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Urgent help please - ketosis or ketoacidosis?

R

RhonaF

Member
Messages
9
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Help please....I have been on Atkins diet for 3 weeks...great blood sugar levels...no side effects. Todau did my keytones and they are one less than the maximum on the colour chart. Do you know how o can tell if im in ketosis or ketoacidosis? Pretty scared right now.
 
To properly diagnose DKA you need an arterial blood gas, not a urine ketone dipstick. In DKA you have an acidic pH with some respiratory compensation, so your pCO2 is low because you are trying to blow off carbon dioxide in an attempt to bring the pH up. I don't think you know that's happening just with a urine ketone value. What's your blood sugar? It should be really high in DKA.
 
The dangerous combination is high blood sugar and high ketones.
If your blood sugars are good, within the normal range, you are in ketosis, and the ketone level doesn't matter as it indicates fat being broken down in a safe way.

If you can find a copy of Dr Atkins New Diet Revolution on line it explains the difference.
 
Ketostix are OK for a kind of first line indication but can be wildly inaccurate depending on your hydration. Also they measure ketones in urine rather than blood, so you are better off using a meter that can test ketones in blood for a better idea of what's going on. As others have said, if you have high ketones and high BG levels then that's the time to seek medical advice. If the ketones are just from low-carbing then anything in a range up to 3.5 mmol/L is usually OK if your blood sugars are normal.
 
You're doing a great thing! That diet will help with blood sugar control tremendously!
 
I never checked my urine for ketones in my entire life. Guess I'm missing something lol.
 
TheBigNewt said:
I never checked my urine for ketones in my entire life. Guess I'm missing something lol.
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I have never checked mine either during 43 years type 1. Have a little bit of neuropathy in one foot but the rest of me is ok. Do try hard to keep good bs levels but not always successful and still on syringes rather than pump.
 
Jenny's said:
I have never checked mine either during 43 years type 1. Have a little bit of neuropathy in one foot but the rest of me is ok. Do try hard to keep good bs levels but not always successful and still on syringes rather than pump.
Click to expand...
You're doing good man. I still do MDI's too and have pretty good luck with it.
 
Thank you for replying. My levels are between 6 and 12
 
Thanks for the reply...very good information
 
Thanks for the reply...low bg levels and no ketones at all yesterday
 
You're doing good. Don't waste your money on the ketostix. I've never used one.
 
I carry a few ketone blood strips just in case, never been higher than 0.6 though. And that was an outlyer. Even at BGL 43mmol/L, I was only 0.3 on the ketones.

Still, I'd keep an eye on it since I wouldn't know what the warning signs are
 

Ketones are produced when the body burns fat for energy or fuel. They are also produced when you lose weight or if there is not enough insulin to help your body use sugar for energy. Without enough insulin, glucose builds up in the blood. Since the body is unable to use glucose for energy, it breaks down fat instead.
 
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