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Cold & pregnancy HELP! :(

Patch13

Patch13

Well-Known Member
Messages
510
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Pump
Hi. My sugars are mostly really well controlled (pre pregnancy and now I'm pregnant) but when I get a cold they usually go up which is solved by increasing my basal rate.

However, this cold is awful and I'm not managing to get my sugar levels down much despite being on 180% basal rate and correcting. (I have contacted my DSN who told me not to worry too much as my sugars are usually so good and I've been following her advice in an attempt to get them down).

However, I was just wondering if anyone had any tips / tricks they found useful during pregnancy when they had a cold?

Or any reassurance that my baby will be ok as pregnancy is such a worrying time
 
I didn't get a cold when pregnant, but I did have a couple of days of being unwell which caused higher sugars. I also had high sugars on occasion during my pregnancy. I think what your nurse said is right. If you normally have good control, then a few highs will be ok. It's basically impossible to get perfect sugars all the time. Towards the end of pregnancy, insulin resistance goes right up and although you can control that by increasing insulin, there are always those few days of adjustment when you're fighting with highs and carefully adjusting your insulin.

I had a perfect baby boy despite those highs I had :)

As for cold tips, I find that sitting down actually keeps my sugars lower than walking about, which is what I'd normally do if I was high. I think this is because the cold is a stress on the body and exercise just causes another stress so makes sugars higher.

I also find that drinking plenty helps control the sugars - water or weak tea is good.

Finally, I sometimes increase my bolus as well as my basal. Obviously you should never do this unless you're confident and you should always err on the side of caution. I'm on a pump so I can do little doses.

I hope you feel better soon:)
 
Poo - sugars are still between 12-15 despite the corrections overnight & doubling my basal & bolus and now I have 1.3 on my ketone metre. Will phone the DSN again today
 
@Patch13 You're on a pump? Don't assume it's just your cold. Could it be bad insulin or a bad site? You're having a large amount of correction insulin and I'd expect that to help.

Are you doing corrections by pen? If not, do so and see if that helps.

During pregnancy I had highs which I thought were hormonal but turned out to be a bad site area with poor absorption. I had to change my body area and also the kind of set I used and that sorted it.

It's worth a try.

But do, of course, tell your DSN about the ketones. Keep us updated and I hope all's sorted soon.
 
Thanks azure. On waking at 10.4 yesterday morning I immediately changed the insulin and sight of my pump. I am presuming my pump is working as when I have eaten my sugar hasn't gone up much (but it's also not coming down).


Where did you find the best place was to put your cannula? At present I don't have a bump so it is in the usual place of my stomach area which I was told by the DSN was fine at the moment.

Going to ring the DSN in a Minute (I think she will get bored of hearing from me soon!)
 
During pregnancy I used my bum (top of bum) and thighs. My favourite place is my thighs. My tummy just doesn't work any more.

It does sound like your pump is working if your bolus is having effect, but maybe absorption could be poor? I find poor absorption from a body area can come on very quickly. Do you change to different body areas during the year? I change approx every 6 months.

Your DSN won't be tired of you : D I found mine fantastic during pregnancy.
 
Thanks so much for all the advice. I changed all my insulin again today (just in case) & changed my cannula again and moved the sight to my love handle area. I tend to use my stomach and haven't had any problems before but think I will rotate more to be sure it's not due to absorption.

Anyway after a trip to the hospital to get checked out I was sent home (as ketones had gone & bloods were getting better) and slowly blood sugars have come down more (with the aid of lots and lots of insulin). Feeling so much better
 
Excellent :) You must be very relieved. High sugars are always stressful but far more so in pregnancy!

I'm pleased you're feeling better now :)
 
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