hi gavin tested his blood 3/4hr ago and it flashed hi, he did 12 nova rapid and his usual levemir 35. i got him to test his ketones and it changed colour and gave a reading between 5-15. has anybody got any advise as weve never had ketones before?
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ketones
- Thread starter gavman
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Robster65
Senior Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Hi gavman.
Was it a urine test strip ?
If so, they reflect what was happening a couple of hours or more ago.
Keep testing and as long as it comes down to a safe level (ideally below 7 but don't let it overshoot and go hypo) he should be ok but needs to keep drinking water or sugar free drink to flush the system through.
Keep an eye out for nausea, headaches, stomach ache and feeling faint. If these occurr, he needs to get urgent medical attention, but I think the insulin should see him right.
If you're in doubt at all, dial NHS direct or, if you consider it an emergency, 999.
DKA is a serious condition but insulin in the system should sort it.🙂
Rob
Was it a urine test strip ?
If so, they reflect what was happening a couple of hours or more ago.
Keep testing and as long as it comes down to a safe level (ideally below 7 but don't let it overshoot and go hypo) he should be ok but needs to keep drinking water or sugar free drink to flush the system through.
Keep an eye out for nausea, headaches, stomach ache and feeling faint. If these occurr, he needs to get urgent medical attention, but I think the insulin should see him right.
If you're in doubt at all, dial NHS direct or, if you consider it an emergency, 999.
DKA is a serious condition but insulin in the system should sort it.🙂
Rob
Northerner
Admin (Retired)
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
How is he feeling? Has he been or is he poorly at the moment? What are you using to test the ketones with? There should be a leaflet which explains what the numbers mean and what action you should take. Make sure he drinks lots of water and keep testing his blood sugar levels and ketones to see if they go down. If you have any doubts then please ring NHS Direct or an out of hours doctor.
trophywench
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
Dunno bout the actual ketones, my pee stix don't measure in that range - they are just 0,1, 2 or 3.
If the meter says 'Hi' it means the BG is well out of range - usually above 33.
How on earth did it get that high?
Anyway, Sickday rules apply - he's in the 'severe' category and it's quite likely that normal correction doses won't completely do the trick. If not or it's going higher and the ketones don't start coming down pdq you need urgent medical advice.
- if you can't find the ones you have been given by your hospital -
http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/info/?page_id=141
If the meter says 'Hi' it means the BG is well out of range - usually above 33.
How on earth did it get that high?
Anyway, Sickday rules apply - he's in the 'severe' category and it's quite likely that normal correction doses won't completely do the trick. If not or it's going higher and the ketones don't start coming down pdq you need urgent medical advice.
- if you can't find the ones you have been given by your hospital -
http://www.diabetes-support.org.uk/info/?page_id=141
hi yes it was a urine ketostix, i had the diabetes nurse out the other day to see how he was going on as hes full of a cough and cold sore throat and on penicillin. she said to keep a check on his keetones. its only that his machine flashed hi that i told him to test it. ive tried getting hold of his diabetes nurses tonight but had no reply so thought id ask you guys on here. i will get him to check it again in a min. hes drinking lots of water. thanks for your quick reply.
Robster65
Senior Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
You never stop learning gav.
You should have been given the sickday rules either on diagnosis or by his DSN when she knew he was poorly.
Too many HCPs assume someone else has covered it. That's how we end up with gaps in our knowledge and have to learn from elsewhere, such as here.
You did the right thing. Well done. 🙂
Rob
You should have been given the sickday rules either on diagnosis or by his DSN when she knew he was poorly.
Too many HCPs assume someone else has covered it. That's how we end up with gaps in our knowledge and have to learn from elsewhere, such as here.
You did the right thing. Well done. 🙂
Rob
trophywench
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
He will need to up his insulin if he's otherwise ill, usually at least 20% - even higher for some things - but my info may not be right for Gav.
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