Sick Day Guidelines (for diabetics)!!!

Avatar for coldfingers
Community Leader
Registered: 04-30-2000
Sick Day Guidelines (for diabetics)!!!
19
Sat, 01-24-2004 - 7:16am

Since so many are not feeling well and it is that time of year..... here is a list of and a link to the Joslin 'sick day guidelines'.   http://www.joslin.harvard.edu/education/library/glucose_on_sickday.shtml


 


Sick Day Guidelines

  1. Take your diabetes medication. Always take your usual diabetes medication, unless your health care provider instructs you differently. Even if you cannot eat your usual meals, you need to take your medication. In some cases, additional medication is required. Check with your health care provider or diabetes educator.
  2. Check blood sugar and ketones.

    1. Check your blood sugar every 3 to 4 hours all day and all night. Have someone do it for you if you are too sick to do it yourself.
    2. Check for ketones if your plasma blood sugar is 250 or higher, unless otherwise instructed by your healthcare team.
    3. Write the results of your blood sugar and ketone checks down and have them ready if you need to call your health care provider.

  3. Drink plenty of fluids — about 6 to 8 ounces every hour you are awake.

    1. If you are able to eat your meals, drink fluids that are sugar-free and caffeine free, such as: water, decaffeinated tea, broth, diet ginger ale.
    2. If you are unable to eat, alternate sugar-free fluids one hour with fluids containing sugar the next hour. Examples of fluids containing sugar include: 7-Up or Sprite (6 ounces), Apple Juice (4 ounces), Gatorade (4 ounces), regular gelatin (1/2 cup). Liquids with salt in them, such as bouillon or clear soup, are also important to include.

  4. Rest. Stay warm. Ask someone to help take care of you.
  5. Call your health care provider for any of the following reasons:

    1. Vomiting or diarrhea.
    2. Blood sugar values that remain above 250 for at least two blood sugar checks or do not decrease with extra insulin. Do this whether you have ketones or not.
    3. If you have moderate or large ketones.
    4. If you have questions or concerns.

 


And here is a link to to what cl-maryfrances has to sayabout sick day rules in another post....   http://messageboards.ivillage.com/n/mb/message.asp?webtag=iv-bhgendiabete&msg=2730.4


Sick Day Rules:

 

Type 1 Diabetes:

 

Never stop taking insulin. Take usual dose of insulin unless instructed by your physician to do otherwise. Check blood sugar at least four times per day. In type 1 diabetes test for urine ketones when the blood sugar is above 250. Notify your doctor if ketones are more than a trace. Eat a normal food pattern if possible. If not, it may be necessary to eat soft foods or drink liquids with sugar in them to avoid hypoglycemia. Notify your physician if your blood sugar is 300 or above. 400 or above seek immediate medical care. Report nausea, diarrhea or vomiting to your doctor. Also report any symptoms of Diabetic Keto Acidosis(DKA): abdominal pain, fruity breath or shortness of breath. Report to your physician if you are not able to retain fluids for 3-4 hours.

 

Type 2 Diabetes

Test your blood sugar at least four times per day. Drink extra fluids to make sure that you don't become dehydrated. Suggestions are: diet soft drinks, diet ice tea, decafeinated tea, water and broth. Take all your diabetic medications. If youa re sick and your appetite is less than normal, eat small meals every few hours and drink extra fluids. If your blood sugar is 250 or above drink sugar free beverages, if it is under 150 drink beverages which contain sugar. Notify your doctor is your blood sugar is 300 or above. Seek immediate medical if your blood sugar is 400 or above.

Signs of dehydration: If you become sick and aren't able to eat or drink you can become dehydrated. You must be taken to the hospital if you become confused, sleepy or cannot be awakened.

This is to help you right now. For the future: you need to aks your physician specifically how s/he wants you to treat your illnesses. Some physicians might want you to contact them sooner or might want you to seek immediate care sooner. These are only general rules that I have given you and they are not a subsitute for rules that your physician will give you.

 

There also was a very good article on this issue in this month's issue of Diabetes Self-Management.

 

cl-maryfrances40

(I have not compared the two.... But Mary Frances does have hers divided into type 1 and type 2.) 




Edited 1/24/2004 8:40:54 PM ET by coldfingers
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Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Sat, 11-04-2006 - 8:13pm


I am in cold, cold Maine for the weekend with my husband. It dawned on me that it was that time of year again when folks start getting the "flu" and we have a lot of new folks who may not have been told what to do before they get sick, so I am bumping up this message.


Please post any questions you might have and I will try to answer them. I obviously have my lap-top with me. I hope to see some friends in Southern Maine tomorrow and I am going to take my husband to see the house that I lived in as a teenage and the church I used to attend. Of course I am going to take him to see the coast. He has requested that I take him to LLBean, which of course is on the itinerary. I will be home late Monday night so I probably won't be on the board on Monday night.


Community leader since 1998



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Avatar for jessie_sherman
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 11-06-2006 - 1:49pm

Hi Mary Frances, I hope your visit is a nice one! I got my flu shot before I found out I had prediabetes & Hashimotos Disease. People with chronic problems should be told up front their risks of complications from things like the flu. Those darn bugs can really out our bodies into a tailspin!

Jess

Avatar for coldfingers
Community Leader
Registered: 04-30-2000
Mon, 11-06-2006 - 2:04pm
Now, if they could just promise us that if we get the flu shot we won't get the flu anyway.
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Avatar for jessie_sherman
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 11-06-2006 - 3:54pm
Yep, I voted!
Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Tue, 11-07-2006 - 11:11pm

Hi Jessie,


Welcome to the board and you are absolutely correct about the tailspin. I hope you stay well.


Community leader since 1998



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Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Tue, 11-07-2006 - 11:14pm

Cheryl,


The injectable flu vaccine is made with a dead virus. The nasal spray version is a partially dead virus. Unfortunately it takes up to 6 weeks to see the effects of the vaccine so you can get the flu or one of the other rhino viruses before the vaccine takes effect.


Hopefully you will be well enough to get your vaccination soon.


iVillage Member
Registered: 07-10-2003
Tue, 11-07-2006 - 11:44pm

Gee I didnt realize it took that long to be fully defending us!

Given the fun at work, i just have been desperately trying to find more hours in the day and week so i dont get buried at work! BUT I know the flu shot is critical for me, because with all the fun at work, my body is not very resistant to health problems at all!

We have only been on this new way of handling things a month,I still have not found a efficient way of organizing, its still raising my BP big time and today 4 of us in the unit got a nastygram (although i might be taking it the wrong way). boss wants us to discuss with him by the end of the week how we can get our carryover down from 100 to about 60!! mind you in a rotten day we can get that many cases added in 1-2 days(the 50-60 range i mean.) its possible he is just trying to figure out how to help because he cant give us free time when there are 4 of us in trouble. I know some people seem to do fine multitasking, but this is just overwhelming!! Even scarier is we are only a few weeks away from the beginning of our busy season!! Actually I think the ONLY 2 who are new to this way of doing things who did not get the note are the 2 who are working more than 10 hours OT a week!!

I keep swearing I will take breaks morning and afternoon, and usually by the time i realize i really need to take the morning one, its less than 15 minutes from when i start my lunch hour!!last week i only got in about 6 hours OT because the whole weekend was migraines! I think I pinched something in my right side cuz leg and hand have both gotten funky. sorta like i have to concentrate to get them to do what i want! thankfully its not painful(other than tiring,AND i walk a lot funnier than normal). But yesterday I even hauled my walker to work just in case i had problems walking after working 9 1/2 hours!!

I have also missed the Y for probably the longest time other than serious illness. The last few weeks since the elliptical died(and i then managed to freeze one of the treadmills, it has been a real struggle to get as many as 3 days in)Hopefully MY elliptical is repaired when i get back there later this week. The two times I went and used the treadmill instead i got blisters on one of my feet! I was only there 2 times last week.

Avatar for cl_maryfrances40
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-25-2003
Thu, 11-09-2006 - 1:13am

Auntydoxzz,


Your health is too precarious for you not to take care of it. I am not telling you anything that you don't already know!! All this work can really do a number on you.


I had a meeting with some of my staff today because of questions the county is asking about this new contract that I am working on. Last month they sent us over 110 new clients and the month before it was over 125. There is so much data to collect and process, it is

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-10-2003
Thu, 11-09-2006 - 1:45pm

I know, have decided if I dont think I can handle the walking stuff at the Y then I will just have to bite the bullet and see how well i can get in and out of the pool there!!

Yep, working in non profits and government agencies sadly often have way too little connection between the amount of staff and hours available compared to the work that has to be done. AND its usually the type of critical work, that just cant be put to the side until ya get around to it!!

thankfully even with all the frustrations so far we have gotten blessed with a really late Indian summer! boy i love being able to walk outside without a coat in NOVEMBER~~

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