The important thing to remember is that there are two (actually three, but I am assuming that no one is pregnant) types of diabetes. Type 1 and Type 2. Type one means that for some reason your pancreas produces no natural insulin on its own. There is no getting off of insulin in this case, it must be supplemented in order for you to survive. It is true that your body is capable of burning fat to attempt to compensate for not being able to utilize the carbohydrates that have been taken in however, this causes a severe build up of toxins in the blood that will rapidly lead to a build up of acid (known as diabetic ketoacidosis) which can progress rapidly to coma and death if not treated. Type 2 diabetes (as has already been pointed out) means that your body has lost its "sensitivity to insulin," it takes a much larger amount to utilize the same amount of sugar in the blood than it would for a normal person. Typically, in this case, you still produce insulin just not enough of it to compensate for what you have eaten. In this case changing your diet and avoiding high sugar foods will often reverse the problem. Many type 2 diabetics wind up on insulin because their insulin resistance continues to increase throughout their life and they continue to require higher and higher doses of oral medications and it becomes necessary to supplement the bodies' own insulin supply. This is where people can lose weight and exercise and reduce or eliminate their dependence on insulin injections.
To make a long post even longer, I am with Rick. Talk with your doc about being able to keep some extra meds on hand in case of emergencies. Also, there is a somewhat new type of insulin on the market. The Novolog Flex Pen that does not require refrigeration for up to 28 days. So this may be something to talk with your provider about to see if it is something that you could use.
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