Testing and injecting safely at work for diabetes

File a paper, ring up a customer, finish a report. You have plenty of important tasks to handle during the workday, but keeping your blood sugar steady should be high priority, too. Checking your glucose and giving yourself injections can fit easily into your schedule with just a little planning.

• You probably don't think much about checking your blood glucose or giving yourself insulin — these are routine activities, like tying your shoes.
• But your co-workers may be uncomfortable at seeing you draw the tiniest drop of blood or injecting yourself with a syringe.
• You shouldn't be ashamed about doing what you have to do to keep yourself healthy, but you should be mindful of actions that could make your colleagues uncomfortable.

• When you're working on deadline and taking care of workplace emergencies, you may neglect checking your glucose regularly.
• If your glucose monitor has an alarm that beeps on schedule when it's time for you to use it, make sure the alarm is set and the monitor is located where you can hear it.
• If your monitor doesn't have an alarm, use a popup reminder on your computer or cell phone.

• If your shifts vary between days and nights, you'll also have to adjust the routine that you keep to monitor blood sugar.
• In a notebook, write your schedule of checking your blood sugar, meal times and medication usage when you're working a day shift.
• On another page, write a schedule for the night shift. If you need help planning your schedules, talk to your doctor.

• If you're at risk for developing dangerously low blood sugar, keep foods or drinks that raise your blood sugar quickly nearby in an easily accessible place so you (or someone else) can find them in an emergency.
• These may include hard candy or a bottle of juice. Glucose tablets are another option.

• Use a portable sharps container at work to hold your used lancets, syringes and insulin-pen needles. Tossing these into a trash poses a safety hazard to your co-workers.
• Containers specially designed for sharps are inexpensive and will fit into your purse or briefcase. Keep the container in your desk and take them home to dispose of them properly.

• Disposable (pre-filled) pens may be more convenient for you than syringes if you're injecting at work or on the go. (Note that not all insulin pens are disposable; the ones that aren't require you to replace the insulin cartridge once it's empty.)
• Pre-filled pens are small and discreet, and you can keep the pen you're currently using at room temperature.
• Once you've used up the insulin in the pen, you throw the pen away. You will need to screw on a new pen needle every time you inject. Ask your doctor if the type of insulin you need comes in a pre-filled pen.

• If you need accommodations to cope with your diabetes on the job, ask.
• Your employer should be willing to make adjustments so you can get your job done, as long as they're not too difficult or expensive to implement.
• Reasonable requests might include a place to store food or inject insulin or a little flexibility to allow you to take a short break during the day if you come in early or stay late.