Always get copies of your tests @anon73308259!
1 Like
I remember my test many years ago and the county nurse said” no one consumes that much sugar at one time”
It was scary because I remember sitting there and seeing her start to look different like I was going to pass out.i was so sick and nauseous I thought I was going to vomit it was horrible to have someone give me the test then downplay what was happening they literally dismissed the test. The doctor at the time said use fingerstick which back then all I knew was some needle. Needless to say I couldn’t prick my finger with as many Lowe’s as I get ( more lows than highs) maybe because despite they blame diet I was as clean as I could get and loosing weight down to scary 94lb .
If the doctor doesn’t know what it is they blame the patient or if u do t have insurance you are up a creek without a paddle or worse they just give u a boat with holes 
Yes they should loose license 
What results point to DKA?
What is DKA maybe I’m confused
The fact that all diabetes complications can not only be kept at bay but completely reversed. Autonomic neuropathies, peripheral neuropathies, gastroparesis can be reversed and most doctors not only have no idea how to do it, but in most cases have no idea that it can be done at all, add to this they promote BG levels that make complications inevitable.
3 Likes
Diabetic Ketoacidosis. When your BG is high and you are in an insulin deficit your body uses fat and protein for energy and in turn creates ketone bodies as byproduct that overwhelm your system by turning your blood ph acidic. It will kill you if you don’t get medical attention.
DKA Diabetic Ketoacidosis High Blood Sugar for too long of a period.
But…It can be a day or days, It can be as low as 180 or 200’s for some people, but usually it is a much higher number maybe 300, 400’s, 500’s plus.
What you have to watch out for are ketones in the urine or the symptoms and it can be life threatening pretty quickly, literally in hours once it starts.
1 Like
I thought that’s what it meant but my blood sugar never seems very high when it happens but in the ER either way needing fluids, anti nausea, sometimes antibiotics.
Ketones in the urine and other things in the blood results.
@anon73308259 There was a guy that posted his story of only reaching 180 and he went into DKA. He printed it because he wanted people to be aware it could happen at lower numbers. That is why you have to judge by symptoms and ketones more than the actual level.
1 Like
Very good to know. Thank u
I would say for me that they ignore my problems properly because it sounds impossible I have been suffering from very wierd problems which I haven’t known any other diabetic to suffer for some reason my body doesn’t use or digest any form of carbs in into sugar except food such as bread pasta etc. even sugar sugar drink won’t digest into sugar and has zero affect on levels. also I never actually feel hungry even if I don’t eat for hours. another thing is that I was diagnosed as a type 1 diabetic I had ketone etc extremely high blood sugar in 2002 odly now for some reason taking basal insulin is always making me go low and my levels don’t climb without basal insulin which sounds unreal even through stress etc my levels won’t rise go high. but this is a real problem but doctors don’t believe. I still need to take insulin for food that does agree with my body so defo pancreas is not working. unfortunately when I explained this problems doctors don’t believe regarding my. basal/ my body not releasing glucose when no active insulin and my problem with food not digesting sugar. I still haven’t met any other diabetic with my problems tbh I hope nobody ever get the wierd problems I’m facing having. it really isn’t nice. so I would say medical system failed for me. in the sense they are not investigating my problems. also its made my depression alot worse
1 Like
Love your “read the damn chart” comment.
2 Likes
@anon73308259 Here is a an article by someone that was surprised by DKA and another post of someone that gets it at lower levels.
2 Likes
I won’t repeat what others have said, although I, too, have had bad doctors who knew little or nothing about diabetes. Currently, two systems concern me. The first is hospitals who are changing to “hospitalists” for one’s care whenever a person is unfortunate enough to require hospitalization. The “hospitalists” that I have encountered either cannot read a chart or have just a passing knowledge of diabetes. To avoid disaster, 1) gain as much knowledge as you can about diabetes and how you personally react to it so you can be your own healthcare advocate, and 2) demand that the hospitalists “consult” with your Endo if you question their proposed treatment.
My second concern is with manufacturers and insurance providers who buy in to falsehoods for the sake of marketing and profit. Case in point: I use the Dexcom G6. They advertise that it “needs no calibration,” thus my insurance (Medicare) will NOT PAY FOR ANY TEST STRIPS… because, of course, I don’t need them. Ha! I don’t have to tell you what a dangerous falsehood that is. Dexcom will not send me any test strips because the G6 does not need calibration. (Even the Dexcom G6 manual says in about every third paragraph that if I doubt the readings, I should check my blood. OK. With what? You told my insurance company that I would not need any test strips!) So we diabetics, who are just trying to do our best to stay healthy and to save our %$@# insurance companies money, are caught in a Catch 22.
Conclusion? Knowledge is power. Know your medical condition(s). Know your body. Be your own advocate. Take care of yourself. Question what seems wrong or unreasonable, but have the knowledge and experience to suggest something different. Accept that you ARE different than others, but that you can be strong and “healthy” if you choose to pay attention to your diet, medication, and exercise regiments. Learn all you can, filter out what is BS on the Internet, accept where you are, and rely on yourself. Live well, my friends.
6 Likes
I am not from the US so I am not sure if I am included, but I feel that all T1D’s and T2’s have been badly failed as a group by the fact that low carb was not, and still is not, offered as a management option. When someone sees a doctor or endo for themselves or for their newly diagnosed child and they mention ‘low carb’, s/he is likely to be reprimanded and told it is not viable. Instead they are told to eat a ridiculous amount of carbs and balance it with insulin. I feel that this borders on medical negligence and it staggers me that when so much has been written about the fantastic results diabetics are achieving by reducing or cutting out carbs altogether that only a handful of doctors or endocrinologists have raised an eyebrow and decided to dig deeper. After decades of appalling health outcomes and heart breaking suffering by so many diabetics you’d have thunk that the medical system would have been all over the low carb approach. Instead they tell people diabetics can eat what they want as long as they bolus for it. So yeah, I think most of us have been failed.
6 Likes
If you have an Endo who respects your knowledge and capabilities, have a written statement to add to your chart that you are in control of managing our diabetes while in hospital ( I am assuming consciousness on your part). You will probably have to allow them to notate your bg’s and doses, but that’s a small price to pay. Hospital staff don’t like bg’s below 200, and the comments above about reaching DKA at a level of 180 etc are testament to the fact that being an inpatient tosses good D mgt out the window. The hospital I have to use (due to HMO insurance plan) requires the patient giving meter, pump and CGM to hospital staff. Hence, I will not be admitted. ANd if you do have to “surrender” (that’s the word the policy uses, turn it over to a family member or friend. Things get lost.
1 Like
@halvdan I know this is about the medical profession, so I am just going to leave it at, type 1’s can eat what they want and bolus for it. Some people choose low carb because it’s easier to control BG levels for them personally. I printed an example of my numbers under Type 1, Vegan and My Numbers. I am at 6% A1C, but I am also in range 96% plus of the time.
1 Like
It is true that T1’s can eat whatever they want and bolus for it. Nobody is stopping them. My point was that this is terrible advice coming from the medical profession. Complications from elevated blood sugars is not something I’d wish upon anyone and apparently things are getting worse and not better in spite of technology, more insulins etc. If you oersibally eat what you want and include all sorts of high carb choices and you successfully bolus for that then bully for you because you are in a minority. I am not saying people ‘shouldn’t’ if they do choose, but that not offering info on, and in many cases dismissing a low carb approach to management is tantamount tip negligence. We all do what we want but knowledge is power and we need to know our options.
1 Like
You just provided yet another reason I want to stay on G5’s.
1 Like
I agree, Dave44, that if you are happy with the G5, stay with it. With my last G6 order, I also got an “upgrade” software kit to help me, as a Medicare recipient, change from the G5 to the G6. Only problem is, I have NEVER ordered nor used the G5! Thus, I don’t know why I would need their new “authorization” number to upgrade to the G6 when the G6 is all I have ever used. Truthfully, I don’t think that Dexcom knows what they are doing anymore. Sadly, their technology still seems to be better than anything else on the market, but they certainly need to get their act together!
1 Like