First Aid Station Question

So, I have a somewhat unique medical condition, which causes me to use injectable medication.

Trouble is, my injection is once a week, and I don’t feel like I really need to use up a whole sharps container on my own for that. In addition, I like to inject in the late afternoon, while I would ordinarily be in the parks. So, my two questions are thus:

  1. Is Disney Security going to give me any sort of headache trying to bring a vial of meds and a syringe into the parks?

  2. Do the First Aid stations have a place where I can take a few minutes to prep, inject myself, and get done back up? And do they have “standing containers” for sharps disposal so I don’t need to bring my own?

The WDW website says I can get a sharps container from the front desk at my resort, though I would have to ask where to return it for disposal - though as I said, I feel like getting a whole container for my one event during my trip is overkill.

Anyone who can share actual knowledge would be appreciated.

I’m type 1 diabetic. Although I’m on a pump now, in the past, I would have to bring syringes with me. Never was a problem, and there are tons of insulin dependent diabetics. I believe you can just deposit syringes in the sharps containers found in most restrooms.

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That’s a huge help!

I don’t know about you, but I do my injections in my mid-thigh… which means if it’s not shorts weather, I’ll be needing to take something off. And the restroom doesn’t seem like the… how shall we say… preferred environment for injecting meds?

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Definitely go to first aid. There are little “rooms” with curtains.

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:heart:

This is exactly the info I needed. Thank you!

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I inject through my clothes. Sounds unsanitary, but several studies have shown risk of infection is almost nil since needles are too smooth for bacteria to stick to. For almost 20 years, never was an issue.

But the first aid station sounds like a fine option if you aren’t comfortable with that!

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This nurse says no way! For emergencies sure. But on the regular? :open_mouth:

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Yes. You should say no way!

But truth is, it is common practice among diabetics. On the diabetes forums where I use to frequent years ago, pretty much everyone did. No one liked to admit it to their doctors. But as I said, studies eventually showed it is generally safe. (no increased risk of infection)

Having said that, I have no qualms with the recommendation against doing it. You will also not like the fact that I use the same lancet for 6 months, testing 5 times a day or more! :slight_smile:

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Oh dude. Stop talking man.

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I’m freaked out, @ryan1, and I’m not even a nurse. I’ve been known to reuse a lancet once or twice if I didn’t generate enough blood the first stick, but yikes! Reusing the same one? Forevermore, WHY?

I can tell you from personal experience that Epcot’s First Aid center is very nice. Spent an hour there napping on a cot in hopes that whatever was bothering my stomach was a temporary “something I ate” thing. They had a number of cots in curtained cubicles.

Turns out nope, it was a nasty virus I got from a kid in the church nursery on Christmas Eve. (A kid who was brought and left with his mother knowing he was not really feeling well!!)

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Yes, we visited Epcot’s as well as MK’s. They were both very nice. I would assume the ones at AK and HS are nice as well.

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Yeah, I would assume so. I’ve thankfully only had to go to Epcot’s, but I’d imagine they are all nice.

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6 months = 180 days x 5 times = 900 uses of the same lancet. Criminy if it even works by then - maybe easier to use a dull pencil!

:laughing:

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I’ll have nightmares for a while.

Another RN completely freaked out! @ryan1, please stop injecting through your clothes and use a new lancet! I am having heart palpitations over here!

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Guys. Relax. It is common practice (just not common recommendation).

I only change my lancet it if starts to become painful (well…more painful than usual as compared to a fresh lancet) or if it stops being effective. Those things last a REALLY long time. Since I’m the only one using my meter/lancets, it is no big deal.

Don’t worry. I don’t inject through my clothes any more. But only because I’m on an insulin pump. If I weren’t, I’d not stop doing it. I’ve done the research guys, trust me.

And I’ll use a new lancet…eventually. I think I’m due to replace it in a couple more months. :wink:

Actually, the math on the number of times is probably off because I have two different meters and lancing devices that I go between, depending on where I am. Cut that in half! :wink:

Works fine. Actually, the most painful ones I experience at the ones they use at my endocronologist’s office. I have one fingertip that is numb due to nerve damage from a spinal disc injury (had surgery on it). I always give them THAT finger to draw blood from so that It doesn’t hurt. Unlike my own lancing device, where I can control the depth, I think they have that set to go deep because it has to work on all fingers. But wow, does it hurt!

We can’t relax, we are nurses (who are well known to be OCD). We are really good at telling others how to do things, while ignoring our own medical issues. :wink:

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Ha! Although, I doubt that is limited to nurses!

On a related/unrelated note…when I had my neck surgery, afterwards I was sent to my room. For the first 8 hours (roughly) I was in a LOT of pain still. They were giving me morphine via I.V. initially, but later, when the pain was getting bad again, a nurse came in to give me a SHOT of morphine. Being out of my mind at the time (that’s my excuse, and I’m sticking to it) I refused the morphine rather rudely because it was just going to cause me MORE pain since it isn’t going into the I.V. The nurse shrugged it off and left, leaving me without the pain medication.

To this DAY I wish I could go back and apologize to the nurse. Of course, being out of my mind (that’s my excuse, and I’m STILL sticking to it), I have no idea who that nurse actually was. But gotta admire those nurses for putting up with a lot of undeserved attitude! I still cringe at the thought of my behavior.

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We tend not to take offense at the things people say or do when they are in pain. Many a laboring patient has profusely apologized for their behavior once the baby is out. Pain makes everyone a little nuts, angry, and mean!

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