It’s likely that sometime this winter you were sick – or will get sick. Whether it’s a cold or the flu, this season seems to be when illness strikes. When you’re living with diabetes and you get sick, your blood-sugar levels will likely go up. This can alter your normal diabetes-treatment routine. Because of this, you need to think about what you would do, if and when you get sick, before your first cough or sore throat.
Martin J. Abrahamson, MD, medical director of Joslin Clinic, offers these tips on managing diabetes while you’re sick:
- Make a sick-day plan with your diabetes specialist. This may include a special meal plan for when you are having trouble keeping food down. Most medications won’t have an effect on your diabetes, but some will.
- Use caution with some antihistamines such as Allegra (fexofenadine hydrochloride) and Bumex (bumetanide) because they can affect heart and blood pressure.
- Those with diabetes should avoid taking medications containing sugar, such as sucrose, dextrose, fructose, lactose and honey. Also, choose products with little or no alcohol.
- Use sugar-free cough and cold medicines, including: Chlor-Trometon tablets; Dimetapp Elixir; Scot-Tussin DM Liquid; and Cerose-DM Liquid.
- If you have questions of whether a certain medication is right for you, ask your doctor.
When you get sick:
- Always take your diabetes medication. If you are having trouble keeping the medicine down, call your doctor.
- Check your blood-glucose level at least four times a day. If you are too sick to test it yourself, have someone else do it.
- Write down your levels in case you need to call your doctor.
- Check for ketones when your blood glucose is 250 or higher. Write down levels in case you need to call your doctor.
- Stick to your normal meal plan, if possible.
- Drink lots of sugar-free liquids, to prevent dehydration
Call your doctor if you have any of the following:
- A fever above 100.5 degrees.
- Vomiting and/or diarrhea for more than two hours.
- Blood-glucose levels above 250 milligrams after two checks, or if levels do not go down after taking extra insulin.
- Moderate or large ketones
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