Sunburn and crazy high

My son went tubing this morning with a friend, and, like the smart boy he is (…) declined any kind of sunblock from his friend’s mother. His sensor stopped working this afternoon, so he restarted it. He checked his BG a few times during the restart – everything just hunky dory. My wife went to pick him up late afternoon, and was shocked by his skin color: she could see he had had a major sunburn – the kind that will keep you awake for two or three nights.

His sensor was ready to calibrate and they were driving back. He checked his BG in the car: 468. When he got home, he checked 3 more times with, two different meters – still 400. Some cursory research on the web confirms it – sunburns can cause crazy highs.

400 – he has not been that high since he was diagnosed in DKA!

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Ouch! I didn’t know that sunburns impact BG levels. Thanks for posting this!

I hope you have something soothing to help. I hope he feels better and those 400 are back to 100s soon.

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I bet dehydration played a role, too. Hope he’s doing better today!

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Well, good grief. Hope those numbers are down already. That must have come as quite a surprise for you all!

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That was a shocker. We could not believe it. Tested 3 times w 2 different meters, then injected 10 units, largest insulin correction ever. He went down fast. I will post the curve.

Did he test positive for ketones at 400?

We did not test. We should have though. I think @CatLady is right, dehydration may have been an amplifier.