Sick Day Protocol

Nationwide Children’s understands how important it is to manage your child’s diabetes, especially on those days he or she may not be feeling the best. To enable our patients and families with the best resources and diabetes management tools, we have created an online tool for those very important sick days.

Since good control of blood glucose is not usually possible during illness, the goal of this tool is to keep your child from having very high or very low blood glucose and to prevent or treat ketones in blood and urine. Whether your child manages his or her diabetes with an insulin pump or injections – this quick 5-step tool will provide you with the recommendations for managing your child’s diabetes when sick.

Blood glucose levels are often much harder to control when a child with diabetes is sick. Illness makes the body release stress hormones which can cause high blood glucose numbers. Illness is a common reason children with diabetes get ketones in their blood and urine.

Being sick can often decrease your child’s appetite or even causes him or her to throw up, which can lead to low blood glucose. Ketones can form even when blood glucose numbers are in target or low.

Please consult your physician with any questions related to your individual diabetes management plan.