How to prep for T1D family members
Posted by LeBienfaitDeLaLune@reddit | preppers | View on Reddit | 111 comments
Hey Preppers,
I would love to pick your brains a bit on a topic that never lets me rest.
My wife became T1D (essentially insulin-dependent) only 4 years ago, and since then I have been thinking through every possible "what if." For example: what if there is a power outage? (Insulin has to be kept refrigerated.) To cover that, I got a powerful solar panel, an Anker battery, and a dedicated fridge to keep things running as long as possible.
The main concern I have now is: what if the ongoing conflicts keep escalating and production drops? How can I stock up on insulin, and where would I store it (a bigger fridge, I suppose)? Anyway, you get the idea.
Is anybody dealing with — or has dealt with — the same situation, or a similar diagnosis in general?
Thanks!
Environmental_Art852@reddit
My husband 70, is dependent on insulin too. I am researching natural ways such as herbs.
pedernalespropsector@reddit
I’d suggest checking out The Energy Balance podcast with Jay Feldman and Mike Fave
Environmental_Art852@reddit
Thank you
Acrobatic_Try_429@reddit
European Goat Rue goes back at least to the ancient Greeks as a treatment and is where the compounds for metformin came from .
allyuhneedislove@reddit
I’ve resigned myself to the fact that if shit truly hit the fan, my time is limited. If I could secure a years worth of insulin, it really only has a year shelf life. So you get a year, max, once the production stops. I try not to think about it much, but a lot of my prep I do for my family and not as much for myself. The question becomes how likely is a total collapse. How does anybody plan for that in general?
If you are just preparing for temporary disruptions, then I don’t think you will find any major supply disruptions coming to the insulin market. It depends on where you are located, though I suppose. Insulin is very cheap and easy to produce, and would be recognized by most governments worldwide as a critical medicine; meaning they will do almost whatever is required to keep insulin available in stores.
Also check out the Open Insulin Project and read about Eva Saxl during WWII.
sassysassysarah@reddit
I'm t1d and if anything more than a year occured I would just plan to perish by my own hand.
It's actually been discussed in some of the diabetic subs recently with the attacks on Iran - if it comes down to it, I have enough insulin to take myself out of the game if I have to.
allyuhneedislove@reddit
Yeah I’m with you on that. I think I would take the bullet before death by diabetes. Sad but true. My SO knows my feelings on this too. I know somebody who died from DKA and it sounded like a horrible way to go.
sassysassysarah@reddit
I know someone who knew someone who Decided They Didn't Want to Be Diabetic Anymore. They knew what would happen, that they'd pass, but it just became too much and the story of their passing was hard to hear at like 14 but it's stuck with me for 20 years. It sounds terrible, I agree. :( hopefully we're never met with that situation though, and we only ever need to Prep for Tuesday
LeBienfaitDeLaLune@reddit (OP)
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts, and apologies if I have projected any anxiety with my post - on the positive side there are plenty of studies with staminal cells to restore pancreatic production so that might come before a total meltdown :)
I will definitely check out OIP and Eva Saxl. Thank you!
RapidXpansion@reddit
for short interruptions in insulin supply you limit carbs and exercise, drink fluids and provide electrolytes. dka is obviously the main issue short term. long term the body needs insulin period and stockpiling it in rotation is one of your few options. there simply is not a replacement for insulin.
PrepperBoi@reddit
My insulin pens are 2 year
xmo113@reddit
Im just celiac but my experience after a house fire and a couple power outages showed me how screwed I'm going to be if shtf.
Nerd_Porter@reddit
Can insulin survive deep freeze? There are commercial -80° freezers that essentially make things last forever ... if it can survive the process of course. I know almost nothing about insulin.
If you go that route, they are expensive (look for used lab equipment suppliers) and are power hogs.
blueontheledge@reddit
No, frozen insulin is immediately ruined and cannot be used
Nerd_Porter@reddit
Good info, thanks.
Not sure why I'm being downvoted though, I guess folks here aren't in the sciences, these deep freezers are used widely for a lot of things and would be great for certain prep. Oh well, whatever.
Burntoutn3rd@reddit
It's about how fast or slow it freezes. You need to be able to freeze it basically I stantly, which requires lab grade freezers to kill off. A -40F chest freezer won't do it. You need like -82.
Even still, a single freeze/thaw cycle ina deep freeze should only ruin maybe 20% of the total contained insulin peptides.
It's about not letting ice crystal formation break the amino acid bonds.
DSBYOLOO@reddit
Honey lasts forever and is a great prep for low blood sugar. Ive been type 1 for 25 years.
los-gokillas@reddit
If they don' have access to insulin, and are dependent on it to get glucose into their cells, how would honey help? and why would hypoglycemia be a concern?
TheLastVix@reddit
One anecdotal experience: TENS unit (electrical stimulation) use reduces my husband's overall insulin needs.
My T1D husband was having back pain and tried using a TENS unit to help relieve pain. Either half hour or an hour.
His glucose then trended significantly lower than expected for about 24-36 hours afterward, somewhat similar to undertaking strenuous exercise. After chugging juice for hours he realized it must be the TENS unit.
He has now reproduced this decreased need for insulin every time he has used the TENS unit. Half hour on the back seems to be enough to trigger the effect.
His Endocrinologist has never heard of this blood sugar lowering effect. I think there was one study in Asia.
Proceed with caution. Any action that could create severe lows is life threatening. But for my husband, if his insulin supply is running low in a more temporary crisis scenario, we're gonna bust out the TENS unit to get more days from the same supply.
For TEOTWAWKI, he's not gonna make it. I doubt I would want to. So that's not what I prep for.
sunflowebloom@reddit
I’m off to research this. Did he have it on a low level or was it making his muscles contract and relax?
TheLastVix@reddit
Oh, very low, like 3 or 4 out of 10. If he's going to use the TENS, he'll cut down both his overnight basal and short acting.
sunflowebloom@reddit
Thank you
sunflowebloom@reddit
I’m worried about prepping for a T2 insulin dependant diabetic who eats low carb
RoutinePatient3214@reddit
Get yourself a bougerv refrigerator that plugs into your cigarette lighter in the car. I bought one for my parents who were in Florida in case they had to evacuate the house and were on the road.
LeBienfaitDeLaLune@reddit (OP)
Yeah have it with double plugs! We use it when we travel long distances with the car
RoutinePatient3214@reddit
Excellent! They definitely come in handy.
Powerful-Rip-3512@reddit
I´d get my hands on as much metformin as a could.
Aggravating_Act0417@reddit
All day chemist
BaileyBoo5252@reddit
Just give up dude. There won’t be any saving people that are dependent on medications unfortunately. Especially not medications that need to be refrigerated like insulin
No_Television_5875@reddit
lol I hope you are on some medication, sounds like you need it if you are not.
preppers-ModTeam@reddit
The same thought could be expressed in a civilized manner without resorting to trolling or personal insults.
silasmoeckel@reddit
T1D Here
Solar powered fridge is about the best you can do for storage. Portable don't forget heating as you cant let it freeze. The small car ones are thermo electric coolers/heaters not very efficient but in a car with the engine running that's fine. Home you can can DC compressor units that are efficient in several form factors I like the top loading.
Room temp is fine for 30 days or so (each varies check her specific ones) they make silica gell evap coolers that are just add water to keep it from getting to hot. This is good for getting from point A to B.
As to supply, ask for backup insulin. Mine write the scripts like I'm using it every day and insurance will happily fill it. Meaning that I fill 30 days and get more than 60 days worth.
Now pumps and CGM, I started them on a u-100 and pump changes every 36 hours, swapped to a u-200 and now it's 72 hours meaning I'm ahead on those. CGM's not much to do than buy spares and complain when they don't last the full duration (mine come off sometimes with heavy sweating).
regolithia@reddit
Would you be able to go without taking insulin indefinitely if you were to get that same physical exertion every day?
silasmoeckel@reddit
I cant keep up that level of exertion you need some 0 days in there (hiking term for a rest day).
But I can defiantly slow the need enough to not be in danger by avoiding carbs on that 0 day.
Now make no mistake there is no way I can do that forever, it was tried and semi effective but it's at best a short term fix.
LucyBarefoot@reddit
I'm T2D, which is a completely different animal, I know, but I became T2D after some damage to my pancreas significantly reduced my production of insulin, so part of my disease is absorption and part of it is production. My doc pointed out that you CAN buy insulin OTC - but they are older insulins and more difficult to manage, but do-able nonetheless in a less than perfect world. I also work my prescriptions so that I get them filled at the earliest allowable time, meaning I can gain 2-3 days each month and I wind up with an extra month of meds every year. Otherwise, I keep my ear to the ground constantly and I buy in-date insulin from people whose prescriptions got switched, or who passed away, or who got well enough to go off insulin altogether. I watch x-dates like a hawk and use the close dates first and keep my freshly filled insulin for later. I've currently got a stock of about six months worth, maybe more if I can make it stretch. Besides that, I manage my diet scrupulously so that I have less need for insulin, but that doesn't really work for a T1D as well. Also, as long as my glucose doesn't get too high, I find that vigorous exertion does wonders for bringing it back down.
I'd find out if she produces any insulin at all. That in itself has a huge impact on what direction to take.
LeBienfaitDeLaLune@reddit (OP)
Thanks so much for sharing!
Involuntary-Expert@reddit
While it is NOT recommended by doctors, veterinarian insulin will work on humans if there are no other options. It's significantly cheaper and can be purchased in large quantities.
preppers-ModTeam@reddit
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TomatoMiserable3043@reddit
But it can't be bought over the counter, so best of luck sourcing it if you don't have a diabetic cow hanging around.
silasmoeckel@reddit
You can buy human insulin OTC it's like 30 bucks at walmart.
Burntoutn3rd@reddit
That's Novolin they sell OTC, and only useable in specific instances.
It's not the same as having lantus or humalog around.
saltyoursalad@reddit
Guess I’ll add a diabetic cow to my prep list.
LanguageDependent288@reddit
Pigs are very similar to human physiology than cows
joelnicity@reddit
It can be ordered through pharmacies in Canada and shipped to the US. Human insulin, not animal insulin
LeBienfaitDeLaLune@reddit (OP)
didn't even know about it - thanks for sharing will research the topic
BookLuvr7@reddit
Heads up doses for animals are often very different, and pet insulin is usually porcine/pig insulin rather than human insulin. Just something to add to your research.
Ingawolfie@reddit
I’m old enough to remember when all insulin was porcine and it worked. Though human insulin is better. I’m sure noticing that T1 diabetics are living longer. However once the supply chain goes down, that’s probably it.
BookLuvr7@reddit
I didn't say it didn't work, just a heads up that the dosing is different.
Salt_Medicine2459@reddit
Before the recombinant DNA technology was developed, pig insulin and insulin from human cadavers is typically what was used for people.
BallsOutKrunked@reddit
Yeah insulin costs are "expensive" if you compare them to old insulin which was very problematic. Newer insulins are much safer and derived in different ways.
BookLuvr7@reddit
I used to be in pharmacy, but quit for moral reasons just like this. It costs roughly 15-25 cents to make a unit of insulin, but they sell them for thousands. The more I learned about the industry, the more disgusted I became.
RapidXpansion@reddit
well you are wrong. the type of insulin that costs 15-25 cents is not the same as modern insulin analogs.
nvm that the big players offer $35 a month insulin.
BookLuvr7@reddit
The prices I quoted were from several years ago when I left pharmacy, before Covid, and before the $35 cap.
Unless you actually have a source to support your claim, just crapping on someone and saying "you're wrong," is a very ineffective argument.
For the sake of updating my numbers and practicing what I preach, this article states:
A single vial is 1,000 units/10 mL.
I said it was 15-25 cents per UNIT. Which is what it was when I quit, prior to the moves both prior administrations made to reduce it. You are correct that the prices have changed.
Thanks to that, the updated pricing according to that math would be $2-4/ vial = $2-4/1,000 units = $0.002-0.004/unit. Which, given that they're selling it for $35 when it costs at most $4 to make is still a markup of 775%.
It may not be as bad as it was, but disgusting markups are still very common practice.
BallsOutKrunked@reddit
Older NPH insulin is indeed cheap as dirt. It also takes a while to kick in, doesn't last as long, and are more likely to cause hypoglycemia.
Newer analogs are much more expensive because while they are "insulin" it's like saying a Ford Fiesta is a car like a Porsche is a car. The newer analogs have much quicker onset results, last longer, and there are less side effects.
You can't say "unit of insulin" like these things are at all the same anymore than my car analogy.
StayStrappedBackpack@reddit
Realistically, stock up and rotate.
My daughter is T1D, this has been on my mind a lot lately. 90% of the insulin that is commercially available (at least within the United States) is produced in only 3 facilities. Manufacturing insulin would be difficult, but not impossible. There are more labs within the states that would be equipped to make insulin, but due to the legality of such, its doesn’t happen.
If you would like to learn more about how insulin is made, the Open Insulin Project is a good source of information.
hoardac@reddit
I know Lantus has quite a long storage life before opening. Year and half or more. I think that is about all you could do is try and have enough to see through whatever bullshit is going on. "Use" more than you need until you get extra ahead. Maybe ask you doctor for extra when you go on trips.
Money_Ad1068@reddit
We got lucky when Walgreens filled a few of my wife's Rx's in duplicate for an entire year. She now has a solid back stock that we include in the regular rotation so the back stock never goes out of date...it is constantly replaced.
hoardac@reddit
Thats a good win for sure.
Creative-Comb5593@reddit
This was a major plot point in Forstchen's "One Second After". Won't be pretty if it ever happens.
However (doctor here) this is hope as another reply pointed out: exercise. I had a slightly obese former Marine patient at a VA clinic. He had not-very-well-controlled Type 2 diabetes. His weight, blood sugars and his A1C (a test reflecting the average blood sugar over the last three months) continued creeping up every visit. He wanted my magic pills to take care of his disease so he could continue enjoying his self-indulgent lifestyle forever. It wasn't working. I warned him that each visit we were getting closer and closer to having to bite the bullet and start insulin. We do have to start insulin on Type 2 diabetics if even at maximum doses, two kinds of pills aren't working. He always looked scared and nervous, "Oh nooo, I don't want insulin", but nothing ever changed.
One day he came in and the nurse gave me a heads up that he had quit all his meds. Stopped taking anything for his diabetes. I just about exploded. "Does he have a death wish?!" But then I checked his latest blood tests. Everything was normal! It was as if he no longer had diabetes! I couldn't believe it. I brought him in from the waiting room and asked him what he did.
"I listened to my inner jarhead!", he said. The "Embrace the suck" and "Pain is just weakness leaving your body" culture. "I started playing basketball, and found out I liked it!", he said. "Whenever my blood sugar got to 200, I'd go shoot hoops for half an hour, and it'd come right down." He was the poster child for a healthy lifestyle. I was bragging on him to all the diabetes educators, doctors, everyone.
Not saying it'll work for everyone, but beats living on a medical death row if the insulin runs out.
drugihparrukava@reddit
That's great news for T2's with endogenous insulin production.
Not great news for type 1's, many of us are athletes who still require insulin so exercise will not replace insulin, as we do not produce this hormone and, T1 and T2 are different diseases with different pathophysiologies and treatments. So yes, we T1's are on "medical death row" without insulin. Every living body requires insulin, but again, we don't produce any. (Overall 6 hormones are affected in T1). The medical comparison of two different diseases and misunderstanding is one reason many of us want a different name for our autoimmune disease.
I am surprised at the suggestion and slightly offended as a retired pro athlete, if you are saying that exercise replaces insulin in a type 1 body. If I misunderstood and you are saying someone with endogenous insulin production has a better lifespan with exercise then yes I agree. Every human should exercise for health. But if a T1D has no insulin, then exercise cannot replace a missing hormone in type 1.
Creative-Comb5593@reddit
I explicitly stated I was describing a Type 2 diabetic who was about to become insulin-requiring.
drugihparrukava@reddit
Thanks for the clarification! That is why I wrote "if I misunderstood". The last sentence seemed to imply to me that this can be done by most if insulin runs out.
Creative-Comb5593@reddit
Oh no, I don't think it can. For type 1's I really don't know what could be done. Maybe on the horizon there might come lyophilized insulin. Penicillin and other injectables can be stored long term as dry powder in a sterile vial with a rubber cap. Injecting sterile water or saline reconstitutes it to make it ready for injection. Insulin that could be stored at room temperature as a powder would have a huge market in the Third World, especially Africa, where refrigerators may be hard to come by. I'd keep an eye on any trials for a product like that.
Spiley_spile@reddit
My friend and I both use Frio Cooling Wallets. My friend uses them for insulin. I use them for epi pens. These wallets are water activated, and last for days. When the wallet starts to dry out, it just needs another dunk in water to reactivate it.
I think if there is a big crisis, humanitarian organizations will do supply drops. But there's always a delay. So stocking up is important.
Additionally, there is the community. My friend and I went on a road trip. My friend realized their vial of insulin was missing. I contacted friends back home and told them where we were. Those people contacted friends, and so fiñorth, until someone knew a local to where we are who had switched insulin types or something. Im fuzzy as this was some years ago. The person left 2 full vials of the insulin my friend used. So my friend had to to get the pharmacy to organize replacements where we could pick them up. Again, it's best to have an emergency stash on hand, of course, just in case someone doesnt have extra. People help each other when they can though.
I read that Hesperian Health Guides (Same place that published Where There Is No Doctor) is coming out with a book on Diabetes. Additionally, I hope Four Thieves Vinegar eventually produces insulin manufacturing resources, like they did for hiv medication and the epipencil. No guarantee, of course. But, there is a need and there are people out there attempting to create solutions that can get around the medical proprietary nonsense that is holding things up.
rvnguykt@reddit
i was going to say go international because unfortunately it's absolutely not affordable to pay out of pocket stateside . its damn near criminal but then i was relieved when i read yall are in italy . it's either a trip to mexico or rob a few local pharmacies lol . i would also grab a temperature alarm just in case the fridge loses power and it starts to get warm in that fridge
Powerful-Rip-3512@reddit
I would assume that depending on her level of insulin resistance or lack thereof in a grid down situation especially in a temporate region she´d be ok. Basically you´d go zero carb and zero sugar.
That being said if there´s a real global grid down situation hundreds of millions of people will die not because of some Mad Max scenario but because they got sick. I have Hypertension my pressure is helped by meds but what also helps just as well is a clean diet plenty of water and sleep and excercise.
Really a lot of people can and would survive not on their preps but on books left behind and the preps of older people. The global medical system fails and bacteria wll be the major cause of death a simple Band aid and tegoderm will be worth it´s weight in beans.
exhilaration@reddit
If you travel internationally consider getting your necessary drugs from countries with lower barriers to purchase. You can fill up half your suitcase with medicine and just show customs your UK prescription in the unlikely event they ask.
pedernalespropsector@reddit
For a long term solution I’d suggest you avoid PUFA and ditch diabetes altogether. You can check out r/raypeat. They know what’s up. Or check out some scientific articles here:
https://haidut.me/?s=Diabetes
Tasty_Specific_925@reddit
My son is T1. We have so much insulin. We get his dr to over prescribe. It works well for all supplies. Dexcom is harder if you have a cgm. Make sure you have lots of needles, basal insulin, maybe an extra insulin pump if she uses it. I know theyre expensive as fu@k but one cant be to medically prepared i feel.
fetasprinkles98@reddit
Frio bags (just needs water to keep the insulin cool if you don’t have access to any other option to keep it cool)
CopperRose17@reddit
This is not a helpful "prepper" comment, but I love that you care so deeply for your wife. Love can get us through a lot. :)
Grumpy_Wafflen@reddit
Gonna have to give them the ol yeller treatment
los-gokillas@reddit
A prep for a T1D would also be learning to recognize and treat the complications that can arise. Biggest complication you would have to worry about is Diabetic Keto Acidosis. Learn how to recognize those signs and basic treatments that you could do to help with it.
Also should be noted that insulin is not necessary for glucose uptake DURING exercise. If shit hits the fan and your loved ones don't have insulin, the biggest problem is all of the glucose sitting in their blood. You can facilitate an uptake of glucose by exercising. It's not a cure, but it's a band aid in a shitty situation
drugihparrukava@reddit
This depends on type of exercise. Many of us do bolus (take fast acting insulin) for anaerobic and mixed work, whereas zone 2 exercise can lower blood glucose a bit but only assuming there is basal in the system. However, that doesn't work if you're completely out of insulin; any type of exercise will make you go higher and higher, and if ketones are present that means no exercise until ketones are gone and you have insulin. DKA can't be resolved without certain fluid and insulin as well. So yes good point about the glut-2 and glut-4 transport but if no basal at all then nothing helps. As an athlete I can tell you exercising with T1 is complicated enough on a normal day, but trying to do that with no basal insulin at least is a recipe for DKA or worse; it just speeds up the end. A T2 with endogenous insulin production can reproduce this effect and keep their bg lower through exercise; we T1's with no endogenous insulin production cannot.
Coolbartender@reddit
Well… when all of the ingredients to manufacture it are on lists that get the cops to your door if you purchase them… we might not live very long after a major event.
If someone were to figure out how to force the government to allow production by users of the medication, it would put pharma out of business…
Pharma being a stable market is tied to national security so they’ll never let us make our own drugs.
invisiblelemur88@reddit
I wonder the same about my gout... how to source allopurinol...
funke75@reddit
Has a gout friendly diet helped at all?
ifoosh@reddit
Pancreas transplant. You’ll still need immune suppression meds but at least the hypoglycemia won’t get ya and the meds aren’t as high maintenance as insulin
polyamy74@reddit
We prep for my t1d son. He has a pump and CGM, and we try to have as many supplies as possible ready on that, but also backup supplies with the long-lasting insulin in case there's a problem with the pumps ir he just needs a device break.
We have a mini fridge just for his insulin, and similarly a backup power supply for it.
Make sure to keep extra batteries for the glucometer, and also keep plenty of ketone strips around. With the rise of the keto diet, we find them easier than ever to get. But they are the true hero to make sure you don't end up in a deathly situation.
Also, consider wound care a priority, since diabetics don't heal as quickly. My son was prescribed steroid cream and silver cream that really help the nasty cuts before they get too bad.
And we stock up on LOTS of candy and fruit snacks after each holiday (when it is on clearance). The cheapest and most readily available fast sugars around for the hypoglycemic dips. The US smarties last forever.
And he has a diabetic alert dog. That means we have to prep for the dog, but also that if his CGM is out of commission, he can still be safe and use far less glucometer supplies.
LeBienfaitDeLaLune@reddit (OP)
Thanks for sharing! 🩵 I’m following similar guidelines, except the dog part that I wasn’t aware at all.
Rogonia@reddit
I think one thing that would be good is to have a thorough resource for how different forms of insulin work in the body. It wouldn’t be unrealistic that you might be able to cobble together different types of insulin from different sources, and that would be better than nothing but you need to understand how to properly dose them. Make sure you have a ton of extra subcutaneous needles, in addition to pen tips, lancets, testing strips, etc.
LeBienfaitDeLaLune@reddit (OP)
Exactly she used already several brands and we got an understanding of which works in a way and how fast…also like to code a bit and created some tools to see the curve depending which insulin is used!
buckeyecubfan@reddit
There is a pouch called FRIO that activates soaked in cold water to keep insulin cool. Great for travel but also a backup in case of short power outage. Keeps cool several days.
goawaybating@reddit
I was going to mention FRIO too
Alternative-Ad-9759@reddit
Look into the latest research. I forgot what country it was, but they announced an injectable cure for diabetes last week. You will 100% have to travel for it. Lol
shadowlid@reddit
India Mart you can get Insulin super cheap on there, just make sure its a verified seller, id start with short acting, test it make sure it works correctly then buy a decent amount and store it in the fridge, have a back up power system etc.
Monarc73@reddit
There are several plants that can help to regulate sugar levels. (In both directions.) Try asking on r/homestead, and similar subs.
LeBienfaitDeLaLune@reddit (OP)
Interesting, will do thanks
goawaybating@reddit
Regulating BS levels are more for type 2 as Insulin resistance is part of their disease process. Your wife doesn't MAKE insulin to regulate.
whats_in_the_boxlady@reddit
Read the book One Second After.....
pnutbutterandjerky@reddit
Make it yourself
Utter_cockwomble@reddit
There are ways- we had insulin well before gene editing. It can be isolated from animal pancreases.
MerelyMortalModeling@reddit
While I'd never recommend it except all but the most dire scenarios I'd read up in and learn about the Allen diet.
It was a harsh system often derided in modern literature as the starvation diet but it worked. If you had to go with out insulin completely it will stave off DKA. Diabetics in his care lived much longer and generally healthier lives. The goal was to keep calories intake below a weight depended goal, often as low as 500. Calories were to be gained from proteins and fats. Vegetables were to be boiled multiple times with the water dumped and served mearly to add some vitamins and bulk.
In the poorest parts of the world a slightly less extreme diet protocol is used to stretch insulin supplies allowing for what little supply you have to be micro dosed. Also in regards to storage, in much of Africa the goal for insulins storage is to keep it below 30c or 86f. That can generally be achieved by wrapping bottles in damp cloths and burying them underground. Again not something id generally recommend but it will preserve your supply in a dire emergency.
Note the frequent use of the term "dire". Non of this is stuff I would recommend unless you are in a true life and death survival situation. But having a chance of survival is better then just being like "oh well, time to die"
gtzbr478@reddit
I’m in a similar situation with adrenal insufficiency. Thankfully I don’t have to deal with the need for cold storage and my meds are stable a long time.
Still the worry about shortages is big. I’ve experienced shortages before, a few weeks to a few months, but could get alternatives.
I always renew as soon as possible, order the kind I take on top (as needed) regularly even I don’t need it yet, and even tried to buy some online (wasn’t possible in Canada, sadly). I order for 90 days at a time and my pharmacist is helpful in allowing me to order a week early, so after a year I gain about a month’s worth, without putting anyone in trouble.
I wish my doctors understood the implications. They know it’s essential, but don’t see the impact of supply chain disruption, or if a factory gets closed due to a tornado or flood. They don’t realize the wolrd is interconnected and a shortage in Europe could mean a shortage here soon after, and that in a global world, everyone will be competing for the same stock so having alternatives or deals with other countries won’t help.
I think I’ve done all I can to prepare and wouldn’t feel right having enough for years while others die… so I pretty much made my peace with the fact I have a finite amount of months to live in a prolonged shortage.
I’m sorry, it sucks.
trying3216@reddit
Stockpile as much insulin as you can while being aware of expiration dates and the need for refrigeration.
Stockpile other supplies too.
Stockpile low carb foods as a type 1 can extend their life about a year without insulin.
Manufacturing insulin from pig pancreases would be quite an undertaking, though it was done in the 1920’s.
TheodoreDonald@reddit
Best I can do is be prepared to be the first casualty. None of this shit matters anyway so 🤷♂️
michael_1215@reddit
A friend keeps a rotating 3 month stash for his wife. Their brand has a three-month refrigerator life, so it's the max they can do, and so they figure that she'll either be dead anyway, or the problem will be solved within 3 months.
-toadflax-@reddit
I think the book One Second After by William R. Forstchen had the most realistic depiction of this scenario. Unfortunately it wasn't good, so you may not want to read it as it was heartbreaking.
myownopnion@reddit
Yeah, that's definitely something that sucks when the global economy breaks down. Anyone who's not in the comfortable part of the economy suffers. I'm also dependent on medications that will make it very difficult if shortages get very bad. I've already been chatting with my psychiatrist about how to handle withdrawals and possible mental health crises that'll come with losing my meds. It's not a fun thing to think about.
Malboury@reddit
It's almost so out there as to be a bit of a fantasy, but long term, insulin can be extracted from the pancreases of animals. The process is complex, but it has been done under dire circumstances. Look up Eva Saxl.
ToothSufficient7763@reddit
Has she tried or looked into creatine?
Unicornsfly23@reddit
You can go to Walmart and purchase some of their insulin that does not require a prescription note. I would seek medical guidance though because it’s not the same as analog insulin which works quicker. Maybe ask her doctor if it would work for your wife if you find yourselves without insulin and what doses she should take.
TheRealBunkerJohn@reddit
The short answer is that for chronic conditions, your "bug in" plan shifts to "bug out to a place with intact medical infrastructure" on top of stockpiling as much as you can. You can stock a year or so and rotate it- but I would ensure you have multiple options of, in a worse-case scenario, getting to somewhere that is more likely to have access to the essential medications.
When it comes to a worldwide, complete collapse, that is (1+ years) unfortunately, a much more difficult and ultimately bleaker scenario.
androgenoide@reddit
This is a question that has come up more than once on this forum. (A quick search for "insulin" on this subreddit will bring up a list.) One interesting answer can be found here: https://www.reddit.com/r/preppers/comments/1payxa7/looking_for_advice_from_prepper_authors/
An off-reddit search might also bring up links to the Open Insulin project. Their objective is to find/create a manufacturing protocol adaptable to a small/local hospital.
MoonAndStarsTarot@reddit
I would invest in a refrigerator and try to keep a supply that lasts as long as insulin can (approximately 1 year). I would then talk to my loved one about what they would like done once that potential supply ran out and we were unable to get more.
I am not a diabetic but I take other medications that are necessary for survival. They thankfully do not have to be refrigerated but I only have a 90 day supply at a time because that's all the pharmacy is allowed to dispense to my in my province. I have accepted if total collapse happens, I have 180 days at most as during Covid, the pharmacy was allowed to give me 180 days of my medication due to concerns about shortages and supply chain issues. It's not a common medication and I'm the only person my local pharmacy dispenses it to so I was not taking away from other patients.
So if total collapse happens, I am accepting that I have 180 days. Potentially 200 because the medicine would still be in my system for a few weeks and I wouldn't die from not taking it right away. Now that I think about it, in the event of collapse, I might ration my medication and only take it once every other or third day. That could give me up to a year and a half which might mean that pharmaceutical production could return.
I have also accepted that if it comes down to it and I am a liability, I will ensure my family is cared for and supported and then just accept my fate. I do not want to put them at risk.
grey0909@reddit
Id look up and learn how it’s pronounced and see how replicate-able it is. But the equipment.
rbprepin@reddit
I know there is no known cure for T1, but I did come across some interesting research that seems to suggest that certain diets can potentially reverse T1 https://dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/a-diet-that-mimics-fasting-may-reverse-type-1-and-type-2-diabetes/
Obviously this is a topic for medical professionals, but maybe there's some hope with advances in science that can give you guys some options.
GreaseRagTom@reddit
I’ve just recently been getting into prepping. One of my books has a section on cool storage under ground. Now that may work, but not very well if you have nothing to store. So I’d look into celler type storage that requires no power then stacking as much meds as possible.
dnhs47@reddit
Not T1D, but dependent on meds that will become unavailable in any scenario involving weeks/months of disrupted supply chains.
In such scenarios, we won’t all survive. Simple as that. And no rational preps will change that.
Even without TEOTWAWKI, none of us will live forever, whether due to health, accidents, whatever.
I’ve been a “prepare for Tuesday” prepper all my life, but recently moved into assisted living. No room for significant preps, dependent on others who would stop coming to work after TEOTWAWKI, etc.
I accept all that - at 69m, I’ve lived longer than all but one of my great-grandfathers, grandfathers and father. I’ve had a good life, better than I ever could have imagined growing up, so no regrets when the time comes.
leggomyeggle@reddit
Goodrx coupons will get you discounts on cash rxs. Or Canada (thanks!) Works for pet meds too.
Haunting-Cause-972@reddit
Does she use a pump? Pens? Syringes? I highly recommend having all of it on hand. My son is on a pump but also has prescriptions for fast and long acting insulin pens and syringes for pump failures. If I needed to I could draw from the pen cartridges instead of a u-100 vial.
Fill all prescriptions as soon as you are able, even if you don’t need it right this second.
Have backups for everything. Meters and strips are cheap and easily purchased at any drug store. Don’t forget the little things to keep on hand like ketone strips, zofran, alcohol wipes, lancets, fast carbs for lows, glucagon for critical lows.
In case of long term power outages we have a solar charging station to keep his pump going (as well as other devices). We have a solar powered camp fridge for the insulin. We also have a camper and could use the fridge in there running on propane if needed. Worst case scenario store in a cool dark place like the basement.
Keep more clean water on hand than you think you’d need. Not just for drinking, but hygiene is very important to prevent infections.