Survive without food?

[Jodie]

Hi I was just woundering would a type 1 diabetic be able to survive without food and if so how long would they be able to live without food

[MJB]

You're kidding......right? :confused: :eek:

[dar917]

Probably as long as anyone else without insulin. Why though? I certainly wouldn't want to try; I like food too much! *is a Food Network junkie*

[Erin]

Assuming they didn't have a wicked low blood sugar that needed treatment... they'd starve in the same amount of time a regular person would take to starve.

If they didn't have any insulin (not even basal insulin) they'd probably go into DKA a little sooner than they'd starve to death.

[David]

Banting, Best, MacLeod and Collip discovered how to extract insulin at the University of Toronto in 1922. Before this discovery, a very low carb, high fat starvation diet was the standard treatment for diabetes.

Instead of dying shortly after diagnosis, this diet allowed diabetics to live for 1-2 years at best. Victims eventually fell into a coma and died, frequently within months of diagnosis.

David

[Tonysmum]

I don't see this question as being from someone who might want to try it. Rather, imagine a situation like the one at the mine in Utah, where someone may be trapped in a place with limited or no food supply.
Would a person with diabetes fare any better or worse than the general population? Any self respecting D person would of course plan on the worst situation and be well stocked up with personal supplies (insulin, test strips, glucose tablets and snacks) that may actually put them at an advantage over others.
Interesting question, Jodie.

[DeusXM]

With a continously adapting basal to compensate for the changing metabolism and no bolus injections, you'd probably last for as long as your fat reserves would hold out. In other words, you'd last as long without food as you would whether you had diabetes or not.

[REDLAN]

Rather, imagine a situation like the one at the mine in Utah, where someone may be trapped in a place with limited or no food supply.
Would a person with diabetes fare any better or worse than the general population? Any self respecting D person would of course plan on the worst situation and be well stocked up with personal supplies (insulin, test strips, glucose tablets and snacks) that may actually put them at an advantage over others.

thought about this - my pen contains 3ml of insulin or 300 Units - each day I use 24 units of my basal meaning a full pen would last about 13 days, but my pen is unlikely to be full, so I could have anything from just 2 days supply to 11/12 days depending. I only carry around spare bottles if the pens are low. I may also run out of test strips before I run out of insulin, which would make things awkward.

So it could be very bad, I run out of insulin before I expire through dehydration, or slightly less bad...

...I get to spend my time doing basal profiling in the dark.

[xMenace]

So it could be very bad, I run out of insulin before I expire through dehydration, or slightly less bad...



Dehydration certainly kick in earlier for us. The stress would raise your BGs and your body would have to remove the sugar.

[Tucker]

mmm And on the same note, how long would one survive if say a band of thugs was chasing them?:D

[Worldcrzr]

Diabetics caught up in Hurricane Katrina found out that without food and insulin, their survival was uncertain. That is why one must always be prepared for the worst...have extra insulin, pump batteries, syringes, monitor strips and food and water on hand. I remember a video of a woman who was Type I and was on the verge of dying until someone volunteered to share their insulin. Luckily, a nurse was there who knew how to administer the correct amount of insulin and saved the woman's life.

[DeusXM]

Yeah and that video was a load of bunk. If I recall correctly, the woman got injected with a whole 4u of Lantus and magically recovered almost instantly.

The reporting of that whole thing was abysmal - anyone with even just a week's worth of experience with insulin should know just how preposterous the story was.

[dgrilli]

Anyones BG continues to rise even if they do not eat for a day or so?

When I do my basal tests every so often I will not eat for almost a whole day?

My BG will rise all be it much more slowly but it still does rise.

Pretty much my BG will remain constant with a good basal without eating for more than 8 hours.

[Injecto]

I'll let you guys know, as of today I'm going to stop eating.....uh, except for coffee...and water...

[2high]

I'll let you guys know, as of today I'm going to stop eating.....uh, except for coffee...and water...

**** no, you are NOT...

want me to fly up there and force feed you????