I know this is a bit stupid but when people say they were DKA does that mean they had medical treatment of they went above a gu of 300???
here is a link to the article i wrote: Fear of DKA – what we know, what we don’t, and what we NEED to know
i’m not an expert (even though i’ve had it enough) but i think DKA is only really that when compounded with ketones and elevated glucose levels that won’t come down. you start to feel really sick, get sick to your stomach, and might have labored breathing. if none of those symptoms are present it usually only takes time, insulin, and hydration to get back to normal and keep you out of DKA. if you are feeling these symptoms though, you should get treated ASAP
Great stuff thank you!!
I think I had DKA for about a year…if thats even possible. I wasn’t taking nearly enough insulin and always felt like crap, and lost a ton of weight. Back then a blood sugar of 500 was the norm. I don’t know how I survived that year.
I got diagnosed because I was DKA in the ER with a BG of 809. Was nearly DOA. Felt ill for 3 days & thought I had the flu or pneumonia. Woke up in ICU & the nurse told me I was diabetic. Had no idea how long my BG was creeping up.
DKA can happen within 24 hours like it did with me. If you have 2 spaced blood glucose tests higher than 300, then you’re in DKA.
I went straight through DKA and into a 3 day Coma when I was a Teen-ager. The Drs. told my Parents that I wasn’t going to make it. But as the saying goes, “God don’t want her and the devil’s afraid of her”. 
DKA is nasty. I was backpacking once and my pump infusion set was pulled loose from my body without me realizing it, so I went for hours without any insulin. By the time I realized it, it was extremely late, very dark, and I was vomiting and in the midst of horrible DKA feeling in my chest/upper body- labored breathing, erratic heart rate…and all about 6 miles from the trailhead where we were parked and much further to any sort of civilization down the road.
We made camp when I realized what was happening (had planned on hiking through the woods at night which is usually something we enjoy) and I got my blood glucose under control, however the DKA did not abate. The next morning I was still vomiting if I drank any appreciable amount of water or consumed food, but I was severely dehydrated at the same time. I hiked out slowly, alternating drinking water, throwing up, and going from walking to crawling as necessary.
I should have gone for medical attention but instead I chugged a bottle of Gatorade when we got to a store and took a bunch more insulin. That finally did the trick. I think I had a very severe electrolyte imbalance and probably would have had a heart attack or something soon. That was about 9 years ago and the last time I ever had to deal with DKA.
I guess my point is that once it hits, its complications and dangers can persist even if you get the blood glucose levels under control, if you have let it get to a certain point. Nothing to shrug off, by any means.
Oneless’ mention of electrolyte imbalance made me think of this, which of course is bound to happen with dehydration. When I was hospitalized with DKA, I was given a lot of potassium pills. They were huge horse pills! Guess it would be difficult to know how many to take, but I’m wondering if keeping potassium supplements in our emergency arsenal might be helpful.
I am afraid I was in intensive care 4 times with DKA, all my own fault. I nearly died once, this was all during my teenage years, although I was in for a mild DKA in February. It’s not something that I like telling normal people because I know if I take care it won’t happen. Basically, I wasn’t eating properly, not taking shots, so this made me lose weight, it can happen over weeks, days or a few hours, I found that if I took my Lantus I would get through. Anyway, it goes all wrong when I start vomiting this black bile, then I know that’s it. At hospital got connected to a saline drip, they fix the electrolyte balance, then give insulin and they slowly introduce glucose to avoid hypos. I can honestly say it’s like getting hit by a bus, not nice and hopefully never again. They also do an aerterial on you, take bl. from an artery to see what’s going on, not nice either. Bl. sugars can be normal while you are still in DKA.
Thank you all!!! this is information you can never get from a doctor!!
Sorry I forgot to say the docs take bld from an arterial vein.
The blood gas test…otherwise known as the most painful kind of blood test you can possibly have!