October 2, 2000
Hyperglycemia and DKA
Question from Harrisonburg, Virginia, USA:
I am 21 years old, a senior in college, and I’ve had type 1 diabetes for almost three years. Last week, I began my final season of field hockey. My blood sugars had been great (90-130 mg/dl [5-7.2 mmol/L])), and I felt wonderful. However, last week, during preseason (three practices a day in addition to running and lifting on alternating days), I began to notice an increase in my blood sugar level, and, now, I am in ketoacidosis. I am spilling 5+ ketones, 5+ sugar, am vomiting everything I eat, and I have no energy. What happened? This has never happened to me before.
Answer:
You would appear to be in diabetic ketoacidosis, and you should see the doctor at the University Health Service immediately. It is not possible to define the reason for this over the Internet, but it seems most probable that either you have a damaged insulin bottle, or that you have some unexpected stress such as a subclinical infection.
DOB