Help! Urgently! DKA!

[DiaBethic95]

I was out tonight and forgot to take my background insulin... I thought it would be okay just to do it when I got back (3 hours after my usual time) however when I got home my sugars we're 28!!!!! I did 10 units and fell asleep (fairly silly of me)
I just now woke up and was horribly sick! My sugars are 16 now so I did some more insulin.
Could this be DKA!?!?!?

 

[Spiker]

You don't get DKA by taking your background insulin 3 hours late. But as your blood glucose was very high, and is still quite high, maybe do a ketone test to be sure.

 

[DiaBethic95]

I don't have one to hand

 

[Spiker]

Go and buy some ketostix tomorrow. For now, you're probably fine, since your blood glucose is coming down normally (?) with correction insulin.

 

[Adele99]

With you saying you've been out, possibly having a drink on.aFri night, is there any chance instead of being given a diet mixer , you've been given normal mixer loaded with sugar, this happens so often, and has happened to me.

What was your level before you went out ? I could be wrong but always thought DKA didn't happen in a matter of hours , be careful you don't log in the opposite direction of low blood sugar by taking too much correction dose. Hope things go well and you feel ok in the morning.

 

[DiaBethic95]

Okay. Thank you so much for your help! X

 

[Spiker]

If you were drinking when you were out then your blood glucose will be all over the place, up, down, who knows. Be very cautious with corrections, wait until it's settled down tomorrow (and you are fully awake and fully sober) to properly sort it out. With background insulin on board you won't get DKA.

 

[DiaBethic95]

Sugars were normal, 6.3 before I went out.
I'm just a worrier!

 

[Spiker]

Beer, cider, liqueurs, non-diet mixers (on purpose or mistake) all push up blood sugars. The increase can be delayed for hours (because of alcohol). As Adele said, take it easy, don't be too quick to give big corrections.

 

[jack412]

better to worry, that spend a week on a drip
you took your basal and bolused a correction, you could set your alarm for 3 hrs and check again, just to be sure

 

[DiaBethic95]

I only had a couple of drinks, both diet coke and vodka.
I know the effect that alcohol has on my sugar levels, that's why I don't often drink
I will be testing every hour or so to make sure my levels are coming down. It's going to be a long night !
Thank you for all answering me so promptly! X

 

[Spiker]

No worries, we want to keep you safe.

I think Adele must be right, someone served you non-diet Coke by mistake, to give you 26 BG. Unless you grabbed a big curry on the way home and forgot to bolus? ;-)

 

[DiaBethic95]

I think you're right, it's not the first time it's happened, I was just never ill before. Gave me a bit of a fright!

 

[mikwell]

drink water ! Eh alcohol dehydrates the stomach like drinking petrol it just strips the lining of your stomach dry and sugar would be stuck to your intestine plus you would be red raw . usally insulin would be lining your gut

 

[Spiker]

Hmm. You might have a bug actually - explaining the being sick and also the high blood sugar. Just a possibility.

I hope your night improves and you get some rest. x

 

[jack412]

it's better to buy a bottle of diet coke with each drink, I don't know where you were for drink safety, but you can't leave half a bottle unattended for later, without a rohe risk

 

[mikwell]

don't drink any kind of acid; coke, diet coke, no fizz
hey and if you do treat it like acid in the eye rince with plenty of water

 

[noblehead]

I don't have one to hand

You should always have the means to test for ketones, you can buy Ketostix for around £5 from most pharmacies or have them added to your prescription, alternatively you could purchase the following which is bg and blood ketone meter that you can get for free if you ring the manufacturer up:

http://www.glucomen.co.uk/index.php?p=138

As Adele and Spiker say, it's more than likely you've been given a full sugar coke rather than a diet, it's always best to buy soft drinks in cans, cartons or bottles that are clearly marked Diet or Sugar Free, the pumps that they dispense soft drinks from should never be trusted as mistakes do happen and sometimes the lines get attached to the wrong product.

Hope your OK this morning.