My 13 year old son has the flu. I took him to the pediatrician yesterday. They gave him a flu test which was positive. He was prescribed Tamiflu. I called his endo because is BGL were through the roof. She changed his correction, ratio and lantus numbers until he is better.His fever is gone today and he feels a little bit better. His bgl are still high and we are doing corrections per the endo's instructions.He drank an insure this morning and shortly after had diarrhea. About 4 hours later he had applesauce and again diarrhea. I am worried about him not having food. He has been drinking alot of water.
I have checked for keytones. He showed a small to moderate amount. I called the endo. She said to make sure he drinks lots of water and stays hydrated which he is. I am worried about the effects of him not being able to keep food in his system. Thank you for responding. This is his first real illness after being diagnosed.
Sorry you are dealing with this but it sounds like you are handling this great. As to your comment about worring about him not having food, do you mean because he has diabetes? I know a lot of people have the belief that it is not good if someone with Type 1 doesn't eat for a period of time. But based on the insulins you are using, it really shouldn't be an issue. If he is not having carbs, he shouldn't be getting Humalog (except for corrections). For those people that use NPH it can be an issue, but not really for you. Hope he feels better soon.
Thank you for your reply. I didn't know if it made a difference or not because he is T1. I am still new at this and still a bit nervous.
What about the carbs he does take insulin for? Does the diarrhea affect those carbs? Is he losing those carbs?
Yes diarrhea can be an issue as carbs may not be absorbed, which can result in lows. Things like the gingerale or Gatorade can help. Also, popsicles or suckers if you need to get carbs in. The first real flu illness after diagnosis is tough. Thinking of you.
You should always check with your doctor, but in my experience I always give insulin for any carbs they eat, even when they are sick. I have not seen what Kim talked about with the lows. On the contrary, Danielle's bg is usually high when she is ill. And really there is no way to know for sure how many carbs are not being absorbed anyway, so the best thing to do is just check his bg often. The thing to watch out for with diarrhea is dehydration. So keep pushing those fluids :cwds:
I don't think we tend to see lows with diarrhea. We definitely do for a while after a stomach bug though. I always reduce basal quite a bit following vomiting. But it sounds like what he has is fever, congestion etc mostly, right? Such things can send bg either high or low. Sometimes one after the other. Just be diligent in checking frequently and dose as needed.
His bgl have been pretty high. We have needed corrections. Thanks for all your help. This website has been a gift since he was diagnosed.
My daughter goes high with illness too. A simple cough and fever and she;ll need double her normal amount of insulin. We haven't had a stomach bug or diarrhea so I really don't know what'll happen with her BGs when that comes. When my daughter was on the pump, she got ketones very quick when fasting. I haven't tested them since she's been back on humalog and lantus, so I'm not sure about the starvation ketones either.
Suggestion that I wish I'd done. Make some notes somewhere of what's working and what isn't. Huge help when 6 or 8 months from now they get sick again and you can't for the life of you remember what you did last time that worked. I finally started doing this the last couple go rounds and it was immensely helpful to at least have a starting point. I hope he feels better soon.
The first illness is always the scariest. You're doing a great job! Keep pushing the fluids and it's great that you're in contact with your endo. Hope he's feeling better soon! :cwds:
I just want to say I am glad he is on Tamiflu - that made such a large difference in the recovery time of my T1 - who was prescribed it, and my other DD, who was not.
He is still showing keytones. Now the amount says large. This is really making me nervous. His sugars are getting back to normal and he is beginning to feel alot better. How often should I be checking for keytones?
With moderate & large ketones, we're supposed to call in to the endo 24-hour helpline. I would call them first and continue testing every 2 hours until they are gone. We've never seen high; moderate is enough to make my daughter feel utterly dreadful.
If he hasn't been eating, and bgs are not high then you can assume that these are starvation ketones. Once he begins eating they will fade. How are you checking? If ketostix then the info is hours old and you have to take them with a grain of salt. How is the whole kid? Looking better? Feeling better? Is he hydrated? Look at the whole kid before you get nervous. Starvation ketones are normal in anyone who has not been eating. They will not escalate to DKA ketones. Call your endo if you have any questions but personally, I wouldn't worry if overall he is improving and bgs are not over 240.
