Diabetes with High Blood Sugar

Home care

Check your blood sugar level at least 2 times a day. Write down the results. Do this before breakfast. And do it again before dinner. If you take insulin, also write down your routine insulin dose. Note any other doses you needed based on your sliding scale. Or as advised by your doctor. Do this for the next 3 to 5 days.

High blood sugar may cause symptoms that you can learn to spot. These include:

• Peeing often.

• Thirst.

• Headache.

• Breath that smells fruity.

• Upset stomach (nausea) or vomiting.

• Belly pain.

If you have symptoms of high blood sugar, use a blood test to find out what your blood sugar level is. If it is above your normal range, use the sliding scale regular insulin dose from your doctor. Call your doctor for advice if you weren't given a range for your insulin dose. If your blood sugar is over 240 mg/dL, check your pee (urine) for ketones.

Follow-up care

Follow up with your doctor, or as advised. You may need to meet with your doctor in the next week. You'll likely look at your blood sugar records together. You may need to change your dose of insulin or other diabetes medicine. You may also be advised to use a continuous glucose monitoring system. This is to help give you and your healthcare team a broader picture of your blood sugar control.

When to contact your doctor

Contact your doctor right away if:

• You have symptoms of high blood sugar that don't get better with the treatment your doctor advised. This is especially true if you also have ketones in your urine.

• Your blood sugar over 300 mg/dL. If you can’t reach your doctor, go to a hospital emergency room or urgent care center.

Call 911

Call 911 if:

• You experience confusion.

• You have dizziness, light-headedness, or loss of consciousness.

• You are short of breath.

• You have chest pain.

• You feel weakness of an arm, leg, or 1 side of the face.

• You have sudden trouble with speech or vision.