If I'm on a train or subway close to lots of people I will just test inside my purse. Most of the time people are too busy talking on their phones to notice you or what you are doing. I will test in restaurants - I'll just put my tester on my lap and test. I even inject at the table. But the issue for me is that I've had this for so long (28 years and I'm 34 now) that if I feel I need to test in public that means I'll probably have to inject or eat in public too.
In 28 years and with all the places I've lived in the world not once did someone question me, comment or even take notic. I used to eat lunch with this one guy I had a class with for a year - it wasn't until I was at his house and said "oh I should do my needle before dinner" that he even knew I was diabetic. I had been testing and injecting in front of him for 8 months and he never noticed.
Trust me people are too caught up in their world to notice what you are doing. Test away!!
Ah heck - most people are so wrapped up in themselves they barely notice what's going on a few inches away. I rarely have anyone seem to notice - whether it's at yoga, tai chi, zumba or on the treadmill at the Y.If people stare, let them. If they ask questions, maybe they're really interested.
Once I was putting a syringe in a sharps container in a public bathroom. A lady them said she always wondered what the box on the wall was for and we had a nice chat about it.
Things are what they are. Several years ago I was taking an injection while riding public transportation. A fellow asked if I was injecting heroin. I said, "yes, and it's really good stuff". He then confessed he was dealing with multiple addictions and said we should "stick together". Fortunately my stop came up before his and we never crossed paths again.
I test and give myself insulin either by pen or through my pump all the time. I don't care what people think. I've had diabetes for a while now and the novelty's completely worn off. I just do what I have to do.
I want to add that I think it's more inconspiuous than going to the bathroom and setting yourself up on the vanity. That freaks people out.
Thanks everyone! I'm learning to not care as much now, as to what other people think. :)
I think of what they would think, if they knew that im not taking good care of my condition because of what i think they think. And then i dont worry :).
I have got rid of my bg case and strapped the strips, meter and finger pricker with a rubber band to be able to test in under 10 seconds every time. Look
it is amazing, but many, many people don't even notice when we test! test away! it's way better than having a low in front of people. i hate that.
I agree - it's so true that people don't pay half as much attention to people around them as they do to what's going on with themselves. Everyone is self involved and not paying attention to me - ya know.
OMGosh...I JUST HAD THIS HAPPEN TO ME! Of ALL ppl, it was my Small Group leader in church... we were at a function where I needed to test and bolus. I set my meter and test strip up on the table and pricked my finger in my lap... then brought the meter to my lap for testing and laid it back on the table to put away the lancing device and bottle of test strips. He FLIPPED OUT! I had TWO ppl in between us and he just put his arm up on the table and turned his head, I thought he was going to vomit! He was like "do you have to do that here, isn't there anywhere else you can go?" I thought he was joking but when I realized he was serious I said "oh, by the way, I'll have to bolus too and if you keep acting like that I'll do it right here at the table..." to which I did...but I had a little girl who was watching my every move and she was in his line of sight when I did the shot.
I realize it's not everybody's cup of tea and I DID NOT make it to where I could be seen...I didn't put myself on parade! Oh well, I'll handle it differently next time! FO SHO!
I test in public all of the time. If someone asks me, I show them what I am doing. I think of it as a teaching moment. Before I got my pump, I would take my shots in front of everybody. If someone objected, I told them to look the other way.
I test in public frequently, but I try not to announce it by action or make a big deal of it. We have to test. It is part of a diabetic lifestyle. I really don't care about what others think of me at that point. If they accept me, they get the whole package, diabetes and all.
If I am at a table, such as a restaurant or at a conference, I will do it in my lap, under the table. If I can turn away from the crowd, I will do that.
Please don't feel bad about testing. This is your well-being.
Be well.
Brian Wittman
Ah, I have been there, lafashionaddict. Well, not yoga specifically, but being embarrassed by testing in public. When I was a child I was *mortified* to do anything - testing, injecting, anything that would make me stand out - in public. I have grown out of that, though, out of necessity. I now test at work, at restaurants, before my dance class, etc. It's just something I have learned that I need to do, just like I need to prick myself with needles, which I would also rather not do. I have occasionally had someone look at me. I usually just ignore them. But most of the time, as many people have said here, people are too busy with their own lives to notice.
You gotta do what you gotta do.
If somebody stops what they are doing to tie a shoe to avoid tripping & getting hurt, nobody bats an eye. It should be the same with a BG test. It might be unusual, but it is just as reasonable and necessary.
Honestly, I am still a little bit skittish about doing it in public. I try to avoid it whenever possible. But at the same time, you certainly should not put your health in danger in any way over such an issue. Check whenever you feel you need to check...you will be proud of yourself in the long run.