From my point of view, yes we should inject insulin in public. We should not feel ashamed to do that. However, for someone who doesn’t have diabetes, seeing someone inject is rare. Most of the people with diabetes state that injecting insulin in a public place is usually not a problem and that only occasionally will it prompt a reaction in others.

However, we have to be aware that some people around you may have a phobia of needles so it’s best to be as discreet as you can, especially around people you don’t know well. The key is in making sure we are discreet and ensuring that we minimise any risk of danger to ourselves or others.

Inject insulin when I am outside

I don’t have a problem to inject in public, especially when I am with my family and friends. In some cases, I wish to request to use a private area to administer an injection. For instance, when I go out with friends, I do the injection in the toilet. I do that for health and safety reasons, to completely prevent any risk of anyone else getting accidentally jabbed.

When I am at work

At work, all my colleagues are aware of my condition. During my first days in the company, I was asking them if it will be okay to check my blood sugar level or inject insulin in front of them. Fortunately, they didn’t have a problem with that. Now I can say that every time when I need to check my blood sugar level or inject insulin before my meal, I do that without a problem.

Additionally, no matter where I am, I always pay attention to the following things:

Ensure I have plenty of space and light to inject

Obviously I don’t inject if it could be dangerous to you or others. That’s why I make sure that there is plenty of space to inject so I don’t risk getting knocked. Also, I ensure that I am in a well-lighted area as this will make the injection easier.

I try to dispose of needles appropriately

Any used needles or syringes need to be disposed of appropriately. In public, I find a way to carry my used needles or syringes with me so I can dispose of them in a sharps collection box when I get home. Used needles and syringes count as biological waste and should never be disposed of in general waste bins.