Keeping diabetes in check while you recover from a car crash
Why your diabetes needs can shift as you heal, from a diabetes care provider and a trauma nurse
A serious injury can throw off a diabetes routine you know well. Pain, stress, surgery, moving less, a weak appetite and new medicines can all shift your blood sugar, or glucose. Diabetes can also slow wound healing and raise the risk of infection. A diabetes care provider adjusts your blood sugar plan. A trauma nurse helps fit that plan together with wound care, meals and rehab. [1, 2]
Go home with a single, connected plan
Find out who will manage your diabetes after you leave the hospital. Confirm when to check your blood sugar and what range your team wants. Learn who to call if you get repeated high or low readings. Ask if any of your medicines changed in the hospital and when they’ll be reviewed. If your discharge list shows a different dose, don’t just go back to your old one. [1, 2]
When eating is a struggle
Nausea, a sore jaw or a low appetite can make normal meals impossible. Some diabetes medicines can still drop your blood sugar too low when you eat less. Illness and injury can also push blood sugar up. Follow your own sick day plan, including any directions for ketone testing. [2, 3]
Call the diabetes team if you can’t eat or drink as planned. Call too if you aren’t sure how to take your medicines. Never guess at a new dose. [2, 3]
Watch the wound and the rest of your body
Check for a wound that gets redder, hotter or more painful, or starts to drain. Report a fever. Do you have less feeling in your feet, or spend long stretches in bed or a chair? Ask for help checking pressure points. Log your blood sugar next to your symptoms, medicines and meals. Your team can then spot patterns. [1, 2]
Get urgent care for severe illness, confusion or trouble breathing. If your team has warned you about diabetic ketoacidosis, get urgent care for its signs too. The warning levels and ketone plan depend on your type of diabetes and how it’s treated. Keep the number handy for the team that can give advice after hours. [2, 3]
Ask your diabetes team
- Who will look over my diabetes medicines after I go home?
- What should I do if I’m eating less or throwing up?
- When should I check ketones or get urgent help?
Line up your old and new medicine lists
Sources and further reading
- 1MedlinePlus preparing for surgery with diabetes
- 2MedlinePlus diabetes when you are sick
- 3CDC diabetic ketoacidosis
This overview draws on diabetes care and trauma nursing. Follow your own diabetes plan and call your care team about dose changes or warning signs.
Keep learning
Safe Driving Resource Center
Guides, self-checks and articles for drivers, parents of new drivers, and families recovering after a crash.
