Diabetes sick leave management: how to plan in advance

When you have Diabetes, Illnesses and infections can bring a powerful one-two punch to your body. Method is as follows.

Illness can make it difficult to control blood sugar levels

One of the reasons to plan ahead is that illnesses and infections can get worse. Diabetes symptoms..

Your body responds to stressful events in the same way it responds to them.It produces a surge in the hormones it contains Cortisol.. Cortisol is often called a stress hormone.

When your body is flooded with cortisol, your blood sugar can spike for several reasons:

• Cortisol encourages the body to make glucose, a type of sugar that the body uses as fuel.
• Cortisol sends a message to the pancreas and lowers insulin levels.
• Cortisol causes insulin resistance. As a result, muscle and fat cells do not respond to insulin and do not absorb or use glucose.

Both of these behaviors can mean that your body may experience elevated blood sugar levels when dealing with an illness or infection.

Diabetes can exacerbate the disease

If you have diabetes, you may be at increased risk for certain types of infections and illnesses.

Studies from 2021 People with diabetes have been shown to be more likely to develop certain types of infections, including: pneumonia When cystitis (Urinary-tract infection).

If you get sick, you may be at increased risk of hospitalization. for example, 2021 study Associated with diabetes with longer hospitalizations, more complications, and greater risk of death COVID-19 (new coronavirus infection), A disease caused by the new coronavirus.

Therefore, it is very important to work with your diabetes treatment team to plan ahead. That way, you’ll know what to do if you get sick, injured, or have an infection. Your plan can now give you some relief, and it may protect your health later.

Defender American Diabetes Association And that National Institute of Diabetes, Gastroenterology and Kidney Disease (NIDDK) We recommend that you address the following important questions in your sick leave plan:

Address these questions one at a time.

Manage blood sugar levels when sick

Discuss tests, medications, and warning signs with your diabetes treatment team to prepare for the sick leave that you must face sooner or later.

When you are ill, your blood sugar may rise for several reasons:

• Hormones released by the immune system can raise blood sugar levels.
• When you get sick, your eating habits and drinking habits can change.
• Other medications can affect your blood sugar levels.

What to eat and drink

To keep your blood sugar within your target range, continue eating and drinking as close to your normal daily routine as possible. It may be easy to say, especially if you have symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.

If you have problems eating or drinking, try the following:

• 4-6 ounces of water or sugar-free beverage every 30 minutes
• 50 grams of carbohydrates every 4 hours from foods or from beverages containing sugar if you can’t eat solid foods

If your blood sugar is too low, you should follow these steps: 15-15 rules.. This means that you should take 15 grams of carbs and test your blood sugar after 15 minutes.

Talk to your medical team about whether hard candies and glucose tablets work if you can’t control your food and drink.

When and what to test

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Whenever you feel sick, it’s a good idea to test your blood glucose every 4 hours.

Keep a notepad nearby so you have accurate records to share with your doctor. You don’t want to rely on memory of measurements when sleep deprivation or worsening symptoms can cloud your recollections.

You may also need to test your urine Ketone.. Ketones indicate low insulin levels and the body’s use of fat as fuel.

Testing the ketones in your urine will tell you if you have any of the following conditions: Diabetic ketoacidosis.. This condition is life-threatening, so it is important to know in advance how to detect these chemicals in your body.

NIDDK recommends testing ketones every 4-6 hours during illness.

It is also important to track your weight, temperature and blood pressure. These indicators are important clues that can be useful in the following cases:

• You are getting dehydrated.
• Your blood sugar level has reached an unhealthy level.
• Your condition is getting worse.
• Infectious disease is progressing.

It is especially important for people with type 1 diabetes to test their blood sugar levels more often when they are ill. As the body fights illnesses and infections, insulin levels can drop sharply.