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Is It Safe For You To Fast For 25 Hours?

K

kmtech

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Other
Hello
I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2012. I was not given much information and began treatment with a range of tablets eventually moving to insulin last year. So my Doc says that my condition is not type 2 and resembles type 1.
I take fast acting insulin before every meal and long acting insulin shot at night. If I don’t take the insulin no matter what I eat my bg goes sky high. If I don’t eat for an extended time my bg falls too low. I’m in a difficult situation as I wanted to fast for 25 hours this week for religious reasons.
Up to say 3 years ago I could fast without food / water for 25 hours and just feel a little light headed after. But I think my health has got a lot worse. I remember trying to fast last year and I nearly collapsed/ fainted. I’m afraid to try again tbh as I would be very embarrassed to faint in a public place.
I was just wondering if there is anyone here who takes insulin like me who is able to fast for 25 hours without any problem?
 
Are you type 1 now then? I asked my dietician this very question, and her answer was she wouldn't recommend fasting for extended periods of time, however she did say that once you get your slow release insulin (glargine levemir etc) on point, your blood sugar could theoretically stay between a certain range throughout the day example betwee 5-8mmol/l, however it was stated that sometimes your body dumps glucose into your bloodstream or if you are doing anything excertious then you could fall into hypo

People do fast though just requires more checking corrections and hypo treatment etc
 
Do a youtube search for a Dr. Fung - he seems sensible, and frequently talks about fasting. Me I like my food too much to even contemplate such a thing :)
 
kmtech said:
Hello
I was diagnosed with diabetes in 2012. I was not given much information and began treatment with a range of tablets eventually moving to insulin last year. So my Doc says that my condition is not type 2 and resembles type 1.
I take fast acting insulin before every meal and long acting insulin shot at night. If I don’t take the insulin no matter what I eat my bg goes sky high. If I don’t eat for an extended time my bg falls too low. I’m in a difficult situation as I wanted to fast for 25 hours this week for religious reasons.
Up to say 3 years ago I could fast without food / water for 25 hours and just feel a little light headed after. But I think my health has got a lot worse. I remember trying to fast last year and I nearly collapsed/ fainted. I’m afraid to try again tbh as I would be very embarrassed to faint in a public place.
I was just wondering if there is anyone here who takes insulin like me who is able to fast for 25 hours without any problem?
Click to expand...
Were you still taking insulin when fasting? If so that would explain your reaction..my bloods can go very low when fasting.. I have seen 3.5 mmol/l but I feel fine because I take no meds whatsoever.
If you are artificially lowering your blood sugar with insulin while not causing any rise due to no food then yes you will hypo.
 
@kmtech - I appreciate you aren't fasting for Ramadan, but this site has a little information for that; being a similar timeframe and also for reasons of faith.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/ramadan-and-diabetes.html

Have you discussed this with your doctor?

One thing I would say though is, if you decide to do this, then please do ensure you have plenty of test strips, in order to test frequently during your fasting period, and also to have sensible hypo treatments to hand.
 
bulkbiker said:
Were you still taking insulin when fasting? If so that would explain your reaction..my bloods can go very low when fasting.. I have seen 3.5 mmol/l but I feel fine because I take no meds whatsoever.
If you are artificially lowering your blood sugar with insulin while not causing any rise due to no food then yes you will hypo.
Click to expand...
If type1, not taking insulin can result in DKA and hospital pretty quick. Type1's need their background insulin, regardless of food.

@kmtech , If your background insulin is the perfect dose, it should be possible to fast. In theory at least. Would it be possible to fast but keep some carbs at hand to counter a hypo and keep a very close eye on your blood sugars? I can imagine that it still counts as fasting if you only take some carbs as medicine if needed, especially if you use boring carbs that don't give you pleasure. Just the way taking needed medicine is not food, even if you have to 'eat' the tablets.
Also, as far as I'm aware most religions allow for slacking the rules for health reasons. After all, it wouldn't do for a deity to expect their followers to die from religious rules.
I hope you find a way to do right to your religion and do right to your health at the same time!
 
DCUKMod said:
@kmtech - I appreciate you aren't fasting for Ramadan, but this site has a little information for that; being a similar timeframe and also for reasons of faith.

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diet/ramadan-and-diabetes.html

Have you discussed this with your doctor?

One thing I would say though is, if you decide to do this, then please do ensure you have plenty of test strips, in order to test frequently during your fasting period, and also to have sensible hypo treatments to hand.
Click to expand...
Nah fasting for Ramadan is never more than 23 or 24 hours... I wonder though. Regardless, I am also type 1 and I am not allowed to fast during Ramadan. Reason being that I should regularly drink water otherwise it does something bad to my kidneys. I can't also administrate insulin to correct a high otherwise it is considered as something that spoils fasting. Even more than that, from a religious perspective, it is not accepted of I fast. It is a sin for me to fast because this will harm my health... No type 1 diabetic can fast for Ramadan unless it is for very short periods in some places (like 4 or 6 hours)
 
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