OK, I have to confess… I use my diabetes to get out of doing things, like um… jury duty. Sh… don’t tell!
I’ve also used it to call in sick at work (about twice a year) when I really just wanted to stay home and play a new video game or read a book. I know, I’m horrible… 
No, I can honestly say I never used it as an excuse.
Lol, of course I have! I used it to get out of PE in college. It was wonderful =)
PE in college is seriously the lamest thing EVER. holla. Lol
What did they think you were going to with your lancet? Sometimes I think they go way too far on the security thing…
I did have to include a note from both my doctor and my endo to prove that I have diabetes, but now when they send me a jury summons, I just fill it out, list I have diabetes, give both doctors’ phone numbers and state that they should have a medical note on file for me already. They always excuse me from jury duty with no problems, so far…
A lot of times in my chinese class, when the teacher passes … “interesting” food that I really don’t want to try, I pull out the whole, “I forgot my insulin so I can’t eat it” excuse 
i’ve used i some like saying my sugars low, i can’t do this. but not a whole lot. i don’t feel too bad about it. i just think of it as i migh as well some some good out of it all
Once, this summer. My roommates and I were camping and we ended up in some awful campsite because we thought our normal place was booked. We got in around 2:00AM, set up camp next to an RV, then checked out our site in the morning…I kid you not it was less than 5 feet away from a horse stable, so we told the camp attendants that I had left my insulin at home (60 miles away) and we had to go. We ended up 2 miles down the road at our normal camp site…
I’m guilty of this. I have a VERY long winded boss and while she was giving one of her 1-2 hour mettings/lectures I claimed a low blood sugar and left the meeting early “in search of some carbs.” Also, in middle school, I’d skip about 3-4 gym classes a month by claiming a low blood sugar. It’s horrible, I know 
I’ve never heard of a PE classes in college, thats interesting.
Since becoming Type I, each county I’ve lived in has called me for jury duty, at which time I either make a phone call and/or provide the facts in writing with the means for the county to verify with my physicians. Invariably, my name has been removed from the pool of potential jurors. I cite very valid reasoning: The potential risks of not absorbing or mentally processing important facts, evidence and actions at a crucial time in a trial, due to a sneaky low blood sugar or a screaming high one after a meal that I had to guess the carb-count of, are just too significant to risk someone’s future.
omg! yes i’ve done it but only in highschool. In Phy.Ed class i remember i had a coach i hated sooo bad and he would always pick on me. Till one day we were suppost to play football YES GIRLS PLAYING FOOTBALL vs the guys so i was like “hell to the no no im not playing” and i guess he overheard me or something and i told him i cant play, the weather is 100 degrees out here and i have diabetes. I Dont wanna have low blood sugars or just faint in the field. So i guess my excuse was reasonable but still i feel horrible bout doing that stuff.
Honestly, the only times I did this was to get out of drugs & alcohol with friends in high school and college. Fortunately they were pretty accepting and I was still able to hang out with them when I wanted. (And it wasn’t because I was the designated driver - I didn’t have a license or a car!)
Now, could I have smoked pot and drank a lot of beer without causing serious diabetic problems? Sure. But my friends didn’t know that. So what college kid doesn’t want to do that stuff, you ask? I guess I didn’t because of diabetes, which instilled some self-discipline and knowledge of how things could really throw my bg out of control.
I wish I did. No offense, but for years I soldiered on at work, showing up when feeling bad or going one in spite of exhaustion. Then one day I took a new med and the next morning I was out walking the dog and I was exhausted hazy, and off kilter. I called in and said oh sc*ew it I am not going in. the next day the boss want sot know if I can continue with my work based on my health. Three months later I was on disabilityas my doctors said it was time to hang up the day by day effort. I have to say I never knew how bad I really felt or what it was dong to me. Had I been a slcker earlier, I woudl likely be more healthy today.
Rick
I have never used my diabetes as an excuse to get out of anything. However, I just got on the Medtronic pump a month ago, and I was called for jury duty at the same time. My endocrinologist said, "No way, not with being new to insulin pumping, you cannot go serve on a jury!", so she wrote me a note and they excused me.
I love the Medtronic pump and now don't know how I lived without it. I tried the OmniPod but it came off and there was no warning and I nearly went into DKA again. I got the Medtronic Paradigm Revel 723 pump and I just love it. It also has the CGM as well, which is very helpful and useful. I started on the Medtronic on Oct. 5th.
I have always tried to NOT use diabetes as an excuse anytime, anywhere, as it diminishes all our efforts to survive, be understood and respected. I know that seems high handed, but after all these years of coping with Type 1, being ordinary sets a tone.
Please VOTE on Tuesday!
Even though this post is four years old, it applies to me as I was just called for jury duty. I'm not going to try to get out of it, but they are not going to take my pump or meter...no way...no how! Not going to happen. I'll just say "medical necessity" and "ADA" as in Americans with Disability Act. If that gets me out of jury duty, all the better.
Good for you, Spock! I feel the same way but was hesitant to say so for fear of sounding like a "goody goody". It's more that I don't want to think of myself as disabled.
I do have a Type 1 student in my Community College class who e-mailed me that "I'm a type 1 diabetic and I missed the test because I had to go to my diabetes appointment in SF". Wrong person to tell that to!
When I was first diagnosed, I informed my superiors at work of the situation. I told them that I would do all the regular responsibilities of my job, but not to expect to see me at after-hours events. This was helpful as I needed to make my healthcare a priority. My declaration made it very easy to say no to extra assignments, weekend events, etc. And the bosses didn't pressure me otherwise.
Now that I'm 2+ years living with diabetes, I'm more likely to say yes to some of the extras at work.
You folks take all the fun out of things....Well, to be truthful I agree with you and Spock, I haven't and don't use it as an excuse. In 25+ years as a T2 sometimes with out of control BS I probally could justify using it as an excuse but didn't. If the need was truly legit I would do it but then it's not an excuse it is a reason.
Gary
Nope.