diabetes and bushcraft/survival , any advice?

[fishfish]

Any one have experience of bushcraft with diabetes type 1 or 2? i was diagnosed earlier this year as being type 2 thankfully i don't need to inject and control it with tablets but that only stops the high sugars and doesn't stop the hypoglycemic episodes. This is a right pain in the butt if i am trying to forage and hunt only with no foods with me,in fact it is now impossible to do without some glucose tabs with me,that makes the survival seem a bit of a farce really,i mean in a real life situation ime a goner! lol
So what do fellow sufferers do? do you pack specific supplements?

 

[The Big Lebowski]

I had to treat somebody hypoglycemic recently, and have had the odd attack myself... A mars bar in your bug out bag is well worth its weight.
Personally, I would not put myself (if diagnosed) in a situation without glucose. Ever. Regards, al.

P.s glucose can be foraged but by no means assume its there.

 

[fishfish]

forages as in fruit or honey sort of foods?

 

[The Big Lebowski]

Fruits such as berries (bramble, haw, rowan, wild strawberry, elderberry, cherries) honeysuckle, rosehip, ect, and then on to complex carbs such as milled pendulous sedge, beech nut, sweet chestnut, hazel, acorn ect.

That's just the plant stuff for example. Food for thought

 

[fishfish]

isnt honeysuckle poisonous? my nipper had a trip to A&E after eating a couple of berries.

 

[jackcbr]

This is very interesting stuff and I would love to learn more. What signs to look for in others and what's the best thing to do.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

isnt honeysuckle poisonous? my nipper had a trip to A&E after eating a couple of berries.

Yep, that's the berries. As with all wild foods, homework go's a long way.

 

[rik_uk3]

To be honest I'd treat foraging as more of an interest than a food source, why put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation. Do you carry glucogel ? I carry some in my FAK, squirt between cheek and teeth and rub cheek, it will get in your system faster than a glucose tablet.

 

[Bigfoot]

That's a great tip, I haven't heard of that so Mrs Bigfoot will appove (MIL is diabetic type 1 and I know needs a wee bit sugar to keep her levels up). I must admit I have always been nervous about diabetics and when they have hypos - as in when to give them something sweet, or not, as may be the case!!!!

 

[fishfish]

To be honest I'd treat foraging as more of an interest than a food source, why put yourself in a potentially dangerous situation. Do you carry glucogel ? I carry some in my FAK, squirt between cheek and teeth and rub cheek, it will get in your system faster than a glucose tablet.

dont carry it ,will google it now.cheers.

 

[fishfish]

This is very interesting stuff and I would love to learn more. What signs to look for in others and what's the best thing to do.

some good info here:


http://www.diabetes.org.uk/Guide-to-diabetes/

 

[santaman2000]

I've been a type 2 for over 15 years now. First it's important to understand that diabetes (Type 1 or Type 2) does NOT cause hypoglycemia. That condition is a reaction to your meds. In fact lowering your glucose level is exactly what they are intended to do. Hypoglycemia occurs when you misjudge or mistime the dose relative to your sugar or carb intake (or in the case of a survival situation, you'r unable to get food) So in a true bushcraft survival situation (where unforseen circumstances have you cut off from supplies for a few hours or a few days and aren't eating) simply don't take those meds; exactly the way they instruct you not to take them when you're fasting for lab tests or surgery.

As a general practice I do indeed take a candy bar or glucose tablets or even the small squeeze packets of honey when out and about (a small orange juice box such as you pack in a kid's school lunch is also good) But then again, I carry (or am near) something like that as a bachup on a daily basis; NOT as a survival aid. And if I'm in bear territory I have to forego having anything sweet in my possession that would attract them.

 

[rik_uk3]

Santaman, the glucogel is a glucose syrup in a sealed plastic tube so a bear won't smell it. In practise you squirt between the teeth and gums and rub the cheek, the sugar is quickly in your system absorbed through the buccal mucosa membrane. I'm not diabetic but do carry some in my FAK, not expensive, compact and fast acting.

You can (as I'm sure you know) go hypo even on your meds so its worth carrying something like this.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Glucogel-3x...VHZ4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346991149&sr=8-1

 

[fishfish]

i think ime gonna go see the doc next week and have a chat.

 

[Tiley]

I've been a type 1 diabetic since 1975. Since diagnosis, I have done 23 Alpine seasons and now have the Woodcraft School Bushcraft Instructor's qualification. Ultimately, the easiest way to manage your diabetes when out in the woods or wilds is to monitor your blood sugar levels more closely. I don't know what regime you're on for this but increasing the number of tests you do each day to include ones about two hours after eating is extremely useful.

It is also very important to have a back up with you. Glucogel has been mentioned (vile stuff) and Mars bars, both of which will do the job to an extreme degree. I've found that having a tube of honey is preferable: it tastes a whole load better and, being a natural substance, is 'better' for you. Although full of sugars, it does not produce that soaring blood sugar high like other, more synthetically produced food stuffs. The other secret is to stop what you're doing and wait until things return to a more normal level. The temptation to scoff some food and just carry on is very high but can, of course, carry certain safety issues with it if you are using cutting tools.

Carrying these extras does fly in the face of your desire to follow the survival ideal but you MUST be realistic: you are diabetic and you owe it to yourself - and to any others with you - to be responsible. Your survival outing is only a game, after all. If you are competent and confident with the skills required to survive, then, should the poop hit the fan, you'll be OK and you'll have to juggle your diabetes in a much, much harsher environment.

I don't wish to sound bossy or parental over this but years of experience following these activities with a rather more 'brittle' form of the condition has taught me some very, very useful lessons, tips and tricks over the years. Your GP will certainly help but do remember that he/she will be giving you advice without any experience of living with the condition, unless he/she suffers similarly. If I can be of any further help, please do email or p.m. me.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

Santaman, the glucogel is a glucose syrup in a sealed plastic tube so a bear won't smell it.

Ya don't know bars..............they have a better sense of smell than dogs & mutts are capable of detecting drugs in vacuum sealed plastic or metal containers mixed with other strong smelling substances.

 

[bushwacker bob]

Ya don't know bars..............they have a better sense of smell than dogs & mutts are capable of detecting drugs in vacuum sealed plastic or metal containers mixed with other strong smelling substances.

Bears and hippies.

 

[EdS]

its also important to keep relatively fit and watch you weight. Simple steps make it wasier to control, reduce the symptons of type 2

 

[Firelite]

I've only been on insulin for about 23 years, so some others here have more experience than me. Nonetheless, it hasn't stopped me Kayaking in Sweden, looking for bears in Romania, skydiving, scuba diving and doing a whole host of other nonsense. Please remember that bushcraft as most of us study it is an interest, so its not cheating to carry some sugar/Mars bar/Glucogel or whatever with you. Its just being responsible. If you're worried about an EOTWAWKI situation you probably won't have access to your meds in the medium term, so you're gonna die. Me too. That isn't bushcraft, that is (or maybe is NOT) survival, which is subtly different IMO (See other threads on that debate). If by survival you mean expedition gone wrong scenarios, food isn't a worry for some time and you can use your meter and meds to maintain something approaching normal. Remember, in general. less carbs, less insulin/metformin or whatever (apart maybe from background - as has been said above, it depends on your regime).

One of the best ways to avoid the exped-goes-south situation is to manage your diabetes as well as you are able. If that means having sugar of some kind, then fine. After all, you are only artificially achieving a balance that others have done for them internally.

Good luck with it all.

 

[Skaukraft]

I have been diagnosed with Type 2 for some years now. I dont take any medicine, only controled by what I eat.
My doctor checks my general condition evere 3-4 months. I have a bloodsugarmeasuringthingy, but haven't used it for a long time, because I know exactly what my value is from what I have eaten.
When I am out in the wild, I never offer it a thought.
There are 5 simple rules to follow if you have Type 2: 1: Loose weight. 2: Loose weight. 3: Loose weight: 4: Physical activity 5: Stay the h**l away from white bread!
I lost 25kg, and all my symptoms was gone, for the 3 last years my long term bloodsugar level has been 4,5-4,8.