So I’m about to get a little real here, this is something that’s been weighing on my mind to post but I haven’t yet due to the sheer embarrassment of it. Has anyone on here actually been victimized to being fired from their job due to a diabetic care issue? I was recently let go because I couldn’t cover lunch for the receptionist right at 12:00. Obviously people without diabetes don’t always understand that you can’t eat at the exact same time every day especially on pump therapy. A lot of my meal times depend on my levels that day and sometimes I need to eat right at 12:00 also. Just wondering if I am being a baby about it or I actually have a box to stand on? I’m wondering if anyone else has encountered a situation as such? I also gave them a reasonable accommodation in email form explaining that due to diabetes I needed to eat at certain times. Just feeling very down about the whole situation and wondering if anyone else has actually experienced it? You hear horror stories but I honestly never thought it would happen to me.
You may want to check with your local ADA. I have heard they have been able to help with cases like this.
Did you have documented accommodations related to your meal times prior to the email?
If you requested a reasonable accommodation before the incident, the company was required by law to respond. I have had accommodations for diabetes declined, but persisted with HR by getting letters from my doctor’s.
But it has to have been asked for ahead of time. If it was, you can file an ADA complaint.
If it wasn’t, you are pretty much out of luck. The company would likely say it wasn’t a problem until this incident so it is just an excuse.
I suggest seeking legal advice.
I dunno. I, personally, feel uncomfortable accepting a job where they are hyper controlling about when I eat, sleep, or go to the bathroom. That just seems like its not gonna be a good fit.
I have definitely faced some stigma (and also fantastic support) in employment situations due to diabetes. But, I have only left jobs, or they have hoped I would leave, due to loss of consciousness (when I was clearly not going to be physically able to fulfill job requirements.) BTW, they offered quite kindley to go out of their way to accommodate me, but I really felt like I would be putting other people out or (or myself) in danger by staying. It was simply more pressing that I figure out why I lost consciousness (epilepsy). Note: Employers were being a bit unreasonable by asking me to work 24 hours a day and I wasn’t sleeping (Both the employer and I recognized that they were simply pushing me beyond my ability to physically cope.)
I don’t feel like I need to eat at a particular time every day. But, I do have the flexibility to eat whenever I want. So, I would like to hear more about that. It seems like something that this community might be able to problem solve so that you might be able to create more flexibility for yourself. However, I would say your employer is being a ‘baby’ if they are that controlling over when you eat lunch. Sounds like a poor workplace culture. As a diabetic, I make the rules about when I eat. As an adult, and an American, I believe that is my right, LOL. If someone else is dying and needs my help, then I will wait for lunch. If not, I eat lunch if I’m hungry. Change the word ‘Americans’ in the following video to ‘Diabetics.’ Go fight diabetic soldier! Tell your employer to call the ‘Waaaambulance,’ if they got a problem with when you eat lunch. I try to pretend that Patton is my endocrinologist in order to get me in the right the mindset for this kinda stuff (Diabetic battles), LOL.
BTW, I’m super sorry this happened to you. The job market is up and employees have more sway than we have had in a long time. So, its not a bad time to look for a better job. Wishing you victory, whatever you decide. Never hurts to find a supportive work environment where people have your back. Here’s a song incase you think thats the better route. - YouTube
Not all jobs have that flexibility.
I agree. This was my first thought. Unless someone is on NPH, such restrictions on when to eat shouldn’t be necessary. A few candies would fix an unexpected low, but regular lows would point at a basall adjustment being needed.
I have already contacted the ADA and they recommended that I go through the EEOC. I actually don’t have documented accommodations within that department, but I did have them with the prior job in payroll for the same company. The problem is those individuals are no longer with the company so I’m not sure if that documentation would still hold any value.
On the contrary, I experience a much higher level of excellence in control when I stay on an eating schedule. Protein is my friend and when I don’t eat three meals a day according to my biological clock my sugars going to get low. Now keep in mind this might be due to my low carb diet which might be contriversial to some of you folks but as long as I eat my lunch between 11:00 to 12:30 that plan has worked good so far. I’m always open to suggestions but I’ve done a lot of research and found what works good for me.
I love that you posted this video, my prior boss was previously in the military and he quoted those lines to me often when I would tell him I can eat and keep working because I’m strong enough. Thanks for that it reminded me of what the bigger goal is here.
If it was written, it still holds true.
So you could have eaten before noon in this case.
I eat low carb. If your blood sugars go low on a low/no carb diet, and you haven’t taken a bolus before the low, it suggests you need a basal adjustment. You should remain in range when fasting. It is how proper basal rates are determined.
I’ve never heard of a recommendation for a diabetic person to fast. Maybe I’m out of the loop but that doesn’t seem in the least bit safe. To the comment on eating at 11:00, sometimes I’m not hungry at 11:00 or my sugar is a bit higher from the night before meaning I would need to eat a bit later. What’s seems odd to me is that this is even up for discussion as I should be able to choose the time I eat each day, espicially if I’ve had a rough d day and eating at a different time then they recommended would help. Just some food for thought. Lol cheesy I know.
Think of it this way and it might give you a different perspective. Let’s say the issue was reversed and I had a high blood sugar due to a pump/pod error. If I need to go give a shot then you bet that I’m going to drop whatever is going on and do that. If there’s an emergency then I find someone else who can handle it in the meantime. It’s in the same ballpark as eating at the time that is best for my personal control. Everyone does it differently and we need to respect those care regimenes that are different from our own if they’re working.
I suppose the difference is that a bolus can be done very quickly. Eating a full meal takes at least 15 minutes.
If I couldn’t eat at a certain time because my blood sugar was high, then I’d skip the meal that day. I’ could eat a quick snack later once my blood sugar was lower. Theoretically, this should happen infrequently because my blood sugar should be in range before a meal if my basal insulin is set properly and I’ve dosed accurately for meals before that.
I make a special effort to keep my blood sugar in range while at work by eating low carb because I want to be at my best while working and able to be present and alert for important meetings.
I think it’s very unreasonable/unethical for an employer to not allow you to correct for a low or a high. I think it’s pretty reasonable to set a time frame for lunch- especially with certain jobs.
I like your strategy, of course even though we try to be in “perfect” control all the time realistically that can’t happen every day. In a perfect world we would not be perfect diabetics, we would be NO diabetics. 
I wouldn’t consider that perfect control. I would say that means my blood sugar is in the right range the majority of the time because I have a plan, and I have a backup plan for when it isn’t.
If I were to tell my employer frequently that I couldn’t attend important meetings because I needed to eat lunch, then I wouldn’t get assigned to important projects because he would predict I couldn’t be there for critical meetings.
An occasional sick day or something like that should be expected though. I’m sorry if this was an occasional issue that your employer blew out of proportion.
It is part of every pump startup training, but basil rate testing should be done by every diabetic. You have lows when you don’t eat, so you have an incorrect basal. You can argue with it if you wish. Just trying to help you resolve am issue you brought up.
Then you need a written accommodation for your work. But am accommodation doesn’t apply if you can’t meet the requirements of the job. I claim no knowledge of your job requirements nor if covering for someone is or isn’t reasonable for that job. But if your basal is set correctly, adjusting your eating time, or skipping a meal altogether, shouldn’t be an issue.
Yes that is inded correct. I was there for her every day at 12:00 unless I needed to eat ASAP. I would always make it work for her with minimal issues and would pre plan so she would feel accommodated.
I’m sorry but I can never agree with this, especially with as many diabetics that I know of that have intentionally “skipped” meals so they would be a “bother”. This is a major issue that needs to be addressed and someone feeling that they need to skip a meal should never be ok, heck if a person without diabetes skips a meal that feel weak so I can never be on board with that. We need to educate people not tell them it’s ok to starve themselves, especially if it’s because their work or a family member wants them to and it’s going to cause a low. My endo even suggested years ago that I shouldn’t skip a meal so until you get those credentials buddy get off your soap box. I don’t mean to be rude here but don’t question my basil rate adjustments when my A1C is near perfect.
@Elyssia_Reedy
Meanings can be tough to convey in short text messages but I think @kmichel might only have been suggesting that if you are having some lows by not eating that it is a possibility that some tweaks to your basal rates might be able to alleviate that particular issue.
Certainly what works for one person does not necessary work for another person.
I do find (for us) that periodically testing the basal rate can be helpful as the rate that previously was appropriate may not necessarily be appropriate now. When we are doing basal testing what works for us is to start a 6~8 hour fast if/when the BG is straight, level and in range going into the start of the 6~8 hour period.
The objective is then to see if the pump basal rate is able to maintain that BG. If so - great. Perfect. If not, maybe the pump settings need to be adjusted.
As mentioned, this is what we find helpful.
Certainly understandable if you find alternative approaches to work better for you.
Thanks for clarifying, I honestly have never heard of that approach and it seemed to me like he was insinuating that skipping meals on a regular basis is ok. I find the more I work out the more I do have to tweak the levels so I’ll take that into consideration. If Mr. soapbox wants to skip meals then he can have at it but I turn into a snickers commercial. 
As @Tim35 said, you are reading into what I said. Fasting for short periods to test basal is what good endos recommend.
That is what I am trying to do with you. Endos all over the world recommend basal testing.
Don’t assume on my credentials.
A1C is not directly related to basal, but I’m not going to try to teach you about that.
Don’t be rude and offensive or people won’t try to help you. It’s also against the spirit of this community.