Type 2 and ketones

[whitty]

Im after some advice off someone who is type 2.Im type 1 and my partner is type 2,her blood sugars have barely been belw 13 in over 4 weeks.I have told her about ketones and high blood sugars and she says her DSN has only talked about hypos and never mentioned ketones even though her blood sugars have been high for so long,i think she thinks i am exaggerating about how dangerous ketones can be,so can someone give advice and is her DSN right to ignore the high blood sugars and not offer advice on how to bring blood sugars down.

 

[Vanessa]

Im after some advice off someone who is type 2.Im type 1 and my partner is type 2,her blood sugars have barely been belw 13 in over 4 weeks.I have told her about ketones and high blood sugars and she says her DSN has only talked about hypos and never mentioned ketones even though her blood sugars have been high for so long,i think she thinks i am exaggerating about how dangerous ketones can be,so can someone give advice and is her DSN right to ignore the high blood sugars and not offer advice on how to bring blood sugars down.

Whitty

Sorry to hear about your wife's high levels. As a Type 2, she is still to be producing her own insulin and ketoacidosis is extremely unlikely as there is still some circulating insulin. Type 2s can get a condition known as HONK - more likely in the elderly and with levels in the high teens. Her DSN was right to not worry her about ketones therefore but I would be concerned about the persistant high BGs as the chronic highs are what are thought to be the causes of eye, kidney and circulation damage.

Here's a link to an American site with broad information on hyperglycaemia

http://www.joslin.org/info/high_blood_glucose_what_it_means_and_how_to_treat_it.html

The Joslin Centre's advice is that persistant high levels in the absence of any obvious illness or other such cause for more than 3 days merit a chat with the health care team

In addition, many of us have found that the only way to keep our blood glucose levels under control (with/without medication and exercise) is to manage/restrict our carbohydrate intake (particularly those starchy carbs)

 

[Caroline]

I can only go by the advice I was given on the one occasion I was seen by a DSN.

Although there can be problems with high sugars, because type 2s produce some insulin we are resistant to it, it doesn't work properly, but we are less likely to get ketones because we do produce some insulin.