Diabetes tips

Manage your diabetes while you're sick

• Continue to take your insulin or medications, unless your doctor tells you otherwise.
  
• Check your blood sugar every 4 hours and record the results.
  
• If your blood sugar is above 240 mg/dl, check your urine ketones and record the results.
  
• Take your temperature every 4 hours and record the results.
  
• Drink liquids every hour. If your blood sugar is under 180 mg/dl, use liquids with sugar. If your blood sugar is above 180 mg/dl, use sugar-free liquids.
  
• If you cannot eat solid foods, drink or eat these carbohydrate foods every hour — 1/2 cup of apple juice, OR 1/2 cup of regular gelatin, OR 3/4 cup of ginger ale, OR 1/2 cup of regular soda, OR 11/2 cups of Gatorade. Record what you ate or drank.
  
• If possible, try ONE of these foods every hour — 1 cup of milk, OR 1/2 cup of orange juice, OR 1/2 cup of ice cream, OR 1/4 cup of sherbet, OR 11/2 cups of chicken noodle soup, OR 6 saltine crackers, OR 1 slice of toast, OR 1/2 cup of cooked cereal. Record what you ate or drank.
  
• If you can eat regular meals, add ONE of these every hour — 1/2 cup of broth, 1/2 cup of sugar-free soda, or water. Record what you ate or drank.
  
• Call your doctor and tell him or her you are sick. Report the following — any temperature above 101; any blood-sugar reading above 180; urine ketones if moderate to large (2+ to 3+); persistent vomiting or diarrhea; inability to keep food or liquids down for more than 4 hours; and if you have had these symptoms for more than 24 hours.
  
• Complete your sick-day record.
  
  

Source: UPMC Health Plan Diabetes Education Guide