Woken up with ketones

NHS advice re ketones is

• 1.6 to 2.9mmol/L means you're at an increased risk of DKA and should contact your diabetes team or GP as soon as possible https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/diabetic-ketoacidosis/

If you can't contact your diabetes team or GP, try phoning 111. Meanwhile, drink plenty of water. to prevent dehydration.


If you feel you are getting symptoms of DKA, don't hesitate to dial 999. (Check in with someone you trust so if they don't hear from you, they can call 999 on yout behalf.)

MissZButler said:

So I’ve woken up with ketones of 2.8 and blood sugar just reading high…given a large bolus with my normal morning insulin and an hour in no change.
Feeling rather nauseous and dehydrated and I can’t think why my sugars have done this… I had my normal dinner with insulin and didn’t eat anything particularly high card.
Can anyone advise should I continue to try bolus to bring it down or just get straight to ringing someone? I don’t drive and have no way of getting to assistance.

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Hi,

I know for me Novorapid won't start to change any BGs that high for just over an hour. Firstly just stopping a climb in its tracks then seing a turn around bringing them back down. (In a couple of hours the low mid teens.)
It would be unwise to try using more insulin at this point. ("Rage bolusing.")

With regards to phoning 111. An advisor will dispatch an ambulance if they deem it an emergency.
(I phoned on behalf of someone with difficulty breathing once. The avisor heard my friend wheezing & didn't mess about.)

Best wishes.

Hi again @MissZButler ,

Forgot to mention. You use Lantus?
Same here.
Sometimes (i got no reason why) it loses potency about halfway down cartridge use. (I've noticed.)
That's when I struggle. Its like I needn't have bothered injecting the night before.

I usually change the cartridge for the next dose. Things get back to normal the following day.

Hope this helps.

MissZButler said:

So I’ve woken up with ketones of 2.8 and blood sugar just reading high…given a large bolus with my normal morning insulin and an hour in no change.
Feeling rather nauseous and dehydrated and I can’t think why my sugars have done this… I had my normal dinner with insulin and didn’t eat anything particularly high card.
Can anyone advise should I continue to try bolus to bring it down or just get straight to ringing someone? I don’t drive and have no way of getting to assistance.

Click to expand...

Hi, please let us know if you're ok, (when you can). Personally if my glucose level was reading 'hi' as in too high to even record, and I had ketones approaching 3, I would ring 111 as others have said, and if you don't get through fairly speedily, then I'd ring for an ambulance. The problem is your levels could be in the 30s, 40s or even higher and your ketones could be rising ever faster. As I'm sure you know the mix of the two can be very dangerous and it can happen quickly. On a course I went on they said the mantra was if your levels are over 13, check for ketones and if they are over 3, then it's 'A&E'. They kept repeating, 'Over 3, A&E'. They also said don't bother waiting to see if you're feeling any symptoms or don't want to bother anyone because you're feeling ok, the point of getting to A&E at an early stage as possible is to prevent full blown DKA.

Hello @MissZButler Glad your being looked after now, hope the infection clears soon and your BG levels come down.