Diabetes Care During Other Infections

When you get sick like have cold and cough, stomach upset, loose motions you may not be able to take your usual insulin or diabetes medicines as you normally take. You may not feel like eating. During this period blood sugar levels may go up or down.

What About Medicine Dosage

One should never stop taking medicine during this period. You may need extra dosage to control infection during certain infections when you are not able to take oral medicine your doctor would like to put you on regular insulins. This may be for limited period but essential to control infection.

If blood sugar is high, infections also (Flareup) Become difficult to control. We have to control both infection and blood sugar same time.

Cough syrups, and Decongestants increase blood sugar. Asprin, crocin, some antibiotics may lower your blood glucose levels.

How About Food

You can eat your normal diet, sometimes semi-solids like Khichri (Rice+dal), Daliya (OAT). But consume plenty of liquids. If you have diarrhoea then take cup of fluid each hour.

You can use sugar free tea, coffee, lemon + salt in water. You can have fruit juices which have ISgm carbohydrate.Blood Sugar Testing Because of infections, and release of more hormones during this time sugar levels fluctuates it is better to check your blood sugar level more often. Urine examination for ketones will help to rule out very high level of sugar.

Contact your Doctor

• If you are sick for more than 3-4 days.
• If you are having vomiting and loose motions.
• If blood sugar is above 250 mg/dl.
• If urine is showing ketones.
• If you have chest pain, breathing difficulty, fruity breath and dry tongue.

Timely help from doctor can help you to recover early.

Insulin Pumps

Insulin Pump is newer method of delivery of insulin in body by battery powered computerized device. Its size is about the size of mobile phone. Inside the pump is syringe which have short acting insulin with a gear driven plunger. A tube is attached to the pump and other end is attached with the needle or catheter which is inserted in the skin of abdomen or thigh and insulin is delivered through this into body.

Benefits

• Blood Glucose level remain near normal.
• If you have marred fluctuations this will help you top smooth them out.
• You can adjust dose as per requirement of body.

Problems

• Biggest problem is cost of pump.
• Infection; Place where your body enters become infected always clean the area before you insert the needle by proper antibiotic lotion or cream.
• Ketoacidosis: Sometimes tube can get block then sugar level may go high and person can develop diabetic ketoacidosis. Best way to protect is do frequent blood sugar monitoring.