like 2 ships passing in the coffee room at work
Well I am back from assignment in Virginia, and I am at my main office in New Jersey. Major changes in my daily routine usually leave me feeling uneasy, maybe more like restless. So I am doing a lap around the office, which consist largely of unscheduled appearances in my partner’s offices to shoot the s*it as it were, to catch up on office politics and new layoff rumors and who did what to whom and like this. I can waste almost half a day in a lap, one would get the suspicion that I like to BS =)
I found most of my friends were out of the office that day, and so I decide to go get a cup of coffee. I met my friend John in there; I did some design work for him up in Boston a couple years ago and helped him out of a real jam and so we are workplace friends. As we are talking I see his insulin pump – it’s a minimed just like mine. Lately I have been putting my pump in my pocket, more discretely out of site although it’s no secret for me, I don’t think I ever talked about it in front of my friend John.
I wanted to ask him how long he’s been hooked up – I wanted to BS a little about diabetes and see how he’s doing. Since I put my pump on I have had many, many conversations about diabetes in the strangest of situations. Sometime the conversations went well; sometimes they were awkward and embarrassing.
I decide to let it go. I think it was because I sometimes don’t want to talk about it. I tell myself I can’t be sure about his feelings. We turn and go back to our offices.
So what do you think? Am I chicken, tired, burnt out, was it cool or did I miss a chance?
I found most of my friends were out of the office that day, and so I decide to go get a cup of coffee. I met my friend John in there; I did some design work for him up in Boston a couple years ago and helped him out of a real jam and so we are workplace friends. As we are talking I see his insulin pump – it’s a minimed just like mine. Lately I have been putting my pump in my pocket, more discretely out of site although it’s no secret for me, I don’t think I ever talked about it in front of my friend John.
I wanted to ask him how long he’s been hooked up – I wanted to BS a little about diabetes and see how he’s doing. Since I put my pump on I have had many, many conversations about diabetes in the strangest of situations. Sometime the conversations went well; sometimes they were awkward and embarrassing.
I decide to let it go. I think it was because I sometimes don’t want to talk about it. I tell myself I can’t be sure about his feelings. We turn and go back to our offices.
So what do you think? Am I chicken, tired, burnt out, was it cool or did I miss a chance?
Tags: embarrassment, situations, social, work
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by elaine peterson on -
I am taking the first steps toward pumping. Just to put it out there....if anyone notices my pump, PLEASE feel free to start up a conversation. If you see it, chances are the owner is not trying to hide it.
On the other hand, there are times when we don't feel like talking about any number of things. There will most likely be more ops to chat with your co-worker.
Hoping to run into a whole bunch of you out there.......
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Permalink Reply by Joe on
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Elaine, good luck with that and please let us know how you are doing.
Thanks.
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Permalink Reply by elaine peterson on
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Thanks
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Permalink Reply by Ron on -
Joe whatever you do is the right thing!!!!!!!!! I know you give lots of people support here. Me being one of them!!! Some days we feel more outgoing with the big D and some not. I dont think there ever is a "right answer" and don't regret. If it is no secret you have a pump maybe he saw yours and never said anything either. That conversation is always a 2 way street. The fact is you are very open on here and I know for one I am grateful that you and all the others on here are.
Happy WWD
Ron :)
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thanks Ron - you bet! and I like to hear a lttle feedback too - you know, 200 heads are better than 1! =)
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Permalink Reply by AUDREY on -
Joe,
I know what you mean it is a tough call I never talked or mentioned my diabetes for years always kept my pump tucked away for some reason. Well now when I see someone who has one I get excited and want to talk. I went up to a young girl at my vets office not sure if she minded we talked a little still not sure if I should have said something but she had it outside her pants so I almost felt like it was ok to talk to her. I met a girls last week in my parking lot at work she had her car broken into I asked her if she needed any help she told me she was diabetic and her insulin and meter where in her pocketbook I felt terrible for her and also felt a bond I wanted to talk. We talked a little about the pump etc I gave her my phone number I do not know if that was a stupid thing to do or not and she probably will never call but what a strange feeling comes over you when you see someone with a pump now I just want to talk to someone and say "hey how many times has your pump tubing gotten caught in something as you walk by don't ya just hate that!"
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Permalink Reply by dino on -
Joe, I think you missed your chance.
Until recently I had never met another workplace diabetic. This year I've met three...a pumper, a shooter, and a type 2.
I noticed the pumper at a dinner event for work. I told him I was thinking about getting on the pump, and he was glad to show me all the bells and whistles of his device. He answered all my questions and we spent the entire time pretty much talking about our diabetic stories. So worth it, because he was from out of town, and that was my only opportunity to bring it up.
The shooter actually noticed that I was checking my blood sugar in the gym. He said "diabetic?" and I said "yep, type 1." Then he showed me his CGM and I asked him all the questions that I've had about his device, from pricing to accuracy. Since then, we see each other in the gym frequently and always talk about our current diabetic status. I think we both enjoy the opportunity to talk to another diabetic. Its also think its pretty cool that he happens to be one of the highest level executives at my company.
The type-2 guy, well, not so open. I noticed a sharps container on his desk, and so I asked him. He said that yes he was diabetic, and that was that. I see him everyday, and diabetes is simply never mentioned. He is a really great guy and is super funny and outgoing, but it is obvious that he's not interested in talking "disease".
Oh well, like Meatloaf says, two out of three ain't bad. I think it's best to always take the opportunity when it presents itself because so many of us are doing this alone. If you can help someone get out of a rut, then it is totally worth it.
Better yet...it's always good to know where you can go if you run out of test strips at work hehe.
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Permalink Reply by sweetpotater on -
I think you did just fine, and like you said – it's likely there'll be other opportunities to talk. Someone who wears a pump where it's clearly visible to others is probably OK with people knowing they're diabetic. Otherwise, they'd keep it out of sight (like yours, in your pocket). They might not want to chat about D with you, but I wouldn't expect them to take offense at your mentioning the pump, especially if you have one too.
I have T2 and have never tried to hide my D at work (I don't pump but will test at my desk occasionally, especially before my bike ride home) so there have been some conversations, and so far they've all been positive. The only potentially awkward one happened when I invited myself into a conversation in progress between a friend and an elderly acquaintance who'd just been diagnosed with T2. The newbie guy was expressing frustrations and fears and the friend was sympathetic but doesn't know much about diabetes. They weren't talking to me but they were standing right next to me, so even though I didn't know him well I decided to butt in and offer some support. He was glad for the information and now when I see him we usually check in to ask how it's going. We don't go into specifics and it hasn't turned into a deep bonding experience, but as others have said, it's good to remember that we're not alone.
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