I’m not going to respond to each of these as I don’t feel it necessary but I don’t need to be “taught” about how A1C is different than your strategies nor do I care about them if you are going to talk to me disrespectfully. I would appreciate kind gestures from you from now on or I will call you out on it. Thank you for resuming our discussions in a calm, tasteful manner as I look forward to reading them if you choose to do so.
This has been a very interesting read. The idea that you “need to eat right at 12:00” does make me question your ability to manage your condition, which is not your employer’s fault. Sometimes meetings at work go over time, folks are late because of whatever, and other’s are no shows. So at work, we need to be able to adjust to schedules as needed… Unless you took a position where every single action was on a clock. Diabetes had moved along from stop drop and roll with the mix actions from the past. So if you need to pop some fast action glucose to “cover lunch for the receptionist” then do it, and plan to eat lunch later. If this is part of your job requirement, then you need to figure out how to manage your condition to accommodate that schedule. You asked if “I am being a baby about it”, and I do think that yes, you are. We are very fortunate to live in an improved world where we are not captive to lunch at noon anymore. I totally understand feeling very down about the whole situation, but hopefully you learned something and can get a better position that has a less stringent schedule requirement so you can be a grown up from now on. Good Luck to you and your next postion 
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I wasn’t going to comment on this thread because I’ve never been fired but the past few posts have convinced me to do so. Some of us diabetics have a very hard time keeping BG’s stable in the absence of regular meals. I’m on the newest insulins on the market and a low carb diet. For most people this combo gives them the freedom to do whatever they want when it comes to food. I however am what is referred to as brittle, only 1% of diabetics on insulin are brittle. This means that no matter how hard you try or how good your basal rate is that you still have trouble controlling your BG’s.
While my BG’s and A1C’s are much better than they used to be sometimes I am at the mercy of my disease and having an understanding work environment makes all the difference. For me personally I would not take a job that didn’t give me some accommodations for the occasional BG issue. That being said I would also make sure everyone I work with knows that this issue could arise ahead of time.
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Just curious Karen, do you wear an insulin pump or an Omnipod? Don’t feel pressured to answer that if you don’t want to.
Thank you, that was very kind and thoughtful. I can completely relate!
I’m also wondering since this was mentioned if anyone has ever experienced a low during a meal time that was more severe than a low not during their regular meal schedule? The reason I ask is that when I was actually skipping lunch to eat it later and covering for her I would treat like a normal low but until I actually ate protein I would continue to drop. I’m not sure if I’ve found a way to prevent this besides eating a protein/carb snack combo but when you’re trying to watch your calories as well this certainly isn’t preferable. Any suggestions would be appreciated from Omnipod users or the pump. I found I have more lows with the pod but so much better control if I eat when I feel like I need to eat.
I wasn’t going to mention this in the original post but my manager was interested in seeing me when our HR department transferred me to the department I was in. I heard from other sources that he did lie about some things to make me look bad to HR and cover for his mistakes so he could keep his job. I added that tid bit just so it’s clear that there were other factors at play here. I don’t regret what happened and agree with other comments suggesting it was a hostile work environment.
I’ve been wearing an insulin pump since 1990, and back then rapid insulin didn’t exist yet, bolus 30 minutes before meals. Or just skip a meal, no problem! This was freedom for me who switched from the mix NPH and R, and then chased the insulin all day long. As said, those days are over…hopefully. If you are chasing your insulin (as we called it), then there are ways to stop. The advice to do basal (it is Basal…not Basil) testing is solid and necessary. If I skip a meal nothing happens…I just keep on going. I can eat any time, any thing, and sometimes I am in a tree when it’s lunch time, but oh well, lunch will have to wait till I can climb out 
It seems to me like you want some validation and permission to say that your work environment is “hostile” and that you have been lied about, and there are other factors at play. Take those to your HR, your boss, and if necessary to the workplace protection lawyers in your jurisdiction.
I’ve worked all sorts of jobs with diabetes, my employer isn’t responsible to see that my condition is managed. If you pass out, of course you need help and hopefully would get help, otherwise do your job as you were hired to do, or find a new one.
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Interesting, have you heard of reasonable accommodations by chance? Just food for thought. Also, please forgive my autocorrect with the word basal as when I type that I have to erase the word nasal each time. I need no valadation from you that the work environment was hostile as I already knew that, I was simply stating that it was a blessing that it happened. I don’t know what’s bothering you tonight but you should just let it go, I know diabetes can be tremendously painful sometimes but it’s not worth getting hostile.
I am not being hostile, Elyssia. The validation you seek is from an entire forum, and when we offer long time life suggestions then you take offense. Reasonable accommodations are something I own and provide for myself. I don’t expect others to “accommodate” my needs at work beyond providing a safe work place, the tools required to do my job, breaks and such as required by the hours and contract…etc., and so on.
As said, if you have to find ways to do your job as related to food issues, then some basal testing so that you don’t have that issue at all is a good place to start. That way you can do any job, anywhere, and your don’t have to worry about snacks, lunch, protein, carbs. You should always have some fast acting glucose on hand…just in case.
It’s hard enough to find a job in this world today. I hope you find a good one!
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I appreciate your response. It seems as if this discussion has turned into a, “should I be able to skip a meal or not skip a meal with pump therapy?” Which is not where I thought it would go. The way that I care for diabetes works extremely well for me and my original post asked for no advice on my personal management, it was asking if others have received descrimination in the work place and how they have dealt with it. I definately don’t want to get into a “management war” so please keep that in mind.
Thank you for the good wishes.
I suppose the response is that we would not consider what you have posted to be discrimination. You have all the tools at your disposal to check your basal rates and prepare yourself for different, perhaps inconvenient moments at work. People who are nondiabetic end up in these types of situations too.
There may have been discrimination in your job, but the situation presented (that you needed to eat a full meal- not just quick carbs- at a particular time of day that varies day to day and so you refused to work during a time when your employer needed you) is not something that someone with a correct basal rate should have difficulty doing unless they have brittle diabetes. This is an uncommon case though, and basal testing may be a good way of determining if this is the problem.
I don’t understand how basal rates are even being determined if no basal testing is done. This is the standard procedure to determine basal rates. If you’re not interested in basal testing, perhaps your doctor might have some suggestions on how to determine basal rates that enable you to have more flexibility in your meal times.
Not being hungry during a meal time is something nondiabetics also experience. This does not warrant an accommodation. If your blood sugar was high from the night before and has still not been corrected by the next day at lunch, then that indicates a problem with diabetes management - not employer discrimination.
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You say “we” as in you have the authority to speak for every individual on here which is a little absurd but thank you for your opinion. I do believe you read into the initial post wrong as I was available for her every day exactly when she needed me to be and even made accommodations for her. I do the best I can with the care team that I have and they have never mentioned “basal fasting” to me. I’ll be sure to mention it but I’m sure they will direct as they always have and tell me to eat when I need to eat. I’m sorry that it seems as if you’ve never had a low situation that can’t be corrected with glucose but it’s a very real issue that a lot of diabetics face. I also haven’t had this happen often which wouldn’t seem to me like a procedure to change any pod settings as it’s rare but it does happen. I hope you realize how blessed you are if you’ve never experienced it.
Mention “basal assessment” or “basal rate checking” instead. “Basal fasting” is not the usual term. As others have said, skipping a meal to observe the effect of basal on blood glucose is standard. The method is described in pretty much all the books on pumping, and many how-tos can be found online.
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My endo has always referred to “basal fasting” as a period in the morning before you eat. As mentioned serveral times before I will look into it but as far as skipping meals completely I know that’s not a healthy adjustment for diabetics.
Based on your description, any meal skipping would be incredibly infrequent. A quick snack should be enough if these situations are only happening every 6 months or so. We are just proposing suggestions so that you’re not limited by diabetes. I’m saying we here, because there have been many suggestions proposed- not just mine.
I have had diabetes for 22 years, so I have most definitely experienced lows. Having a correct basal helps limit these situations though. I would have glucose handy in these situations.
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That’s what most of us would call a “fasting blood sugar,” not a “basal fasting.”
It isn’t an “adjustment.” It’s a standard periodic one-time test, to check whether the basal rate is too high and pushing down your blood sugar even if you don’t eat, or if it’s too low so your BG rises even if you don’t eat. If your basal rate is at the correct setting, your BG should remain fairly stable if a meal is delayed or if you don’t eat a particular meal at all.
These basal assessments are the only way I know of to test whether the pump’s basal rates are set properly. One of the pleasures of the pump is that it allows us to delay or skip a meal without fear of going low, assuming basal rates are set correctly.
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That’s an interesting thought and I appreciate the suggestion but I don’t like to call it “my diabetes” because one day I know there will be a cure or God will heal me. With that in mind for over 23 years it’s been suggested to me to eat protein with the glucose when it doesn’t work. Hey maybe I’ve just discovered that that entire team was misleading me all of those years but it could possibly be a costal difference as well. I’m curious if depending on the area you live in if the training for living with diabetes is varied?
Not speaking for anybody else, but clearly there is a very wide range of Endo provided treatment plans in our area. It ranges from very bad to very good. Buyer beware. Unfortunately.
I believe our Medical Team is outstanding. Not the closest but well worth the drive.
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