Fasting With Diabetes
Religious fasting days such as Yom Kippur should be approached with caution by a diabetic.
If your condition is entirely controlled by dieting, or even by diet and oral medication, then you should not have any problems.
Although, it may be a good idea to hold out on taking your pill until right before the evening meal that breaks the fast.
The problem that occurs falls within insulin dependent diabetics.
It's not very wise to fast if you're an insulin dependent diabetic.
Fasting for you is much trickier and actually dangerous.
It may be best to alter the tradition than to have a medical emergency.
If fasting is something that you just don't want to give up, that's fine, as it is possible, just make sure you take precaution and do it right.
Lets say you usually require 10 regular and 30 units of intermediate insulin when you wake up.
During a fasting day, you would take 0 insulin before breakfast, and skip breakfast and lunch.
Now if you go through your day without any negative symptoms, then check your blood sugar right before supper, and if it's high, don't take your usual morning dose.
Take more regular than you normally would, and less intermediate.
For instance, you may take 20 regular, and 20 intermediate.
You do this to compensate for the higher than average blood sugar level, but you don't want it lasting into the following day.
Suppose you do run into some symptoms after skipping breakfast and lunch, as well as your morning insulin.
You may get high sugar and acidosis, more frequent urination, thirst, etc.
In this case you should not continue fasting until dinner.
Break the fast, start eating, and take your insulin.
In this case as well, you should increase your regular intake and decrease your intermediate intake.
Remember, you may want to follow your religion by fasting, but seriously risking your health and/or life is not necessary.
If yo u take oral medications for your diabetes the night preceding your fast, then you should take only half of your regular dosage.
This is because you will likely have excess insulin as you skip meals the next day.
Any type of diet and health maintaining routines you follow should be approved by your physician.
This includes the information in this article.
If your condition is entirely controlled by dieting, or even by diet and oral medication, then you should not have any problems.
Although, it may be a good idea to hold out on taking your pill until right before the evening meal that breaks the fast.
The problem that occurs falls within insulin dependent diabetics.
It's not very wise to fast if you're an insulin dependent diabetic.
Fasting for you is much trickier and actually dangerous.
It may be best to alter the tradition than to have a medical emergency.
If fasting is something that you just don't want to give up, that's fine, as it is possible, just make sure you take precaution and do it right.
Lets say you usually require 10 regular and 30 units of intermediate insulin when you wake up.
During a fasting day, you would take 0 insulin before breakfast, and skip breakfast and lunch.
Now if you go through your day without any negative symptoms, then check your blood sugar right before supper, and if it's high, don't take your usual morning dose.
Take more regular than you normally would, and less intermediate.
For instance, you may take 20 regular, and 20 intermediate.
You do this to compensate for the higher than average blood sugar level, but you don't want it lasting into the following day.
Suppose you do run into some symptoms after skipping breakfast and lunch, as well as your morning insulin.
You may get high sugar and acidosis, more frequent urination, thirst, etc.
In this case you should not continue fasting until dinner.
Break the fast, start eating, and take your insulin.
In this case as well, you should increase your regular intake and decrease your intermediate intake.
Remember, you may want to follow your religion by fasting, but seriously risking your health and/or life is not necessary.
If yo u take oral medications for your diabetes the night preceding your fast, then you should take only half of your regular dosage.
This is because you will likely have excess insulin as you skip meals the next day.
Any type of diet and health maintaining routines you follow should be approved by your physician.
This includes the information in this article.
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