Fasting with diabetes
Religious fast days like Yom Kippur should be approached with caution by a diabetic. If your condition is completely controlled by diet, or even diet and oral medication, then you shouldn’t have a problem. However, it may be a good idea to wait to take the pill until just before your fast-breaking dinner. The problem that arises falls on insulin-dependent diabetics.
It is not very wise to fast if you are an insulin dependent diabetic. Fasting for you is much more complicated and really dangerous. It may be better to alter tradition than to have a medical emergency.
If fasting is something you just don’t want to give up, that’s fine as it is possible, just make sure you take precautions and get it right. Let’s say you normally need 10 regular units and 30 units of intermediate insulin when you wake up. During a fast day, you should take 0 insulin before breakfast and skip breakfast and lunch. Now if you get through the day without any negative symptoms, check your blood sugar just before dinner, and if it’s high, skip your usual morning dose. Take more regularly than you normally would and less in between. For example, you can take 20 regular and 20 intermediate. You do this to make up for the higher-than-average blood sugar level, but you don’t want it to last until the next day.
Suppose you have some symptoms after skipping breakfast and lunch, as well as morning insulin. You may have high blood sugar and acidosis, more frequent urination, thirst, etc. In this case, it is not advisable to continue fasting until dinner. Break the fast, start eating, and take your insulin. Also in this case, you should increase your regular intake and decrease your intermediate intake. Remember, you may want to follow your religion by fasting, but it is not necessary to seriously risk your health and / or your life.
If you take oral diabetes medications the night before your fast, you should take only half your usual dose. This is because you are likely to have excess insulin if you skip meals the next day.
Any type of diet and health maintenance routines you follow must be approved by your doctor. This includes the information in this article.