DKA

I really don't know how people I see in the hospital seem to handle DKA so well. Sure, they look sick and uncomfortable, but not nearly as bad as I felt with transient mild ketosis this afternoon. I only peed 3 times over the 6 hours ketones were present. I didn't even have fruity breath or acidic vomit!

I (unknowingly) kinked my pump site while inserting a new one this morning. A blood sugar of 330 and vomiting up all of my breakfast was not a fun encounter. Since I was staying with my girlfriend 70 miles from home, I had no urine ketone strips to check. Just in case, when I started to feel nauseated, I took a shot and attempted to change my site again. I managed to screw up by pulling out the new site right after inserting it. My blood sugar began to creep down and my nausea subsided. The shot sustained me long enough for me to drive home. Just in time to be nauseated again, and find that I had large ketones.

Moral of the story: I will be packing up an emergency kit to be kept at the girlfriend's house since she now lives more than a few blocks away from me. Even after 21 years (this past week!) my diabetes is still teaching me important lessons.