Testing for Ketones

[Austin Mini]

Yesterday out of the blue the surgery secretary called and asked why I didnt test for Ketones? I told them I have never been asked to. The surgery said well you need to and we are sending you a new meter and adding Ketone test strips to your prescription order. I told them I have just renewed two Freestyle Optium Neo's and I have just ordered five new boxes of strips. They then asked if my metres can take these new Ketone strips and I told them I dont know. My Diabetic nurse who has always said "wish all my patients were like you" refering to my tight control and absence of Hypo's. Been Diabetic for thirty-eight years and never tested for Ketones, should I be?

 

[SB2015]

Yesterday out of the blue the surgery secretary called and asked why I didnt test for Ketones? I told them I have never been asked to. The surgery said well you need to and we are sending you a new meter and adding Ketone test strips to your prescription order. I told them I have just renewed two Freestyle Optium Neo's and I have just ordered five new boxes of strips. They then asked if my metres can take these new Ketone strips and I told them I dont know. My Diabetic nurse who has always said "wish all my patients were like you" refering to my tight control and absence of Hypo's. Been Diabetic for thirty-eight years and never tested for Ketones, should I be?

If you get ill and levels start to rise it is good to keep a watch on ketones.

This has also been flagged as important if you find that you catch the corona virus. Some who have done so and have Diabetes have found that they have ketones even though their BG is still below 10, so people are being encouraged to keep a closer watch on these during this time.

 

[Robin]

Yesterday out of the blue the surgery secretary called and asked why I didnt test for Ketones? I told them I have never been asked to. The surgery said well you need to and we are sending you a new meter and adding Ketone test strips to your prescription order. I told them I have just renewed two Freestyle Optium Neo's and I have just ordered five new boxes of strips. They then asked if my metres can take these new Ketone strips and I told them I dont know. My Diabetic nurse who has always said "wish all my patients were like you" refering to my tight control and absence of Hypo's. Been Diabetic for thirty-eight years and never tested for Ketones, should I be?

I’ve never had ketone testing strips either, but I read the new NHS guidelines for coping with Coronavirus if you are on insulin, and it said you should have a means for testing ketones, I then read an article or saw an interview, it may have been Parthia Kar, (can’t remember where) saying they were finding Diabetics were producing ketones at much lower levels than they’d normally expect, ie, round about the 10 mark, so they ought to have test strips. So I discussed it with my GP (when she happened to ring me trying to peddle statins) and she has prescribed me some Urine strips. I don’t have a meter which takes blood testing strips.

*Type this at the same time as @SB2015 !

 

[Austin Mini]

Thank you both that explains a lot, if only the secretary had explained that. My Optium Neo will accept the Ketones strips too I have just pulled the instruction booklet up. Thanks for that,regards AM.