The Boleyn Medical Centre wishes to offer Ramadan Mubarak to all our patients. We appreciate that many of our patients would wish to fast in this holy month.
The decision to fast or not is really something that should be decided on a case by case basis. Any patient with long term chronic conditions or who are elderly, pregnant or breastfeeding, who often feel weakness and tiredness when they are not fasting would probably be advised not to fast. This is because this year the duration of fasting approaches 18 hours. Also, if you are taking essential medications that are more than once a day and cannot take them regularly, then fasting may be inadvisable due to the duration of fasting.
Chronic conditions include Diabetes, Asthma, COPD, Renal impairment, Chronic Arthritis to name a few conditions. If you are mildy affected by such conditions then you may be able to fast, but you should stop fasting on any given day if you feel weakness, tiredness or a worsening of your condition. If you develop another concurrent illness such as COVID-19 infection, then it would advisable to cease fasting until fully recovered. If you feel acutely unwell while you are fasting then please contact the surgery at any time for advice and support.
For diabetic patients who have a home glucometer, we would encourage the checking of their glucose levels while they are fasting and after meals to ensure that the levels are not too low or too high. If you feel you are dehydrated with excessive thirst, then you should also break your fast. Specific reasons for dehydration could include vomiting and diarrhoea. If you were told by the Doctor that your diabetes control was poor or you are on injectable medications like insulin then we would not advice fasting at all.
If you have any concerns as to whether you will be able to fast, then you will need to discuss it with one of the Doctors in the surgery. Telephone consultations are available during the current pandemic.
Dr MSJ Khan
Please follow the link Ramadan Timetable 2020
Dr MSJ Khan
