by Ed Bryant
Includes photo of Ed Bryant
Type 1 diabetics, and many type 2s, need to inject insulin. When the time comes, they need to take that shot, on schedule, or they risk high blood sugars, and the damage that can follow. It is as important to take your insulin on time as it is to eat on time.
A lot of people really don't like needles. I'm not addressing the new diabetic who looks on his syringe or insulin pen with distaste, but the public. When people don't know--there can be fear. How many of you have found it was time to inject, in public, but either put it off, headed for the nearest restroom, or had to face a lot of unnecessary cringing and whispering from your neighbors?
And it can get worse. Illegal drugs are big news--and to the uninformed, that insulin syringe can make you look like an addict. We know insulin is not heroin or "crack" cocaine--but clueless people can get a little hysterical when they don't understand.
Sometimes clueless people call the cops. Sometimes they are the cops. It's bad enough untrained policemen sometimes mistake hypoglycemia for public intoxication, with tragic results, but there are stories, too many of them, of insulin and syringes being mistaken for drug paraphenelia.
We don't need this. Diabetes is hard enough. Clearly, education is needed--a lot of it. More than 3.5 million Americans use insulin (according to the latest estimates from www.cdc.gov/diabetes/statistics), millions more need to regularly test their blood (another problem for the uninformed public), and all of us, unless we're going to be bedroom hermits, will need to cope with the public.
What can we do? What should be done?
Clearly, the public needs to be educated. We diabetics can't do it all. A bit more discussion of diabetes in school health classes would be a start. Perhaps Hollywood could create a few high-profile roles that featured someone with diabetes? People get far more of their education from the movies than any educator wants to admit. Get people used to it.
But that will take a while. In the meantime, what can we do?
First, when traveling, we can recognize folks are scared of illegal drugs. We can, we should, carry medical IDs, so we can show them to cops, baggage searchers, and customs officials. For international travel, it is worthwhile to carry an explanatory letter from your doctor. You may never encounter trouble--but isn't it better to be prepared?
The following are just a few examples of diabetics taking their shots, and the impression someone from the public had. First, I have made injections countless times while out in public, and have never experienced any problems. Although I try to be discreet, I haven't, for a long time, resorted to a public restroom to take my shot. I usually just inject through my clothing, and it is over with in the blink of an eye. By being courteous, and perhaps telling onlookers what you are doing, you may ward off problems. Recently, while seated at a restaurant, I was about to take my shot, when the waitress showed up. I told her I was a diabetic; that I was about to give myself a shot of insulin.
She said: "Oh, that's fine. I see that quite a bit.."
In the Voice, Volume 18, No. 3, we carried an article about Bill Eberly, from Akron, Ohio, who at that time had had diabetes for 75 years. He experienced difficulties. In 1949, the police arrested him in the Buffalo, New York, Railroad Station, thinking his insulin syringe contained cocaine. He had to prove he was a diabetic.
More recently, rock singer Brent Michaels (of the band Poison), a type 1 diabetic, was seen by an uncomprehending fan, injecting insulin, and the rumor went around that he was shooting up heroin. We know better.
Generally, we can take our shots in public, without someone thinking we are on drugs, or calling the cops. It probably will not happen, but some times and places, it has, and we should be cognizant of the possibility. Being prepared makes it so much easier to cope.
If you would like to share a personal experience, I can be reached at the Voice editorial office, or by email at [email protected]