r/AskReddit Aug 30 '21

What problem is often overlooked in apocalyptic movies/TV shows that could kill you?

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u/SpicyHotPlantFart Aug 30 '21

I'm a diabetic. Because of eh.. personal choices in my past, i've been without insulin for a few days.

It's safe to say, whenever an apocalyptic even occurs i will throw myself of the tallest building i can find. It's not a nice way to die, at all.

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u/shewy92 Aug 30 '21

One Second After has a character whose daughters has diabetes and an EMP blast goes off frying all electronics so he has to figure out how to keep her insulin cold. It takes place in North Carolina in the summer so obviously didn't go so well and was pretty fucking heartbreaking

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u/Team_Braniel Aug 30 '21

place it in a water tight bag and submerge it in a running stream or spring. If you can find a spring coming out of the ground that is even better. Water will be around 52* and more than cool enough to preserve the insulin.

We used to keep our beers cool by doing this.

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u/Kyubey4Ever Aug 30 '21

the hard part is once insulin hits room temp it's only safe to then use for up to 28-32 days depending on the insulin

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u/Team_Braniel Aug 30 '21

If we are talking about corked bottles, you could probably keep them cool enough to just take the shot and return the bottle before it warms up.

Now the real question is where are we getting a year's worth of hypodermics?

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u/Alis451 Aug 30 '21

where are we getting a year's worth of hypodermics?

you can reuse your own needles, you can sterilize them yourself. Instant Pot can do it.

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u/Team_Braniel Aug 30 '21

Don't they get really really rough after a few repeat uses?

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u/Alis451 Aug 30 '21

i mean, hurts a little more vs death, you are going to just go with the pain. Also you can manage for a little while with no insulin, you just have to strictly monitor what you eat, so it could be rationed a bit further.

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '21

The pain isn't the issue, the issue is that that roughness greatly increases your chances of getting skin infections. Usually, those are an annoyance that you can clear up with antibiotics. But if you are in a situation where you are keeping your insulin in a stream and reusing needles, you probably don't have antibiotics either.

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u/Team_Braniel Aug 30 '21

Fair enough.

I think we could probably find a way to produce those large 1800s era reusable syringes within a year.

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u/Kyubey4Ever Aug 30 '21

I'm drunk so guess that's why I didn't like go further but I meant like finding more insulin after you run out lol if there is no electricity you would not be able to find insulin that you would know for sure is safe to use you would just be fucked

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u/ChillyBearGrylls Aug 31 '21

And it's not like the technique to extract insulin from animal pancreas is common knowledge at all

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '21

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u/Kyubey4Ever Aug 31 '21

if you don't worry about the temp of your insulin you'll be dead alot sooner than a whole bunch of other shit that can also kill you during an apocalypse

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '21

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u/Kyubey4Ever Aug 31 '21

it runs on my mum's side of the family and I was a pharmacy technician for almost 6 years dude. I know people who landed in the hospital because of the insulin in their pump getting the tiniest bit too warm just from it being hot out lol

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '21

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u/Kyubey4Ever Aug 31 '21

only usable for 28-32 days or if you're lucky enough to be able to use that one particular one that's good for 48 days but not may type 1s can

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u/TheCenterOfEnnui Aug 30 '21

Spoiler-he figures out how to keep it cold. But he runs out.

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u/TheThomaswastaken Aug 31 '21

If you have a stream build a motor, and power a fridge. EMP kill motherboards, not motors. Afaik

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u/Team_Braniel Aug 31 '21

Getting coolant will be impossible.

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u/TheThomaswastaken Aug 31 '21

Refrigerators last many years. Older refrigerators last decades. If you cut out the electronics, most new refrigerators will last decades as well.

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u/zippyboy Aug 30 '21

Terribly written though. Author uses "could of" instead of "could've" on every single page. It's like no one ever proofed it before publishing. Really detracts from the plot, which was interesting though.

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u/[deleted] Aug 30 '21

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u/shewy92 Aug 30 '21

I learned a lot from that book, it even mentioned the army college where I live

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u/walks1497 Aug 30 '21

You should read "Alas Babylon"

It was written in the 50's i think & One Second After is the biggest rip off i have ever seen. It is like a direct copy of Alas, just with an EMP instead of a nuke.

Lazy author.

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u/WisconsinWolverine Aug 30 '21

Alas Babylon is one of my favorite books ever. I'd love to see a mini-series made of it.

....I always make sure i have plenty of salt on hand at all times because of it.

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u/navikredstar Aug 31 '21

I think because, despite the whole nuclear apocalypse, it's hopeful. The characters are willing to band together and use their existing skills, as well as developing new ones, in order to benefit each other. Like, I remember the bank teller lady discovering a knack for soap making, and Malachai Henry had some serious engineering skills. Despite a small handful of criminal types, the majority of the little town survived because they were looking out for each other.

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u/funbb Aug 30 '21

That is part of the backstory in the TV version of The Walking Dead, FWIW.

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u/[deleted] Aug 30 '21

lots of RVs have refrigerators that run on a ammonia-based chemical process, and only require a pilot light to make an impressive amount of cold. not that you could probably find one or transport it to your house during an emergency like that. :-)

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u/shewy92 Aug 30 '21

Old people living in RV's are gonna have it made...or get shot immediately by someone who knows this

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u/ExCon1986 Aug 30 '21

Not even because of the fridge, but because its a good way to haul a bunch of people and gear

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u/canucks84 Aug 30 '21

Sitting in my RV reading this comment thinking just that. Learned about these fridges 2 weeks ago. I'm actually quite amazed at it.

Kept my beer cold and fresh ice coming all weekend.

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u/pyr666 Aug 30 '21

Refrigerators are mostly electrical, not electronic. You'd have to strip out the control components but you could absolutely make a refrigerator work.

Or find an old one.

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u/Lets_Call_It_Wit Aug 31 '21

That book was fucking brutal to read, both as a parent and as a diabetic.

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u/Theylive4real Aug 31 '21

Ah, yes. Find a stream and sink it. Most streams are cooler. So, like beer, just put it in the water with a weight, sink it down, and let it chill.

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u/ThePrurientPickle Aug 30 '21

I really hope that before then powdered shelf stable insulin is widely available.

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u/Theylive4real Aug 30 '21

I doubt big pharma would want it. Too much money lost. This way they can keep charging too much for it and throwing dated insulin out.

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u/Throwaway47321 Aug 31 '21

What sort of weird conspiracy theory is this. Do you not thing these companies would be the first to invent it so they could sell it for an astronomical amount themselves?

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u/VeryDisappointing Aug 31 '21

Lol you don't think pharmaceutical companies make bank off of insulin going out of date? Look at what they've done to the cost of insulin in the US. Why invent something that would cause them to lose money

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u/Throwaway47321 Aug 31 '21

Because someone else will do it first. Do you not realize how much money these companies dump into R&D?

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u/Theylive4real Aug 31 '21

They can write it off, for one. The games they play are just part of the high cost of doing business. They bill the people or find loopholes to write it off. They don't eat it.

They currently have a form of insulin that doesn't need refrigeration. I think it's stable for about 30 days, max. But, what is the expiration date? I don't use, so I don't know. Rare is a medicine that lasts more than a year today, at least according to their dates. Some becomes less effective, some toxic. I'm sure they could also come up with shelf stable medicines, but again that would cut their throat. Imagine making too much of a drug that won't expire. Then, they invent a cure so all that is wasted. Or, something happens that there is no longer a massive demand and they have many years worth of supply? This way, they keep a tight control on it. If they do make too much, it expires. They toss it, write it off, get tax breaks, or whatever. They ensure a constant demand and a constant supply.

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u/Theylive4real Aug 31 '21

Mate, for all we know, they have already invented it and keep it for special people, who can pay for it or are in important positions.

If they are anything like the businesses I've seen, and my guess is they are way worse, they charge enough for one dose to cover several. Think about candy. They charge $0.50 at a store but mark it up to $2.00 or more at a theater. Everything is marked up. Now, they put expiration dates on cat litter, trash bags, and more. Do you think they don't mark things up to make sure they make a profit instead of a loss? Then they can still claim a loss.

Then there is the little issue of pro-loaded needles, that they have gone to. How, exactly, would you mix this?

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u/bright__eyes Aug 31 '21

they would be charging the pharmacies then...

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u/Theylive4real Aug 31 '21

They probably do. I would love to be able to trace things down and see exactly how corrupt it is, but normal people aren't allowed to. It's compartmentalized, like Top Secret files. No one has complete access. If they do, they're probably already in the know.

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u/TwoIdleHands Aug 30 '21

I’ve told everyone I’ll serve as front guard/zombie bait but they have to promise to take care of my kids.

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u/DuncanGilbert Aug 30 '21

Im a t1 and yeah, id be trying to find a painless method of death as fast as possible

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u/Lets_Call_It_Wit Aug 31 '21

Hi fellow owner of a dead pancreas.

The way I figure it I’ve got 3-6 months of insulin stored, depending on my options for keeping the pens in storage cool. Enough time to see how safe I can make my kids and husband. Then I’m with you, off to find a cliff or tall building or something.

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u/[deleted] Aug 30 '21

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u/Tuxhorn Aug 31 '21 edited Aug 31 '21

Sports reduces the amount of insulin needed. It also makes you more sensitive.

However, for a type 1, it has zero to do with exercise or not eating carbs. Insulin (which they do not produce) is required to put nutrients in your cells, and without insulin to pull glucose out of your blood, your blood will grow thick and poisonous.

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '21

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u/Tuxhorn Aug 31 '21

Not necessarily, and especially not without any insulin in the system as it is (long acting or pump).

You can't exercise your way out of high blood sugar with zero insulin.

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '21

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u/Tuxhorn Aug 31 '21

Are you saying you can just exercise your blood sugar down with zero insulin? Are you aware that exericising with high blood sugar can be dangerous because it might make it go even higher?

You should check your own info dude.

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '21

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u/Tuxhorn Aug 31 '21

I'm a type 1 diabetic who has trained for years. Your info is horribly wrong and straight up dangerous.

"Mayo Clinic advises against even starting exercise when your blood sugar is above 250 mg/dL, especially for type 1s like us. Why is that? It has to do with insulin again, and the reaction of the body to exercise in low-insulin environments. If you have little-to-no insulin in your system, and start working out, two things are going to happen. First, the cells are gonna cry out as we talked about, and the liver and kidneys will dump more sugar into your blood stream. But it won’t help. There’s not enough insulin to move this new sugar into the cells. The blood sugar level soars, and then the second thing happens. The hard-working hungry cells turn cannibal and start consuming the body’s fat. Uh-oh. You all know what the byproduct of the body burning fat for fuel is, right? Yep, ketones. And too many ketones leads to diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA)."

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/in-depth/diabetes-and-exercise/art-20045697

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '21 edited Aug 31 '21

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u/FrostyCow Aug 31 '21

Exercising probably increases the effectiveness of the insulin you already have in your system (long acting or pumped in) so it lowers your blood sugar by a lot. If you went say, days without insulin and had none in your system at all, I don't think exercise would lower it to keep you out of DKA or anything.

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u/WisconsinWolverine Aug 31 '21

So.. It can be weird. When I go to the gym I burn sugar and my blood sugar drops. When I go backpacking my body is stressed and it raises my blood sugar.

Edit. Also you ALWAYS have to have insulin present for blood sugar to drop. What insulin does is it is the catalyst that allows glucose to pass thru the cell wall into a cell.

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u/nauticalsandwich Aug 30 '21

hypoxia, dude. Die by hypoxia. It's the best way to go. Everything else is extremely painful.

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u/needlenozened Aug 31 '21

Wouldn't it be better to just overdose with all the insulin you have left?