Have I had DKA?

LilWolf85

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
Hello everyone. My story in brief:

- missed diagnosis of diabetes. Still unsure what type I have
- last blood test hba1c - 106
- average finger tests - 18mmol
- still not had an appointment to discuss with dr the results, so no medication

On Friday, from absolutely nowhere, I suddenly started to feel very unwell. I then spent two solid days being violently sick, terrible diarrhoea, and feeling just very unwell indeed.

Fast forward and we are on Tuesday now. I still have a bit of diarrhoea, a constant unrelenting nausea, constant thirst but can’t drink too much because I think I’ll be sick, and I’m so so tired.

I’ve read online the symptoms of DKA but I don’t know if I’m having or had or it’s jusy a coincidence and I’ve picked up a bug.

Has anyone else had DKA and NOT received hospital treatment??
 

Goonergal

Master
Retired Moderator
Messages
13,466
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Diet only
Hi @LilWolf85

Sounds like you should consult your GP or call 111. Whether diabetes related or not some advice would be sensible, especially since it sounds like you’re becoming dehydrated.
 

lovinglife

Moderator
Staff Member
Messages
4,539
Type of diabetes
Type 2
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Sounds more like food poisoning or a bug, DKA is a very serious life threatening condition that needs emergency medical intervention so you probably wouldn't get better on your own- have a read of the following

https://www.diabetes.co.uk/diabetes-complications/diabetic-ketoacidosis.html

Welcome to the forum :) - tagging @daisy1 who posts some great advice for new members- have a good read around the forum everyone here is friendly and helpful and it's a great forum

Hope you're feeling better soon :)
 

EllieM

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- missed diagnosis of diabetes. Still unsure what type I have
- last blood test hba1c - 106
- average finger tests - 18mmol
- still not had an appointment to discuss with dr the results, so no medication

How long ago is this last hbA1C? Your GP is useless, you need treatment.
 

phdiabetic

Well-Known Member
Messages
880
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Seek medical assistance! Nausea, vomiting and thirst are all DKA symptoms, so better safe than sorry. However, 18 is very high so it may just be symptoms of high blood sugar. If you don't know your type, then you could easily be a t1 developing ketones so you are justified in a hospital trip as that could be life threatening if not treated appropriately. People with DKA don't just "Get better" without help - if left too long you could go into a coma and die.

Hope you are ok!
 

daisy1

Legend
Messages
26,457
Type of diabetes
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Tablets (oral)
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Cruelty towards animals.
@LilWolf85

Hello LilWolf85 and welcome to the Forum :) Here is the Basic Information we give to new members and I hope you will find it interesting and useful. Ask as many questions as you like and someone will help.


BASIC INFORMATION FOR NEW MEMBERS

Diabetes is the general term to describe people who have blood that is sweeter than normal. A number of different types of diabetes exist.

A diagnosis of diabetes tends to be a big shock for most of us. It’s far from the end of the world though and on this forum you'll find well over 235,000 people who are demonstrating this.

On the forum we have found that with the number of new people being diagnosed with diabetes each day, sometimes the NHS is not being able to give all the advice it would perhaps like to deliver - particularly with regards to people with type 2 diabetes.

The role of carbohydrate

Carbohydrates are a factor in diabetes because they ultimately break down into sugar (glucose) within our blood. We then need enough insulin to either convert the blood sugar into energy for our body, or to store the blood sugar as body fat.

If the amount of carbohydrate we take in is more than our body’s own (or injected) insulin can cope with, then our blood sugar will rise.

The bad news

Research indicates that raised blood sugar levels over a period of years can lead to organ damage, commonly referred to as diabetic complications.

The good news

People on the forum here have shown that there is plenty of opportunity to keep blood sugar levels from going too high. It’s a daily task but it’s within our reach and it’s well worth the effort.

Controlling your carbs

The info below is primarily aimed at people with type 2 diabetes, however, it may also be of benefit for other types of diabetes as well.

There are two approaches to controlling your carbs:
  • Reduce your carbohydrate intake
  • Choose ‘better’ carbohydrates
Reduce your carbohydrates

A large number of people on this forum have chosen to reduce the amount of carbohydrates they eat as they have found this to be an effective way of improving (lowering) their blood sugar levels.

The carbohydrates which tend to have the most pronounced effect on blood sugar levels tend to be starchy carbohydrates such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes and similar root vegetables, flour based products (pastry, cakes, biscuits, battered food etc) and certain fruits.

Choosing better carbohydrates

The low glycaemic index diet is often favoured by healthcare professionals but some people with diabetes find that low GI does not help their blood sugar enough and may wish to cut out these foods altogether.

Read more on carbohydrates and diabetes.

Over 145,000 people have taken part in the Low Carb Program - a 10 week structured education course that is helping people lose weight and reduce medication dependency by explaining the science behind carbs, insulin and GI.

Eating what works for you

Different people respond differently to different types of food. What works for one person may not work so well for another. The best way to see which foods are working for you is to test your blood sugar with a glucose meter.

To be able to see what effect a particular type of food or meal has on your blood sugar is to do a test before the meal and then test after the meal. A test 2 hours after the meal gives a good idea of how your body has reacted to the meal.

The blood sugar ranges recommended by NICE are as follows:

Blood glucose ranges for type 2 diabetes
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 8.5 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (adults)
  • Before meals: 4 to 7 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 9 mmol/l
Blood glucose ranges for type 1 diabetes (children)
  • Before meals: 4 to 8 mmol/l
  • 2 hours after meals: under 10 mmol/l
However, those that are able to, may wish to keep blood sugar levels below the NICE after meal targets.

Access to blood glucose test strips

The NICE guidelines suggest that people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes should be offered:
  • structured education to every person and/or their carer at and around the time of diagnosis, with annual reinforcement and review
  • self-monitoring of plasma glucose to a person newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes only as an integral part of his or her self-management education

Therefore both structured education and self-monitoring of blood glucose should be offered to people with type 2 diabetes. Read more on getting access to blood glucose testing supplies.

You may also be interested to read questions to ask at a diabetic clinic.

Note: This post has been edited from Sue/Ken's post to include up to date information.
Take part in Diabetes.co.uk digital education programs and improve your understanding. Most of these are free.

  • Low Carb Program - it's made front-page news of the New Scientist and The Times. Developed with 20,000 people with type 2 diabetes; 96% of people who take part recommend it... find out why

  • Hypo Program - improve your understanding of hypos. There's a version for people with diabetes, parents/guardians of children with type 1, children with type 1 diabetes, teachers and HCPs.
 
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Juicyj

Expert
Retired Moderator
Messages
9,018
Type of diabetes
Type 1
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Pump
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Hypos, rude people, ignorance and grey days.
Good luck at the docs @LilWolf85 let us know how you get on ?
 
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LilWolf85

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
UPDATE: they’ve sent me straight to hospital but now I’ve got here, ALL my results are normal!!!!! Sugars are reading at 8.8 which I cannot get over lol. They’re normally 18!!!

Good stuff though - ketones are reading 0.2.

So let’s see what the hospital dr says.
 
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8bitkitty

Member
Messages
17
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
UPDATE: they’ve sent me straight to hospital but now I’ve got here, ALL my results are normal!!!!! Sugars are reading at 8.8 which I cannot get over lol. They’re normally 18!!!

Good stuff though - ketones are reading 0.2.

So let’s see what the hospital dr says.

That doesn’t make any sense! If you were reading that high before with HBA1c being that high then surely your current blood sugars shouldn’t be 8.8!
Unless you’re type 2? As type 1s sugar levels won’t go down without insulin! I don’t know!
I’m glad you’re okay though, just keep us updated! Xx
 

LilWolf85

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
I’ve not eaten for 24 odd hours so maybe I am type 2. We don’t know yet :)
 

Resurgam

Expert
Messages
9,850
Type of diabetes
Type 2 (in remission!)
Treatment type
Diet only
One heck of a way to get attention - but with Hba1c so high you should have had it before now - that lowered reading does seem ti indicate that by eating low carb (as fat and protein have little impact for type twos) you could soon be not only seeing lower blood glucose but Hba1c going down as well.
Try to keep hydrated in this hot weather, and I hope you are soon feeling better.
 

LilWolf85

Member
Messages
8
Type of diabetes
Other
Treatment type
Other
UPDATE: I’ve been released from hospital but I have to go again tomorrow to see the diabetic nurse.

I’ve come home with 500mg Metformin twice a day, seregliptin and some potassium. I’m going to have glic after a couple of weeks too.

Tomorrow they are doing an anti-gad test to find out if type 1 or 2.

Woop lol