Hello beautiful and welcome to the blog today.

It’s a beautiful day to have a beautiful day.

Friends how are you.  It’s Friday I’m feeling better, and the weekend is here.  I hope you’re being productive, staying hydrated, checking in with friends and family, and enjoying Summer.

So …last weekend friends I had a health scare.  It wasn’t COVID (Blessings!), but another issue that many diabetics have to deal with.

ER Visit

Last weekend I checked myself into the emergency room due to a fever of 102, chills, and an elevated heart rate while resting at 170 bpm.  I had so much anxiety and I was really stressed (which is another factor), but when I got to the hospital I was taken immediately and given an ECG, asked tons of questions, gave about 10 vials of blood for tests, and started on an IV for fluids.

What Happened

Bacterial infections like UTIs are common in diabetic patients because of the medications we take.  Medications lower your blood sugar in a few ways but one way is through urine.  These meds help to flush the excess sugar from our bodies. Diabetic patients either produce very little insulin (like in my case) or none at all.

Since the meds help to dump this in your urine you always have the urge to go (and do) frequently.  Sometimes the sugar in your urine doesn’t completely flush and that sugar that’s left behind causes bacteria to build up in our systems which can lead to bacterial (UTI) infections. I’m no expert and I’m still learning how to manage my diabetes, but there’s really good information from a few sources that can help educate anyone who wants more information.

Diagnosis

The real reason for my ER visit was dehydration.  I know I’m always telling my friends at the beginning of every post to stay hydrated.  Friends, it’s a real thing, because I thought I was. That didn’t cause the infection but it played a HUGE part in raising my blood sugar and my heart rate.

So I wanted to share 5 things that can elevate your blood sugar levels (or glucose), so even people that don’t have diabetes can be in the know.

(See the complete list at CDC)

I purposefully picked out things from the master list that apply to me but seem to be most common.  Sleep has always been my issue, and I never get what I should so that’s something I’ve been working on for years. I never skip breakfast, and sunburn isn’t an issue that leaves coffee (sorry not sorry).  Coffee has no effect on me (personally) and I’ve given up so much over the course of my diagnosis that I blatantly refuse to give up coffee. 

My issue is hydration.  I think I’m getting enough water but apparently, I’m not, so I’ve been looking to boost my water.  I’ve started researching two products that boost water giving 3x the amount of hydration, with more electrolytes than sports drinks with less sugar and essential vitamins as a boost.

Electrolyte Hydration

I’m leaning towards the Liquid IV just because it’s available at more stores, I can order it on Amazon and the reviews are a good mix.  Doing this in conjunction with working on my sleep quality, diet, and other health needs should help keep my blood sugar at a managed level.  Right now my AIC is 6.4 which means “managed”, and I’m over-the-moon-happy because I worked hard to get here.

I hope this information is helpful to anyone looking to live and feel, but most of all STAY HYDRATED. (LOL). Thanks so much for visiting the blog today.  Don’t forget to follow and subscribe, as I really appreciate the support. — Peace

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