Taking meds in public

[Stjarni]

I have a very good friend who's a diabetic. He has this little nifty pump attached to his stomach by a small tube. He wears the pump on his belt.

Every time he eat something, he has to push the pump's buttons to get some insuline. And the pump makes this little sound, indicating how much insuline he just got into his blood. No one has ever giving him grief over this little noise, but heaps of people has wondered what peculiar sound my friend is making.


But he really hates flying with that thing. Every time at the security checkpoints, he will beep and there has been numerous times when the security personel has been close to yank the tube out of his stomach.

[DottyG]

I have never done so, especially with pills that are the size of quarters, out of fear that I'll not swallow it right and start gagging and make an even bigger scene. I'd rather yack in the bathroom where there's no one or someone who would just think I have a case of the dry heaves.

Please don't do this anymore.  If you were to have a problem with the pill's going down properly for any reason, you'd die in the bathroom.  Don't make a scene at the table taking your pills, but do take them in a place where someone's able to help you if you truly need help, if they're that big or that prone to causing a problem for you.

This is similar to what they told us in First Aid.  The very worst thing to do if you feel like you're choking on something in a restaurant is run to the bathroom - although it is the natural tendency.  You're better off choking out in the open where someone can see you and get to you to help.  Choking isn't something to take lightly - whether it's on a piece of food or on a pill.  You can die from trying not to "make a scene."

[madmusician]

As long as you do it discreetly you're fine. It's people like my grandma who shouldn't be allowed to. She takes her pills out, lines then up on the table, complains about how many there are, tells you what her blood sugar has been every morning, noon, and night for the past couple days, and swallows them one at a time. And since there are about 12 of them, it takes awhile.

[Suze]

No - what I have to take are two small capsules. and I can usually take them with out even "tossing my head back"

I really was just wondering what you all thought about it after reading about the gal with the birth control pills.

[lolane]

I have asthma... if I need my inhaler, I don't care where I am, I am going to use it... and if someone is offended then that's too bad. I am as discreet as I can be, but you can only be so discreet while taking an inhaler. I don't have a problem with other people taking there medication as needed either.