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Thread: diabetes and bushcraft/survival , any advice?

  1. #11
    One with Nature fish's Avatar
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    top man,thanks.
    www.jacksshed.co.uk A country living forum to compliment your bushcraft way of life.

  2. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by paulthefish2009 View Post
    Fish mate,talk to your doctor is my best advice, Sapper seems a all round sensible sort of bloke,see what he has to say. Paul
    Thanks Paul........its the medic in me that does it ;-)

    Fish, obviously I cant go into the whys and wherefores of IV glucose and things like that and neither should I to be honest. I have lots of mates who have perfectly normal 'outdoor' lives with diabetes, you just need to plan ahead, get your meds sorted and it will soon settle down.

    Quick sugar boosts that are useful are full fat fizzy drinks, packet sugar and glucose tabs. I know people who use the energy gel sachets which are cheap and the new thing in some nurse circles is fresh orange juice (small individual cartons available). Doc can give you 40% dextrose in tubes called hypostop

    http://www.chemist.net/Pharmacy/vita...n=froogle_feed

    light easy to carry and taste like shit and best mixed with a drink like tea or juice

    Whatever happens the quick sugar hit will only slow down your hypo as it gets use up really quickly so a long term sugar is needed to balance things out. Follow your dietary plan and maybe have a jam sandwich in reserve to settle things down after the initial sugar hit.

    Lastly always check stuff out with your GP as they have your notes to hand and the rest of your med history
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  3. #13
    Trapper Whistle's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by fish View Post
    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

    So what do fellow sufferers do? do you pack specific supplements?

    Hi Fish ... Yeah it can be a bitch ... I'm a fellow type 2 sufferer ... I find its easier if you try and keep your days the same ...

    stop and snack/eat at your regular times no need for an excuse to brew up !!! lol

    A day out isn't too bad but I take food/snacks ... I wouldn't rely on hoping to find suitable edibles to stave off the wobblies ...

    Biggest problem I've had has been getting " found " by early morning dog walkers pooches when stealth camping ...

    I've given up trying to Tarp and Bivi ... I guess its too much like being a corpse in a Plastic bag ...

    Sapper4083 said its the aldehydes and ketones makes me smell more interesting to the pooches...

    just have to be up before the dog walkers Ha ha ha !!!

    Cheers Whistle
    Life's a beach .... and then the tide comes in ....

  4. #14
    One with Nature fish's Avatar
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    some really good advice guys,i was a bit worried about 'coming out' as a diabetic but it seems ime not alone in coping with this and loving the outdoors!
    www.jacksshed.co.uk A country living forum to compliment your bushcraft way of life.

  5. #15
    Moderator jus_young's Avatar
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    Hell mate, I think you will find that a lot of folks get a rekindling of the outdoor life because they have health problems of some kind. You get to appreciate things a little bit more.

  6. #16
    Native SimonB's Avatar
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    I take it you are on metformin?...

    I suggest you see your GP, or diabetic nurse, get expert advice....

    But from my point of view,(Ex-Army medic, and St John Ambulance member, and Yorkshire ambulance Community responder), Make sure you carry your BM monitor, and something which will give a quick sugar boost should you start to feel off because of a Hypo.. Dextrose tablets from the chemist, A Mars bar, a bottle of original lucozade... something like that.. and should the SHTF, make sure those who you are out with knows you are diabetic, and make sure they know to give you something should you be in a position not to help yourself,obviously not try and shove a choccy bar down your throat if you can't swallow, likewise drink, and make sure you are able to get professional help if needed.... Ambulance, and/or MRT.. One tip I will give you, carry a sachet of sugar, and tell you fellow bushmen if things get bad, open the sachet, and tip it into your mouth under your tongue... it can be absorbed that way like asprin for someone having a suspect heart attack.

    But to help the quick sugar rush, take something which will help long term to.. Lots of carbs which are slow release like a small bag of porrige oats...Or noodles, rice, etc.
    Last edited by SimonB; 06-09-2012 at 10:41 PM.
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  7. #17
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    Quote Originally Posted by fish View Post
    some really good advice guys,i was a bit worried about 'coming out' as a diabetic but it seems ime not alone in coping with this and loving the outdoors!
    Don't be, in fact the more people that know the better.....I know MRT members that are diabetics and these are type 1's. Hell Sir Steve redgrave is a diabetic,,,,,You're not alone and theres a great support network out there.

    A med alert card or bracelet ie http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0057YF6I...SIN=B0057YF6IK may be a good idea just in case you're found by a passing first aider, saves time for the Ambos/MRT/SAR too even though DEFG (dont ever forget glucose) is a standard part of the pt assessment process for those organisations
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  8. #18
    Native SimonB's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Sapper4083 View Post
    Don't be, in fact the more people that know the better.....I know MRT members that are diabetics and these are type 1's. Hell Sir Steve redgrave is a diabetic,,,,,You're not alone and theres a great support network out there.

    A med alert card or bracelet ie http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0057YF6I...SIN=B0057YF6IK may be a good idea just in case you're found by a passing first aider, saves time for the Ambos/MRT/SAR too even though DEFG (dont ever forget glucose) is a standard part of the pt assessment process for those organisations
    If you get a medalert bracelet, all the better... But they work better in conjunction with the other suggested things to carry.... bearing in mind if you are stuck in the middle of nowhere, and would need a casevac via air ambulance, yes they are fast, but they will still need time to get there, likewise MRT/ Ambo road crews.. Anything that can help in the mean time will be beneficial.... Just make sure that there is a good signal from a mobile phone from whoever ther eis in the group.. I have found from personal experience that modern phones can have trouble picking up a signal up on the peak district, so now carry an old battered Nokia with a vodafone simcard, as this, combined with the old phone, does get a better reception.......
    Utringue Paratus

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  9. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by fish View Post
    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?
    If it didn't make things so chronic for us Fish I'd say welcome to the club, I'm type 2 and taking Glucophage tabs twice a day, the best thing I've done is to visit a young dietitian, she has introduced me to the world of Low G.I. foods and if you look hard enough it's amazing what you can find that you can stuff in your pockets to sustain you!
    Now here's the rub, I'm out here in the Cape, South Africa and I was bowled over by how advanced the dietary community is out here along with Australia, possibly a little advanced of the UK.
    What I'm trying to say is, there's life in the bush for us even as a Diabetics, see if you can find a young hot shot dietitian in your area who can work up a plan for you, based on your life style and by the way, I think you'll find that most of the food stuffs you forage are already low G.I. if not in the "FREE" points column.
    I should mention that as a type 2 if you establish a diet based around Low G.I. foods you may well lessen your severity to a stage where the diabetes almost disappears, manage the problem, NOT THE SYMPTOMS!!!
    Last edited by Proventurer; 07-09-2012 at 08:11 AM.

  10. #20
    Samuel Hearne paulthefish2009's Avatar
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    Fish,told you there would be some good advice, what a great community this is .Paul

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