Diabetes Health Center
Diabetes Care in Special Situations
There are many safe and effective remedies for diabetes care in special situations. These self-care remedies allow you to manage your diabetes care at home, at work, or during travel, just like you manage other parts of your life. In taking the appropriate steps for diabetes care in special situations, you can keep your blood sugar managed and feel a sense of control about your illness. Here are a few diabetes care strategies for special situations.
Managing Sick Days With Diabetes
Because even a mild illness such as a cold or flu can cause your blood sugar to increase, it’s vital to manage sick days at home. It’s important to have a sick day plan as part of your diabetes management. Discuss this plan with your doctor.
Even a viral infection that causes nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea may cause your blood sugar to increase. When you are ill, make sure you do the following:
- Check your blood sugar every four hours, call your doctor if they are consistently elevated. Your doctor may ask you to take more insulin.
- Drink plenty of fluids.
- Check for ketones if your blood sugars are above 240 mg/dL (or as your doctor recommends).
- If ketones are found in your urine in mild to moderate levels or if they continue elevated for more than 12 hours, call your doctor and report this.
- Check your temperature regularly.
- Don’t stop taking your insulin, even if you cannot eat solid foods. People with type 2 diabetes who are on oral medications may need to stop taking their medications when sick. Always check with your doctor to see what’s right for your situation.
- Call your doctor if your blood sugar stays higher than 180 mg/dL or lower than 70 mg/dL, you have abdominal pain or vomiting and diarrhea, or have a fever for more than one day.
For more detail, see WebMD's article Diabetes: Managing Sick Days.
Traveling With Diabetes
For people with diabetes, traveling requires planning. Not only will you have different meal patterns and activity levels, but if you travel abroad, the time zones can affect your blood sugar levels and insulin needs. Read some tips to help make your traveling easier as you prepare ahead of time with extra supplies and prescriptions.
For more detail, see WebMD's article Diabetes: Tips on Traveling.
Holiday Eating for Diabetes
How can you eat healthily during the holidays? You need to plan and prioritize the foods you enjoy so you don’t feel deprived. Holiday eating is difficult for most people as they deal with chronic health problems, whether diabetes or other long-term illness. Nevertheless, you can learn some simple steps to help you navigate the holiday buffet table safely so you continue to keep your blood sugar at healthy levels and also enjoy the food and friendships during the holidays.
For more detail, see WebMD's article Healthy Holiday Eating for Diabetes.
WebMD Medical Reference
Vinegar is in everything from coleslaw to pickles. What if you could actually use it to help prevent disease?
