Ketoacidosis

The symptoms and signs of Ketoacidosis can develop in less than 24 hours, and one of the symptoms can be a dramatic rise in the blood sugars and high levels of ketones, other signs are:

• Deep, slow breathing
• Excessive thirst or urination
• Weakness and fatigue
• Nausea, vomiting and stomach pain
• Decreased appetite and weight loss
• Fruity-scented breath (caused by high ketone levels)

People with diabetic ketoacidosis often become dehydrated because they produce large amounts of urine. Signs of dehydration include a rapid heartbeat and low blood pressure. Untreated diabetic ketoacidosis results in coma and eventual death.

Blood Monitoring

Blood Monitoring is when you check your blood to see how much sugar is in it. You do this with a small needle that you prick your finger with, so you can get enough blood for the machine. You then insert a strip into the machine and place your finger with the tiny amount of blood onto the strip, the blood then absorbs into the strip and the machine works out how much sugar there is. This is useful as you can see if your B.M's are high or low, and also if you are feeling unwell you can keep an eye on your B.M.

The type of machine I have to check my B.M's is the tiniest machine the Freestyle Papillon Mini , it only needs a tiny bit of blood and takes about 5 seconds to read the B.M.

The proper way to check your B.M. is;

• 
  Wash your hands and dry them well before doing the test.
  



• Use an alcohol pad to clean the area that you're going to prick. With many glucose meters, you get a drop of blood from your fingertip. However, with some meters, you can also use your forearm, thigh or the fleshy part of your hand. Ask your doctor what area you should use with your meter.
  



• Prick yourself with a sterile lancet to get a drop of blood. (If you prick your fingertip, it may be easier and less painful to prick it on one side, not on the pad.)
  



• Place the drop of blood on the test strip.
  



• Follow the instructions for inserting the test strip into the glucose meter.
  



• The meter will give you a number for your blood sugar level.

Hypoglycaemia

Hypoglycaemia (Hypo) is when your blood sugars (B.M.) goes below 4. When this happens your body normally starts showing signs that let you know your B.M. is low, such signs can be:

• Your hands start to shake slightly.
• Your tongue and lips go numb.
• Your speech can sometimes go funny.
• You lose all energy.
• Your vision can very rarely go blurry.

Hypo's can occur for a number of reasons like if you have been doing a lot of strenuous work or exercise, if you have been out drinking or if you have taken your insulin and didn't have anything to eat with it. This can be very life threatening as if you leave it you can reach complecations which could result in you being put on a drip in the hospital and possibly fighting for your life.

I have only ever experienced a Hypo once, my B.M. dropped down to 1.8 and I was slurring my speech, so my mum got me some coke and put a spoon of sugar in it to take out the fizz. After I had drunk that she kept a close eye on my B.M's every two hours until they were stable.

The diabetic doctors say that an ideal B.M. would be between 7 & 10, but it can be very hard keeping it between those numbers.