Pen Users- What do YOU do?
When you go out to a restaurant and you take a shot before your meal, what do you do with the needle? I take my shot right at the table, and I recap the needle and put it in my purse. I thought that's what everyone did, but apparently not. I waitress at a restaurant and we've been having issues with people leaving their needles on the table when they leave. Even though I myself am a T1 I don't want to handle someone elses needles, even capped. I don't think all pen users realize that this is a serious hazard. If at home you are supposed to dispose of your needles in a red hazards bin, why would you ever think it is okay to leave them on a table for an unsuspecting bus boy? When I eat at work, I am not even allowed to throw my needles in the trash. My boss is very strict on this matter. We've also had people complain when seeing them in the trash cans in our restrooms. What do you do with your needles when you give yourself a shot somewhere other than home?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Zoe on -
I would never leave a needle on a table! I wouldn't even leave a used test strip on the table! I have been trained in Universal Precautions (assuming anyone could carry a blood-borne disease, and never having contact with another's blood). It took me awhile to even accept testing/injecting in public. When I was using needles I carried my pen in a frio and I just put the needle back into the frio after use. (I reused needles for the duration of the day anywa)
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Permalink Reply by David B. on -
I put used needles in an empty prescription bottle which I empty into a used laundry container that I label as a sharps container.
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Permalink Reply by Zoe on
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No, Redshaw, though I originally ordered it when I was going to Costa Rica. Pretty much more recently I used it as a convenient carrier for my pens and didn't even bother soaking it. I'm on a pump now but recently I went out of town where I drove several hours stayed in a hotel and drove back the next day, so I took spare pens in case of a pump problem and put them in the frio which I had soaked because that is long hours in a heated car and hotel room. My hotel room ended up having a fridge but I didn't know that ahead of time.
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Permalink Reply by Jessi <3 on -
When I used needles or pens it was simple. One bag of fresh supplies one ziploc for used needles and test strips. That way when it was full or I got home, i could stuff the whole thing in a Sharps container.
I would NEVER (intentionally) leave needles around. Bad habit, and you never know what it was used for (there ARE drug addicts out there), by who or what they have if you happen to find one.
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Permalink Reply by js77bear on -
I carry an old prescription bottle and put used needles/lancets/strips in that and empty into a sharps container when I get back home.
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Permalink Reply by Lila on -
Like Zoe, I re-use needles throughout the course of the day so don't have the problem of disposal when I'm out. I cannot believe people would leave capped needles behind!
In the off-chance that I need to change my needle when I'm out, the capped needle is perfectly safe sitting in a pocket or in my handbag. I do think they are extremely well-designed. But I must confess to a terrible habit of fidgeting with capped needles - kinda like a needle roulette hahahaha.
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Permalink Reply by DiabeticRadio.com on -
I agree. Leaving any needles behind is not responsible in my opinion; especially living in an age were everyone is concerned about diseases. People wont know your only diabetic. At work, I try to be very mindful of those things, especially with the cleaning lady @ work. I wouldn't want her to get stuck or something, and have to go through the mental, and emotional stress, of not knowing if she got infected with something; she doesn't know me..
Yogi
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Permalink Reply by LaGuitariste on -
I carry my pen, needles, swabs, extra test strips, etc in a zipper case made by MEDPort. It has a zippered compartment for medical waste.
All my medical waste goes into the zippered compartment until I get home and periodically dump it into my sharps container.
I wouldn't dream of leaving my waste for anyone else to handle.
When my brother was a smoker, he carried a band-aid box (metal) in his coat pocket and when he was done with a cigarette, he put the butt in his little box.
I think tossing needles, test strips -- or butts -- for other people to clean up is just ... nasty.
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Permalink Reply by s6954118 on -
I like to shoot ahead of time and shoot in the car I have a container in the car. I don't eat at places that my wait is over 30 min.
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Permalink Reply by Kari on -
Well the customers should be taking them to dispose of. However, if your boss is so upset about it maybe he/she should install a Sharps container in each bathroom....
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Permalink Reply by caprifoglio on -
I take my needles home where I store them for wherever they are supposed to go (it's getting to be that time when I'm going to find out where the City of LA expects them to be sent to for recycling/destruction). You can puncture your finger with the reverse side of the needle (that goes into the pen) so even though they are capped, they can still stab you. I never re-use my needles because they are so fine that I don't want to risk bending them on a second round.
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