Diabetes type b and fasting

[jjunlazaro]

Hi, I am a Christian and wants to fast for a week. I have type b diabetes and on daily medications. Can I fast for a week?

[JDRF-VOL-SG]

There are different kinds of fasts... you may be able to fast from SOLID foods but probably need to drink juice to keep carbohydrates going into your body for the insulin that you produce to work on. If you don't, you may get severely hypoglycemic, which can lead to coma and even death. If you fast, you need to do more frequent glucose tests than normal and make sure you have juice handy if your glucose levels drop low, which would be what I would expect to happen. The real key is to do the frequent glucose tests (every few hours) so you know if your sugar levels are dropping. As for the safety of a diabetic fasting, that is your decision to make, but do be very careful.

I have friends who have done fasting and have opted to go without some favorite treat, such as coffee, for the time of fasting. The idea is to sacrifice something we love and to use that time instead to focus on God. You may find that removing a favorite treat from your daily meal is safer for you than complete fasting.