Light-headed, Ketones and T2....

[First.Officer]

So, have had now for a few months a light-headed feeling, maybe vertigo (along with tinnitus) and generally eat circa 1500 calories a day (male), usually a mix of vegetables, meat and fruits (berries) along with small amounts of carbs (about 50-100g per day estimate).

I have noticed that when i 'play' with the carb intake (today decided to eat a Tesco Hoisin Wrap, 49g of carb, 9g sugars) that i have pre-meal figures of about 5.7 mmol/L, an hour after it went to 8.4 mmol/L and by hour two, back down to 6.8 mmol/L (I deliberately didn't do any walking etc., as wanted to see what happens when sedentary!). I then noticed that upon urination (pee lol) that (as in the past when loading in one hit with carbs) it smells distinctly 'acetone' or nail polish remover in nature.

I should add that i am purely (T2) diet managed, my blood levels consistently sit around 5.7 mmol/L, and when eating normally i don't peak more then 1.5 mmol/L. My last HbA1c was 26 mmol/mol (April 2019), self-tested 4-weeks ago was 35 mmol/mol. I had a full cardiac check done (numerous ECG's, Echocardiogram, Holter and Cardiologist review) with nothing found, ENT further referral to come although nothing immediately obvious from a private ENT consultant review at this stage.

The question is - has anyone felt this way with similar figures, and is some form of DKA (unlikely in T2's i know!) or Ketosis on some level evident perhaps?? Any answers greatly appreciated...

 

[ickihun]

My betablockers can give me dizziness and disorientation.
Are you on any form of heart or blood pressure meds?

 

[First.Officer]

No, no form of medication other than Pantoprazole, which i have been on for many, many years now without any kind of problems...

 

[MeiChanski]

Hello, are you keeping yourself hydrated?

 

[Robbity]

Acetone smelling wee is usually a sign that you're eliminating ketones. and in high concentrations can be due to how (de)hydrated you are. When very low carbing it may be a sign that you're partially in (nutritional) ketosis, producing ketones but not necessarily fully able to utilize them as fuel yet.

DKA is generally caused by a combination of high glucose levels, high ketone levels, and a severe lack of insulin.

Robbity

 

[First.Officer]

Yes, i drink lots of fluids....about 1.5 to 2 litres per day on average, and just found it odd that the acetone smell seems to always be coincident to a large carb intake - normal?

 

[bulkbiker]

a large carb intake

and you reckon you are in ketosis? I find that a bit odd.. How are you measuring your ketone production?

 

[First.Officer]

"and you reckon you are in ketosis? I find that a bit odd.. How are you measuring your ketone production?"

No, No i don't as my numbers are normal and no other symptoms - was merely asking the question as i can not think of why i would have the acetone smell after consuming carbs....if bloods were high, then could understand as that might indicate a low insulin production, but not the case. And it might be related to the vertigo/light-headed feeling i've had for months and which i'm trying to resolve seeing as the NHS can't/won't/are broken and not available to consult.

 

[bulkbiker]

"and you reckon you are in ketosis? I find that a bit odd.. How are you measuring your ketone production?"

No, No i don't as my numbers are normal and no other symptoms - was merely asking the question as i can not think of why i would have the acetone smell after consuming carbs....if bloods were high, then could understand as that might indicate a low insulin production, but not the case. And it might be related to the vertigo/light-headed feeling i've had for months and which i'm trying to resolve seeing as the NHS can't/won't/are broken and not available to consult.

I see I assumed (obviously incorrectly) that including ketones in the title implied you were in some way in ketosis.
Are you having enough salt? This can often be a cause of light headedness and if as most of us do you have removed processed food from your diet then it could be lacking?
Also if you are drinking quite a lot of fluids you could well be flushing out your system too much?

 

[First.Officer]

Yes, diet remains the same with regard to slat intake - in fact, i have elevated BP, so not looking to indulge in too much salt by way of increase - although i do understand the thinking behind that, as usually low BP can cause similar symptoms...unless i am elevated due to white coat syndrome, and then drop to low BP levels when at home (doubtful lol).

Interesting thought regarding 'flushing out' the system...

 

[TrevorJ]

Well it is possible that the wrap had some vegetable that had a unique smell. Asparagus makes urine smell funny as do a few others. So it may not be keytones at all. The best way to check is to buy keytone strips. They are cheap and will let you know instantly.

 

[Deborah5832]

Hello. I was recently in hospital and after five days of fasting my ketones were 20+. However in the absence of high sugars my endo said without any symptoms it was not a problem. It is I think unlikely that that you would suffer from DKA with low sugars. And I think it takes more than one day to achieve ketosis. But hope you are feeling good and congrats on your amazing control just using diet.