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Type 1 I'm sick and have ketones in my urine and last BG was 20.7. What do I do?

C

Catsymoo

Well-Known Member
Messages
301
Location
Portsmouth, United Kingdom
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
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Having diabetes
Hey guys,

Been off work the last 2 days with suspected tonsillitis, which has turned into the most vile cold-like virus I've ever had. I can't hear, I can barely breathe or swallow and I am maxed out on pretty much everything I can take for it. My eyes are watering and my head feels like it wants to explode. The pain behind my ears and below my eyes is unbearable and I am so miserable. This is just one month after being off work for a week with a UTI and the flu!!! I get so annoyed that people come into work ill and then people like me catch it and I end up really sick.

My levels haven't been too bad until today. They've been between 10 and 12 which is good for me considering I am ill. I went up from 9 to 17 between lunchtime and about 6pm, and I ate normal food and bolused for it like I usually would, I had rice noodles for dinner and my BG went up to 21, it's now down to 20. I've been keeping an eye on my urine with those multi test strips that show everything, noticed I've got some ketones going on. It's ''moderate'' on the scale, so it's somewhere between 1.5 and 4. I feel alright diabetes wise, I don't have any fruity breath or abdomen pain. I've gone up to 24-27mmol in the past and not had any ketones, just felt rubbish and lethargic. (This was in 2017) I might be dehydrated as I've not been drinking much due to pain when swallowing.

What do I do? I've started chugging water and testing my levels to see if it comes down, and slowly correcting every few hours. I don't think I am going to make it in to work tomorrow regardless, I feel so ill and bunged up. And I work on the phones!

EDIT: I've just done another test and my correction is starting to work, it's dropped to 18.9 now.
 
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See your doctor as soon as possible or go to a walk-in clinic or hospital emergency.
 
I agree, get into your doctor asap. Sure we usually can ride out being sick, but combine that with mild ketones, not enough liquids, headache, extreme sore throat and trouble breathing sounds like you have caught something fairly nasty, possible strep throat or ? type thing. So get in to a walk in or your doctors right away.
 
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Morning guys. I've been setting my alarm every 2 hours overnight to test my blood sugar and drink water. It is down to 12.8 now. I still feel horrible but slightly less horrible than yesterday. I've got dark yellow stuff coming out my nose but I can breathe a bit better today.

I've called work and let them know the seriousness of ketones in diabetics and they were very understanding. I feel bad about having more time off sick but I need to be kinder to myself because I can't help it. When I go back I'm going to have a serious word with my senior about making sure sick people are sat far away from me because I'm fed up of catching everything and then going through diabetic hell.

I turned 30 in the beginning of October and its like my body has fallen apart since then! I had a UTI and the antibiotics side effects made me so poorly, then I caught the flu and was stuck in bed for a week with a cough that prevented me from sleeping. I eat so clean as well, and take good care of myself. I feel like such a burden lately.
 
I'm glad it looks like you are doing a little better. Thanks for letting us know. Sometimes we go through streaks in life that things happen? Just focus on getting better for now and maybe a few immune boosters will help for the future.
 
I wouldn’t worry overly yet, but if it keeps on increasing post QA insulin then start to worry. My BG readings are regularly over 20 post meal. The way I’ve figured it is like this for me. My QA is Novo Rapid. Since having Libre I’ve discovered my QA peaks at around 4 hours so I don’t see any change in BG until around the 4 hour mark post injection.

Being ill is nasty but I’ve done DAFNE and use sick day rules and recover fine - I’ve posted some info below. Are you making sure you are Carb counting and adjusting insulin ratios accordingly?

I’ve had DKA severe as a child and nearly lost my life to it and spent so much time in hospital due to overly cautious parents etc so I know it’s rough.

But follow sick day rules (see picture) and it works for me. However if you DON’T carb count then probably best not to follow this advice. It takes a bit of time to get to work - again I’m on Novo Rapid and as I said it takes about 4 hours for mine to kick in certainly not half an hour like the diabetes nurses “think” it does. If you want to avoid hospital try this first?

At the end of the day - do what is right for you! I’ve been taught to self manage at home but that’s 22 years plus experience with diabetes you might not be as confident / comfortable doing it! Take care! X

- Diagnosed 1997 aged 11
- Type 1 for 22 years
- 8 different insulin changes
- Current medication includes; Libre System, Novo Rapid, Humulin i, 500mg Metformin
 

I hope things improve rapidly. You're not a burden by your own choice - you are burdened with a disease (insulin agenetic diabetes) that intermittently causes disability such as this.
 
Thanks for the support everyone. I've been in bed all day and I am not improving. I woke up with a headache so bad I started crying. Thankfully due to no appetite, my levels have been hovering between 6 and 8 all day so I am at low risk of DKA now, I just feel so bad. How can a cold make me feel like this!? Normally I just carry on and it's nothing more than a mild annoyance. I've got pain in my face, my teeth, behind my ears and eyes, and my neck. I've just come downstairs to reheat some homemade ramen I made yesterday. I took Nurofen about 2 hours ago, and it's helping but my head still feels like it weighs 50x my body does.

I just want to get back to work and back to normal and I feel really guilty about being off sick, because I had 5 days off last month. I always know I am proper ill when I don't even want to play video games or watch YouTube, lol!
 

If you have pain in your teeth (I'm assuming mainly upper jaw, towards the sides, eyes, ears and face in general, it sounds like you could well have sinusitis.

In your shoes, I'd be giving the Doc a call to chat it through. Sinusitis (especially if your nasal "output" is colourful) can sometimes need antibiotics to move it along.
 
Oh yes - I remember recommending a menthol steam inhalation session to someone with those symptoms, and apparently the results were really spectacular. They were sitting at the kitchen table when it started, and their partner just made it to the downstairs loo before throwing up their dinner.....
When I worked in the tax office I was told in no uncertain terms to come into work when I called on Monday morning to say I had the 'flu' - rather than risk disciplinary action, and it had started the previous Thursday, I went into the office, which was open plan, and very smoky with no ventilation. The following week the entire floor was deserted except for me, everyone was down with the 'flu' - some of the older clerks were very seriously ill and one of them didn't come back to work. I forget which 'flu' epidemic it was - it was the early 1970s. Although it might seem very virtuous going into work wven when you are ill - it can mean that you pass on the infection to all those you come into contact.
 
That's another factor - I am still contagious. I've got yellow rubbish coming out my nose and throat and I feel disgusting where I have had no energy to shower. I've called work today and said I will likely not be in until Monday, and I've called my DSN to request a document that will explain to my employer the dangers of ''basic'' illnesses on some people with diabetes. I know there are some diabetics out there that never have time off and are amazing. Sadly I get ill all the time and my blood sugars are usually always high. If I am not catching things, I usually never feel 100% anyway due to anxiety/hypo anxiety. I have days where I feel nauseated for no reason whatsoever.

I am keen to get back to work ASAP because I had an interview last week for a promotion and I haven't been there to hear back, they are telling people on a 1 on 1 basis, so they are gonna have to wait until I am back. But at the same time, I need my sugars to settle and I need to be 100%. I made the mistake last month of going back too early after a UTI and flu, and I had 3 days of hell trying to do admin work because I was too sick to go on the phone. I accidentally got a phonecall through because my seniors did not change my status on the system, and I answered it. And of course that was my quality check for the month and you can hear how drained I am. I scored awful and it has dragged down my work performance a LOT on stats.
 
You haven't just got a cold, it's a respiratory infection from what you descibe. You could do with a doctor to check whether your chest is clear, to make sure you're not developing pneumonia or bronchitis. As a type 1 with this sort of problem, you should be able to get an emergency appointment. Your ears, nose and throat are all affected, sinusitis would explain the headache and it's not getting any better. That's enough reason to get an appointment. Make clear to your work people that it isn't just a cold. One of the standard questions you are asked when you go back is if you had to see a doctor. If you don't, when you are telling them you have had a problem with ketones, it makes no sense. I've had bronchitis a couple of times, so I know how ghastly that made me feel. Look after yourself.
 
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