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Ketones build up in our urine sometimes from illness's, missing insulin shots to often, low carb diet's, bad insulin pumps. Can lead to DKA. Can be,life threatening. Mostly T1s get it,but it can happen to any diabetic
Answer Summary
Members discussed the importance of ketone test strips in detecting diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA), a serious and potentially life-threatening... Read more
@A DiabetesTeam Member
Glad we could be of help. Its really important to know about ketones,and Diabetic Keto Acidosis. Hugs
You got it girl @A DiabetesTeam Member. If I've had an illness, or injury( because any type of stress will run those numbers up) my provider checks my urine for ketones. I think providers should educate their diabetic patients about DKA. A lot of diabetics doesn't do research,their left in the dark.
I have a "stick test" ketone meter and @A DiabetesTeam Member nailed it
If you are start running really high blood sugar - even if it's "just high for you" - I have never personally never seen anything higher than 13.2 mmols/238 and that was during an Oral Glucose Tolerance Test (OGTT) so it was "kinda expected", but if saw that any other time, I'm checking Ketones
(the OGTT test measures your hour by hour reaction to doing a 100 gram pure Glucose "shooter" at a Lab where they draw blood for 3 or 4 successive hours - ya, half a day sitting around the lab)
Metabolically what is happening that causes high ketones is you (at least temporarily) lose the ability to burn sugar as energy so it turns to the much more onerous process of burning Body Fat and the by-product is Ketones
This is fine if you are in Ketosis on a Keto diet because you have burned up all the available sugar - you are capable of burning sugar, just none left
Really not a good thing if you are burning Body Fat when your blood sugar is almost as thick as syrup in your vascular system
Can lead to coma and death in pretty short order..
@A DiabetesTeam Member I agree entirely with your thinking. I just googled DKA and it sounds really serious. Sounds like your blood gets too acidic. Yikes! Do you use your ketone strips routinely? They could be the best solution for some people to help keep their numbers under control. I haven't heard any info about DKA and think you should pursue your wish to inform others about it. The only time I hear about it is when someone newly diagnosed arrives here, after spending weeks or longer in the hospital, after showing up in the ER in full blown DKA. The impression I get is that DKA is the acute version (life threatening) of being diabetic. The most talked about version is the slow chronic deterioration of eyes, nerves, etc....Good luck-maybe if people talk about their hospitalizations from DKA-may cause people to "listen up"?
Yes,@ becky5,fruity breath is a sign of high ketones. But ketones build up in urine .from illness's, low carb diets,doing with out insulin shots,or a bad insulin pump,or just not taking your diabetes medication. People take your medication for your diabetes. The most noticeable symptom of DKA is fruity breath. I wish we could have an open discussion about the dangers of not taking your diabetes medication. Yes all medication has side effects,that's common knowledge, but DKA is serious,no one should take it lightly.
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