At a recent trip to the doctor they recommended that I check for keytones when I’m high. Personally Ive never seen the point of it, when I am high I already know that there is a good chance that keytones are present, do I really need to go poking around in my urine to find out about it? either way I would bolus to get my BG under control as fast as possible.
does anyone make a regular habit of using key tone strips?
I do. I was told to any time I’m sick or above 250…
I only check when I’m sick or if I have high #'s that don’t come down… but I don’t check for one or two random highs. If I get my #'s back in line I don’t personally feel like it matters if I had ketones or not.
I check for ketones when I’m sick because I seem to be especially prone to getting dehydrated… I’d rather know that I need some intervention (aka IV fluids) before I am in full blown DKA… it makes for a 3-4 hour hospital stay vs 3-4 days, and I honestly don’t have time to deal with days in the hospital (and I’ve never been in full DKA, ever, I think partially becuase I’m so pro-active when I know I may be heading there).
I do not test for ketones unless I have been high or some time due to a viral or bacterial illness( those that have accompanying diarrhea or vomiting.) I have been in DKA very few times, usually can catch Highs and push them down with insulin/water before mild to moderate ketones appear…
Like the other posters have said , the treatment is the same when High blood sugars are present:, insulin and rehydration, whether you have ketones or not. But I think that advice from your doc is just part of what has always been told to type one diabetics, whether they are new or experienced
God Bless
Brunetta
I don’t test for ketones either, however under certain circumstances it is important to do so. I have had plenty of DKAs in my time (and in multiple countries) and so I had gotten in the habit of going straight to the emergency room whenever I had the symptoms of it. Astonishingly I didn’t even know I could test for ketones at home since nobody ever told me about it (not a single doctor ever mentioned it). Last year (or maybe the year before), I checked myself into the ER because I had the symptoms only to find out that it wasn’t DKA but a stomach flu. They tested my ketones at the hospital and I was clear. In other words, if I had the strips at home I would know it wasn’t DKA and it would have saved me the nearly $3,000 I was billed for by the hospital.
Also, treating a high BG would be similar whether ketones are present or not, but if they are then it’s my understanding that you should consume extra amounts of water for the ketones. So testing them at home would be needed for that too.
I am an older diabetic, Pavlos ( 41 years type one) and that was the only way I had to test for years…So I thought that everyone was told about ketone testing, I guess it is not a “tradition” with the newly diagnosed anymore…
God Bless,
Brunetta
I learned about them a few months ago for the first time from my new endo. It was such a revelation to me that it felt just like when my doc did a finger test A1C (up until then I thought it had be from a vein). Anyway, I learned about them and went to the pharmacy to have some on hand, but they didn’t carry them because they weren’t in demand.
It’s possible that up until then most of my doctors assumed I already knew.
I keep the foil-wrapped individual ketostix around so I don’t waste a whole bottle by opening them and letting them expire. That helps me feel better about using them when I need them. When I am running unusually higher than normal or am sick, I test so that I know whether we’re talking a trace amount or serious business. If I’m throwing up, I need to know how large the ketones are and I need to know they’re reducing as the bolusing kicks in.
But I spent a good 15 years probably never buying any ketostix. I used to tell my docs I could “feel” when I have ketones, so what’s the point of testing? I think now that I’m way more responsible about my diabetes (good A1c, better control), it’s made a difference to me to know the strips are there when I should test. But I’ve only been doing that about a year. And I’ve probably been through 20 strips in that time.
I was diagnosed DKA in a coma with a BG over 1000. You’d think I’d be even more vigilant, but I think I am complacent because I’ve never been DKA since then. Just like I’m complacent about not having glucagon because I’ve never gone unconscious from a low or had a seizure in my life with diabetes, so I don’t keep it around. Am I right? wrong? I think it’s fair to say either or both.