You know the feeling – muscle aches, fever, nausea.  Maybe you’re coming down with the flu. Diabetes and sickness complicate things further. You still need to take care of all the normal problems associated with monitoring your diabetes. Sickness makes it harder to do but don’t dare ignore your diabetes management. Diabetes and sickness is something most diabetics are forced to learn how to deal with, because if you don’t keep controlling your diabetes during your illness, you may put yourself at serious risk of complications. Just because you are sick doesn’t mean it’s OK to let up from your routine of testing, monitoring, medicating, and eating right.  It is important to think about how you will manage your diabetes and sickness ahead of time so your diabetes care doesn’t lapse.

 

What is the Best Way to Manage Sickness and Diabetes?

 

The best way to handle diabetes and sickness is to prepare for it ahead of time. Make sure that family members know your routine and the medications you need to take, as well as how to administer them. The biggest risk with diabetes and sickness is that you will get so sick that you will ignore or neglect your diabetic care. Blood glucose levels can increase or decrease to dangerous levels when left unchecked. If the body begins to use its stored fat for energy, ketones begin to build up without the right insulin routine. These high ketone levels can lead to ketoacidosis, which can be lethal or put you in a coma. There should be a plan in place with your medical team and family members before you become sick. And of course good planning for diabetes includes preventive measures like flu shots and other vaccines.

 

What to do When You Do Get Sick?

 

  • Check your sugar levels more often than usual. Every 3 to 4 hours is a recommended level. Also, check your ketone levels in the urine.
  • Continue with your insulin as directed unless specifically told otherwise by your doctor. Don’t change the dose or the timing.
  • Keep eating. Even if you are not hungry, this is important. The American Diabetes Association recommends 15 grams of carbohydrates per hour.
  • Hydrate yourself. This is especially important if you have diabetes and sickness is causing vomiting or diarrhea. It is also important if your sickness is morning sickness. Diabetes with pregnancy is more likely to cause morning sickness than in non-diabetics. If your sugar levels are high, just drink water – at least 8 ounces per hour. If you sugar levels are low, try something like apple juice along with your water.
  • If your ketone level goes up or remains in your urine longer than 12 hours, call your doctor.

 

Diabetes and sickness can be serious. Make sure you think it through and have a plan.