How to bring down high BG's when sick with a cold or flu

Bobby, I don’t take insulin, but I’m having the same problem. Started low-carbing a couple weeks ago and was so enjoying low BG readings, now I have a sinus infection (self-diagnosis, duh, I’ve lived in this body for 61 years, I know what’s happening), and my sugars are through the roof. I do have an appointment today, but you never know what kind of run-around you’re going to get at the doctor’s. I also am feeling discouraged and frustrated, so I’m just empathizing with you. (It doesn’t help that my low-carb control, a frig full of leftovers, and exercise have both slipped some with the holiday just past.)

And…I got the run-around. A different doctor than my own, who even tried to change some of my regular prescriptions (a young pup new to the clinic who is trying to show his stuff), but who said he “thought” my problem was a viral infection so basically untreatable. Which means that now I will have to be sick for 3 weeks until I can convince them that it is what I know it is and get some real help. This is what always happens. I know when I have a bacterial infection, but my doc is never there when I am sick and I get someone else who insists it is “viral.” And I am always sick for at least a month with these things without treatment, so now I am in for it.

This is an interesting discussion. I wonder if the reason why we need more insulin when we have a cold or infection is that changes in the body’s metabolism cause the insulin injected or pumped to be used up more quickly and the active insulin doesn’t last as long and have the same duration time in the body as when we are healthy and well? Maybe what we need is a test for active insulin in the blood.
Florian (T1, dx 1967)
Animas 2020 + Novolog

Now that would be a cool test, if they could figure out how to do it. Active insulin in the blood. A pump can sort of do that, of course its calculations are based purely on numbers, but it seems to be pretty close.

Being new to the pump, I am just learning this too. I got a Lumbar Epidural Steroid Injection 2 weeks ago for my bad back and since then my blood sugars have been through the roof. I finally started upping my basal doses every couple of days and think I FINALLY have my morning blood sugars at the right basal. After meals are still a bit high but I adjusted the basal again today hoping to finally get it into the right ranges.

I’m not sure if all doctors let you adjust your own basal but my doc is more advanced than my old doc. She believes in self control of your diabetes and allows this. I would have failed miserably if I hadn’t been on the pump. My long term insulins never helped my control and it would have been impossible to make these simple corrections with just injections…

have you check your ketoes?? Make pump +10-20%higher feed insulin…maybe even more, that is so different every people…

I do so with my son, he has pump and when sick and BG high even without eating I put settings from pump Basal +20% or something and see quite often BG, he have continueBG all the time in pump and it makes easier to check it.
But BG may come soon low and then must remember that Basal was setting feed more insulin!
I use that settings quite often, when BG is low and low and sicness is that type when cannot eat, then I set balas -10-20%, that helps coming normal with BG.
Go to the doctor! And Get Well Soon!! Many tender happy thoughs (thinks…oh my english is soooooo poooor… but hope you all understand…)

Glad you’re listening to your CDE - they tend to know more about adjusting basal patterns than Drs - my Endo actually admits to this! Like everyone else said, you’ll need to adjust your basal pattern a little bit. To avoid lows, adjust 10% at a time and check your BGs way more often, especially before/after you eat. I’m on a Paradigm 722… ACT -> BASAL -> SET/EDIT BASAL

You might also want to re-set your carb:insulin and correction/sensitivity ratios for the time being. As stated before, just make sure you write the original settings down so you don’t forget once you kick the cold/flu/whatever you have and your sugars start to drop!

adjust your insulin:carb and correction/sensitivity ratios = ACT -> BOLUS -> BOLUS WIZARD SETUP

Hope this helps! Good luck!

I would say see the doc, as you may need an antibiotic.I tend to get a sinus infection once a year that will last up to a month. During these times I will go on antibiotics, and sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. One year I took 8 rounds back to back before I finally kicked the bug. Although now, I am thinking it would have been the same outcome regardless of the antibiotics!
I set a temp basal on my pump to about 130% of normal and that helps, but I need to be cautious because I will crash suddenly. - And temporarily too- I may go right back up the next day.
Infection and Diabetes just don’t go well together! Good luck!