No one likes to get sick.
Having a cold, flu, or another illness is bad enough.
And for those people who have Type 2 diabetes, getting sick is even worse as it makes their blood sugar levels harder to manage.
Changes to your regular meals and your body's response to illness can both make managing your diabetes challenging.
You may not feel like eating or drinking when you're sick.
If you can't eat very much, it will be difficult to get in enough carbohydrates, which can lead to hypoglycemia.
To help prevent this, it can be helpful to plan ahead and keep foods on hand that are easy to eat, such as...
If you can't take in enough fluids you'll be at risk of dehydration, so try to get in at least one to two cups of fluid per hour.
When you're sick your body releases more glucose into the blood to give you extra energy to fight your illness.
In people without diabetes, the pancreas releases insulin to move the glucose into the cells for energy.
But in Type 2 diabetics, there isn't enough insulin to deal with the extra glucose.
This means the glucose or sugar stays in the blood and doesn't make it to the cells for energy, which causes problems.
Because you may experience low blood sugar from not eating as much, or high blood sugar from your body's reaction to illness, it's important to check your blood sugar more often than normal during illness...
However, if you take Metformin, your doctor may have you stop taking it if you're vomiting or having diarrhea, so it's best to call and ask.
And if you want to take any cold or flu medications, check with your doctor or pharmacist and make sure they're safe for you.
The best way to prepare for being sick is to create a sick-day care plan and have it in you bag of tricks to refer to when you do become ill.
Your diabetes educator can help you do this.
The plan will include...
Having a cold, flu, or another illness is bad enough.
And for those people who have Type 2 diabetes, getting sick is even worse as it makes their blood sugar levels harder to manage.
Changes to your regular meals and your body's response to illness can both make managing your diabetes challenging.
You may not feel like eating or drinking when you're sick.
If you can't eat very much, it will be difficult to get in enough carbohydrates, which can lead to hypoglycemia.
To help prevent this, it can be helpful to plan ahead and keep foods on hand that are easy to eat, such as...
- applesauce,
- pudding,
- crackers, and
- energy bars.
If you can't take in enough fluids you'll be at risk of dehydration, so try to get in at least one to two cups of fluid per hour.
When you're sick your body releases more glucose into the blood to give you extra energy to fight your illness.
In people without diabetes, the pancreas releases insulin to move the glucose into the cells for energy.
But in Type 2 diabetics, there isn't enough insulin to deal with the extra glucose.
This means the glucose or sugar stays in the blood and doesn't make it to the cells for energy, which causes problems.
Because you may experience low blood sugar from not eating as much, or high blood sugar from your body's reaction to illness, it's important to check your blood sugar more often than normal during illness...
- it's recommended to check your blood sugar every two to four hours.
- check with your doctor for his or her exact recommendations.
However, if you take Metformin, your doctor may have you stop taking it if you're vomiting or having diarrhea, so it's best to call and ask.
And if you want to take any cold or flu medications, check with your doctor or pharmacist and make sure they're safe for you.
The best way to prepare for being sick is to create a sick-day care plan and have it in you bag of tricks to refer to when you do become ill.
Your diabetes educator can help you do this.
The plan will include...
- how often to check your blood sugar,
- how to eat,
- what medications to take, and
- when you need to call your doctor.