Whats going on....?

[frankyloverubble]

Hi,
have been T1 for 9 yrs. I know that blood sugar levels (bsl's) need to be kept low,ideally say between 5 to 7.(I have always tried to stay in single figures.) I also know that ketones can develop if blood sugars are too high for long periods.
What I would like to know is does damage occur to the body i.e. nerves,organs etc if blood sugar is higher than it should be BUT there are no ketones detected/occurring. Is it Ketoneacidosis alone that causes the damage or is there some other damaging process going on purely due to high bsl's.Hope this makes sense!
Reason for asking is managed to carry on "as normal " with T1 for 7 yrs,working full time and then in Feb 2009 had an episode that has turned my life upside down and can't seem to get what I would call a reasonable explanation from my GP,without being fobbed off with "its Anxiety" and "its very unlikely that you have complications from Diabetes as your care has been so good"
Any thoughts anyone...
p.s. how do I include smilies?? and info in the footer of the post??
many thanks Paul

 

[Sue Morton]

Hi you don't say what the episode was or what happened. Did you have high BS or what once you let know what that is I am sure a type 1 will be able to help you.

To get the smilies just click on the one you want and it will appear similar to a on your page but when message submitted it will show the Smilie.

Good luck
Sue

 

[frankyloverubble]

Thanks for the reply Sue...well...as with all things Diabetes it's not simple! I started a new exercise regime,have always been a keen walker/ cyclist but decided to have a go at one of Davina McCalls exercise DVD's one evening then had dinner ,tested before bed and reading was in single figures.However, I woke at 2am with heart palpatations and feeling extremely cold,tested bsl was 7 so not a hypo. I thought I was having a stroke/heart attack so wife called paramedics who attended.BP was a little high,and pulse was about 90 but after a while Icalmed down.So thought I may have just overdid the exercise
However since my "event" I have not been able to get back to my "normal" self. Went to GP who diagnosed anxiety and was prescribed Perindopril for BP.Now finding it difficult to work out if am hypo or hyper hence lots of tests each day. Am having regular giddy spells...when I walk its like I am veering over to one side,developed tinnitus,am unable to relax,seem to have a permanent chattering of teeth,when I tense my muscles have a shaking sensation which I don't recall having before,vision problems,dry eyes and throat,ultra sensitive hearing. I would like to know what actually happended but obviously know this Q may never be answered. I seem to get fobbed off by GP's..I would prefer if they would say ok yes you do have some kind of complication this what it is and either no there is no recovery or yes you can recover given time. Feel as though I am "stuck" at a point at which I can't progress.

 

[daisy1]

Paul - you know about smilies now. 8)
To put in the info at the bottom of the post (signature), you go to User Control Panel (top L of screen) click "profile" then "edit signature", type what you want in the box. It then appears on all your posts.

 

[frankyloverubble]

Thanks Daisy

 

[the_anticarb]

Hi Franky

Well I have had type 1.5 diabetes for 18 years (its a rare form of mody) and I've never had DKA despite some pretty high readings over a long time (hba1c of 12 in my worst days!) and I've had retinopahty adn the beginnings of neuropathy. My body does still produce a little of its own insulin (which prevents the DKA) but does not have the ability to respond to sugar levels in the blood. So if there's anything to be read into that I'd say the damage does not occur from the ketosis but from the high levels of sugar in the blood over a long period of time, hope that helps

AC

 

[Patch]

Ketosis doesn't cause any damage whatsoever. Not a jot.

Ketoacidosis is extremely dangerous, and should be avoided at all costs.

Ketosis IS NOT THE SAME AS Ketoacidosis.

 

[noblehead]

Ketosis doesn't cause any damage whatsoever. Not a jot.

You seem quite certain here Patch, could you just remind us all what your medical background is?

Nigel

 

[frankyloverubble]

8) Thanks for the replies all 8)

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/faq/f/ ... etosis.htm

the link above would appear to answer the diff between the two K's.
My reason for asking is that my Hb1ca has always been between 6 to 7 ,I do get spikes after meals running into, at their highest, 11 to 13. So ,by my reckoning anyway,that seems like pretty good control??
So if I have some kind of damage or complication it does not seem to have come from high blood glucose levels(BGL)???so if it hasn't come from high BGL what has caused it.
Only recently,after doing my own research,I find that it is a good idea to occasionally check Ketone levels when ill etc.Incidentally ,Ketones or the significance of them have never been mentioned to me by any NHS staff in relation to my Diabetes care,only found this out from Diabetes UK website.
Anyway,my original Q was perhaps not eloquently put....I know that high BSL's cause damage because eventually Ketoneacidosis occurs which damages organs etc.
However,if BSL's are high but not high enough to cause/trigger Ketoneacidosis (DKA), is the body still incurring damage i.e. damage to nerves etc purely because BSL's are high. Does the damage to nerves occur only when DKA is occuring. :?: