Among the long list of things I probably don't do "right" when it comes to diabetes, getting myself to check for ketones (or even remembering that it's something I'm supposed to be doing in the first place) is pretty up there. It's right by "using the touch bolus button instead of dialing it in like a normal person" and "changing my lancet more than once a month".
I experienced some pretty wicked stomach problems early Sunday morning and throughout the day, with my Dexcom graph showing 200+ results pretty much the whole time. Even after the worst of the Real People Sick symptoms subsided, I still felt awful - flip-floppy stomach, a mild haze resembling but never quite crossing over to a headache, immense exhaustion and a desire to never look at or think about food ever again.
As the day drew to a close, I thought, "Hey, I wonder if I still have some ketone strips hanging around. I should probably test for those." I did, and I did.
I was greeted by a royal purple - somewhere between moderate and large.
Ugh.
And since even being cognizant of ketones is unfamiliar to me, I had to consult Google and some of my fellow PWDs. Large ketones with large glucose numbers seemed to point to an ER visit, but with my numbers staying in the low 200's, I didn't seem to fit that criteria. I drank as much water as I felt comfortable with (I wanted it to stay down, after all), slept a lot, and kept the correction boluses on repeat. I ate a few bits of food here and there, when I thought I could stomach it. At 2:00 am (I made myself get up every 3 hours overnight to check everything again), my blood sugar was down to 99 (YAY!) and ketones were down to small (YAY!).
Unfortunately I then made the dumb mistake of not eating anything then, so I'm now back up to "moderate" ketones as of this morning.
I'm recommencing the chugging of water and eating of crackers as we speak, as well as the self-chiding.
Be nice to yourself, it sucks, sucks, sucks being sick, having diabetes, and dealing with ketones :(
ReplyDeleteUgh Ketones SUCK. Hope you feel better, girl! Keep us posted, please. :)
ReplyDeleteFeel better! Since I was diagnosed in dka, they gave me instructions for taking extra insulin for each level of ketones.
ReplyDeleteReally? I have never heard that before .... would be interested finding out what they told you? (Although I do know YDMV) :)
DeleteOh no! I haven't owned a vial of Ketostix in about 20 years, so I'm proud of you for even having them around. I hope you feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteI never really know what to do with ketones, either, and I rarely check for them. They're like the extra-shitty bonus gift that comes free with your diabetes purchase.
ReplyDeleteYou're supposed to eat to keep the ketones from coming back? I've only had ketones two or three times in my 27 years as a PWD, so I guess I'm a little rusty on the treatment protocol. I will likely only pull this nugget of information out of my brain the next time I'm sick and ignore it for now.
ReplyDeleteYep - even just a few bites of something. Ketones happen when your body starts burning fat for energy instead of glucose, and in my case, it was probably a result of inadvertent fasting (since I couldn't keep food down). Water and insulin are your two best friends when it happens!
DeleteThanks, Anonymous, for asking my question, too. And thanks, Kim, for answering it. The DOC taught me something new today.
DeleteFeel better!
Also... it's always awkward using ketone strips at the office. "Nothing to see here; I'm just off to pee on a stick. That's all. Carry on."
Ugh, that sucks!! Hope you are feeling better and back down to Negative soon!!
ReplyDeleteI'm still not entirely sure what ketones mean, except when accompanied by high BG and broken pump parts. I also don't understand why they come in fast-food serving sizes: small thru large. Shouldn't it be a number, or a low thru high scale?
ReplyDeleteI'll be honest, I clicked on the link to this post ready to defend my all time favorite movie. Instead I found the hate for Ketones and I said, S***! I HATE THEM TOO!!!
ReplyDeleteOh, Kim,
ReplyDeleteI hope you're feeling better, very soon!
I've yet to have to deal with ketones (knock on wood), but my doctor did give me a ketone meter. It is a Precision Xtra and it can test blood drops for both glucose or ketones, you just have to have a different strip. It also gives you a precise number. I like having it, even though on trips it means one more electronic device.
ReplyDeleteKick those ketones ass,ASAP!!!
ReplyDeletei hate, hate, HATE ketones with a passion. ugh. total crapola. and unfortunately, i seem to get them rather easily.
ReplyDeletehope you don't see any more ketones for a long time!
I'm glad you're OK!
ReplyDeleteI'm lazy about checking for ketones because...my person never has them. Do the experienced people really check for them whenever they're over 250? How bad should I feel? I don't expect you to answer that.
You kept calm and took care of yourself. I hope you are feeling better. As much as I love the colour purple.. I certainly hate ketone purple too.
ReplyDeleteKetones... ugh. I haven't tested for them in ages. Every once in a while (read: when the blue moon is out...), I buy a vial. And they end up expiring by the time I think of doing a check. Oh well. Need to get back on that horse... thanks for the post, Kim. Hope everything evened out.
ReplyDeleteProbably starvation ketones. You need to drink some real ginger ale or whatever carbs you can hold down and cover them with insulin. Insulin will clear the ketones.
ReplyDeleteConfession: Never once in six years have I tested myself for ketones. If I feel like shit and I'm high: water, water, water, insulin, insulin, insulin... I don't even know what the point of assessing the rate of fat breakdown into ketones - once BG is back in range, it should stop. But maybe I'm wrong.
ReplyDelete