Sick Days for Diabetics

How to manage:

• Never stop insulin doses, illness can raise your blood sugar despite a lack of food intake, due to an increase in stress hormones which raise your blood sugar and decreases insulin’s effect on your blood sugar.
• Talk to your doctor about taking your oral diabetes medication if you cannot eat. They could possibly lower your blood sugar too much because you are not replacing your normal carbohydrate intake. If you can eat normally you should continue your normal medication schedule.
• Check blood sugar every 4 hours while sick.
• Check for ketones in your urine if you are a Type 1 Diabetic and your blood glucose is >300mg/dL.
• Try to drink clear liquids (water, sprite, ginger ale) and eat light foods such as crackers, soup, gelatin or applesauce if your stomach is upset.
• Try to take in 50gm of carbohydrates every 4 hours while sick
• Keep a journal in which you can document your blood sugar results, write down the time you tested, your blood sugar level, what you have eaten for the day and what times you have eaten. This will assist the doctor or nurse if you need to call them and it gives you a better picture of your blood glucose control.
• Call your doctor if:
• You think you have an infection.
• You are sick for longer than 2 days or have had a fever for a few days.
• Blood sugar is >400 mg/dl in two consecutive blood glucose tests.
• If you experience extreme fatigue, difficulty breathing, dizziness, your breath smells fruity, or your lips and tongue are dry and cracked.
• If you have vomiting or diarrhea for more than 6 hrs which can lead to dehydration and an imbalance of electrolytes.
• If your blood glucose levels are greater than 240 mg/dl after taking extra insulin you need to contact your doctor.

Oral Diabetic Medication on Sick Days:

• If you can’t eat or drink normally due to sickness or vomiting then your oral diabetes medication can lower your blood sugar. You need to monitor for signs of high or low blood sugar since your levels vary more when you are sick.
• The oral diabetes medications you took before you got sick could still be working to decrease your blood sugar even though you do not increase your blood sugar by eating. Try your best to replace these missing carbohydrates by eating soup, crackers or by drinking ginger ale or regular soda.
• Consult your doctor about taking your oral diabetes medication if you are unable to eat. He may want you to continue the medication because illness can increase your blood sugar despite a lack of carbohydrate intake.
• Try to test your blood sugar or urine every 4 hours if your blood sugar becomes to low OR you are shaky, nervous, sweaty, pale, weak or dizzy or there is a feeling of numbness or tingling in your hands or feet you need to call a physician immediately or seek emergency assistance.

Food on Sick Days:

• It is important to replace carbohydrates. They are what your body breaks down for energy.
• If your body doesn’t get enough carbohydrates then it starts to breakdown fat which produces ketones and can be dangerous. Carbohydrates also prevent your blood sugar from getting too low.
• Eating small frequent meals helps if you are nauseated.
• Try to eat bland foods such as bread, rice, bananas, eggs or soup broth and avoid foods that are too spicy or sweet.
• Drink plenty of liquids such as water, diet soda, apple juice or ginger ale.
• These are foods recommended by the American Diabetes Association for carbohydrate replacement on sick days.

 Handy Sick-Day Snacks

These foods contain between 10 and 15 grams of carbohydrates for each item.

Fluids

1 double-stick popsicle
1 cup Gatorade
1 cup milk
1 cup soup
1/2 cup fruit juice
1/2 cup regular soft drink (not diet)

Foods

6 saltines
5 vanilla wafers
4 Lifesavers
3 graham crackers
1 slice dry toast (not light bread)
1/2 cup cooked cereal
1/3 cup frozen yogurt
1/2 cup regular ice cream
1/2 cup sugar-free pudding
1/2 cup regular (not sugar-free) Jell-O
1/2 cup custard
1/2 cup mashed potatoes
1/4 cup sherbet
1/4 cup regular pudding

Nonprescription Medications for when you are Sick

* If you have high blood pressure consult your physician before taking a decongestant.

 Reference

www.diabetes.org