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Not had my insulin for nearly a month.

A

Alex_B

Well-Known Member
Messages
168
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
I haven't had my insulin for nearly a month. The reason being is because not taking it is helping me lose weight. (I have tried everything to lose weight! Exercise, healthy eating, diets), but nothing is working, so I thought that if I didn't take my insulin i'd lose weight and it worked, I lost a stone. Another reason for not taking it is that I want to die.

My doctor called me fat, and I have had other people posting on my Facebook, Instagram and other things calling me fat and ugly. I am sick of it. So I decided to not take my insulin.

What can actually happen if I stop taking it? I really want to know.
 
not taking insulin in order to lose weight is called diabulimia - it's a destructive self harm behaviour much like an eating disorder.

The fact that you are engaging in self harm behaviour and expressing suicidal ideation does suggest you are in desperate need of help. Call the Samaritans for some help on your feelings and how to get help in dealing with this going forward.

Not taking insulin will kill you. Have you tested your blood sugar or your ketones recently? DKA is not an easy thing to go through and would be an unpleasant way to die.
 
As a type 1 your BG is likely to raise to unacceptable levels, and I can not stress how dangerous this will be.

If left unchecked you will develop DKA will can either be long term health damaging, or worse case scenario...death! You will begin to feel thirsty, tired, lethargic and frequent urination. Is this starting to ring alarm bells?

Please read up on this, as put brutally, this is a painful way to death.

Have you spoken to your DSN regarding your weight?

As for facebook and twitter....turn it off, shut it down. Do not listen to the morons out there, that get kicks for trolling strangers about something they do not understand.
 
@Alex_B I'm so sorry to read this post - I'm sending you strength, and a hug.

Please get medical advice urgently. Do you have support? I'm so sad to hear how you're feeling. You say you want to die. That's really scary.

By not taking your insulin you are not only putting your health at risk, but you are also putting your life in danger. You are at risk of DKA, which is very, very serious, and if we start thinking about the years to come, and your long-term health, you are at a high risk of those complications like kidney problems, retinopathy, neuropathy and amputations.

People with untreated diabetes are at HUGE risk. Your diabetes is untreated.

Have you heard of 'diabulimia'? Obviously forum users can't diagnose conditions, but I would suggest that what you're experiencing - avoiding insulin and running high specifically to lose weight.

It's not good. Not at all.

Do you have support? Family, friends, doctor, DSN? Please, please talk to them. And talk here, too - it's really positive that you're posting.

Love Snapsy
 
Alex_b hold on there this is not the way to go sod what oeople say on face book ignore them if everyone took notice of that there would be people doing all sorts to themselves and please don't stop taken your insulin it may help you lose a few pounds but heck know what you diabetes is doing it sounds like you're a bit down with what people have been saying and the doctor called you fat bang out of order have you got anyone you can talk to about this I myself is overweight but I certainly wouldn't stop taken my insulin what you need to do is contact someone in the next few days. now I will ask any one on this forum if they can help me suggest the best avenue as who you can contact I'm sure someone will know more than me please.help? Thanks
 
Alex_B said:
I haven't had my insulin for nearly a month. The reason being is because not taking it is helping me lose weight. (I have tried everything to lose weight! Exercise, healthy eating, diets), but nothing is working, so I thought that if I didn't take my insulin i'd lose weight and it worked, I lost a stone. Another reason for not taking it is that I want to die.

My doctor called me fat, and I have had other people posting on my Facebook, Instagram and other things calling me fat and ugly. I am sick of it. So I decided to not take my insulin.

What can actually happen if I stop taking it? I really want to know.
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Hi Alex, sorry to hear about what has happened to you, this abuse is putting your health at terrible risk, you need to get some help urgently with this and I agree with @catapillar about making a call to Samaritans on 116 123 and have a chat with them.

No one deserves to be called names, however losing weight to appease these comments isn't the solution, and as stated above not taking insulin will ultimately mean DKA which is a highly unpleasant, not taking insulin in the short term is going to leave you tired and feeling incredibly unwell. Please try to ignore these comments which are superficial and awful, your doctor needs to be reported for saying this, this was highly unprofessional, it is so important to take care of yourself.

Please PM me if you want to chat, and please start taking your insulin again, no amount of abuse is worth putting your health at risk, big hug.
 
Hi. As others have said, not taking your insulin may well kill you as you will go into DKA. You obviously want and need help with weight loss. May be we can help with that from our accumulated experience of what foods are the best for weight loss. Do contact Samaritans or someone else who can help. I'm a volunteer with Mind the mental health charity and if you have a local support group they may be able to help with counselling and other therapies. There are probably other charities that can help as well.
 
The type 1 diabetes and eating disorder subforum will be relaunching in here this month and I woiud suggest perhaps you pop in there and start a thread as may be easier to talk to those that have experienced similar kinds of issues :). I am so sorry you are hurting so much right.Your body must be wrecked and exhausted after a month. What kind of number are your sugar levels running at?
 
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Alex_B said:
I haven't had my insulin for nearly a month. The reason being is because not taking it is helping me lose weight. (I have tried everything to lose weight! Exercise, healthy eating, diets), but nothing is working, so I thought that if I didn't take my insulin i'd lose weight and it worked, I lost a stone. Another reason for not taking it is that I want to die.

My doctor called me fat, and I have had other people posting on my Facebook, Instagram and other things calling me fat and ugly. I am sick of it. So I decided to not take my insulin.

What can actually happen if I stop taking it? I really want to know.
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Hi Alex,

You have had some brilliant advice so far.. To which I need not elaborate.
You're at a low ebb at this point in time. Not taking insulin will drive up the blood levels. (You know that bit.)

But, high blood sugars can affect emotional status, compounding any feelings & driving decision making..
In that respect. I would urge you focus on managing your diabetes, then rethink the options on loosing the weight.
Doors open when the BS is stable.

Wishing you all the best!
 
Hi @Alex_B Ignore the bullies on Facebook and Instagram. People say things like that because they're insecure and try to make themselves feel better by making nasty comments about other people. Block them or make your accounts private. You don't need 'friends' like that.

As for the doctor, can someone phone up and make a complaint on your behalf? A doctor shoukdnt be saying things like that and upsetting you. They're supposed to provide support.

Do you have the number of your DSN? You could phone and tell them how much you're struggling. Many diabetes teams have a link with a psychologist who can provide a chance for you to talk about your feelings.

You need to,take your insulin. Don't hurt yourself like this - you're worth far more than you're giving yourself credit for.

There's help available and people who do understand.
 
Alex_B said:
My doctor called me fat ....
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Did he have a suggestion on how to fix the problem? The standard diet is usually insufficient, and exercise is often more of a hindrance than a help, as it causes increased hunger. Perhaps he's one of the jerks who thinks willpower is a factor ... but if that was the case, no one would be fat.
Alex_B said:
... I have had other people posting on my Facebook, Instagram and other things calling me fat and ugly.
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Well that's easily solved. Block the gits and get on with life. The ones who are nasty to people themselves lack any sort of substance. They aren't interesting, they aren't insightful, and they offer nothing of benefit to the world or even to the people in their lives. They're meaningless, and it would be an unspeakable tragedy to let them take you down.
Alex_B said:
I am sick of it.
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Understandably. It's not behavior which you should tolerate.
Alex_B said:
So I decided to not take my insulin.
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Your lack of insulin use won't make them better people. Losing your excess weight won't make them better people. They aren't going to stop being assholes just because you lose weight. It's a lifestyle for them, and they're not smart enough or strong enough to change.

Weight is only one part of health. Unfortunately it's the part which gets focused on and stigmatized. But there's no point in losing weight in a manner which kills or maims you. Your diabetes is the part of your health which you can control, and if you can get control of that, you can focus on the weight loss afterward. A lot of people have success here losing weight with low-carb high-fat diets, and it can reduce insulin needs as well. It's relatively easy, since you're not depriving yourself of calories or eating foods which trigger cravings.
 
Just an update - I sent Alex a PM this morning asking him to let us know that he's ok, hopefully he should respond in due course and will post an update when he does.
 
@Alex_B Glad your chatting with us, the thing is, there are always people out to cause hate, "your too thin, too fat, too pale... the list goes on. But for every knob like that there are tonnes of people who arent. Look at the support you have gained and the anxious posts waiting for you to reply.

Get back on your lovely insulin as that will sort out your rational decision making and keep you fit and fine. Lets sort out those number and other issues can be tackled later.
 
Alex_B said:
I'm still here guys. I just had to get off for a while. Thanks for being kind and looking out for me.
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Thank you for checking in :)

There are plenty of kind people here who can listen when your ready to tell us a bit more. Type 1 is hard, especially early on, but it does get easier, it really does.
 
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