Sick Days for Type 2 Diabetes

When you are sick it is especially important to:

Not worry about your blood sugar - just rest and get better

Check your blood sugar more often, drink plenty of clear liquids such as soup broth and diet sodas and check with your physician if you feel too ill to take care of yourself, or your blood sugar is outside of the target range

Only drink fruit juice

Monitor your blood glucose every 2-4 hours, especially if you are taking medications or insulin to treat diabetes, to be sure your blood sugar is not getting too high or too low (hypoglycemia). Keep a closer watch on diabetes warning signs when you're sick - you may need immediate medical attention, especially if you are nauseated, vomiting or dehydrated, your blood sugar is very high or very low, you have ketones, or you can't control your blood sugar.

Diabetic Ketoacidosis, (or DKA) is a life-threatening emergency and can affect people with both type 1 or type 2 diabetes.

True

False

True! Diabetic ketoacidosis more commonly affects people with type 1 diabetes; however, it can also affect people with type 2 diabetes. In the case of type 2 diabetes, it is usually connected with severe infections, inflammation of the pancreas, or steroid treatment. It requires immediate medical attention.

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