type one with a cold

[LauraC27]

Hello, recently diagnosed type one.
have had feverish like symptoms last few days symptoms of a common cold.. going from hot to cold. I find your sugars rise a little.. do I simply manage this with insulin? I know to avoid sugary cold and flu medicines.. is there anything else I should be doing?

 

[azure]

Bad luck, Laura. Colds are miserable. Yes, your blood sugar will probably rise. Were you given Sick Day Rules by your team?

Drink plenty - water, maybe tea - and rest. I find that trying to do too much in thebfirstbcouple of days of a cold actually makes my blood sugar higher (I guess it's the stress on my body).

Test frequently and check for ketones too if your blood sugar is high.

 

[noblehead]

There's a really good Flowchart that explains the Sick Day Rule protocol for type 1's:

http://www.mydiabetesmyway.scot.nhs.uk/resources/leaflets/SickDayRulesForType1Flow.asp

However @LauraC27, if your unsure about adjusting your own insulin doses then do speak with your HCP's first.

 

[L3wisr]

Mine never tend to fluctuate too much, if they are changing quickly though just pay more attention and test a little more.

 

[AndyS]

Yup I tend to see my sugars rise a bit when I get a cold. Pretty much follow the sick day rules mentioned before and keep my fluid intake up.

Hope you feel better soon.

/A

 

[Diamattic]

Make sure you adjust your basal rates to keep your sugars down (4.5-6.5mmol/L range) as much as possible. If you spend your days with sugars outside of the normal range your body won't do a very good job fighting off the cold and a 4 days cold could turn into a 7 day cold very easily all because of high sugars.

Other then making sure you get your levels down as close to normal as possible, just treat it like you normal would - take some advil, or whatever medicine you normal do (just try to avoid sugary stuff, or anything that may put your to sleep - you may confuse that 'out of it' feeling with low blood sugars), sleep lots, eat well, and drink lots of liquids and focus on getting better!

The worst part of diabetic colds is the high BS can prolong them.