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Illness and high bg levels

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A

Amanda102

Well-Known Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Parent of person with diabetes
Can anyone give me an idea how long glucose levels usually stay high after an illness? My daughter had just got herself sorted with adjusted basal rates after her clinic appointment last Monday and her readings were good when.... Wham! she got a really heavy cold on Thursday and went up high. We have been compensating ever since, but I thought she should be returning to normal now. She still has a nasty cough, but is loads better. I am beginning to wonder if she is going to stay high now and we are going to have to adjust her doses all over again? Is that likely? Just when I think we are getting the hang of it, along comes another challenge!:confused:
 
Hello Amanda
As your daughter hasn't been diagnosed all that long, is it possible she's still been in her honeymoon? I heard that sometimes an illness can polish off any of those remaining beta cells, so that afterwards you need more insulin than before. Best check with your team ... Hope she's feeling better soon.
 
Thank you willsmum. She is still in her honeymoon period. I think that is what I was afraid of! I will have to ring her nurse tomorrow I suppose! Would you normally have expected her levels to have gone back to normal by now otherwise?
 
Nobody can tell you that Amanda I'm afraid. Everybody is different. In time you will get used to what 'usually happens when she has a cold' - or anything else she may get. It's quite probable she still has infection/inflammation whatever - there's no way of telling .... we all just have to suck it and see...

Do ring her nurse, but just continue fire fighting for now with corrections and TBRs.

What's normal? My base rates are forever changing for no particular reason and of course they do tend to change with the temperature anyway. The way the weather has been up and down so far this year, it's been a PITA. Then there are hormones - growth and female ones.

Try not to stress; I know that's easier said than done; but honestly there's no point. None of us is perfect though we constantly strive for as close to it as we can manage. It's lovely the times we get it right and with time you develop more of an instinct for adjustments than you currently believe possible.

All any of us can ever do, is try our best!
 
Thank you both. She is still on the slightly high side today having upped her temporary basal from +10% to + 15% so I will just live with this for a few more days and if she still needs the increase I will think about permanently altering her basal rates. I will try and chill a bit more!
 
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