I got a juror summons in the mail the other day and to be honest I’m feeling really apprehensive about it. I get at least one mild low (which I would consider 50-69) on most days. When it happens, I sort of block out anything said to me, even if the person is sitting right next to me. I also need to get to my OJ, and possibly rest for 15-20 minutes if I’m feeling shaky.
The thought of this happening while sitting in a jury box really bothers me. I’d have to test in a little chair with people sitting all around me, which would be uncomfortable for me and likely distracting to the trial. I might have to run out and get something to eat, but I could probably make do with an OJ, glucose tablets, and a granola bar by my side. If I could do this all outside, I’d have to ask to be excused, delaying the trial possibly up to 20 minutes for me to start feeling normal again.
Conversely, the thought of getting a high BG is also cause for concern. I would feel completely helpless if I had a high BG and all I could do was sit there all day. I work from home, and it makes my life so much easier. If I have a high BG, I can drink a big glass of water, go for a walk, maybe play a bit of basketball, and bring things back down in a healthy and fast way. If I were in a jury box, all I could do is either give myself a shot right there, or go out to the bathroom to do it. Both ways are uncomfortable for me, and would delay a trial.
I think if I really had to do it I could find a way to make it work. However, that kind of confinement and lack of control over my schedule would give me some major headaches.
How about everyone else? Do you use diabetes as a medical excuse to get out of jury duty? Or do you tough it out an go through it?
I’m up for jury duty in LA in the fall and I’ve already called to ask about that. They said that being diabetic is not a problem (as in not a reason to excuse) and that they take regular breaks so that one can take a shot/snack then.
My thought is that if you have too many lows on a regular basis that would not enable you to function as a juror very well. I’d just mention this, in private perhaps, to the judge/lawyers when they’re filtering out potential jurors. It might not get you out, but at least you’re giving them advance warning.
Get some glucose tablets. If you are able to anticipate this low (and it’s fairly significant), you need to eat more or you need to back off your insulin. I’ve done jury duty a couple of times. If you feel you need to treat, many times you can indicate this by raising your hand and they will take a break. Part of your responsibility as a diabetic is to carry the quick-acting carbs with you. Extremely tight control is laudable but you can relax you control a bit for situations like this. Test you BG right before each session to see if you are at an okay point.
I suspect that you’ll do better than you think you will – but I definitely understand the reluctance to put yourself in a situation where injx, testing and eating glucose tabs would be awkward. For me, the mental hurdles of preparation have always been far worse than the actual execution. Be upfront about what you need from them to accommodate you and see what they say. It’s important that they understand the situation fully so that if you need a break it is taken seriously
My strategy for the GREs was to eat low carb in the morning – cheese and meat – so that I only needed a small amount of insulin if any. At the time I was on Lantus and that covered most of it and a U or 2 of humulin R. I was a little high in the end ~4h later but not so high that I was symptomatic.