Home sick with the flu

[SugaryOne]

I'm home from school today with the flu, and on an insulin pump. I woke up to puke about 5:40am and tested, I was 220 and didn't correct. I sipped 6oz ginger ale then. It's 3 hours later and I'm 238, so I corrected. Normally I'm on a higher basal rate when I'm sick, but I've been puking so I don't want to take the chance of going low.

If this correction bolus doesn't work, should I give insulin through injection? Should I check ketones even though it's only in the 200s?

Also, should I eat anything? I'm not hungry (nauseated, actually), and last night at dinner I got sick after I tried to eat a burrito.

If anyone is online that could help, I'd really appreciate it.

[jen_slc]

Sorry you're feeling so bad! I would definitely check ketones the whole time you are sick, even in the 200s, I know I've had some high levels even with minor increases in bg. If you're not hungry then don't force yourself to eat, especially if you're likely to bring it back up. If you think you can keep something down, it might be good to have something very bland and easy on the stomach. For gastro-type illnesses, my mom always used to take soda (regular) and pour a glass back and forth between cups to remove a lot of the fizz and then give it to me flat if I refused to eat any food (though this was before I was diabetic). I'm sure you could do the same thing if you feel you need some calories and just bolus for it. Drink lots of water too because you're probably dehydrated!!

I don't remember what I did for sick days while I was pumping, but for some reason I want to say that maybe a good shot of insulin is what's needed to make a dent in your sugars, like a good blast all at once instead of a slow infusion. If you do do that though, I wouldn't start shooting up while you've just bolused through your pump, the insulin might kick in later (that's happened to me). When you're sick, insulin requirements usually go up because your body is stressed.

Has your doc given you a guideline about how much extra insulin to take for your ketones in addition to correcting a high bg?

Hope you feel better soon!

[Fred&CharlesFan]

I've had two bouts with a "36hr" like flu since October...
Having the pump made it alot easier than what I recall from my MDI days.
My body was clearly telling me "..if you try to feed me, I WILL hurt you and you WILL NOT like it!!...:puke: ". So I actually had nothing to eat or drink during the 36hrs, until that point in time came when I could tell I was i) hungry and 2) not going to regret eating / drinking.
As jen_slc states, since you are ill, your BG's will be higher, and insulin demands are thus also higher.
Kept a close eye on my sugars, and used only a correction bolus during the entire illness timeframe.
Keep an eye on your BG and keytones; I would drink only water if you can tolerate it.
Good luck. Hope you're back on your feet real soon..

PS: one of the Dr.Mom's I know, has recommended GatorAide as a drink when battling the flu. She says that you feel better after having it; we speculated that it must be something about all the electrolytes in that product. I know I will try it the next time I am ill. And having the pump will make the carb balance a lot easier.

[SugaryOne]

Actually it turns out I have no ketones. (rarely ever do, I've been lucky about that) I just tested and I was 185.

My mom wanted me to eat something (I've been drinking lots of water) so I started eating yogurt until I realized it had gelatin in it. I'm vegetarian, so since I bolused for the yogurt I'm eating an apple instead. Actually my bs's aren't all that high and I'm on a normal basal, which is odd for me. I still feel nauseated, but right now I'll try to get through this.

[vrocco1]

Drink lots of fluids! Its very important.

[am1977]

Hope you feel better soon :)

[Tokyo Cate]

Sorry to hear that you are feeling so ill. It sounds like you are taking good care of yourself. I know how terrible it feels to eat when you are that sick--my doc always recommended broths as they help restore your electrolytes and are refreshing to eat.

Get well soon.

[kgm0612]

I had a stomach virus two weeks ago that lasted 3 days. Drink plenty of fluids and get lots of rest. Hope you feel better soon!

Karen

[SugaryOne]

I had a stomach virus two weeks ago that lasted 3 days. Drink plenty of fluids and get lots of rest. Hope you feel better soon!

Karen
Thanks everyone. :D

Karen, sounds exactly like what I have. I thought I was better yesterday, but I had a relapse. Then again this is the 3rd day. Hopefully it gets better today, I don't want to have to miss school again.

Drinking plenty of fluids but still feel like &*%^. Thankfully haven't had any elevated BSs. (I actually had one hypo)

[Tokyo Cate]

I hope things clear up today and you are back at school soon. :flowers: