March 1, 2004
Daily Care, Hyperglycemia and DKA
Question from Keeseville, New York, USA:
I went into DKA in October of 2003. I currently take seven shots of insulin a day, both long and short acting and I am still having a hard time controlling my blood sugar. It ranges from 40 mg/dl [2.2 mmol/L] to 190 mg/dl [10.6 mmol/L]. Should I increase the amount on my own or should I consult my doctor? Does the fact that I have already gone into DKA increase the risk of it happening again?
Answer:
For your safety and long-term success, I would insist you continue to work with your physician. Because you are having a problem controlling the sugars, it raises a question as to whether you have been experiencing some other medical problem, such as an infection, that continues to keep your sugars up. I would think that having had DKA once does put you at risk of recurrence, if the conditions are right. These conditions include an inter current medical problem, lack of insulin, or another problem. It doesn’t mean you are at risk for going into DKA immediately if you are doing all the right things.
JTL
