Difficulty controlling blood sugars when sick

Question: When I get sick, I have the hardest time controlling my blood sugars. Why?

Answer: When you have diabetes and you're sick, your body is also stressed. Your body can release hormones that helps us fight illnesses but they also counteract the effect of the insulin to lower your blood sugars, so your sugars tend to run higher. I inform my patients to expect their blood sugars to be higher when they are sick. Most importantly, I tell them not to panic--just causes more stress.