r/diabetes • u/Ximenash Type 1 • Jun 29 '24
Going to the er right now. I’m super scared Type 1
Can I die from this? I woke up this morning at 8 feeling high. And was. Shot insulin to correct but never went down and decide to check ketones. I’m super scared i’m a single mom :( Currently sitting at the er.
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u/Extreme-Slight Jun 29 '24
Hope you're OK, assuming that's a blood DKA and not pee. You're in the best place
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 29 '24
Yeah, blood. Waiting to see the doctor. They are in no hurry and I’m getting anxious. I’ve been waiting for an hour and feel really bad. I feel like my blood is electricity, hard to explain.
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u/Extreme-Slight Jun 29 '24
Part that could be adrenaline / epinephrine. Make sure ypu have access to plenty of drinking water and check your breathing. I use one where I draw a spiral on my tummy whilst I breath in and then as I breathe out.
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u/woahwood64 Jun 29 '24
Is she’s admitted for DKA she won’t be allowed to drink or eat while she has to stay there receiving fluids.
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u/dangeropenspeak Type 1 Jun 29 '24
Don’t panic. I was diagnosed with Type 1 after being admitted with a ketone level of >6.0mmol/L. The doctors just told me to head over to the hospital with very little urgency. You will be okay because you’re treating this with the seriousness it deserves.
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Jun 30 '24
Thank you for this info! I don’t understand what the deal is with this chart a couple people have posted that says 3.0 mmol/dl and above is dangerous. I was told be a couple of different doctors that ketones have to be way higher than that to get to dka. Iirc, one of them said not to worry about anything under 15 and the other said seven higher, like 20 or 25. I have been near 3 just from eating low carb for months at a time.
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 29 '24 edited Jun 30 '24
An update: I feel much better, but of course, the doctor did not have any idea of what to do. They didn’t test ketones in blood, just urine. Then she prescribed 6 units of insulin, my sensitivity is 1 unit to lower 44 points, so that dose would have killed me because bs was 220 at the time. Then she decided to wait for the second iv drip to go through and wait, no insulin, no food either. So I gave myself two units and ate a small snack (haven’t eaten today at all). Please cross your fingers this will work, I just want to go home and doctors are not helping (except for the iv).
Also, no idea how this happened.
Forgot to add: electrolytes and ph were all good, so I’m probably going home today. No acidosis!
Update 2: I’m ok, at home. Last ketones check was 1.7, still high but less scary. Blood sugar is at normal range now.
Thanks everybody for your well wishes and advice, it helped me a lot, specially when the doctor was kind of lost! Remember to always advocate for yourself and if you are hospitalized, don’t forget to ask what doses are they planning to use.
Also, if you are type 1 I strongly recommend a ketones meter, the one I used is an old one and can test both sugar an ketones, I believe the freestyle libre does the same (different strip tests). I think I got it early and that’s why it was solved quickly!
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u/Sovrage Jun 29 '24
I’m so sorry the docs know nothing. But glad you took it into your own hands and dosed. Can you call your endo?
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 29 '24
Thank you. Can’t call mu endo at the moment, i’m at a completely different hospital thats closer to home. This is going to be expensive… but I’m not in usa so not catastrophically expensive, I hope.
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u/starbuck93 T1 2013 t:slim/G7 Jun 29 '24 edited Jun 29 '24
Hope you're feeling better soon.
Anyone have a recommendation for a blood ketone test meter?
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u/rocitano Jun 29 '24
We use this exact one. I recommend having one in case you’re dehydrated and can’t pee on a stick. You can find them on Amazon
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u/AnotherLolAnon T1, T:Slim X2 w/ G6 and Control IQ Jun 29 '24
Precision Xtra is a good one that’s pretty easy to find in the US
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u/ez399017 Type 1 Jun 29 '24
I drink a lot of water, bolus a lot of insulin. The urgent issue with DKA is dehydration, and once you throw up, you are facing a snowball effect. That’s the only time I go to the hospital. I’ve had to go twice over 12 years. From my experience Blood sugar levels have very little to do with it. I can be 300+ for a while, without issue. If I don’t notice my pump dies for 4-7 hours, I’ll be feeling it regardless of sugar levels being low or high.
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u/Bazookaangelx2 Type 1 Jun 30 '24
The throwing up part! Ugh. As soon as that happens and doesn't want to stop I end up in the ICU. Could literally be just a few hours of vomiting, then BG starts rising like crazy and I end up in DKA with severely low potassium 😭
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Jun 29 '24
Honestly I take ketone boluses when they get out of control. If they’re above 28 mg/dl i add 10% of my long acting insulin dose as short acting. Example of this would be
BG 325 = 20IU Novolog
KT 28+ = 10IU Novolog (because I take 100IU Long Acting Basal Insulin)
Total = 30 IU
For slightly high I take half the ketone bolus of high.
It always helps me keep my ketones in check. However this is what works for ME. If you’re going to try this consult a doctor and have them guide you.
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 29 '24
Ketones are at 75mg/ml
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Jun 29 '24
That’s a hospital visit.
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 29 '24
Yeah, they took tests and have me on an iv drip. No insulin yet though.
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Jun 30 '24
Do you mean that your blood sugar was 75 mg/dl or that your ketones were 75 mmol/l? Or maybe 7.5 mmol/l?
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 30 '24
Ketones were 4.1 mmol which equals 75mg/ml. Blood sugar was around 18mmol, 330mg/ml.
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Jun 30 '24
Ahhhhh, gotcha. I didn’t realize that people measure ketones in both mg/dl and mmol/L. Commented somewhere else in this thread about doctors telling me that you don’t get near dka until somewhere over 15, but it must be 15 mg/dl rather than mmol. Could there be any good reason to make something so important be this easy to misunderstand? 😩
I hope you’re feeling well now!
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 30 '24
Saw your post! Yeah, I believe those are mg/ml numbers. No idea why, in my country they use mg/ml for glucose and mmol for ketones. Quite confusing.
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u/wanderinginthebrush Jun 29 '24
Hope you're seen soon & feel better after an IV. Mine were very high when I was diagnosed. I carry some ketone strips in my pouch just in case.
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u/Grand_Station_Dog Type 1| tandem + G6| they/them Jun 29 '24
Best wishes, i had to go to the hospital for dka in 2022 and they were able to resolve it in a day or two with IV insulin and fluids. it is scary, but I'm sending you sympathy and good wishes
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Jun 29 '24
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 29 '24
Felt super high for 6 hours straight and nauseous. Blood sugar wouldn’t go down with a total of nine units (taking 3-4 unit shots every two hours). I use a pump and thought that was the problem. But even with manual shots of lantus and novorapid, sugar levels kept over 330. So i decided to check, and that’s how I got a 4.1 reading
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Jun 29 '24
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Jun 29 '24 edited Jun 30 '24
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u/MindlessRip5915 T2 2021 (Janumet, Optisulin) Jun 30 '24
keto diet-ketones & DKA aren't the same thing.
No, ketones are ketones. They are exactly the same thing. DKA is caused by a buildup of ketones beyond that which the body is able to clear, and because ketones are acidic it causes a change in the pH of the blood which is meant to be tightly regulated. It's the "beyond that which the body is able to clear" which is the issue. Even in diet induced ketosis, your body will still be able to clear ketones (usually dumping them in urine, because you have water and presumably food liquified by your stomach acid to pee out). Combine with dehydration (for example if you're sick and unable to keep anything down) and you have yourself an issue though. An SGLT-2 inhibitor such as Jardiance can also cause it.
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Jun 30 '24
I’m a t1 and have gone years at a time only getting carbs from egg and cheese, maybe a total of 5g carb on a big day. You don’t have to eat carbs, but you do have to make sure you’ve always got some insulin on board.
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u/pregnantseahorsedad MODY Jun 29 '24
Whoa that's a nifty ketotester. Do the strips last longer than the pee ones? I hate opening and having to throw out a whole pack because I used 1 strip in 6 months
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u/MindlessRip5915 T2 2021 (Janumet, Optisulin) Jun 30 '24
Blood ketone strips are often individually sealed.
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u/UrAvgAppleConsumer Jun 30 '24
Mine were 7.6 at diagnosis you will feel like shit but you will be fine up your basal and lower your ratio
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Jun 30 '24
Don't be scared. You will poetically feel pretty rough for a couple of days, but they'll get you feeling better.
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u/Bazookaangelx2 Type 1 Jun 30 '24
I hope you went in! At my hospital as soon as I mention DKA I'm immediately seen. Although I go into DKA pretty easily, so I never take any chances anymore. If you're vomiting absolutely do not hesitate as that's what throws everything off balance and you lose electrolytes and potassium and getting potassium through an IV is painful and it takes days to get it back up. Good luck momma! There's a whole lot of online support so you're not alone.
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 30 '24
Thank you so much. I’m ok now, this community definitely helped me yesterday!
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u/Grand_Station_Dog Type 1| tandem + G6| they/them Jul 01 '24
That's good to hear! I came back to check for an update
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u/NoAd3438 Jun 29 '24
When the blood sugar is high the body tries to use ketone instead, hence why high blood sugar can cause weight loss. I lost 40 lbs when my blood sugars were 300-600+.
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 29 '24
Sadly, i’m still slightly overweight
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u/NoAd3438 Jun 29 '24
Me too, I am still over 300 lbs last I checked. I have been walking a lot over last several months, but building muscle instead of losing weight in the process.
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Jun 29 '24
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u/diabetes-ModTeam Jun 29 '24
Your post has been removed because it breaks our rules.
Rule 5: Diabetes isn't a competition.
People with one type of diabetes aren't superior to people with another type of diabetes. The struggles unique to one type are not comparable to the struggles of another. We're all in the same boat of a chronic illness, let's avoid making things unnecessarily harder by turning illnesses into a competition.
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u/lamestaff Jun 30 '24
How are you getting on? Were you throwing up etc? I had ketones with this exact number, I called 111 (uk) and the operator told me to go straight to hospital (they’d rung ahead and nurses were waiting for me), it was 2020 so Covid was at its prime, and I was taken into a booth and put straight on IV and given fluids. I was throwing up so bad, I went to work that morning but couldn’t stop being sick so went home. I don’t even remember driving home. Our disease can be fatal and it’s shit. I hadn’t taken my long acting insulin the day before because I was throwing up so much in my naive mind I thought I wouldn’t need it, the diabetic nurses at the hospital told me to never miss my long acting as going into DKA would be the result. Before going hospital I remember being in the bathroom throwing up and it being black. That terrified me and I knew I was in trouble.
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 30 '24
I wanted to throw up but couldn’t. So it was just nausea, thirst and a headache, plus very high blood sugar levels.
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u/lamestaff Jun 30 '24
How you feeling now?
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 30 '24
Good, no ketones. Blood sugar is a bit high so I’m thinking maybe I’m about to get sick or something. It happened once, was very hight for a week no matter how much insulin I got and then, influenza.
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u/lamestaff Jun 30 '24
Glad you’re at 0 ketones now!!!! Have you tried increasing your long acting for today and see how it gets on?
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 30 '24
I checked my bs now and was 4.8 mmol, so I guess I’ll be ok. Still going to the doctor though. If I keep getting high I’ll increase my basal rate.
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u/Bookzilla627 Jun 29 '24
As someone who has experienced this (DKA) three times as a T1D, you will be fine. Yes, I know diabetes is different for everyone, but the worst part is waiting through it. Just take comfort in knowing it’ll be over soon. My main symptoms, other than the typical ones you’d see with high glucose, is vomiting. So, I usually felt awful. Sending prayers your way. You will be fine.
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 30 '24
Thank you, I’m ok now. Ketones are much lower and blood sugar is in finally in range :)
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Jun 29 '24 edited Jun 29 '24
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 29 '24
Either way, with 4.1 ketone level i think you should to the hospital. Over 3 is a medical emergency.
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Jun 29 '24
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u/PlzBeInLondon Type 1 - Dx 2010 / G6 & Ypso CamAPS FX HCL Jun 29 '24
Ketosis is not the same as diabetic ketoacidosis.
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u/SlieSlie Type 1 - 36 years Jun 29 '24
That's what hospitals do. Fluids, glucose, insulin. But ketones are acidic. High levels of ketones can shut down organs fast, cause electrolyte imblances, make you vomit so you can't eat and cause dehydration. Simply eating some carbs are not going to get you out of dka fast enough and other things can go wrong that can be fatal if not treated at a hospital.
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u/diabetes-ModTeam Jun 29 '24
Your post has been removed because it breaks our rules.
Rule 6: Do not give or request medical advice.
Giving medical advice or diagnosing someone is dangerous since we do not know the full medical situation of our members. It can be more dangerous to follow the wrong advice and diagnosis than it might be to do nothing at all and wait for a doctor to be available.
Please refer someone to a doctor instead of speculating on their situation where possible.
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u/FolioGraphic Jun 29 '24 edited Jun 29 '24
I wouldn't worry too much, if you were in a dangerous state you'd be vomiting and not just nauseous from anxiety/stress from worrying about this. But of course ER is where you want to go at that level. My understanding (from what ER doctor told me) was that your sugar and ketones have to be high for a while before acidosis becomes a problem and that I'd be very sick if it were.
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 29 '24 edited Jun 29 '24
I wasn’t nauseous because of stress. Was feeling the very high blood sugar that wouldn’t go down. Also, was very, very thirsty. Ketones over 3 warrant a trip to the er, because once your blood gets acidic, things can go downhill very quickly.
But yeah, I did not have acidosis thankfully. I’m ok with my decision to go to the er though, the iv drip definitely helped.
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u/FolioGraphic Jun 29 '24
Oh yes, I know it's not to be dismissed, just meant that you're likely better off getting to ER but remain calm because you'd be very sick if you were in a critical state.
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u/diabeticops Jun 30 '24 edited Jun 30 '24
Depends.
How is your BG ?
I follow keto diet and mine is mostly around that ( especially after gym ) ( around 1.5 - 5.6 )
I do 4/4 basal ( levemir ) everyday, and some boluses .
But if you : - had your basal ? - your bolus ? - Do you follow keto or low carb ? - how is your BG ?
If you are not sure and scared, you do good job to visit ER.
But “ketones” alone doesn’t give so much clue about the thing. Though some cases there are, ketoacidosis mosty followed by high sugar + ketones.
Good luck I hope all good there
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 30 '24
Thank you. Blood sugar was very high so I went to the er. They gave me fluids, I gave myself insulin and some carbs, felt better and went home.
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u/sIaconic98 Jun 30 '24
Did your pump fail on you? Im about to start and stuff like this give me anxiety lol Im so glad youre okay now!
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 30 '24
It wasn’t the pump, manual shots didn’t work either. It was very early in the morning, so no idea what happened. I ate carbs the day before but I didn’t eat much, so maybe that, or maybe I’m getting sick (it’s influenza season here) but I feel fine.
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u/Electrical_Pace_618 Jun 30 '24
Jesus do uou have a cgm or insulin pump you could probably benefit from those. That's basically what would happen to me if I didn't have an insulin pump or CGM and didn't check my blood sugar at least 50 times per day.
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 30 '24
I have a pump but no sensors for now, couldn’t afford them
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u/Electrical_Pace_618 Jun 30 '24
If your type 1 diabetic you need to get sensors that's why your having issues. I would not be able to do anything in my life without my cgm and insulin I have to check my blood sugar at least 50 times a day or my blood sugar levels are all over the place. Try freestyle libre 3 they are 35 dollars per sensor or something like that.
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 30 '24
They are very expensive where I live and can’t afford them. I’m applying for a fund but is a long, long process.
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u/Electrical_Pace_618 Jul 01 '24
Oh ok I'm in the U.S their only like 35 dollars every 2 weeks very affordable but I can see some countries it's much tougher see if you can find sources online maybe contact freestyle libre they can mail you a free sample I think go online and try and source a CGM because it's very important for your health I would be dying without my CGM type 1 is tough.
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jul 05 '24
Edit number three: I was diagnosed with influenza on Wednesday, I guess that’s why I couldn’t lower my blood sugar levels. I was vaccinated and still feel terrible, but BS levels are ok. Take care if you live where it’s flu season!
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Jun 29 '24
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 29 '24
I have insulin on board but bs level are not moving. Over 300md/mL for more than four hours now.
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u/Kt11231 Type 1 Jun 29 '24
you should have injected manually when u saw it was not coming down
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 29 '24
I did inject manually
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u/Kt11231 Type 1 Jun 29 '24
currently what is your blood sugar ?
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u/Ximenash Type 1 Jun 29 '24
Last test was 389
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Jun 29 '24
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u/PlzBeInLondon Type 1 - Dx 2010 / G6 & Ypso CamAPS FX HCL Jun 29 '24
It's not a competition, you don't need to pull out your own stats.
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u/diabetes-ModTeam Jun 29 '24
Your post has been removed because it breaks our rules.
Rule 6: Do not give or request medical advice.
Giving medical advice or diagnosing someone is dangerous since we do not know the full medical situation of our members. It can be more dangerous to follow the wrong advice and diagnosis than it might be to do nothing at all and wait for a doctor to be available.
Please refer someone to a doctor instead of speculating on their situation where possible.
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Jun 29 '24
Go! Mine got down to 36 and my friend told me I was babbling about numbers. I spent 5 days in the hospital and about the 3rd day my nurse told me they didn’t know how I didn’t die.
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u/kylinnnicole Jun 30 '24
I went to the ER with 450 blood sugar and my ketones were high af they sent me home with nothing AND I was pregnant. I can’t believe they give you insulin.
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u/SD-TX Jun 29 '24
You want to eat carbs, drink water and give yourself insulin. My daughter has been this high when sick with no issues. As long as you are giving yourself insulin you wont go into full blown dka.
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Jun 29 '24
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u/diabetes-ModTeam Jun 29 '24
Your post has been removed because it breaks our rules.
Rule 5: Diabetes isn't a competition.
People with one type of diabetes aren't superior to people with another type of diabetes. The struggles unique to one type are not comparable to the struggles of another. We're all in the same boat of a chronic illness, let's avoid making things unnecessarily harder by turning illnesses into a competition.
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Jun 29 '24
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Jun 29 '24
[deleted]
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Jun 29 '24
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u/diabetes-ModTeam Jun 29 '24
No fake cures, supplements, non-medical solutions or similar topics. There are no supplements that can cure or manage diabetes. Diabetes is a progressive lifelong condition that can be managed, with a combination of diet, exercise and medication. See the Wiki for additional information on the progress towards a cure.
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Jun 29 '24
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u/Kt11231 Type 1 Jun 29 '24
wouldn’t eating sugar bring her sugar level even more higher ?
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Jun 29 '24
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u/diabetes-ModTeam Jun 29 '24
No fake cures, supplements, non-medical solutions or similar topics. There are no supplements that can cure or manage diabetes. Diabetes is a progressive lifelong condition that can be managed, with a combination of diet, exercise and medication. See the Wiki for additional information on the progress towards a cure.
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Jun 29 '24
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u/diabetes-ModTeam Jun 29 '24
No fake cures, supplements, non-medical solutions or similar topics. There are no supplements that can cure or manage diabetes. Diabetes is a progressive lifelong condition that can be managed, with a combination of diet, exercise and medication. See the Wiki for additional information on the progress towards a cure.
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u/diabetes-ModTeam Jun 29 '24
No fake cures, supplements, non-medical solutions or similar topics. There are no supplements that can cure or manage diabetes. Diabetes is a progressive lifelong condition that can be managed, with a combination of diet, exercise and medication. See the Wiki for additional information on the progress towards a cure.
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u/woahwood64 Jun 29 '24
In my experience with keytones giving 5 units of insulin via injection every 2 hours as well to cover for the Gatorade but mostly to get rid of the keytones. Also drinking a 20fl oz bottle of Gatorade every 2 hours(keeping me from dropping low plus electrolytes since I mostly likely threw up)
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Jun 29 '24
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u/diabetes-ModTeam Jun 29 '24
No fake cures, supplements, non-medical solutions or similar topics. There are no supplements that can cure or manage diabetes. Diabetes is a progressive lifelong condition that can be managed, with a combination of diet, exercise and medication. See the Wiki for additional information on the progress towards a cure.
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u/Pepper_Pfieffer Jun 29 '24
Eat something. Don't try to drive.
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u/AnotherLolAnon T1, T:Slim X2 w/ G6 and Control IQ Jun 29 '24
This is a ketone reading not a glucose reading
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u/CalmNatural2555 Jun 29 '24
You're doing the right thing by going to the ER. Most likely, they'll give you an IV of fluids/electrolytes and insulin to flush the excess ketones from your system. Hope you feel better soon!
FYI: the OP is showing their ketone level, not their glucose reading. For reference:
Normal range: 10.8 mg/dL (0.6 mmol/L) or below
Slightly high, retest in 2 hours: 10.8–27 mg/dL (0.6–1.5 mmol/L)
High: 28.8–54 mg/dL (1.6–3 mmol/L)
Seek urgent medical care: 54 mg/dL (3 mmol/L) or higher