Infection and blood sugars

General
1

Hi there,

I have an ingrown toenail that is infected (gross I know).  It has been treated by the podiatrist but I'm just waiting for the infection to subside.  I noticed that my blood sugars have been higher lately.  Does anyone know how much an infection can raise blood sugars and if a small one (only on the toe) can make that much difference? 

Thanks in advance for your help!

2

Josie,

I have had a few cuts and injuries get infected over the years.  I have consistently had to raise my basal and sometimes increase my IC ratio....  I don't have an actual count and it seemed to vary from time to time.  Have you checked in with you endo?

Good luck!

A-D

3

i've had a ton of toe problems and i can say that yes, it makes a huge difference in blood sugar. it's because it's in your toe, i think. i had a toe infection for two weeks, then minor toe surgery that left my toe messed up for another almost two weeks. i'm on the downside of that now, the toe surgery was 2 weeks, 5 days ago and after a bit over two weeks my blood sugar has started plunging. in the afternoons and late night, it seemingly doesn't matter how many carbs i take, i keep going down. they soared when it got infected and so we increased most of my basals, and now they're back down and the dropping is letting up a teeny bit.

good luck getting your foot healed up, and stay on top of those blood sugars!

4

You may have been given a steroid which will also raise your sugar.

Any change in your body's chemical balance can and probably cause your sugars to shift. an infection is an infection, small ones can pack quite a punch.

5

Thanks everyone for the information.  It was helpful to know that this is normal.  My endocrinologist increased my IC ratios and it seems to be better.  Plus the infection is very slowly going away.  Thanks a lot!

6

i think pretty much any infection you get can raise your blood sugar, also it can make it take longer to heal if your blood sugars are higher over a period of time. You really need to be careful with any infections you may have because it can become very serious, especially with the feet. You should definitely call your doctor.