66/32.png) [@kidchameleon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kidchameleon)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/94 "2005-05-10T20:50:13Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > Yes, I do, actually. You have a plate, put your used utensils on that, which will be washed thoroughly before someone else is expected to come in contact with it, other than clearing it off the table. Sometimes I save my fork for dessert. > [@](#): > > And I saw **Qadgop** ’s post. I’m skeptical that someone can puncture their skin in an extremely public place, inches from where people are _eating_, Maybe you should give the diabetic some room. You shouldn’t be eating that close to people. > [@](#): > > and there’s absolutely no risk of contamination. I regularly but not routinely jab myself with much larger needles at work and other than the occassional drop of blood, there isn’t any ‘contamination’. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/95 "2005-05-10T20:50:47Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > And I saw **Qadgop** ’s post. I’m skeptical that someone can puncture their skin in an extremely public place, inches from where people are _eating_, and there’s absolutely no risk of contamination. Call me kooky, but on the issue of contamination risk from insulin needles, I’m more than willing to take the word of the MD with a diabetic kid. > [@Left Hand of Dorkness](#): > > Well, I’m saying that the complaint (IF someone is being ostentatious about the needle) is not ridiculous: whereas there’s no real etiquette need for anyone to eat purchased food discreetly at a restaurant, there is an etiquette need to make any necessary injections in a discreet manner. So the comparison don’t work. Of course, that “if” wasn’t implied, so far as I can tell, in the post I was responding to. It was made as a blanket statement: “Don’t do it, because there might be a needlephobic in the room, and she’ll puke if she sees you!” I think that “Don’t treat your particular medical condition out of deference to MY (likely much rarer) particular medical condition!” is a pretty ridiculous request, generally speaking. > [@Sauron](#): > > Nah, I’m the one who should apologize – to you, to Troy McClure SF and to Hentor the Barbarian. I shouldn’t have flown off the handle like that. I fell victim to one of the classic blunders. The most famous, of course, is “Never get involved in a land war in Asia.” But only slightly less well-known is this: Never get involved in a Pit thread when you really don’t know much about the topic at hand. That goes doubly when one is not making one’s point very well. Hey, if you think you can get off the hook just by quoting _The Princess Bride_ and offering a sincere apology… uh… Heck, I guess you _can_ get off the hook just by quoting _The Princess Bride_ and offering a sincere apology. Cheers! ---
**Author:** ![Sauron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Sauron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sauron)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/96 "2005-05-10T20:57:52Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Heck, I guess you _can_ get off the hook just by quoting The Princess Bride and offering a sincere apology. Words to live by. ---
**Author:** ![Dazzling\_White\_Diamonds](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dazzling\_White\_Diamonds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dazzling_White_Diamonds)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/97 "2005-05-10T20:58:20Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Regulation of a cat’s blood sugar is much less precise than a person’s. If there were a way to do such simple blood tests on cats as on people, the controls for the insulin could be stricter, too. > > With the stricter controls, people can live healthy lives with diabetes. With cats, it’s a lot of guesswork and making do, and their health does suffer for it. Not to hijack this thread, but I used to test my cat’s sugar level with the same type of glucometer that we would use on ourselves. Very handy… actually, invaluable. She would have most certainly died if we hadn’t had that available. Feel free to e-mail me if you’d like. I’d be more than happy to tell you about how we controlled her blood sugar. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/98 "2005-05-10T21:01:48Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > Of course, that “if” wasn’t implied, so far as I can tell, in the post I was responding to. The post you were responding to was a “me too!” for someone who said they’d rather see a kid get a needlestick than a kid throw a snotty tantrum (more or less). Thus my confusion–sorry! As it is, I don’t think we disagree. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/99 "2005-05-10T21:05:00Z")
> [@NinjaChick](#): > > And I saw **Qadgop** ’s post. I’m skeptical that someone can puncture their skin in an extremely public place, inches from where people are _eating_, and there’s absolutely no risk of contamination. Why? I mean, presumably the sort of person who needs to test their own blood is generally conscious of not making some sort of spectacle, and will take all necessary precautions to keep the whole procedure as simple and unintrusive as possible. Unless they start flicking their hand about and spraying droplets of blood all over the place, i’m really not sure what the risk would be. Hell, even then the risk of actually contaminating someone with anything would probably be pretty slim. Think back to the last time you cut yourself at home, in the kitchen or wherever. What did you do? Presumably, immediately covered the cut with a tissue or cloth of some sort, maybe washed it or stuck it in your mouth, then applied a plaster of bandage and threw out any blood-stained tissues. What do you think was the risk of getting that blood on anyone else who didn’t purposely come into direct contact with you? And the amount of blood from a kitchen-knife cut is usually orders of magnitude greater than that resulting from a blood-test prick. In a restaurant, your risk of contamination is probably much greater from a cook, waiter, or diner failing to wash their hands in the bathroom and then touching your food, your cutlery, or you. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240/100 "2005-05-10T21:10:41Z")
> [@mhendo](#): > > Well, you learn something every day. > > Before reading this thread, if i had seen someone injecting insulin in a restaurant i probably would have thought it rather inappropriate, even though i’m not personally grossed out by needles and stuff. > > But i was not aware that insulin injections were so time-dependent. My wife and i have a diabetic cat that needs insulin injections twice a day, and the vet has always told us to just give two injection twelve hours apart, with no instructions about injections close to meal times or anything like that. I guess i sort of just assumed that it was the same for people. But apparently giving the injection close to eating is very important. > > And, to tell you the truth, the sort of procedure that diabetics go through (the blood test, the injection) seems to occur in such a small, localized setting that you would probably have to be straining pretty hard to see what was actually going on. The chances of inadvertently, just-by-accident seeing the drop of blood from the prick, or the needle enter the skin, seem to be pretty low. As long as the people doing it don’t make a big show, and do their best to be discreet, i don’t see a huge problem. Also, when i’m eating out with friends, i’m usually too concerned with eating my own food and talking to my friends to care what people at the next table over are doing. I probably wouldn’t even notice. > > That said, it would also be nice if the diabetic would have a quick look around beforehand and see if there is a clean, out-of-the-way place where the injection can be done without anyone else being aware of it. My hat’s off to you. I gave two friend’s cats their injections while they were still around. The friends had issues with needles. It takes a real love and committment to do that for a cat, at least with the disposable way too many view pets. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/people-with-diabetes-shouldn-t-inject-insulin-publicly/303240.md?page=6)