[boredinboise]

Hiya... I have a lot of diabetes that runs in my family. One family member was recently hospitalized with acidketosis ? She was never good about taking the insulin and I have talked to her about it in the past, cos I was so concerned...

My question is this: How long does it take for that condition to set in? She swears that she has been taking her shots, but I'm just wondering how long she may have been going without.

She won't tell me and i'm very worried about it.

TIA...

[xMenace]

It takes at least a few days.

Find her meter and run through the memory. No tests, no compliance, regardless if she shoots or not. Non-compliance is not good.

[boredinboise]

She doesn't check her sugars.

It's just that the family may think that it might have been attention seeking behavior. She's still in ICU. She says she sometimes shoots, but no one can tell if she does. I'm just wondering how long she may have stopped the insulin if she wanted to get attention to go to the hospital. She's been diabetic for two years now but I was wondering if she could have gone months without shooting or just days, you know?

I'm just wondering if she planned it... It sounds odd and unkind, I know.

[xMenace]

Originally Posted by boredinboise

I'm just wondering if she planned it... It sounds odd and unkind, I know.

It happens a lot.

Maybe search out some local support groups.

[fgummett]

Diabetic ketoacidosis - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

My understanding is that this occurs over a shorter period of time... not months

[notme]

There really is not enough information to give you your answer. If you family member is a type two and taking insulin, ketoacidosis can happen over a much longer period of time. If you family member is a type one, it only takes hours to days for ketoacidosis to make them quite ill.

Even if your family member planned this as an attention seeking illness, she needs help. Either way, she is playing a dangerous game that can end in complications or death.

Not testing your blood sugar "ever" when you are taking insulin is just flat dangerous. Your family member needs education and help in learning how to deal with diabetes. If her blood sugar was low and she took insulin, she could go very low and end up unconcious or worse.

Find help for your family member. She needs help and if this is an attention seeking behaviour, give her the attention she needs. She is playing with matches and gasoline.

[boredinboise]

I'm not sure... All I know is that she had a pancreatic infection and that messed it up...

Thanks for all the replies.

[boredinboise]

It happens a lot? Really? Wow.

The whole thing has been very stressful.

Thanks for the help...

Be well all.

[slipperyelm]

Were you unable to ask other family members about ketoacidosis? Maybe they were too distraught to talk to them about the general facts. If your diabetic family members do not know how ketoacidosis happens, they could use a little more education about diabetes.

I hope your hospitalized family member will recover well and that if she needs psychiatric intervention she will get it. Or if she needs diabetes education, I hope she gets that. If she needs a diabetic support group....well, they are all over the internet. If she uses the internet, she can find us, for example.

[fgummett]

Originally Posted by boredinboise

...she had a pancreatic infection and that messed it up...

Do you mean she had a pancreatic infection that lead to the diabetes, or that she has just had an infection recently..? If recent that could also be the cause of the KA.

[boredinboise]

Yes, she had a pancreatic infection year five years ago that brought on diabetes.

The acidketosis just happened a few days ago, which is why I posted my question cos I'm not sure how long she may have gone without shooting.

Again, I appreciate all of the replies.