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Ketosis monitor
- Thread starter CathyFP
- Start date
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rebrascora
Well-Known Member
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
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- She/Her
You should at the very least be prescribed Ketostix which come in a pot of 50 and you dip them in your urine to test for ketones when your BG levels are persistently mid teens or above. That is not every time your levels spike that high after food but if your premeal level is that high and has been for several hours.... or if you feel unwell.... nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain or respiratory distress.
Ideally you should be supplied with a BG meter which will also test for ketones but then you need the blood ketone test strips for that meter to be prescribed too. I have a Caresens Duo meter provided which as the name suggests does both BG and ketones but it has taken me 5 years to get the blood ketone strips prescribed. Prior to that I just had Ketostix. The problem with testing your urine is that it takes about 3 hours for the ketones to show up in your urine by which time things could be going down hill quite rapidly, so better to be able to test blood and know sooner rather than later if ketones are developing, so that you can take appropriate action.... which is usually doing a correction or having some carbs with a bolus plus correction. Ketones generally develop when there is insufficient insulin circulating to deal with them. So far in 5 years I haven't developed anything other than dietary ketones at a low level and I really don't worry about ketones at all and I don't think I have genuinely felt the need to test for ketones in that time, although I may have used some sticks to test for dietary ketones when I was following a very strict low carb diet...just to see if I was in ketosis. I think it may be that some people are more prone to developing ketones than others and those who have suffered a DKA and been extremely ill as a result are much more wary and probably a lot more conscientious about testing than someone like myself who hasn't suffered that trauma.
Basically it is all about keeping yourself safe and avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions by giving people a means to test for ketones and treat them before they need emergency care.
Ideally you should be supplied with a BG meter which will also test for ketones but then you need the blood ketone test strips for that meter to be prescribed too. I have a Caresens Duo meter provided which as the name suggests does both BG and ketones but it has taken me 5 years to get the blood ketone strips prescribed. Prior to that I just had Ketostix. The problem with testing your urine is that it takes about 3 hours for the ketones to show up in your urine by which time things could be going down hill quite rapidly, so better to be able to test blood and know sooner rather than later if ketones are developing, so that you can take appropriate action.... which is usually doing a correction or having some carbs with a bolus plus correction. Ketones generally develop when there is insufficient insulin circulating to deal with them. So far in 5 years I haven't developed anything other than dietary ketones at a low level and I really don't worry about ketones at all and I don't think I have genuinely felt the need to test for ketones in that time, although I may have used some sticks to test for dietary ketones when I was following a very strict low carb diet...just to see if I was in ketosis. I think it may be that some people are more prone to developing ketones than others and those who have suffered a DKA and been extremely ill as a result are much more wary and probably a lot more conscientious about testing than someone like myself who hasn't suffered that trauma.
Basically it is all about keeping yourself safe and avoiding unnecessary hospital admissions by giving people a means to test for ketones and treat them before they need emergency care.
- Relationship to Diabetes
- Type 1
- Pronouns
- He/Him
Hopefully this won’t be something you’ll experience @CathyFP - but it is good that you want to be prepared and know what to look out for.
The primary reason for people with T1 to be aware of ketones usually revolves around the risk of ketoacidosis. There’s some information about that, and about monitoring for ketones here which might help?
What is DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis)?
Diabetic Ketoacidosis, known as DKA, is a life-threatening diabetes complication. It is caused by a severe lack of insulin. Without insulin your body can’t move sugar into the cells for energy so instead breaks down fat releasing harmful chemicals called ketones which build up and make your...
It's in some ways reassuring that you've not been issued with ketone test strips and the fear of ketones.
I do now have a ketone meter, and have done a whole three (or perhaps 4) tests - but not because of high blood sugar but rather out of interest to see what long bike rides do to ketone levels.
I survived the previous 25-odd years without any test strips (I was given some when diagnosed as a child). I'm not on a pump mind you, which does significantly increase the risk of DKA (due to potential for a failure to remove all insulin, where MDI users will/should always have some basal on board.)
I do now have a ketone meter, and have done a whole three (or perhaps 4) tests - but not because of high blood sugar but rather out of interest to see what long bike rides do to ketone levels.
I survived the previous 25-odd years without any test strips (I was given some when diagnosed as a child). I'm not on a pump mind you, which does significantly increase the risk of DKA (due to potential for a failure to remove all insulin, where MDI users will/should always have some basal on board.)
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