The scary experience of diabetic ketoacidosis

My daughter had DKA, she was very lucky I called the ambulance, I had no idea what was happening. Thankfully after a week in hospital she is on the road to recovery. She is feeling quite weak and washed out. It's this normal? How long does it take to feel normal again.

A friend of mine who is a type 1 diabetic has been in hospital 4 months. She has lost her sight (how badly I don't know) and was in ICU for about 2 months on life support. Her father found her unconscious and on the way to the hospital had a cardiac arrest. I don't know if the cause was definitely a DKA as her family are being very hush hush on the situation. I was wondering has anyone had an experience like this or know of anyone who has? And will she regain her sight?

I lost my elder sister April 12th 2015 of Ketoacidosis. Nobody expected it, nobody even knew it had happened until my sister got a phone call at 5:06AM by the Death Notification Team. What hurts the most is that she had a sister who lived 5 minutes away who hadn't even bothered to see her in well over 10 months. She had been dead for 4 days before she was dicovered by her boyfriend. When they found her, she was found surrounded by her insulin needles and her insulin bottles. She was 23 years old. She only ever met one of her 4 siblings and hadn't met her mum in 20 years, she didn't even know what her mum looked like. I miss her

This scares me. I am trying to understand this. So can this only happen when you miss your insulin dose?

I lost my 33 year old baby brother on December 7, 2015, to what we believe was DKA where he had several episodes of this food poisoning where nobody else got it. He'd been diagnosed with Type I Diabetes about 10 years ago and was fine until this past year. He'd changed his insulin type from a glass vial injection to a portable pen but had several episodes of this food poisoning after switching which we never even considered until after the fact. We'd never even heard of DKA until after he passed and a close family friend spoke with a friend who was a nurse who mentioned DKA. We're awaiting the toxicology tests which may take up to three months. He'd lost so much weight this past year but his weight had fluctuated over the years, so we thought nothing of it. Family who knew he was sick suggested the ER but he thought he'd be fine and get through another bout of food poisoning. He also thought he'd gotten through the worst but was probably so severely dehydrated and kept drinking Gatorade which couldn't stay down. When we found out he was sick that morning, the family asked us to check on him because he was dry heaving, we'd called him to no avail for several hours thinking he shut his phone off to rest as in the past. We panicked by late morning and sent family since we were so far away only to find he'd passed out or fell in the bathroom (maybe went into a coma) and passed away early in the morning. Had we'd known this condition or symptoms, we'd have insisted him to check out these frequent food poisoning episodes that we found out about later after talking with friends and other family members in another state while visiting. So heartbroken and still in disbelief especially as he visited us two days prior and seemed fine.

My son passed away in Oct 2015, 12 days before his 23rd birthday. He was a Type 1 since 15 years old. He was home from college two days before and seemed fine. I found out after he passed away that he had been vomiting, went to an urgent care facility, who only treated him for flu-like symptoms. My question is, isn't it protocol for facilities such as these to check urine/blood glucose levels knowing the patient is diabetic? He passed 12 hours after going to the Dr.

We just had this happen with my husband, 61, this last weekend. He is in Stepdown at the hospital (after 3 days in ICU). He has mental (and possibly vision -- it's hard to tell; he's speaking in "word salad" and is not comprehensible) issues. I'm hoping, if anyone reads this who has been through it can tell me how long it can take to recover from this side of it. His blood sugars are down from 500 to around 200 on insulin -- he's Type 2, which makes this even harder to understand. It's also coupled with a UTI, although he seems to be making more of a comeback against that than the DK.

It's really hard to see my bright, articulate husband be so disconnected -- he just stares at the ceiling until you get his attention, and then he says things we can't understand.

Any feedback would be deeply appreciated.

For several months I had been feeling incredibly tired. From September through the end of October, I was running to the bathroom a lot and very dehydrated. I told my father after a week of this happening and showed him my dried, dying skin on my hands. 3 weeks later we finally decided to schedule an appointment to the doctor. It was to be the week after my mother visited my sister in Arizona, and my father would visit his father in Kentucky. We lived in Illinois. The night my parents left, I started vomiting. I was alone, hungry, and vomiting everything I ate.

I stayed on the couch in my living room feeling dead. I called my fiancee, who was at school in another city at the time and told her that I thought I had some legendary stomach bug. My abdomen was ripping me apart from this inside, so I started taking antacids. My fiancee's mother drove by and brought me some medicine and a thermometer. Eventually, my fiancee decided to leave school for the week to take care of me at home. This was 3 or 4 days into my experience. A day or two later, she had to go back to school and work. But, she had enough and had her mother take me to the ER before she left. I couldn't even walk, she and her mom had to walk me to the car. After arriving and being admitted to the ICU, I was immediately diagnosed with type 1 and DKA. They said I'd been diabetic for at least three months. I was in the hospital for 6 days. If it weren't for my stubborn lady and her mom, I'd be dead.

I guess I know how to pick them! I've also learned to stop being stubborn and calling my doctor when things don't feel right. What scares me, is reading most of these posts makes me realize I lasted much longer than I should have. Thanks for everyone sharing their stories. Diabetes has been a strange mistress.

We've just got the coroners report back for my sister in law. She died suddenly 2 months ago. The coroners reoprt confirmef it was Ketoacodosis. She was fine on the Friday she and my brother went for a meal. Saturday she stayed on the sofa all day with a bit of a sore throat. Nothing unusual there.
Sunday afternoon my brother popped to the bedroom to check how much longer she' d be in the shower as he was making dinner. He found her on the bed. She'd died.
She'd only been downstairs 20 minuted before hand.

my son goes into DKA at least 4 to 6 times a year and nothing seems to work i have given up on knowing what to do no doctors seem to help him he spends multiple days in ICU each time and all he gets is accused of not doing insulin when I watch him and so then he gets told he is not doing his injections in the proper way that he must find the fat deposits well at 6ft tall 115 LBs there is no fat on the child I'm tired of just watching him wait to die no health insurance and running out of hope is there a such thing as a diabetic that is allergic to insulin?

Ketoacidosis

My son, Jason, 44 years old has had diabetes since four years of age.

We just got him out of the hospital with a severe bout of ketoacidosis.

God just saved his life, because his sugar was 1045.

They did a cat scan which showed two strokes previously but no current stroke. They said his brain had not swelled also.

The hospital really didn't know how to treat him, though they were wonderful. We feel they should've left them in the hospital longer, however, released him anyway.

His memory is still cloudy and memory bad. I've got the sugar down to around 200 and his blood pressure near normal.

He is staying with me and we check him every 2 to 4 hours.

My question: He sleeps nearly all the time and still complains of being tired, plus the confusion and bad memory. Can someone give me your symptoms after a bad bout of Ketoacidosis and let me know if the symptoms seem normal. Just praying these symptoms leave.

Thank you, Judy Hewitt

I experience DKA as well. I did not have vommitting but I had excessive thirst and stopped eating. I had not been diagnosed with diabetes. It was like one day I did not have diabetes and the next I did. I starting having balance problems and could not even say my name. It was like my name was written on my forehead but I could not get
my name out. I live by myself and the house cleaner was concerned and contacted my sister. When she arrived she found me half dressed (because
I could not figure out how to finish). Because I was unable to talk, she thought I was mad at her. She noticed the lamps I had knocked over and got concerned. Another thing that happened was I was falling into the wall and had broken two teeth. My son had called that day and I still don't remember our conversation but I do remember thinking I needed help but I could not figure out how to use the phone! My sister called an ambulance and when they attempted to get my BG the first time it twisters error. The second time it was over 700. Next was the ER to attempt to sablize me. During that time I got hysterical and was going to leave the ER. My sister asked me where was I going and somehow that got through to me. Three days in the ICU. The possibility of a pick line and then 6 more days in the med surf floor and then on to a rehab center for 21 more days. Finally home and trying to recover. It was found out that I had a severe kidney infection. A couple weeks before this happened and I fell and broke my foot. When I went to the urgent treatment center they told me I had + ketones and I should check in with my regular physical. I did not take that advice. If you are ever told this, do what they tell you to do. Your life is at risk! My dr said I would not have lived till morning had I not gotten help. That is my story. If you see yourself here; get to your doctor. I have had multiple hospitalization and I inject myself 5 times a day. Try not to allow yourself to live a life like this. It's not fun.

I wish to thank you all for sharing these experiences. I just lost my sister (49 yrs old) and now I strongly suspect it was DKA that took her life. She was diagnosed with DKA about 6 weeks prior to her death and was treated in the ICU for about 7 days and sent home. She had cough and was being given antibiotics. Her sugar levels were under control via insulin. However, she vomited blood in the early hours last month and instantly passed away. She had seen her doctor just a day prior and there was nothing alarming as per the doctor. My entire family and I are in a state of shock. Reading these experiences here rings a lot of bells in my mind as she had been displaying some of these symptoms regularly and we had reported the same to her doctor. I urge all who have DKA or have these symptoms to please take it seriously and follow a disciplined diet and medication. Thanks, Kishin.

I had no idea I was a diabetic. I'd never had sugar levels very high when I was tested and being tested wasn't often. My a1c was 13.9. When I finally decided to go to the Hospital it was almost to late. It was the end of August this year 2016 that I noticed the weight loss. 15lbs in a couple weeks. Then it was my eye sight. I thought I needed new glasses. I was considering surgery for a hernia that would have happened around the time I went dka. I'm glad I decided to hold off. Next was the thirst. 4 big cups of water back to back. The vomiting started the night before we called the ambulance. I figured I had the flu. September 18th at 3am I had vomited 8-10 times in 4 hours and just wanted to go back to sleep. I was being begged to go to the ER and refused. I'm on Coumadin for a blood clotting disorder so when I got sick the last time and my breathing got faster and more shallow I thought I might have a PE in my lung again. Finally, we called an ambulance. For the life of me I don't remember the ride to the Hospital. I remember being asked the date and where I was and not having a clue. The symptoms I had in the weeks prior caused my INR to drop which is how thin my blood is. The lower it is the thicker it is. Which is why I thought it was a blood clot. I spent 4 days in ICU and 2 weeks in the hospital. The bulk of which with a feeding tube. My diagnosis was Pancreatitis and DKA. At first I didn't accept being type 1. Now I work hard to manage it properly and am full of questions about diabetes.

i went into ketoacidosis back in march of 2016. this is January 2017. i still have not regained my balance and strength. the VA said it is possible that a urinary tract infection started it. my sugar was 692 and the doc called me and told me to get to the emergency room asap. before this i kept falling and cracked 3 ribs. i was drinking alot and urinating and had diarrhea alot. i was tired all the time and wanted to sleep alot. it got to the point i couldn't even stand up at all. i would fall down. after my sister took me to the hospital i was in ICU for the first day and in for a total of 3 days. my blood was so thick they could not draw it. they attached alot of things to my IV. two weeks later i was in the hospital again this time for low sugar (45). since then my diabetes did a flipflop. now i have to worry about it going low instead of high. but since then i still have not regained my balance or strength. i have to use a cane. i had to quit my job. they ruled out any heart attack or stroke but has anyone else not regained their full health back? something else i have noticed it is hard to stay hydrated. it is like a struggle to drink enough water to keep it at bay.

In my 3 years as a diabetic (type 1) i have had thd roughest years of my life just last year alone i was hospitalized over 30 times from it atleast half of which because i was actually in dka. Its the worst scariest experience you can have and im sorry you had to go through it

My mom has been fighting for over a year now with back pain, stomach pain, weakness, confusion, no sleep, nausea, and massive weight loss. I don't believe she's vomited, or she hasn't told me. At 52, she's 95 lbs, last I checked. She was put on a ridiculously strict vegan diet by a holistic doctor and lost so much weight that it's alarmed us all. I graduated in Psychology and looked into eating disorders, as we thought that may have been the situation, but she's clearly unhappy when she sees herself so small and fragile in the mirror. I cried when I put IcyHot on her back and felt her spine. Diabetes only runs in my father's side, so this wasn't our first thought. She's seen multiple doctors, specialists, and holistic, has taken so many different types of medications and still isn't well. My aunt, who is a nurse, found a high amount of ketones in her urine, causing us to look online to research what it could be, and ultimately finding a possible link to Diabetes Ketoacidoses. She is seeing a doctor at Oschner's Medical Center today and I have prompted my stepdad to ask specifically about this. Does her story match anyone else's? I am trying to do as much research for her as I can. But so far, I'm terrified that she's gone through this for over a year and we haven't gotten a diagnosis.

[…] dehydrating you and you can’t keep anything down – there’s nothing else you can do! Here’s a story of a girl who experienced something very similar for anyone who wants to read more about […]

Very well written article indeed, thank you so much for sharing such information with us.

Thank you so much for sharing. I remember when I went through my diabetic ketoacidosis. I truly felt like I was going to die. I'm not exaggerating. I was so weak, dehydrated, confused, and I couldn't hold any water down. I was so thirsty, my lips would stick together. The vomitig wouldn't stop, and soon it was just dry heaves, and it was so terribly painful. Everything hurt, a piece of hair touching my arm was painful, I had Charlie horses in both legs, my blood was so acidic, I could barely see or catch a breath. I thought I was going to die that day. I was in ICU for 3 days, and I too was told I am lucky to be alive. Still, to this day a decade later whenever my sugar gets past 250 I remember the rapid onset of all those things I mentioned. I will never forget it. I reach out to other T1Ds and share with them my experiences and offer to help them on their path to staying healthy. So scary when your body suddenly stops working and goes into a rapid decline like that. I am so grateful for the education I have now, for the staff at the hospital, for NY amazing T1D team of doctors, and educators. I am so thankful for the improved technology, I am thankful to be able to communicate and talk with other T1Ds. I am grateful to be alive!

Any suggestions on what to do to help with muscle pain and discomfort following an ICU stay due to DKA? My mom is diabetic, and got sick while on a work trip out of state. She takes great care of herself, which is why her body returned to normal so quickly following DKA. However, now that she’s home, she just keeps saying she feels “off,” and the muscle pain is so bad she can’t sit still. Anyone else experience this, and have ways that helped you to get back to feeling normal... or at least comfortable?

My mom is in hospital with ketoacidosis. She is 80 years old and complained of frequent urination and thirst. She also vomited and had diarrhea. I asked her to check blood sugar as I don't live with her and she said it was 18 and administered insulin so she said that was at 4:30 in the afternoon. At 8:30 she was still not feeling well and was refusing to go to hospital. Her partner called ambulance at 10:30 when her condition worsened. At hospital they had to administer CPR and put her on life support for 2 days. She has come out of ICU and is now breathing on her own but she developed AKF which is acute kidney failure. She is still in hospital after 2 weeks and receiving dialysis in Hope's her kidneys will kick in. I wish I knew more about the ketones testing at home. Please go to hospital immediately if you have extreme thirst and are peeing a lot.

Omg yall have no idea how happy I am to find this post. My boyfriend is currently in the hospital for this. He hadn't been diagnosed with diabetes until we took him to hospital yesterday. His blood sugar was 616 when he got there and I am so worried. He's still very confused and I just want him to be his normal self. I am praying for a quick recovery honestly its depressing me. But finding this post and knowing that hopefully he will recover has made me feel so much better. Thanks.

Thank you for posting this. It is very similar to my DKA story from January 25, 2019. I was supposed to be Type 2. DKA was something that happened to those Type 1 folks. I was aware of the symptoms, but my mind became so confused as the result of my high sugar (747), I made a series of dangerous decisions. (I'll go to the doctor's office on Monday. It will pass. It's just a viral thing.....) Cue "The Day" that everything changed. I was vomiting up bile and blood also. I decided to go to sleep. My family was not aware of the full extent of my illness; I was too weak to check my blood sugar levels. I was NOT one of the lucky ones..... By the time I was able to mumble the "Call 911" words, I was already falling into the DKA coma. The rescue squad was the second-string overnight weekend guys who didn't recognize my DKA signs, even though my husband was very clear about my diabetes. By the time I arrived at the ER (45 minutes later), I was in a full coma, extreme hypothermia (core 92.7 degrees), kidney failure, tachycardia….. I was soon having a near-death experience (which was nothing like others' bright lights, just serene nothingness.) Everything that occurred over the next two days are reported by my family and the medical staff; I was completely unconscious. 3 days in the ICU and 3 more in Step-Down. I was dead. There simply is NOT enough awareness of Type 2 Diabetes and DKA. Of course, it doesn't happen often, but it CAN. Also, there is a likelihood that I have been misdiagnosed. I will be having the antibody test next month to verify what type I am. In the end, it doesn't really matter. I went from completely stable to completely insulin dependent due to my fight with DKA. Don't delay. Regardless of what type diabetic you are, if things begin to get out of control, GET HELP IMMEDIATELY!

I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes around 2007 and really have never had it under control. I have went through my employer's insurance, a sliding scale clinic, Catholic Charities, etc...to see doctors and get medicine. I finally raised my kids (3 - on my own) a few years ago and settled into a secure job with health insurance and started trying to get my diabetes under control. Through my health insurance my insulin is nearly $800. Without using my health insurance and going to a sliding scale clinic I am able to get my insulin for around $60. For at least 10 years I have had these attacks - sometimes every month - sometimes a few times a year - now they are every few weeks. I start with a severe pain right under my ribs in the middle, then violent vomiting and diarrhea until I am empty then the pain goes away. Now it happens with a loud train whistle in my ears, sweating, shaking, blurry vision, vomiting, can barely stay conscious and there is no way I can stand up and walk - I hit walls and fall down - and I have a hard time catching my breath. After about an hour or two of vomiting I am weak and fall asleep. When I have been to the ER I was told I had a bad gastro problem. I knew they were wrong. It happened at work a few months ago - very embarrassing - laying on the bathroom floor - trying to clean up vomit and not pass out. I have recently had an upper GI and colonoscopy - normal results. I have been struggling to pay what my insurance hasn't paid and can't make myself go to the Endocrinologist because that will just be more bills in the mail that I can't pay. When the attacks happen I really would rather be dead - they are terrible. I am so depressed and know that there is no solution. It sure does sound kinda like DKA to me.

I was diagnosed T2 in March 2017, at 69 years old. Then in March 2019 my blood sugars started to rise . I couldn't figure out why because for two years I kept them in the normal range with just diet/exercise. I was just getting weaker and weaker until finally on May 10 I drove myself to the ER (which is only a couple of minutes from my home). I did not know about DKA, but that's what I had. I was kept in hospital for 4 1/2 days. Now I'm on insulin and it's been an up and down process trying to regulate it with eating. I did not know how far out of it I was until I came out of it. Scared my family to death. The nurses told me I was lucky to get there when I did. I'm waiting for the antibody results to come back so I will know which it is. Since I'm new at this T1/insulin thing can anyone tell me how long it takes to get the insulin/eating regulated. I know everyone is different, but any tips would be appreciated. I've been as low as 2.1 and high as 18. Both are scary and I feel trapped by this disease. Thank you in advance.

I am a 53 year old female that was diagnosed with diabetes after giving birth to my son at the age of 27. July of 2018, I drove myself to work and after being at work for an hour, started not to feel well. I checked my blood sugar and it was 135. I had a co-work take me to an urgent care facility. They checked my blood pressure and determined my blood pressure was kind of low (88/55). They proceeded to give me an IV and after the IV my blood pressure came back up to 113/70. I got up to leave the urgent care and got very dizzy. Left urgent care and went to the ER. Once I arrived at the ER, they noticed that my blood pressure was beginning to drop again. My blood sugar was 275. I gave myself a correction. Two hours go by and 2 bags of IV and my blood pressure continued to drop. It bottomed out at 44/22 and my blood sugar was over 500. I end up having a pick line put in my neck to give meds directly to my heart to get my blood pressure back up, more IV and an insulin drip. The nurse and doctor's found it amazing that through all of this I was able to communicate, laugh and tell jokes. I was in ICU for 3 days and released from the hospital after 5 days. This was my first time ever experiencing anything like this.

I went through this last May. Food poisoning followed by DKA. The ER doctors did not care about the food poisoning, just started with fluids ands insulin drip. I guess the cause did not matter at that point. They did try to tell me it was human error, that I must have had a kink in the tubing that caused insulin not to be properly administered. After reading your experience, I stand by the fact that food poisoning caused my serious DKA situation.