So this is my first time to go through the flu season with Diabetes and I am a little nervous because of all the "complications" chat concerning diabetes. So I am wondering what your experiences have been like with sickness! Has it been as horrible as everything makes it seem? Have you had really bad complications? Do you have a plan for when you are sick?
Any feedback would certainly calm my nerves! :)
Getting a herbal immune booster will probably help you a bit. I use Immun-o First.
When I do get sick, if possible I stay home and sleep most of the day. Lots of liquids too. I usually don't take lantus, only my novorapid and just test every 2hours but that's something you should discuss with your endo. I often take herbal chinese cough medicine if it's a cough, and don't really worry about the sugar content. I try to avoid medicines though, and from your question about natural remedies, I'm sure you're open to that! i do tend to take half a package of neocritin if i have a cold though to help me nap. it has a lot of sugar in it though, so i don't recommend a full serving.
If i'm really sick and i'm not sure what to do, I usually call my endo in the morning and ask for advise. otherwise, i treat my illness like a normal person does! if you start to get worse, i would call your endo cuz you might need to go to the ER but it'll be rare. some people test for ketones in your urine, but i haven't done that in years. since you're new to diabetes though, i'd recommend getting a box of the strips though.
I rarely get so sick that I'm out of comission for more than a day though, it's only happened a few times in the last 15years, so i wouldn't get too nervous about it :) just remember to wash your hands, avoid sick people if possible, eat well, get enough rest and you should keep your chances of getting really sick down :)
you're endo will be a great source of knowledge about what you should be doing when you're sick, so i recommend discussing a "illness" plan with them as well :)
Batts has many good ideas depending on how you treat yourself i.e. lantus, novorapid, humalog, pump. You would have to adjust appropriately. Knock on wood, I rarely get sick, sick. So I just do what needs to be done to keep my sugars in check if they go high. The best plan though is to keep healthy as Batts said with vitamins, supplements, or whatever to chase the germs out before they settle. More so wash your hands and avoid sick people. Your best bet though is to talk in advance with your endo and maybe come up with a sick plan.