Diabetes and Covid-19: What You Need to Know

• Stay in touch with others by phone or email. You may need to ask for help from friends, family, neighbors, community health workers, etc. if you become sick.
• Determine who can provide you with care if your caregiver gets sick.

Watch for Symptoms and Emergency Warning Signs

• Pay attention to potential COVID-19 symptoms, including fever, cough, and shortness of breath. If you feel like you are developing symptoms, call your doctor.
• If you develop emergency warning signs for COVID-19, get medical attention immediately. In adults, emergency warning signs include difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to arouse, and bluish lips or face.

Know What to Do When Sick

The American Diabetes Association suggest the following tips for sick day management:

• Drink lots of fluids. If you’re having trouble keeping water down, have small sips every 15 minutes or so throughout the day to avoid dehydration.
• If you are experiencing a low (blood sugar below 70 mg/dl or your target range), eat 15 grams of simple carbs that are easy to digest (honey, jam, Jell-O, hard candy, popsicles, juice or regular soda). Re-check your blood sugar in 15 minutes to make sure your levels are rising. Check your blood sugar extra times throughout the day and night (generally, every 2-3 hours; if using a CGM, monitor frequently).
• If your blood sugar has registered high (BG greater than 240mg/dl) more than two times in a row, check for ketones to avoid DKA.
• Call your doctor’s office immediately if you have medium or large ketones (and if instructed to with trace or small ketones).
• Be aware that some CGM sensors (Dexcom G5, Medtronic Enlite, and Guardian) are impacted by Acetaminophen (Tylenol). Check with finger sticks to ensure accuracy.
• Wash your hands and clean your injection/infusion and finger-stick sites with soap and water or rubbing alcohol.

Remember, having COVID-19, or other infect-ions, can make diabetes symptoms worse. The sick day management tips above is general guidelines. Work with your health care provider to develop a personalized sick-day plan to help you cope with illness without neglecting your diabetes.

     Constance Brown-Riggs is a registered dietitian, certified diabetes educator, national speaker and author of the Diabetes Guide to Enjoying Foods of the World, a convenient guide to help people with diabetes enjoy all the flavors of the world while still following a healthy meal plan. Follow Constance on social media @eatingsoulfully