“I’m on insulin. What do I do if I get sick?”

If you’re not sick now, get prepared! This is the time to get ahead of the game. Your preparation for this should be just like flu season every year, although we acknowledge Coronavirus is not like the usual flu.

Everyone with diabetes should have a Sick Day Management Kit, which contains everything you may need when you get sick.

A Sick Day Management Plan is the plan you would prepare with your GP or Diabetes Educator and should have all the instructions on exactly what you need to do when you get sick.

It’s important you know how your insulin works, when you’re most at risk of hypoglycaemia (hypo) and how to adjust your doses safely.  Ask your GP for a script for rapid acting insulin, if this isn’t your usual insulin.  Rapid acting insulin will help bring down elevated BG levels as you can have a dose (as discussed with your GP or Diabetes Educator) every 2-4 hours.  If you don’t feel confident with adjusting your insulin, this is the time to learn how to.  You should be prepared for hypoglycaemia (hypo)

Have 4 weeks supply of insulin and needles, and ensure your prescriptions are up to date.  They can be used for 12 months.

If you’re requiring insulin you should be seeing a Diabetes Educator at least once a year. This will keep you updated with newer, improved insulins that may work better for you, or a device which makes giving the injection easier.  It will also help you become more confident in the adjustment of your insulin doses when required and puts you in control.

Now go and get your Kit and Plan ready.  You could become very sick very quickly.

There’s a lot to know about insulin.  Keep an eye out on our blog for more information about the various times of insulin, new ones, those going off pbs very soon. We’ll keep you updated on our Facebook page.  Let us know any other questions you have about medications on our Facebook page or send us a question on the Contact Us page of our website drivingdiabetes.com.au.

Amanda & Helen

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