7. Stock the medicine cabinet.
Keep a supply of diabetes-related medical supplies -- glucose meter, lancets, and blood sugar and ketone testing strips (check expiration dates) -- on hand along with other standard supplies, including a thermometer and over-the-counter remedies.
If a patient wants to take extra medicines to deal with a specific illness, always check the label of any over-the-counter drug before he takes it to see if it contains sugar. Small doses of medicines with sugar, such as cold and flu remedies, may be okay. But to be safe, ask his pharmacist or diabetes doctor about sugar-free alternatives.
Be aware, too, that many other medicines a patient takes for a short-term illness can affect blood sugar levels. For instance, aspirin in large doses can lower blood sugar levels. Some antibiotics lower blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes who also take diabetes pills. If you or the person in your care have a concern about whether a prescription or over-the-counter drug may affect his diabetes, discuss this with his health professional before he takes it.
8. Call the doctor.
A patient doesn't need to call his doctor's office every time he gets a mild stomach bug or a case of the sniffles. But he should seek a doctor's advice if:
- He's had a fever for a couple of days, feels unwell, and doesn't seem to be getting better.
- He's been vomiting or has had diarrhea for more than six hours.
- He's taken his diabetes pills, and his blood sugar is above 240 before meals and stays there for 24 hours or more.
- His glucose level is above 240, even after he takes the prescribed extra insulin his sick-day plan may call for.
- He has signs of dehydration, ketoacidosis, or other serious symptoms, such as chest pain, trouble breathing, fruity-smelling breath, urine ketone levels that are moderate to high, or dry and cracked lips and tongue.
- He's ill and you're not sure what to do to help him.
Be ready to share details about his illness. Keep a written record in a sick-day notebook that includes:
- A list of symptoms and how long he's had them
- Medicines taken, how much, and how often
- Whether he can eat or keep food down
- Whether he's lost weight
- What his temperature, blood pressure, pulse, blood sugar, and urine ketone numbers are
