In the event of a catastrophe that interrupts availability of insulin for a long period of time what should a diabetic do to stay alive and healthy?

I would probably not eat much at all and when I did it would be low glycemic index foods.I would stay active and drink as much water as possible.I might try to supplement with chromium ,vanadium and cinnamon as they have been known th lower one’s insulin resitance.Other than that,there isn’t much one can do and death would be inevitable.I am Type1.

While I do not believe it is possible to make the diabetes condition go away, I do know that it is possible to remove your dependence on insulin by increasing ones intake of healthy foods (GREENS, fruits, roots, nuts, seeds, and grains).... so why wait for the catastrophe to do something?

@mrlaconic -That is possible with some type 2 diabetics,diet and losing weight can help.Type 1 diabetics are people whose pancreas does not produce insulin,hence their reliance on insulin.They will not survive without it.

sugar will be disrupted too… so it will balance out…. eat oatmeal..and orange juice

Besides not intaking glucose, I can’t imagine there is anything you can do. Sadly, I think that would be the end.

I’m not sure orange juice, fruit, high quantities of grains (especially bleached), or other things that turn right to blood sugar, are always the best idea for diabetics, but that’s what you get if you take medical advice from strangers at Fluther. ;) YMMV, check with your doctor.

That said, you might be interested in this (including comments):
Emergency Preparedness for Those With Type-1 Diabetes

I expect that you could do blood transfusions, if you had the right gear and training. I don’t know how effective it would be as a solution.

Another possibility is to make your own insulin, provided that you have access to a laboratory, chloride, organic chemistry, and a number of animals. A vet would be handy, too.
From what I gather, the discovery of insulin involved tying up bits of dog pancreases, excision of the dog pancreases after an undisclosed amount of time, and a process that involved dicing them and placing them in a chloride solution.

So, would a detailed guide on the original process of obtaining insulin from animals prove valuable?

@Ltryptophan Very probably. Assuming that you know your organic chemistry (or at least a process_, you could probably even synthesize insulin.

@Nullo better than nothing…

It’s only an issue for type 1 diabetics and insulin-dependent type 2 diabetics.

What can be done is postponing the day the supply will run out, by using less insulin per day. How?

1) Exercise more (but not when blood sugar is above 250)
2) Eat less in general
3) Avoid high-glycemic food altogether and eat more fat and protein
4) Drink a lot of water to remove sugar from the system

Once all the insulin supply is exhausted, survival will be possible for a few days but not for too long.

@mattbrowne why not when blood sugar is above 250?

@kneesox – Because the muscles are starving not getting enough glucose due to the lack of insulin in the bloodstream. This can cause the liver to release even more glucose into the bloodstream. And it can get even worse. Ketones are organic compounds that result when body fat is broken down for energy. This can lead to ketoacidosis. So exercise is not only dangerous when blood sugar levels are below 80, but also above 250.