Preserving Diabetic Meds for SHTF.

Discussion in 'Survival Medicine' started by jim2, Feb 22, 2021.


  1. jim2

    jim2 Monkey+++

    Best friend has medication induced Type2 diabetes. The meds he has to take on a daily basis also causes his diabetes. The diabetes med he has to take require refrigeration, and we don’t know how to keep them cold during a SHTF event. The water and burlap trick won’t work, so short of him moving to Alaska we are at an impass.

    Any suggestions?
    jim
     
    HK_User likes this.
  2. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    Dedicated Gen set, fridge and plenty of fuel.
     
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  3. Ura-Ki

    Ura-Ki Grampa Monkey

    I would get one of those portable fridg units that can run on propane and/or battery power like you find in the newer R/V units and Semi trucks! I have one in the big firetruck, Think I paid $400 or so for it, and it runs forever on the trucks batteries! Haven't ever tested it to see how long it can run on a single deep cycle ( 885 CCA) cranking battery, but i'm pretty sure its days, not hours! I'm also sure a pair of 6 volt deep cycles ganged together would last much longer, and if you got a small solar panel and battery tender, you could prolly run forever!
     
  4. Illini Warrior

    Illini Warrior Illini Warrior

    subject comes up regular - insulin and diabetes is one of those most common problems for a grid down situation ....

    you might want to pick thru a long time "sticky" on the subject - every aspect has been discussed many times over it's posting run >>> 1-2-3 Home Made Insulin
     
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  5. 3M-TA3

    3M-TA3 Cold Wet Monkey

    I have mine semi controlled through diet and portion. I'm also losing weight and as I do so my blood sugars also go down. This basically gives my pancreas a break as opposed to when I eat that high carb low fat diet the doctors keep pushing.

    Don't listen to them effers as their advice is basically dogma from the 1950's when Eisenhower had a heart attack that is IMO wholly responsible for the fattening of America and making diabetes a frequent illness. They really need to teach feedback mechanisms to baby docs while they are still in school so they will stop assuming everything is a zero sum game. I was never able to lose weight until I told the docs and the nutrition "experts" to FOAD where diet and/or weight loss is concerned.

    The original treatment for diabetes was restricting the amount of calories in each meal. I would also add that dietary fiber will slow down the introduction of carbs, especially, into the blood stream giving your body the best chance at managing it. The "good news" is that not long after SHTF food will likely be very scarce.

    Your diet should also consist as much as possible of the foods having the lowest hypoglycemic index. Fats like coconut oil, nuts, nut butters, and peanut butter store well and are useful. As for grains no refined anything or white rice. I would pick oats as the first option. I also keep a LOT of canned meat. Use veggies, especially uncooked ones to provide the full feeling.

    As for a medicine that will store quite a while I'd talk to my doctor about Metformin. It's also inexpensive.

    Making insulin through the links above would seem difficult at best even when it isn't SHTF, and if you can make it you have to test for potency. Takes a LOT of resources and time and you have no idea how long it would be viable.
     
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  6. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    Fact is there is more to diabetes than a low carb diet. The Liver and liver damage play a huge part in type 2 and make sure you have a knowledgeable Doc.
    Agent Orange did damage to my liver that Docs of the day wanted to blame on drinking, which I was not a part of.

    TEST first then diagnose.
     
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  7. 3M-TA3

    3M-TA3 Cold Wet Monkey

    I've learned that the liver is far more important than I previously thought. It's truly a miraculous and complex organ.

    In my case diabetes was not due to liver issues. Instead that high carb low fat nonsense they have been cramming down out throats for over 60 years led to a condition where my pancreas was so maxed out producing insulin to compensate that it was eventually damaged.
     
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  8. jim2

    jim2 Monkey+++

    Yeah, I tried that, and nothing came up. Not my computer so who knows . He and I discussed a move to Alaska where there is plenty of glacier runoff and permafrost to solve his problem as well as possible. Thanks for the help though.

    jim
     
    Last edited: Feb 22, 2021
    HK_User likes this.
  9. T. Riley

    T. Riley Monkey+++

    Get on a different med or get healthy enough to get off entirely if he can. I am type two also. One thing is certain, his diet will change so it might not need them.
     
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  10. chelloveck

    chelloveck Diabolus Causidicus

    In the good old days before modern electrical and LPG fridges...refrigeration could be achieved via 'absorption refrigeration'. The heating component, most often provided by kerosene.





    Absorption refrigerator - Wikipedia

    The following link is to an American retailer of Kerosene fridges...I make no recommendations of their products, nor do I have any association with them...they just happened to be in the search results I randomly found. I just give it as an example of the kind of absorption refrigeration products currently available on the market and as a source of information for its specs. They are not cheap. Do your own due diligence

    [​IMG]
    Servel Propane or Kerosene Refrigerator

    upload_2021-2-23_16-11-50.

    Operation Of Kerosene Powered Refrigerator — Steemit

    I have created a thread concerning Insulin resistance....it explains a human body chemistry phenomenon which can contribute to, and exacerbate diabetic related conditions. Perhaps one way of dealing with pre diabetic medical conditions may be to modify one's eating habits in the light of knowing how one's body chemistry works.

    Insulin Resistance

    Edit: If SHTF is of short duration, then refrigerating meds that have a reasonable shelf life is an option...if it is an extended SHTF / TEOTWAWKI situation and production and distribution of such meds are going to be interrupted beyond the storage life or one's capacity to store said meds...then that's going to be 'hard cheese' for those who rely on those meds simply to survive day by day. :(
     
    Last edited: Feb 23, 2021
  11. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to

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  12. TnAndy

    TnAndy Senior Member Founding Member

    Type 2 diabetes is a disease of life style.
    All type 2 diabetes is fairly curable if a person wishes to do so, so rather than seeking how to preserve insulin, which is part of the problem, they should work on not needing insulin. Look up Dr. Jason Fung on YouTube for how to fix the real problem.

    Type 1 diabetics really DO have a problem, and in a SHTF situation, their lives are probably going to be short.
     
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  13. Illini Warrior

    Illini Warrior Illini Warrior

    link is OK for me - maybe with all the new internet security you can't jump into the site anymore without membership & signing in - ????

    Survivalist Forum
     
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  14. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    Not exactly so. Sooner or later every thing wears out.
    Dr. Jason Fung on YouTube does not understand that as well other things in life get damaged and cannot do their job in our bodies.
    I did good for a whole number of decades, then the facts of loss of sight was a warning that not every thing is fixable by fasting.
    That is the number one reason to actually have biannual health check ups.
    Loss of eye sight is not some thing to mess with nor is having parts of your body chopped off due to poor circulation/

    See a Doc on a regular basis and have a Opto Doc check up each year to see if any damage has occurred that others might attribute to age.
     
  15. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    Yes and No as to it being a lifestyle disease. I was diagnosed with type 2 about 9 Months back and it was discovered because I was peeing constantly like every 10 minutes old faithful would blow. Not a reason in the world I should be diabetic diet is great, I eat almost no starches or sugars and am very far from inactive. Doc come in the room after a while and pronounces "I KNOW WHY YOU ARE PEEING CONSTANTLY! You are massively diabetic, your blood sugar right now is reading 597." Some further and more complex testing showed that my pancreas took a hit most likely when I went Septic a few years back after treatments for another problem. So basically one day my pancreas went on strike and over night I became a diabetic fountain.

    The good news is that I was able to get it under control and running 130-170 average blood sugar (Which is down from 300-600) and turned the pump to the fountain off. Oddest advice I ever got from a Doctor "Eat More Meats and Fats and less Fruits and Vegetables and cut the biscuits and gravy to 1-2 mornings per week instead of every morning :) " ALso on a drug called Metformin that from what I understand boost the pancreas function but I guess a lot of people have a pretty rough time with that particular drugs side effects like head aches, teeth hurting, crapping like a goose....... I have had no problems with it and it does make a notable difference in the blood sugar. If I miss a couple of days the blood sugar gets back in the 250-300 range.

    Don't have to worry about keeping Metformin cold as it is a horse pill. After we found I can tolerate it with ease and it is working for me, the Doc gives me 180 day prescriptions and told me to tell him "I lost the first four bottles of pills and need another 180 days worth." So I have basically a 6 month reserve that when I get a new prescription refill rotates to the front and thus have anywhere from a 6 month to 1 year supply of it on hand depending where I am in the current prescription.

    What blew my mind was how much most fruits and a lot of vegetables contribute to high blood sugar. LOL I have had way too much fun with the finger pricker and test kit. I will eat something and wait 2-4 hours and test and have a baseline normal of 138 now days to go from. Eat a apple and 2 hours later I am pushing 300, Eat a slice of pie and it goes to 325-375 , eat at the chinese restaurant and it goes into the 500s. Eat at any restaurant and it goes into 350-400 range. Drink some fruit juice and way up into the 550-600 range.

    SO through a lot of trial and error I have found things outside of MEAT and Eggs that that I can eat that don't raise it much. Sweet corn is a killer but oddly Hominy and Grits are only good for a 10-15 point increase cornmeal (Corn Bread on the other hand is a guaranteed 150 point jump) White taters BAD........... Red Taters 1/3 as bad. Green Beans, Leafy Greens, Peppers Great. MEAT and the More Fat in it Beyond GREAT more education revealed why animal fats limit or prevent the glycemic reaction guess the fat molecules bond with the sugar molecules and instead of into the blood they move on out through the poop chute.

    SO yep it is lifestyle in the form of what I eat but the underlying cause is the failing of a organ that took a pretty hard hit. LOL Go to the hospital for treatment of one problem and a week later learn you caught a resistant bug that goes septic and the Doctors are telling you in yer lucid moments that yer most likely going to be dead in 2-3 days from the sepsis. BTW won both of those battles obviously..........but at a cost.
     
  16. ditch witch

    ditch witch I do stupid crap, so you don't have to

    My middle brother is type 2 and back when he was first diagnosed he decided to "start eating healthy", which he and his wife decided included LOTS AND LOTS of fruit. He would eat an entire watermelon in one sitting and think he was doing great, then wonder why his blood sugar was all over the place.

    He's on thrice weekly dialysis now, having lost all function of both kidneys.
     
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  17. 3M-TA3

    3M-TA3 Cold Wet Monkey

    My experience is very similar to yours. My pancreas one day just said "eff it, I quit" which resulted in a very fast growing and painful infection. Went to the ER to see if I could get it lanced and wound up spending nearly a week there until they figured out my insulin dosage and turned me loose.

    I'm still angry about the medical community foisting the high carb low fat plan for years. It made me gain weight, caused me digestive problems, and destroyed my health. When I tried to lose the weight I would double down on it and couldn't believe it when my weight increased yet again. When I went camping or backpacking with my friends more that one would make the comment about how little I ate for being a heavy guy. I hadn't learned yet that the medical community didn't know everything but was still willing to make recommendations as though they did.

    I finally figured that part out while they were still struggling with cholesterol levels. I rode that entire train of 240 to 220 to 200 to 180 and then they said "never mind, only the LDL's are bad". Most of them don't know it's oxidized LDL's (had to prove it to my current doc, at least she checked up and confirmed) and if you cut the carbs they get metabolized by the liver before they can oxidize. IMO your general practitioners are overwhelmed by the medical knowledge domain and rely on best practices in many areas that are still unproven dogma.

    Most of my carbs now come from the onions, tomatoes, and olives I use in my salads. It's amazing how sweet they are when you aren't mainstreaming carbs like the classic US diet. Nope, I don't just eat salads, only when I want something sweetish or my body craves fresh uncooked vegetables. Listening to my body has gotten me healthier than all the nutritional advice given to me combined.
     
  18. BTPost

    BTPost Stumpy Old Fart,Deadman Walking, Snow Monkey Moderator

    OR, you can get a Gastric ByPass and have your Type 2 Diabetes disappear over night... AlaskaChick hasn’t dealt with ANY Blood Sugar issues since she woke after the surgery, and that was 12 years ago.. She also has lost half her body weight since, as well... Now she just has one Motto... “ Not one bite more” when she fills full at the table...
     
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  19. HK_User

    HK_User A Productive Monkey is a Happy Monkey

    I was none of the above.
    Always thin, always ran most places.
    Always ate "right". That being a balanced meal with standard foods.
    One day I had a pain in my liver area.
    They did a scan, had a mass, no suggestion of what it was.
    No blood problems.
    Lasted about a week.
    Over a period of a few years I was unable to control my A1c.
    Now on low dose of metformin.
    Blood sugar hovers around 120 to 150.
    VA Doc popped it as Agent Orange.
    Lump is still there but has only reduced in size.

    Go Figure.

    There is not a pat answer just educated guesses.
     
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  20. Thunder5Ranch

    Thunder5Ranch Monkey+++

    One of the things I like about my doctor is that he takes a common sense approach to things and it is more often than contrary to conventional medical wisdom. Obvious thing with the peeing was a prostate infection given my age and overall good health. A week of antibiotics later and Nope I was still peeing constantly..... Either I did not explain clearly or he did not understand correctly , but he was under the impression that I was feeling like I really needed to pee, when in fact I was dumping a full bladder every 10-15 minutes. Thus the finger stick and test and walla the body was trying to flush all the excess sugar out via the urine. As long as I stay under 180-200 no problems there now. Always know when the sugar is high, the eyeballs feel like they are bulging and the peeing starts.

    Previous Doctor always encourage a high fruit, high vegetable, low meat and fat and high carb diet. Which I kind of sort of didn't really follow other than the eating more fruit and carbs and gained 30 pounds of fat. Current Doc has always advised Meat, Fat, vegetable, moderate fruits and low carbs. Unless it is rye bread and says eat all of that you want. And following that advice have dropped the 30 pounds I had gained and have great cholesterol levels, which one would think eating more fat and eggs that it would be higher than it was on the fruity Doctors diet.

    Once the pancreas gives you the finger the only way to control blood sugar is trial and error diet and a medication that forces to function to some degree. You find out real fast that a healthy diet and lifestyle all of the sudden ain't so healthy anymore LOL.
     
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