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Is Insulin useless if you’ve got flu like symptoms?

Steve 007

Active Member
Messages
34
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Started with dodgy throat, sniffles sinus pains, aches etc on weds night - and since then till now no reading has been under 10 (max 18). I’ve injected as normal after carb counting, I’ve factored in correction doses to get reading into a range of 7-9 - I even may have doubled dosed one day and all the while they sit 10 and upwards. I started taking day and night flu tablets on Thurs. Seems as if insulin is doing nothing, and is a waste.
I found out late yesterday (after a random LFT) that my symptoms are actually Covid so have stopped the day/night capsules but the principle is the same. Anyone had similar experiences?
 
I'm sorry you feel ill and are struggling with your BG on top of that.
Steve 007 said:
Anyone had similar experiences?
Click to expand...
Very normal to see higher numbers and need more insulin during illness, even a light cold can mean you need more insulin.

Many T1's have been geven something called 'Sick day rules' by their team, it's a bit of a guidance on how much you can increase your insulin with if you see high numbers during illness.

Hope you'll feel better soon!
 
I suppose the answer to the question is no it’s not useless, it just needs adjusting , any sort of infection , virus etc.will cause blood sugars to rise, in my experience anyways , so using same amount of insulin as normal will definitely see rises , and make insulin effectiveness seem “ useless” , I’ve been T1 for over 40 years and I’m still experimenting depending on varying situations, unfortunately that is what living with T1 is all about , it would be so much easier if 1 cap fitted all. But as we know that’s not the case, I hope you recover soon , and on a positive note you now know what to look for should a similar situation arise in the future , and that experience and knowledge is what makes living with diabetes a bit easier .
 
It does seem frightening to have to double your insulin dose but I have been there many a time , it's just the way it is sometimes .
 
Hi all, your replies triggered me reviewing the DAFNE “sick day rules” guidance I got a few months ago. (I’m never normally ill so probably wasn’t paying attention when that session was being covered!) So I’ve checked keytones- which were fine- continued with carb counting, and correction dosage so we’ll see how we progress over the weekend. Thanks and very much appreciated Steve
 
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