DKA & feeling unwell

[Ewb10]

Hi,

I have been a Type 1 Diabetic for 12 years, recently hospitalised for the first time with DKA, following several weeks of feeling under the weather.

Sadly I didn't have the best experience after being turned away from hospital so got rather unwell before being admitted. I was wondering if anyone could share their experience of DKA, particularly how they felt afterwards and if they have experienced and side effects from it?

Thank you in advance

 

[birdy21/05]

HI,

I am also a T1 Diabetic diagnosed for 14 years. I have had a recent hospital admission for DKA, about 6 weeks ago. I am still feeling below par and am struggling with my control. I have felt extremely tired and have a lack of appetite. My sugars were great just after the DKA but have been very erratic in the past few weeks.I am on 2 weeks leave at present to try and recover. I feel at a bit of a loss so I have just contacted my Diabetic Team for advice and am waiting for them to contact me. My GP doesn't have the specialist knowledge to advise.

Regards, Birdy

 

[Ewb10]

Thank you for your response.

My control has been really good in the main since leaving hospital but as you have mentioned, I barely have an appetite.

It seems to have been erratic readings before the DKA that helped contribute to it, so was rather hoping that would be a reset to help control my levels.

Even the specialists seem to struggle as it could be down to so many things-such a disaster!

 

[birdy21/05]

Hi,

Any idea what causes your erratic readings?
This is my 3rd admission in 14 yrs with DKA, each one worse than the previous. There has been no rhyme or reason to any of the admissions. The problem I have had is that the underlying reasoning is never investigated. Every time it has been implied that it must be of my own doing which I find upsetting and quite insulting.
Anyway, will see what my team say when they get back to me. I am really trying to avoid another admission.

Birdy

 

[Ewb10]

Similar to you they don't seem to have an answer so suggest it could be injecting technique, however I can't see how that's the case as I've never experienced DKA before.

Have you had any after effects? Other than the lacking of concentration etc?

 

[TooMuchGlucose]

I had a DKA at diagnosis so it's obviously a bit different, but I felt terrible when I went in to hospital I felt pretty bad afterwards but still a lot better than I had in the months before.

 

[birdy21/05]

Hi,

The lack of appetite and poor concentration/memory are my after effects of DKA. All tricky when one has a responsible job, 2 children and everything else life presents to us.
Even after 14 years it is not easy to get it just right all of the time.

Birdy

 

[Ewb10]

Thanks both. I know it's awful, but I feel reassured others have these symptoms also.
I also seem to have lost hypo awareness so now I'm panicking about being too high and too low.

I find I worry where people cannot see your illness as well, so to others (work etc.) they think nothing of it.

 

[noblehead]

Hi @Ewb10 and sorry that you've had a bad time of late.

Are you aware of the Sick Day Rules, if not there's a really good flowchart in the following that explains it well:

http://www.mydiabetesmyway.scot.nhs.uk/resources/leaflets/SickDayRulesForType1Flow.asp

 

[Ewb10]

Yes I was thank you @noblehead. Attended hospital and was sent away with antibiotics before admission!

 

[ButtterflyLady]

Yes I was thank you @noblehead. Attended hospital and was sent away with antibiotics before admission!

Depending on what your BG and ketone tests showed at the time, I think you may have grounds for a formal complaint, which could help other patients in the future. You did the right thing seeking early medical help anyway.

 

[rachel162]

I went into DKA a couple of weeks ago and ended up I'm hospital as it was only the 2nd time it's happened in my almost 20 years of being T1 (I'm only 21) and I literally just had no idea what to do! It was caused by a simple stomach bug and just couldn't get my levels down.

Took a couple of weeks to get my appetite back to normal, but struggled with the mental side of things, ie the frustration that I didn't know what to do and couldn't fix it myself despite having had T1 for so long, so then had a good fortnight of 'well I'm not going to check my sugars or eat responsibly or count my carbs cause if I can't fix it anyway then what's the point'. Luckily coming out of that now!

I normally run quite low and have also pretty much lost my hypo awareness so any time I badly lose control my levels tend to zigzag quite rapidly for a few days while I recover, especially with the stress of the situation...it's as if my body can't quite decide what warning signs to give me and how to react!

No long term effects yet though and fingers crossed it stays that way!

Hope you're feeling better now Ewb10

Rachel x

 

[ButtterflyLady]

I went into DKA a couple of weeks ago and ended up I'm hospital as it was only the 2nd time it's happened in my almost 20 years of being T1 (I'm only 21) and I literally just had no idea what to do! It was caused by a simple stomach bug and just couldn't get my levels down.

Took a couple of weeks to get my appetite back to normal, but struggled with the mental side of things, ie the frustration that I didn't know what to do and couldn't fix it myself despite having had T1 for so long, so then had a good fortnight of 'well I'm not going to check my sugars or eat responsibly or count my carbs cause if I can't fix it anyway then what's the point'. Luckily coming out of that now!

I normally run quite low and have also pretty much lost my hypo awareness so any time I badly lose control my levels tend to zigzag quite rapidly for a few days while I recover, especially with the stress of the situation...it's as if my body can't quite decide what warning signs to give me and how to react!

No long term effects yet though and fingers crossed it stays that way!

Hope you're feeling better now Ewb10

Rachel x

So glad you are feeling better now. Have you thought about asking about a continuous glucose monitor so you get an alarm if you hypo? I feel like if I was on insulin and lost awareness of hypos this would help me worry less, especially at night.

 

[rachel162]

So glad you are feeling better now. Have you thought about asking about a continuous glucose monitor so you get an alarm if you hypo? I feel like if I was on insulin and lost awareness of hypos this would help me worry less, especially at night.

Ah I recently got to use one for a week and absolutely loved it, but unfortunately it's a cost issue. I can't currently afford to self-fund and you've got to be having super-serious issues to have a chance of getting one on prescription As soon as I'm properly employed (recent graduate so currently job hunting) then it will be my main priority!

 

[Jellybaby98]

Hi,

I have been a Type 1 Diabetic for 12 years, recently hospitalised for the first time with DKA, following several weeks of feeling under the weather.

Sadly I didn't have the best experience after being turned away from hospital so got rather unwell before being admitted. I was wondering if anyone could share their experience of DKA, particularly how they felt afterwards and if they have experienced and side effects from it?

Thank you in advance

Hi i was admitted last year with dka after getting a stomach bug and nearly died it was so bad. I was sick so much i tore my stomach lining open and burst blood vessels, worse experience of my life. DKA is absolutely terrible, it took me weeks to recover. It affects everyone differently i think

 

[Kesh123]

Hi,

I have been a Type 1 Diabetic for 12 years, recently hospitalised for the first time with DKA, following several weeks of feeling under the weather.

Sadly I didn't have the best experience after being turned away from hospital so got rather unwell before being admitted. I was wondering if anyone could share their experience of DKA, particularly how they felt afterwards and if they have experienced and side effects from it?

Thank you in advance

I had Dka a few years back and was in ICU for 11 days. I was very ill and there weren't sure if I was going to make it trough. I'd been sick so much stomach acid that I'd burnt a hole through my throat! The good news is I felt normal again around 3 weeks after and have had no lasting effects of this. I did keep getting Dka in the year following on from this but only minor episodes and I haven't been to hospital for 2 years now you will feel better soon it just takes some time to adjust, the only thing I ate was toast for about 2 weeks!

 

[Daisyjayne]

Hi,

I have been a Type 1 Diabetic for 12 years, recently hospitalised for the first time with DKA, following several weeks of feeling under the weather.

Sadly I didn't have the best experience after being turned away from hospital so got rather unwell before being admitted. I was wondering if anyone could share their experience of DKA, particularly how they felt afterwards and if they have experienced and side effects from it?

Thank you in advance

Hi just thought I'd share my experience with dka with you. It's been two years since I was hospitalised with dka, one of the worst experiences of my life at only 22 years old being told you were at a fatal state, scared me for the matter of life or death.

I had not been feeling unwell, no differences with my blood levels, just one morning woke up and was violently sick, ate nothing all day apart from a dry biscuit, thinking because I hadn't eaten it was best to keep my sugar levels up with a sugary drink. Probably the worst mistake I could of made, my sugar levels were through the roof and being so badly sick caused me to strain my stomach and cut my throat. 3am
The following morning an ambulance was called and I was put on a paracetamol drip and saline solution to rehydrate me and to ease the pain. I couldn't eat for a day due to my throat so badly damaged and surprisingly my stomach Had shrunk dramatically over 24 hours. After 2 days I was released from hospital and monitored my bloods severely I felt unwell for about 3-4 weeks following and had to eat at regular intervals to get my weight back up, now I'm back to a happy and healthy weight and ensure than if and when I'm ill I eat and inject to keep my blood levels at bay. Hope this helps,

 

[slipgate]

I can't offer any advice, but as a relatively newly diagnosed T1, is there a certain level where one becomes DKA? I know being above 9 isn't great, but I'm guessing it's not that simple. Part of my confusion is that when I was diagnosed 18 months ago, my ketones were 5.5, which apparently is really bad, but I didn't feel unwell at all, just a bit tired (but with the thirsty and weight loss symptoms too I might add!). However, I've never quite had an answer of at what point, or period of time, high levels can cause major issues.

Also, on a minor level, does anyone know how I can reply to the FB posts directly? I joined the FB group but I can only ever view or share the posts, I can't comment on them.

 

[Sussex2007]

Wow mind blowing! I was diagnosed on 4 August as a "diabetic" GP did not know if type one or two, I was given tablets, later the same day the GP called me back in and put me on Lantus as well as doubling the Metforin to 4 a day, apart from a raging thirst and the need to urinate every 5 minutes I felt fine, I had lost 20kg and was looking forward to losing more.

I knew nothing about diabetes at this stage and was shocked to be put on insulin, my ketones at this point were 7.9 and I had to go to the Docs everyday for blood tests, after a couple of days I was starting to feel rough and the GP said I should be in hospital for them to manage me, I resisted and 3 days later I was extremely ill and just wanted to die, the GP visited and tried to get me into hospital but they refused to take me, I had the GP in everyday twice some days, District Nurses coming out of the woodwork yet no one to this day has mentioned DKA or how serious it is, I have to test my blood 7 times a day and ketones once a day. having now read upon DKA i know what was wrong with me but it leaves a lot of questions needing answers.

 

[loliver1]

I had recently been put on a pump when my bs went up one afternoon- did a correction and normal meal bolus then did ketones - not particularly high - but then 2 hours later bs still going up and ketones going up too- bs 32 by now - so called 111 and they sent ambulance which took me to hospital- put on a saline drip and monitored- doctor trying to tell me I was not a type 1 diabetic as I had not been diagnosed until aged 42! kept in overnight and monitored- next day bs still high and ketones high - went into ketoacidosis and though t I was going to die - felt sick and pains in chest - had all sorts pumped into me to correct levels but kept in for another day - no long term physical effects apart from sore throat from being so sick but definitely affected me emotionally as I kept bursting into tears and lost confidence in my ability to deal with my diabetes- back on pump now and with support of dietician I am dealing with it better