Yesterday I had to refill my insulin cartridge at work and it made me think about a couple of things. First, what reaction am I going to get from people who walk by? Why do I have two vials of insulin in my laptop bag and both have 2 refills left in them? Why is this thing so damn loud when it is priming?
Well here were my answers to all of those questions.
Reaction from People
First and foremost, I don’t really care what their reaction is to it. I am doing something that I need to do in order to survive, so get over it. Do I look at you weird when you breathe or when you drink water or when you eat? No, didn’t think so, so keep on walking. But I do find it funny what most people say. The most common phrase I hear is, “What are you shooting up or something?” Some people mean it in a sense of am I shooting up insulin, but I think we all know what most others are referring to, obviously a joke. I usually say, “Well, I’m already high, so I need to shoot up some more.” That is when the other person doesn’t get the insulin and high blood sugar reference and thinks that I am just making a drug comment back to them.
What kind of reaction do you get?
Two Vials of Insulin
When it comes to insulin, I try to have only one open vial at a time, but that tends to not happen very often. The reason is usually that I open one and put it in my laptop bag because that thing goes with me to work, home, and travel. That way the insulin will be with me at all times. Then there is usually one on my desk at home, maybe it’s empty and I forgot to throw it away, so when I see it, I think that I just finished one and go and open another one. As soon as I used it to refill the reservoir, I throw it in my laptop bag and now I have two opened in the same location.
Do any of you do this as well, or am I just being a bad diabetic?
Loud Priming
The last part of what was going through my head was why this insulin pump is so damn loud when it is priming. It beeps so many times, and it is extremely loud, so when my co-workers are working, they hear it beeping and then all the questions start. Normally I don’t mind the questions, but when I am busy and trying to get work done so I can get home and start working on some other clients work, I’m not usually in the mood to lecture on diabetes.
Do you all refill right at your desk or do you go to restrooms or cars, or somewhere else to take care of it?