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Tummy bug ,ketones

S

SJS5

Active Member
Messages
32
Hi I am currently on holiday in the UK.
Yesterday I developed a tummy bug. Initially my blood sugars dropped to 2.7mmols and it took around 2 hours to get them to come back up.This was prior to actually being sick but I was feeling unwell with nausea.
Since then they have been between 11 and 16mmols. I cannot get them lower and I have ketones of 1.3mmols.

I usually eat low carb anyway but I'm concerned that my blood sugars are not dropping .
Somewhere in the back of my mind am I right in thinking you should try and eat with ketones,so the body has something to feed off ,rather than the fat and then develop ketones.
As I eat low carb ,if I eat carbs I know my blood sugar will shoot up even further.

I have injected novorapid insulin every few hours overnight ,which is keeping it at the levels mentioned above.

I'm not sure what I should eat as I'm still feeling slightly nauseas from the bug..I did manage a dry cracker in the night.

Also does anyone know of I can purchase blood ketone strips for the freestyle over the counter without a px as I have now run out of them

Thankyou
 
Hi SJS5

I'm T2 so I have zero personal experience of the problems you're experiencing. Tagging a couple of people who might be able to advise. @Juicyj @Rokaab @Antje77

I do know you can buy ketone strips or a Libre without a prescription, though.

best of luck.
 
Last edited:
KennyA said:
I'm T2 so I have zero personal experience of the problems you're experiencing. Tagging a couple of people who might be able to advise. @Juicyj @Rokaab @Antje77
Click to expand...
I hope one of the others will be along with more knowledge than I or @KennyA have on the matter.
While I do have T1, I don't live in the UK and don't know about strips over the counter. The last tummy bug I had is at least 25 years ago, long before diabetes, and I've never used ketone strips.

@SJS5 , being in the UK you can always call 111 for non urgent medical advice.
Good luck, I hope things are settling by now!
 
Thanks for your reply.
I'm feeling much better now.

I managed to get some urine ketostix. Now as accurate but better than nothing.
All the chemist's in the locality did not have any stock of actual blood ketone sticks

Blood sugars have now come down to normal and no ketones.

Thanks once again
 
Are you under secondary care?

Has anyone ever gone through ''illness management'' with you? Could be worthwhile.

Might also be worthwhile asking your HCP to prescribe a GlucoMen Aero2k which monitors both BGLs and ketones.
 
I’m glad you recovered so well. It sounds like you knew what to look for when you got sick. That’s so important. It can’t be stressed enough. I got sick years ago and even though I had been informed about DKA, I was not watching it enough. I was calling my Primary daily, thinking I had food poisoning, but even though I had very severe symptoms, I didn’t connect the dots. I was not able to keep anything down. And was a little loopy. It wasn’t until I had labored breathing that my primary said go to ER immediately. Which I did and it was very serious, ICU, IV, slow recovery for 5 days, etc. It gives you a healthy respect to watch for ketones. Glad your situation resolved.
 
Thanks for sharing. I guess it's so easy to discount DKA if you've never had one but you are right that it is a possibility that should never be ignored by people who don't make any/enough of their own insulin.
 
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