August 30, 2004
Diagnosis and Symptoms
Question from Washington, USA:
I am 19 years old, 4 feet, 10 inches, about 108 pounds. I eat almost 2000 calories a day, however, if I am anything but lethargic I start losing weight very quickly. I’ve also been sick for the past five months, but have gone undiagnosed despite visits to the doctor.
Just recently, I have started producing trace or small ketones in the afternoon. This was unnerving, but when I went in for a urine sample, nothing showed up. Perhaps, I think, because I had gone in the morning, and the ketones show up like clockwork in the afternoon. However, since I’ve been testing my urine, I noticed something very unusual yesterday. The blue patch for glucose changed a color, but not a color on the chart. It turned dark blue, then sat on the vanity for about five minutes and then it turned darker green. What happened here? This has happened twice before. I had eaten about three hours earlier.
Off and on, I have had symptoms of diabetes. I am now wondering what, if anything, I should do? Unfortunately, I am fast losing credibility with my doctors since they cannot find anything that might be causing my symptoms. My parents are exasperated with the health care industry, as I am, at times. I am anxious to feel better before returning to college.
Answer:
The measurement of ketones in the urine is not a rigorous measurement. It is a qualitative one. The reading should be made according to the description from the brochure with the package. That means any color development that occurs after the usual time of reading may not be of significance. I am not sure why you are sick. You can have a marked increase in ketones from not eating. Perhaps this is why they stay high.
With regard to your current situation, it is important for you to remain an advocate for your situation: no one else will. You always have the option of seeing someone else who will render an opinion. Consultation can be obtained at almost any large medical center that does referral work. If you feel you are ill and have no answers, you have no choice but to pursue an answer.
JTL
