Being sick can make it harder to control your blood glucose (blood sugar). It is important to have a sick day plan in place.
Colds and other illnesses put stress on the body and can cause your blood sugar to rise.
- Build-up of ketones in blood and urine from too little insulin (most often in type 1 diabetes)
- Frequent urination, leaving the body with too little fluid (mostly in type 2 diabetes)
- Severe illness, coma and even death. Work out a plan with your provider to prevent serious problems.
Check your blood sugar more often
- Blood sugar
- Urine ketones
Keep sick-day foods on hand
Follow your regular meal plan as much as possible. If you don't feel hungry, try eating:
- Mild foods, like rice, crackers, toast and cooked cereal
- Foods with lots of liquid, like soup, broth, applesauce, regular (non-diet) gelatin, frozen juice bars, sherbet, custard and yogurt
Ask your provider or dietician which foods are best for you, as well as how much and how often you should eat
- You need some fluids at least every hour
- Choose drinks without caffeine
- If you are able to follow your meal plan, stick to drinks without calories such as water and diet soft drinks
- If you cannot follow your meal plan, you may need some fluids with sugar or carbohydrates such as juice and regular soft drinks
Follow medicine instructions exactly
- Take your normal dose unless your provider tells you to change it
- Be sure you understand and write down instructions for any changes. For example, if you take insulin, you may need to take more or less than usual.
- Tell your provider about all the medicine you take, including over-the-counter medicine, vitamins and herbal supplements. Some medicine, such as certain cold medicine, may have ingredients that can raise your blood sugar or cause other problems.
Keep a record while you are sick
- What your blood sugar and urine ketone levels are
- How long you have been sick
- Whether you have lost weight
- What your temperature is
- What other symptoms you have
- What you have been eating and drinking
Know when to call your provider
- You haven't gotten better after 1 or 2 days, or if you have been vomiting or had diarrhea for more than 6 hours
- You are taking insulin and your blood sugar is more than 240 mg/dl or less than 60 mg/dl
- Your ketone levels are too high (your provider will tell you what level is too high)
- You are more sleepy than usual, are having trouble breathing, or having trouble thinking clearly
Ask your provider what other symptoms to report or when to seek emergency medical care.
return to the top