What is recommended during sick days for diabetics?

• A. Only monitor glucose when feeling unwell.
• B. Check glucose once a day and decrease fluids.
• C. Monitor glucose every 4 hours, continue taking insulin or oral antidiabetic agents, increase fluids, and consume easily tolerated foods or liquids if unable to eat solid.
• D. Stop all diabetes medications and rest.

Answer: (C)

During illness, blood glucose can swing widely because stress hormones rise and you may eat less or tolerate fluids poorly. That makes sick-day management crucial: you don’t stop diabetes medications, you monitor closely, stay hydrated, and get energy from easy-to-take sources.

Monitoring glucose every 4 hours lets you catch rapid changes and adjust treatment before problems develop. Continuing insulin or oral antidiabetic agents is essential to prevent runaway hyperglycemia and ketoacidosis; illness can increase insulin resistance or create relative insulin deficiency, so omitting meds can be dangerous even if you’re not eating much. Increasing fluids helps prevent dehydration and supports the body’s ability to clear ketones and waste products that build up with high glucose. If you can’t eat solid foods, choosing easily tolerated liquids or foods supplies some carbohydrates to keep glucose from dropping too low or spiking unpredictably, and keeps energy available when you’re not feeling well.

If glucose runs high (and especially if it’s consistently above about 240 mg/dL) or if you have symptoms like vomiting, abdominal pain, or confusion, check for ketones and contact a clinician for specific instructions.