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Do your coworkers know that you live with T1D at your current job (or your most recent job, if you are not currently working)?
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I had a sweetened drink in various places where I worked, explained physical exertion could make levels drop (it has). At lunch I’d joke about taking drugs but never hid my insulin. Now on a pump /CGM there’s no way to camouflage this (this week a young girl -8 years old T1d 9 years- saw my pump).
I do not want to know their sexual, or marital, or psychological histories for any reason. Why on earth would I share something so intimate with people whom I would never trust to lead me from a burning building?! They are unworthy, and unless I trust them, I would never reveal anything even slightly personal to them, for any reason EVER. My condition(s) or the lack thereof are literally none of their business. If you do “know”, (sic. I am) then we have bled together, and you have earned the right through the fires of my diabetes or experiences which we shared and were life and death. So no, not a prayer.
I am not suggesting you need to tell everyone, but I hope you never have a medical emergency while at work. Paramedics will have a better understanding of how to help you if something should happen to you if they know you are diabetic.
They couldn’t help but know – I am involved in training first responder staff and “floor” or “department” leads as part of my employer organization emergency plans. I admit, I also dispel myths and urban legends about people with D (of any kind).
“Legends” do tell 8 D ?!
This is a reply to Jeff: Legends, let’s see if it is T1D we must have it “really bad”, any type of D it’s assumed we aren’t responsible since after all we have D – and of course it is “self-inflicted”, that we are physically weak, that we call in sick all the time, and the usual we didn’t eat enough kale, cinnamon, what have you.
I volunteer at two different places and since I have another condition that could be confused with hypoglycemia (temporal love epilepsy) it is necessary for coworkers to be aware of both conditions. If epilepsy were not on the scene, I’m not sure how important this would be.
The response “I do not work anymore” is a bit off-putting. I can think of several categories which might not affect me in the same way: I am retired, I no longer am employed/disabled, I am underemployed . . . . While I am largely retired, I am quite busy engaged in volunteering, gardening, caring for family, wellness activities.
I love sharing the fact that I have Type 1 with everyone I come across. I am constantly asked if I’m wearing a pager, which usually strikes up a conversation. I don’t find it to be an extremely private part of who I am. After 40 years ,it just is. I would like to think that I have educated many friends, family, and complete strangers about what it’s like to have diabetes.
Totally agree! I was diagnosed at 18 and remember how little I knew about this disease before I had to live it. Most people don’t have T1D or live with someone who does, so their understanding is often limited to the T2D relatives most of us have and broad generalizations in the media. What better way to break through stereotypes and misconceptions than by sharing our personal stories? Then the next time that person encounters diabetes oversimplifications, they can say… “Actually I met someone with T1D and…” Grass roots diabetes education. 🙂
I am an RN so am very open about my T1D. Use as a teaching tool. Never been secretive about condition.
Jane, do you get the same head slapping stupid most of US do? Or being in medical, do they assume bad to be likely.,. because that’s what they see and treat???
My coworkers at all of my jobs have known I have T1D
Yes, I’m very open about my T1D at work for a couple of reasons: 1) For my safety: I have a history of hypoglycemia unawareness, so it’s important that those around me know how to recognize and treat if needed. 2) hopefully to educate and inspire. I work in diabetes research, with both clinicians and lab scientists. By openly sharing my experiences I hope to remind them of the importance and urgency of their work and what their scientific advances could mean for T1Ds in the real world.
I think most people in my immediate department knew, but there were hundreds of people and most did not know. I wish I had known a fellow employee was a type-1. I believe he passed away from low blood sugar at 45 years old. If I had known he was type-1 and lived alone, I would have had him call me every day just so I could be sure he was okay. This was before I knew about CGMs. If I had known about CGMs and if I had known he was type-1, I definitely would have suggested getting a CGM to him.
I was diagnosed in 1977 at the age of 12 and learned pretty quick to keep my disease a secret. Kids would tease me, and say hurtful things like they would not get close to me because they would get diabetes. Later in life I was passed up on a job that I was very qualified for because of diabetes. Therefor I have found that being transparent with my disease typically has more disadvantages than advantages.
Just on Thursday I had to tell my boss I couldn’t take a check to the bank because of low blood sugar. She is not in the same state, so telephone calls can mask a lot. I could tell from her reaction that she had no idea why a low blood sugar would prevent me from getting in a car. I will have to do some more education… just, at the time, my blood sugar was low and I couldn’t think straight. (LOL)
The people I work closest with know for sure… there are some who are occasional co-workers who know… and then a bunch who I don’t interact with all that much who likely don’t know… but, maybe they do. Who knows? They may have overheard me explaining something about diabetes.
I was diagnosed with T1 at the age of 71, 3 years after I retired. As a nurse working in healthcare, I would have been very comfortable updating my co-workers of my diagnosis and management of T1.
There’s at least 2 others with Type 1 and we talk about our blood sugars and joke about the food that raises blood sugars. Nice to have some fun.
I stopped hiding my diabetes at work a long time ago, and that was only because I had a boss who made me hide it. Nowadays I’m very upfront about it, mainly for my own safety in case something were to happen. Sometimes I even joke about it with my coworkers. Some of them are a good bit younger than me, so if my sensor goes off while I talk to them, I’ll say, “Whatever you do, don’t develop a chronic health condition that requires you to wear annoying devices.”
I currently work part time as a Guest Teacher, so I am at different locations each day that I work. This makes it difficult to let others know. So, I make it a point to tell the school nurse. The office staff and some of the teachers are also aware at some of the schools I go to.