Sick Day Tips from Young Adults

Being sick…kinda sucks. It’s difficult enough to feel crumby when you have a cold, stomach bug, the flu…but to deal with unpredictable blood sugars on top of all of that? Even worse- UGH! Hear what other young adults like you are doing to make sick days a little more bearable, and what their journeys have looked like along the way.

• You can be at risk for DKA even if your blood sugar isn’t high, so it’s best to check for ketones regularly while you are feeling ill. 

• It’s important to consume carbs and take insulin for them while you are sick so you continue to have insulin in your system

• An always good piece of advice is to be kind to yourself!! I find the management while sick can be extra frustrating but it’s always good to remind myself it’s temporary and I can expect it to be more normal again soon. 

• Eucalyptus essential oil diffuser for stuffy noses! Clears it up in a jiffy.

• Last year I woke up overnight throwing up multiple times. I couldn’t keep down any food or fluids– including water. My blood sugar quickly went up into the 300s, and wouldn’t come down even when I gave injections. I messaged my endo to ask for his recommendations, and he had me go to the emergency room as I was at risk for DKA. To be honest, I cried because I felt like I had failed. But in reality, I did the right thing getting help before an actual emergency happened. And after receiving some fluids I was able to go home later that night.

• Eat low-carb, high protein foods to keep your body fueled and blood sugars lower without ketones!

• Gatorade!!

• Sick day tips from a nurse! Make sure you’re having lots of fruits and veggies (citrus fruits have vitamin C). Drink tea with lemon and honey, and have lots of soup. And know that dairy increases mucus production, so it can be helpful to avoid when you’re feeling sick.

• When sick with diabetes one of the most important things I consider is drinking lots of water. It can be hard on our bodies to fight any cold/flu, and with diabetes my blood sugars are often relatively elevated. Accordingly, it is really important for me to stay hydrated so I can get better sooner and keep my blood sugars a little more in range.

• Drink all the water you can!! If possible, a quick walk helps manage your stubborn highs when insulin is just not working.

• I feel nervous taking medications overnight (like NyQuil) when sick because of how drowsy they make me feel. It’s so important to get good rest, but I also worry that I won’t wake up to low alarms overnight. Maybe it would be helpful to chat with my endo about this…lol.

• Get ahead of the sick day by chatting with your healthcare team about what adjustments might be needed to your baselines when sick like an increase to basal or change to a correction factor. 

• Hydrate, hydrate. I like adding Redmond Real Salt to my water or the LMNT packs!