Diabetes, needles & insulin shots at the breakfast table

[Kay Nein]

I am so grateful for this thread! The other innkeeper came up to me today with eyes wide, "That lady must be a diabetic!". I said, "You found a needle in the trash, didn't you?" She was stunned.
As I often do, I started with, "Well, on the innkeeper site they said..." (I think everyone's getting tired of hearing that line *lol*) BUT - I mentioned that everyone was just talking about it and that we need to be very careful when emptying trash cans. Luckily, the needle was capped, but it really freaked her out.

 

[Samster]

Insulin Dependent Diabetic here. Been that way since I was three. Modesty in shot giving is admirable... but at the same time when you are used to giving 3-4/day, 1,400/year, 14,000/decade, 84,000/lifetime .... you see how the numbers add up. Modesty doesn't have to go out the window... but it often does. Some do it because they aren't modest, some do it because they are attention hounds.
As far as what I would say... nobody likes to be scolded for being who they are. Scold them, and you will probably never see them again (only you can decide whether that is the desired effect you want). These may not be great analogies... but it is an example of the difficulty in drawing these kind of lines:

• Would you suggest that a guest who is an amputee cover their artificial leg because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest with a tracheotomy stomata wear a turtle-neck because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest taking a barrage of pills take them in their room rather than at the table because some people have gag reflexes when they see others taking pills?

Regarding the issue of disposal. Sure pharmacies accept syringes for disposal....that is a relatively recent thing.... If I am traveling, am I going to run off to the pharmacy every day? That's just not realistic. Yes people should travel with a sharps container...but these guests are the same ones that forget to pack toothpaste, and leave cameras behind. In all the "should haves" life happens and things don't get planned for accordingly.
I'm on a pump now, so the daily injections are no longer an issue for me.
All the years of syringes and lancets and trash emptying, the number of times I got stuck accidentally.... 0. It doesn't mean that it can't happen, but the insulin syringes have very small needles and fairly tight caps. Nurses and physicians are trained to never try to recap a syringe, but diabetics do it pretty regularly.
Best to train staff and yourselves in the same methods custodians are trained for in hospitals. "NEVER NEVER NEVER pack down or crush a trash bag." You never know what can stick you.... syringe, broken bottle, broken wine glass, bent coat hanger, steak knife, jagged plastic. It is just a safe habit to build..

Well said, Swirt! All innkeepers and their staff (whomever that might be) should be very careful with guest trash (and your own trash, if you're a spaz like me and break stuff and chuck it in the trash sometimes without wrapping it in something!). And wear gloves when cleaning.
But, I think that a little discretion with injections in a communal setting is probably a good idea...sometimes the sight of even the tiniest needle going into human flesh makes some folks get light headed.

 

[HighMountainLodge]

Insulin Dependent Diabetic here. Been that way since I was three. Modesty in shot giving is admirable... but at the same time when you are used to giving 3-4/day, 1,400/year, 14,000/decade, 84,000/lifetime .... you see how the numbers add up. Modesty doesn't have to go out the window... but it often does. Some do it because they aren't modest, some do it because they are attention hounds.
As far as what I would say... nobody likes to be scolded for being who they are. Scold them, and you will probably never see them again (only you can decide whether that is the desired effect you want). These may not be great analogies... but it is an example of the difficulty in drawing these kind of lines:

• Would you suggest that a guest who is an amputee cover their artificial leg because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest with a tracheotomy stomata wear a turtle-neck because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest taking a barrage of pills take them in their room rather than at the table because some people have gag reflexes when they see others taking pills?

Regarding the issue of disposal. Sure pharmacies accept syringes for disposal....that is a relatively recent thing.... If I am traveling, am I going to run off to the pharmacy every day? That's just not realistic. Yes people should travel with a sharps container...but these guests are the same ones that forget to pack toothpaste, and leave cameras behind. In all the "should haves" life happens and things don't get planned for accordingly.
I'm on a pump now, so the daily injections are no longer an issue for me.
All the years of syringes and lancets and trash emptying, the number of times I got stuck accidentally.... 0. It doesn't mean that it can't happen, but the insulin syringes have very small needles and fairly tight caps. Nurses and physicians are trained to never try to recap a syringe, but diabetics do it pretty regularly.
Best to train staff and yourselves in the same methods custodians are trained for in hospitals. "NEVER NEVER NEVER pack down or crush a trash bag." You never know what can stick you.... syringe, broken bottle, broken wine glass, bent coat hanger, steak knife, jagged plastic. It is just a safe habit to build..

Insulin Dependent Diabetic here. Been that way since I was three. Modesty in shot giving is admirable... but at the same time when you are used to giving 3-4/day, 1,400/year, 14,000/decade, 84,000/lifetime .... you see how the numbers add up. Modesty doesn't have to go out the window... but it often does. Some do it because they aren't modest, some do it because they are attention hounds.
As far as what I would say... nobody likes to be scolded for being who they are. Scold them, and you will probably never see them again (only you can decide whether that is the desired effect you want). These may not be great analogies... but it is an example of the difficulty in drawing these kind of lines:

• Would you suggest that a guest who is an amputee cover their artificial leg because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest with a tracheotomy stomata wear a turtle-neck because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest taking a barrage of pills take them in their room rather than at the table because some people have gag reflexes when they see others taking pills?

Regarding the issue of disposal. Sure pharmacies accept syringes for disposal....that is a relatively recent thing.... If I am traveling, am I going to run off to the pharmacy every day? That's just not realistic. Yes people should travel with a sharps container...but these guests are the same ones that forget to pack toothpaste, and leave cameras behind. In all the "should haves" life happens and things don't get planned for accordingly.
I'm on a pump now, so the daily injections are no longer an issue for me.
All the years of syringes and lancets and trash emptying, the number of times I got stuck accidentally.... 0. It doesn't mean that it can't happen, but the insulin syringes have very small needles and fairly tight caps. Nurses and physicians are trained to never try to recap a syringe, but diabetics do it pretty regularly.
Best to train staff and yourselves in the same methods custodians are trained for in hospitals. "NEVER NEVER NEVER pack down or crush a trash bag." You never know what can stick you.... syringe, broken bottle, broken wine glass, bent coat hanger, steak knife, jagged plastic. It is just a safe habit to build.

I'm sorry, Swirt, but this is nonsense. If you have been insulin dependent for so long, then you certainly have been instructed in a protocol for disposing of your needles that will not put other people at risk. I find it hard to believe that you would put forgetting a sharps container for your needles in the same category as forgetting your toothpaste! Are you serious?
For you to say that "best to train staff and yourselves in the same methods custodians are trained in...." is an absurd, arrogant, and narcissistic statement.

I can't imagine a person so incompetent in managing her long-standing insulin dependency that she has to shoot up after eating a muffin at my breakfast table. That's just crazy!
We have diabetics staying with us occasionally. They tell us of their condition, and we ask what sorts of dietary accommodations we need to make. This is not a big deal.
But, my God, to put sharps in our trash is absolutely unacceptable. If you have given yourself as many shots as you claim from whatever juvenile age you began doing so, then you surely know how to dispose of your needles without expecting us to miraculously know that there are sharps in our trash.

Are you that arrogant?
Or are you just trying to prove something?

 

[Madeleine]

Insulin Dependent Diabetic here. Been that way since I was three. Modesty in shot giving is admirable... but at the same time when you are used to giving 3-4/day, 1,400/year, 14,000/decade, 84,000/lifetime .... you see how the numbers add up. Modesty doesn't have to go out the window... but it often does. Some do it because they aren't modest, some do it because they are attention hounds.
As far as what I would say... nobody likes to be scolded for being who they are. Scold them, and you will probably never see them again (only you can decide whether that is the desired effect you want). These may not be great analogies... but it is an example of the difficulty in drawing these kind of lines:

• Would you suggest that a guest who is an amputee cover their artificial leg because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest with a tracheotomy stomata wear a turtle-neck because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest taking a barrage of pills take them in their room rather than at the table because some people have gag reflexes when they see others taking pills?

Regarding the issue of disposal. Sure pharmacies accept syringes for disposal....that is a relatively recent thing.... If I am traveling, am I going to run off to the pharmacy every day? That's just not realistic. Yes people should travel with a sharps container...but these guests are the same ones that forget to pack toothpaste, and leave cameras behind. In all the "should haves" life happens and things don't get planned for accordingly.
I'm on a pump now, so the daily injections are no longer an issue for me.
All the years of syringes and lancets and trash emptying, the number of times I got stuck accidentally.... 0. It doesn't mean that it can't happen, but the insulin syringes have very small needles and fairly tight caps. Nurses and physicians are trained to never try to recap a syringe, but diabetics do it pretty regularly.
Best to train staff and yourselves in the same methods custodians are trained for in hospitals. "NEVER NEVER NEVER pack down or crush a trash bag." You never know what can stick you.... syringe, broken bottle, broken wine glass, bent coat hanger, steak knife, jagged plastic. It is just a safe habit to build..

Insulin Dependent Diabetic here. Been that way since I was three. Modesty in shot giving is admirable... but at the same time when you are used to giving 3-4/day, 1,400/year, 14,000/decade, 84,000/lifetime .... you see how the numbers add up. Modesty doesn't have to go out the window... but it often does. Some do it because they aren't modest, some do it because they are attention hounds.
As far as what I would say... nobody likes to be scolded for being who they are. Scold them, and you will probably never see them again (only you can decide whether that is the desired effect you want). These may not be great analogies... but it is an example of the difficulty in drawing these kind of lines:

• Would you suggest that a guest who is an amputee cover their artificial leg because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest with a tracheotomy stomata wear a turtle-neck because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest taking a barrage of pills take them in their room rather than at the table because some people have gag reflexes when they see others taking pills?

Regarding the issue of disposal. Sure pharmacies accept syringes for disposal....that is a relatively recent thing.... If I am traveling, am I going to run off to the pharmacy every day? That's just not realistic. Yes people should travel with a sharps container...but these guests are the same ones that forget to pack toothpaste, and leave cameras behind. In all the "should haves" life happens and things don't get planned for accordingly.
I'm on a pump now, so the daily injections are no longer an issue for me.
All the years of syringes and lancets and trash emptying, the number of times I got stuck accidentally.... 0. It doesn't mean that it can't happen, but the insulin syringes have very small needles and fairly tight caps. Nurses and physicians are trained to never try to recap a syringe, but diabetics do it pretty regularly.
Best to train staff and yourselves in the same methods custodians are trained for in hospitals. "NEVER NEVER NEVER pack down or crush a trash bag." You never know what can stick you.... syringe, broken bottle, broken wine glass, bent coat hanger, steak knife, jagged plastic. It is just a safe habit to build.

I'm sorry, Swirt, but this is nonsense. If you have been insulin dependent for so long, then you certainly have been instructed in a protocol for disposing of your needles that will not put other people at risk. I find it hard to believe that you would put forgetting a sharps container for your needles in the same category as forgetting your toothpaste! Are you serious?
For you to say that "best to train staff and yourselves in the same methods custodians are trained in...." is an absurd, arrogant, and narcissistic statement.

I can't imagine a person so incompetent in managing her long-standing insulin dependency that she has to shoot up after eating a muffin at my breakfast table. That's just crazy!
We have diabetics staying with us occasionally. They tell us of their condition, and we ask what sorts of dietary accommodations we need to make. This is not a big deal.
But, my God, to put sharps in our trash is absolutely unacceptable. If you have given yourself as many shots as you claim from whatever juvenile age you began doing so, then you surely know how to dispose of your needles without expecting us to miraculously know that there are sharps in our trash.

Are you that arrogant?
Or are you just trying to prove something?
.

Are you that arrogant?
Or are you just trying to prove something?

A bit over the top there, HML.

 

[JBloggs]

Insulin Dependent Diabetic here. Been that way since I was three. Modesty in shot giving is admirable... but at the same time when you are used to giving 3-4/day, 1,400/year, 14,000/decade, 84,000/lifetime .... you see how the numbers add up. Modesty doesn't have to go out the window... but it often does. Some do it because they aren't modest, some do it because they are attention hounds.
As far as what I would say... nobody likes to be scolded for being who they are. Scold them, and you will probably never see them again (only you can decide whether that is the desired effect you want). These may not be great analogies... but it is an example of the difficulty in drawing these kind of lines:

• Would you suggest that a guest who is an amputee cover their artificial leg because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest with a tracheotomy stomata wear a turtle-neck because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest taking a barrage of pills take them in their room rather than at the table because some people have gag reflexes when they see others taking pills?

Regarding the issue of disposal. Sure pharmacies accept syringes for disposal....that is a relatively recent thing.... If I am traveling, am I going to run off to the pharmacy every day? That's just not realistic. Yes people should travel with a sharps container...but these guests are the same ones that forget to pack toothpaste, and leave cameras behind. In all the "should haves" life happens and things don't get planned for accordingly.
I'm on a pump now, so the daily injections are no longer an issue for me.
All the years of syringes and lancets and trash emptying, the number of times I got stuck accidentally.... 0. It doesn't mean that it can't happen, but the insulin syringes have very small needles and fairly tight caps. Nurses and physicians are trained to never try to recap a syringe, but diabetics do it pretty regularly.
Best to train staff and yourselves in the same methods custodians are trained for in hospitals. "NEVER NEVER NEVER pack down or crush a trash bag." You never know what can stick you.... syringe, broken bottle, broken wine glass, bent coat hanger, steak knife, jagged plastic. It is just a safe habit to build..

Insulin Dependent Diabetic here. Been that way since I was three. Modesty in shot giving is admirable... but at the same time when you are used to giving 3-4/day, 1,400/year, 14,000/decade, 84,000/lifetime .... you see how the numbers add up. Modesty doesn't have to go out the window... but it often does. Some do it because they aren't modest, some do it because they are attention hounds.
As far as what I would say... nobody likes to be scolded for being who they are. Scold them, and you will probably never see them again (only you can decide whether that is the desired effect you want). These may not be great analogies... but it is an example of the difficulty in drawing these kind of lines:

• Would you suggest that a guest who is an amputee cover their artificial leg because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest with a tracheotomy stomata wear a turtle-neck because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest taking a barrage of pills take them in their room rather than at the table because some people have gag reflexes when they see others taking pills?

Regarding the issue of disposal. Sure pharmacies accept syringes for disposal....that is a relatively recent thing.... If I am traveling, am I going to run off to the pharmacy every day? That's just not realistic. Yes people should travel with a sharps container...but these guests are the same ones that forget to pack toothpaste, and leave cameras behind. In all the "should haves" life happens and things don't get planned for accordingly.
I'm on a pump now, so the daily injections are no longer an issue for me.
All the years of syringes and lancets and trash emptying, the number of times I got stuck accidentally.... 0. It doesn't mean that it can't happen, but the insulin syringes have very small needles and fairly tight caps. Nurses and physicians are trained to never try to recap a syringe, but diabetics do it pretty regularly.
Best to train staff and yourselves in the same methods custodians are trained for in hospitals. "NEVER NEVER NEVER pack down or crush a trash bag." You never know what can stick you.... syringe, broken bottle, broken wine glass, bent coat hanger, steak knife, jagged plastic. It is just a safe habit to build.

I'm sorry, Swirt, but this is nonsense. If you have been insulin dependent for so long, then you certainly have been instructed in a protocol for disposing of your needles that will not put other people at risk. I find it hard to believe that you would put forgetting a sharps container for your needles in the same category as forgetting your toothpaste! Are you serious?
For you to say that "best to train staff and yourselves in the same methods custodians are trained in...." is an absurd, arrogant, and narcissistic statement.

I can't imagine a person so incompetent in managing her long-standing insulin dependency that she has to shoot up after eating a muffin at my breakfast table. That's just crazy!
We have diabetics staying with us occasionally. They tell us of their condition, and we ask what sorts of dietary accommodations we need to make. This is not a big deal.
But, my God, to put sharps in our trash is absolutely unacceptable. If you have given yourself as many shots as you claim from whatever juvenile age you began doing so, then you surely know how to dispose of your needles without expecting us to miraculously know that there are sharps in our trash.

Are you that arrogant?
Or are you just trying to prove something?
.

 

[Proud Texan]

Insulin Dependent Diabetic here. Been that way since I was three. Modesty in shot giving is admirable... but at the same time when you are used to giving 3-4/day, 1,400/year, 14,000/decade, 84,000/lifetime .... you see how the numbers add up. Modesty doesn't have to go out the window... but it often does. Some do it because they aren't modest, some do it because they are attention hounds.
As far as what I would say... nobody likes to be scolded for being who they are. Scold them, and you will probably never see them again (only you can decide whether that is the desired effect you want). These may not be great analogies... but it is an example of the difficulty in drawing these kind of lines:

• Would you suggest that a guest who is an amputee cover their artificial leg because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest with a tracheotomy stomata wear a turtle-neck because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest taking a barrage of pills take them in their room rather than at the table because some people have gag reflexes when they see others taking pills?

Regarding the issue of disposal. Sure pharmacies accept syringes for disposal....that is a relatively recent thing.... If I am traveling, am I going to run off to the pharmacy every day? That's just not realistic. Yes people should travel with a sharps container...but these guests are the same ones that forget to pack toothpaste, and leave cameras behind. In all the "should haves" life happens and things don't get planned for accordingly.
I'm on a pump now, so the daily injections are no longer an issue for me.
All the years of syringes and lancets and trash emptying, the number of times I got stuck accidentally.... 0. It doesn't mean that it can't happen, but the insulin syringes have very small needles and fairly tight caps. Nurses and physicians are trained to never try to recap a syringe, but diabetics do it pretty regularly.
Best to train staff and yourselves in the same methods custodians are trained for in hospitals. "NEVER NEVER NEVER pack down or crush a trash bag." You never know what can stick you.... syringe, broken bottle, broken wine glass, bent coat hanger, steak knife, jagged plastic. It is just a safe habit to build..

"... Scold them, and you will probably never see them again..."

• Would you suggest that a guest who is an amputee cover their artificial leg because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest with a tracheotomy stomata wear a turtle-neck because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest taking a barrage of pills take them in their room rather than at the table because some people have gag reflexes when they see others taking pills?

You're likely to not see other guests if they are being put off by others with medical issues. If a medically necessary procedure can be done in private, it's only considerate to do so. Obviously, some conditions are visible and the other guests will have to deal with it.
I have to ask you, where you draw the line. Would you allow someone to change out a catheter or colostomy bag at the breakfast table? Of course you wouldn't. I think commons sense and common courtesy should rule, but when it doesn't, a sidebar is in order. It IS your home, so your rules should govern.

 

[Samster]

Insulin Dependent Diabetic here. Been that way since I was three. Modesty in shot giving is admirable... but at the same time when you are used to giving 3-4/day, 1,400/year, 14,000/decade, 84,000/lifetime .... you see how the numbers add up. Modesty doesn't have to go out the window... but it often does. Some do it because they aren't modest, some do it because they are attention hounds.
As far as what I would say... nobody likes to be scolded for being who they are. Scold them, and you will probably never see them again (only you can decide whether that is the desired effect you want). These may not be great analogies... but it is an example of the difficulty in drawing these kind of lines:

• Would you suggest that a guest who is an amputee cover their artificial leg because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest with a tracheotomy stomata wear a turtle-neck because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest taking a barrage of pills take them in their room rather than at the table because some people have gag reflexes when they see others taking pills?

Regarding the issue of disposal. Sure pharmacies accept syringes for disposal....that is a relatively recent thing.... If I am traveling, am I going to run off to the pharmacy every day? That's just not realistic. Yes people should travel with a sharps container...but these guests are the same ones that forget to pack toothpaste, and leave cameras behind. In all the "should haves" life happens and things don't get planned for accordingly.
I'm on a pump now, so the daily injections are no longer an issue for me.
All the years of syringes and lancets and trash emptying, the number of times I got stuck accidentally.... 0. It doesn't mean that it can't happen, but the insulin syringes have very small needles and fairly tight caps. Nurses and physicians are trained to never try to recap a syringe, but diabetics do it pretty regularly.
Best to train staff and yourselves in the same methods custodians are trained for in hospitals. "NEVER NEVER NEVER pack down or crush a trash bag." You never know what can stick you.... syringe, broken bottle, broken wine glass, bent coat hanger, steak knife, jagged plastic. It is just a safe habit to build..

Insulin Dependent Diabetic here. Been that way since I was three. Modesty in shot giving is admirable... but at the same time when you are used to giving 3-4/day, 1,400/year, 14,000/decade, 84,000/lifetime .... you see how the numbers add up. Modesty doesn't have to go out the window... but it often does. Some do it because they aren't modest, some do it because they are attention hounds.
As far as what I would say... nobody likes to be scolded for being who they are. Scold them, and you will probably never see them again (only you can decide whether that is the desired effect you want). These may not be great analogies... but it is an example of the difficulty in drawing these kind of lines:

• Would you suggest that a guest who is an amputee cover their artificial leg because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest with a tracheotomy stomata wear a turtle-neck because it makes people uncomfortable?
• Would you suggest that a guest taking a barrage of pills take them in their room rather than at the table because some people have gag reflexes when they see others taking pills?

Regarding the issue of disposal. Sure pharmacies accept syringes for disposal....that is a relatively recent thing.... If I am traveling, am I going to run off to the pharmacy every day? That's just not realistic. Yes people should travel with a sharps container...but these guests are the same ones that forget to pack toothpaste, and leave cameras behind. In all the "should haves" life happens and things don't get planned for accordingly.
I'm on a pump now, so the daily injections are no longer an issue for me.
All the years of syringes and lancets and trash emptying, the number of times I got stuck accidentally.... 0. It doesn't mean that it can't happen, but the insulin syringes have very small needles and fairly tight caps. Nurses and physicians are trained to never try to recap a syringe, but diabetics do it pretty regularly.
Best to train staff and yourselves in the same methods custodians are trained for in hospitals. "NEVER NEVER NEVER pack down or crush a trash bag." You never know what can stick you.... syringe, broken bottle, broken wine glass, bent coat hanger, steak knife, jagged plastic. It is just a safe habit to build.

I'm sorry, Swirt, but this is nonsense. If you have been insulin dependent for so long, then you certainly have been instructed in a protocol for disposing of your needles that will not put other people at risk. I find it hard to believe that you would put forgetting a sharps container for your needles in the same category as forgetting your toothpaste! Are you serious?
For you to say that "best to train staff and yourselves in the same methods custodians are trained in...." is an absurd, arrogant, and narcissistic statement.

I can't imagine a person so incompetent in managing her long-standing insulin dependency that she has to shoot up after eating a muffin at my breakfast table. That's just crazy!
We have diabetics staying with us occasionally. They tell us of their condition, and we ask what sorts of dietary accommodations we need to make. This is not a big deal.
But, my God, to put sharps in our trash is absolutely unacceptable. If you have given yourself as many shots as you claim from whatever juvenile age you began doing so, then you surely know how to dispose of your needles without expecting us to miraculously know that there are sharps in our trash.

Are you that arrogant?
Or are you just trying to prove something?
.

Yowsa, HML!