diabetes treatment

Diabetes is a condition that requires you to always pay attention to your diet to maintain your blood glucose levels within the ranges considered healthy. But when you get sick, even because of a mild cold, diabetes must be controlled more closely, as the body reacts to defend itself against the disease and glucose or blood sugar levels may increase. Here I will tell you in broad strokes what you should do to prevent your diabetes from getting complicated due to the disease.


Cold, flu, flu, diarrhea, vomiting, fever. These words make us think of sickness and bed. But when you have diabetes and you do not feel well, it is not enough to rest to recover. You should stay alert to control your blood sugar or glucose levels, because when you get sick, they can increase dangerously.

To avoid complications with your diabetes, including a diabetic coma due to a mild illness that seems, you must make a plan to act before the situation worsens. It is also important that you understand what is happening in your body and how certain medications can alter the control of your blood glucose.

When you get sick, your body releases some hormones that help fight it. This is ideal, but it also has side effects that affect a person with diabetes: their blood sugar levels increase, which interferes with the effect you want to achieve with insulin: lower levels of sugar or glucose in the blood. That's why, when you're sick, it's harder to keep your blood glucose levels under control. That's when complications can occur that vary depending on whether you have type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes.

For example, if you have type 1 diabetes, you may develop ketoacidosis, a condition that occurs when the cells in your body do not receive the glucose they need to produce energy. Then, your body begins to burn fat for energy, which produces an acid called ketones. When your body does not have enough insulin, the ketones, which have accumulated in the blood, come out in the urine and are a warning signal, since your diabetes is so uncontrolled that it indicates that you could go into a coma.



If you have type 2 diabetes, especially if you are elderly, you also run the risk of developing a coma if you get sick, but the type of coma in this case is called hyperosmolar hyperglycemic hyperosmolar coma (although this type of coma can also occur to people with Diabetes type 1). In hyperosmolar hyperglycemic non-ketotic coma, the body tries to eliminate sugar in the urine (because it rises too much in the blood) and causes thirst, the frequency of going to the bathroom initially and a great dehydration, until the urine is very concentrated . There may be seizures and you may go into a coma. Both types of coma are dangerous. In both cases, we must act immediately,

How can this type of situation be prevented? Plan with your doctor in advance, especially if you have type 1 diabetes, how many times you should measure your glucose and ketones in the urine, what symptoms should alert you and when to call you, what medications you recommend and what you should eat. Therefore, the disease will not take you by surprise and you can avoid putting your health in danger. Take notes:

How many times should you measure blood glucose levels and ketones in the urine?
Without a doubt, more often than usual. If you have type 1 diabetes, it is usually recommended, every 4 hours. If you have type 2 diabetes, you should generally control your glucose and your ketones four times a day. Pay attention to the values ​​(write them down) and consult the results with your doctor.

What symptoms should you observe closely and when should you call your doctor immediately?
If you have vomiting and diarrhea for more than 6 hours.
If you have had a fever for two days and do not feel better.
If you have a moderate to high amount of ketones in the urine.
If your blood glucose levels are higher than 240 mg / dL even if you have taken the additional insulin that is recommended when you are sick

If you took your diabetes medications and the blood sugar increases to more than 240 mg / dL before eating and remains high for more than 24 hours.
If you have symptoms of ketoacidosis and / or dehydration, such as high thirst and dry mouth, abdominal pain, chest pain and / or shortness of breath, if your breath has a fruity smell, your skin, lips and tongue are dry.
If you do not know how to take care of yourself or do not have anyone to help you.
What should you do with diabetes medications?
You should continue to take them, even if you have vomiting and / or diarrhea. If you have type 1 diabetes, your doctor will probably recommend that you increase your insulin dose. If you have type 2 diabetes, you should continue taking your medications and you may have to use insulin while you recover. This will be indicated by your doctor in detail and according to your case. Therefore, it is important to plan ahead.


What medications can be harmful?
Many medications for diseases like flu can affect your blood glucose levels, even if they do not contain sugar. However, it is very important that if you are going to take, for example, a cough syrup, carefully read the label to make sure it does not contain sugar (such as sucrose, dextrose, fructose, lactose or honey) and that contain it. It does not contain alcohol. You can take medicines for fever such as acetaminophen (Tylenol or acetaminophen) and aspirin, but be careful with the dose if you have kidney problems. The same applies to anti-inflammatories such as ibuprofen (motrin, advil, aleve) and some antihistamines such as alegra. If you have questions, you can consult with the pharmacist or call your doctor to find out which one you recommend. Keep in mind that there are some medications that do not contain sugar,

Medications such as decongestants (such as pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine) can decrease the effect of insulin and some medications for diabetes, as well as increase blood pressure. That's why it's important to check with your doctor before taking them. They are contraindicated if you have hypertension (high blood pressure).

What should you eat?
Try to follow the type of food that normally follows. If you have vomiting or diarrhea, you should stay hydrated by drinking fluids that do not contain calories such as water or diet sodas. Hydration is key to preventing ketones from accumulating in the blood.

If you feel so bad that you do not feel like eating, you can check with your doctor to find out how to feed yourself. Try to maintain your caloric intake as you would normally, but consume foods that are easy to digest for the gastrointestinal tract, such as; gelatin, crackers, soups and broths, etc.

In any case, check with your doctor about the diet you should follow if your body does not tolerate food so that your diabetes does not get out of control. On some occasions, you will need to go to an emergency or emergencies to be treated and given serum (ie, a liquid) intravenously (into the vein) to prevent dehydration.