Q: I have been suffering from diabetes since 11 years. Now, I am a patient of gangrene. The doctor has operated and cut the little finger of my right leg and I have been taking insulin since last month. But my blood sugar is above 300, so I am very worried about how my gangrene should be treated? Please advise me on how to control my blood sugar levels?

A:It is often difficult to control blood glucose in the face of infection and stress. I would suggest that you monitor blood glucose at least 4 times/day using a blood glucose testing meter and take plain (regular) insulin before each meal in accordance with your blood glucose and diet/appetite. In addition, you can take longer acting insulin at night (lente, NPH) to maintain blood glucose control overnight. Please ask a local endocrinologist for further advice.