It is a general unspoken rule for many family members to possess a “what’s mine is yours” mentality.
But when it comes to sharing with loved ones, there are some items that are frankly out of the question.
Redditor Notyourinsulin is a 28-year-old female—who has Latent autoimmune diabetes in adults (LADA) and has recently started living with her mother.
When there was a conflict in the household, the Redditor visited the “Am I the A**hole?” (AITA) subReddit and asked:
“AITA for refusing to share my insulin?”
The Original Poster (OP) explained:
“I (28F) am a LADA diabetic.”
“At first it was assumed I was type 2, until the medication given to me (metformin) didn’t work, and I was given a steroid medication (Prednisone) and it shot my sugar levels so high it sent me into Diabetic Ketoacidosis and caused my kidneys to fail.”
“Since then, I am ESRD and on a rather heavy load of insulin (3 different insulins, and 5 insulin shots per day).”
“My mother (53F) recently was diagnosed with [the virus], and a few days later was admitted to the hospital with double pneumonia.”
“While there, they put her on prednisone and her sugar levels were a little high (this is common with this medication from what I’m aware).”
“My mother is not diabetic but to keep her levels normal they were giving her shots of insulin. Today, she was discharged.”
“She asked the nurses to give her the insulin and they refused, and the doctor refuses to prescribe her any.”
“Now, I live with my mother currently ever since my kidney failure. Some days I’m okay but some days my body is too exhausted to do most things, so she helps keep up with the things I can’t always do(cleaning, clothes washing, etc).”
“I keep my insulin in the fridge until I need a new bottle. When I called her before she got discharged and she was telling me about the doctor refusing insulin for her, her response to this was to tell me, ‘Guess I’m just going to have to pop some of yours!’ with a laugh.”
“Of course I immediately said no, that that was incredibly dangerous to give insulin to a non-diabetic outside of a hospital, but also that even if it wasn’t both illegal and dangerous, I wouldn’t have the ability to give her any anyway as I only get the amount to make it to my next endocrinologist appointment.”
“This has made her angry. I don’t feel like I’m TA, but I keep hearing from my mother and stepfather that I’m being selfish, and that I can spare just a little to give her.”
“But I’m on a rather high dosage of insulin and also on medications that push my sugar levels up, I barely made it to my last insulin prescription fill, I wouldn’t have enough to spare for other people even if I wanted to.”
Strangers on the internet were asked to declare one for the following:
- NTA – Not the A**hole
- YTA – You’re the A**hole
- NAH – No A**holes Here
- ESH – Everybody Sucks Here
Many Redditors thought the OP was not the a**hole for refusing to share her insulin with her mother. They also mentioned the grave consequences if the OP were to give in to appease her mom.
“NTA. What she wants to do is dangerous (for both of you!), illegal, and likely to end up with one or more of you incurring additional medical expenses.” – CuriosiT38
“Insulin can be f’king lethal. It can and will kill. Diabetics can die from accidentally taking too much. Now imagine someone who’s body is ALREADY producing insulin.”
“If she takes some and the prednisone wears off and she goes to sleep for 8 hours, she could die. No warning, nothing.
“Context: I’m a type 1, and over the years have had some close calls at night. I check my sugar before sleeping. I check before long drives. I know what the warning signs of low blood sugar are. Does she?”
“For both of your well being, please do not give her any. High blood sugar for a few days will not kill her. Insulin very easily could.” – Asleep_Barracuda5096
“NTA. If your mom thinks she needs insulin, she should get her own monitor and test strips, do her own proper testing, and present the results to her doctor.” – PurpleMarsAlien
“NTA. Tell her/your step dad the next time they demand your insulin, remember that arranging a funeral as well as paying a bail bond are typically more expensive than the life-saving insulin that YOU need. She doesn’t need it and needs to realize that!”
“Also, please tell someone else about this in case your mom & step dad decide to be absolute monsters & take your insulin away from you. That’s basically m#rd#r.” – witwefs1234
“NTA – hyperglycemia induced from steroids is temporary (hence why she doesn’t need insulin once discharged). To give herself insulin just because will send her into hypoglycemic shock.”
“And at that point not only would she need your glucagon, but if she dies YOU would be in trouble for not properly securing your medication. Good luck with this.” – TimeToVent2021
“NTA. How can you even think you’re TA? That insulin is for you and only you. If she needed insulin, the doctors would have given it to her. They’re calling you selfish, which is super hypocritical.”
“Your mom is trying to take your medicine that you need to essentially keep you alive, just because she doesn’t feel great. So incredibly selfish of her.” – Dirtanimous_Dan_99
“NTA
Absolutely, 100 times over, you’re NTA. You need the insulin to live, that’s why it’s prescribed to you. Even if you had extra to spare, it would be dangerous to share with her and she could end up even worse off than she is now.
With the way she’s acting I wouldn’t be surprised if she took it without your consent.
Wishing you the best of luck as this is a difficult situation to be in. I hope that your mother can come to see reason and realize that you’re only doing what is in both your and her best interest.” – parka17
Overall, Redditors supported the OP’s stance and maintained that not giving her insulin would be in her mother’s best interest.