A person with diabetes can get sick just like anyone else.

Everyday sickness includes headaches, colds, coughs, sore throats, vomiting, diarrhoea, or injuries. Being sick can cause blood glucose levels to rise.

A person with diabetes who is sick may not feel like drinking, eating or taking their medication. This will impact on their blood glucose levels.

Management

Talk to the doctor and write in the Medical Management Plan about what to do on sick days.

Information should include:

• What to do if the person isn't drinking or eating
• What to do if the person is vomiting
• How often blood glucose tests should be done
• When to contact the doctor

Over the Counter Medication

It is recommended that the chemist be consulted, as some medications contain sugar which can impact on the management of diabetes when a person is having a sick day.

Carers comments about sick days

• "If he has a cold he can’t eat over-the-counter cough lollies"
• "We have a sickness diet which has a list of foods that are OK"
• "Another complication is that the person is on epilepsy medication too so all those things compound and make sick days difficult to control"

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