Episode 102: Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA)

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a dangerous medical complication of type 1 diabetes. Even if you're already diagnosed, it's possible to experience DKA if your pump site kinks, you have bad insulin, and many other circumstances.

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In this episode, we discuss:

What causes it.
The risk factors for going into DKA.
Symptoms to watch out for.
How to treat it.
Recovery.
Prevention in the future.

We also briefly touch on the difference between diabetic ketoacidosis and nutritional ketosis. We also mention ketone strips. Below, you can see what a generic bottle of ketone strips looks like:

Credit: Wikipedia

Wins & Fails

Colleen's Win: This is my first non-diabetes-related win of the podcast! I'm writing an epic fantasy novel and am publishing in November this year (2021). To sign up for updates, visit talahm.com.

Jessie's Fail: She tried some new patches to cover her CGM, but they didn't last as long as her usual ones.

Hack or Tip of the Week

Share the warning signs of diabetic ketoacidosis. Your coworkers and bosses, your classmates and teachers can all benefit from knowing the signs. Sometimes we’re so in our own heads that we don’t recognize signs and symptoms of DKA in the moment that we need another person clued in on it. Let other people help look out for you.

Diabetic ketoacidosis (also known as DKA) is a dangerous medical complication of untreated T1D. In this episode, we discuss what causes it, the risk factors for going into DKA, symptoms to watch out for, how to treat it, recovery, and prevention in the future. We also briefly touch on the difference between diabetic ketoacidosis and nutritional ketosis.

Diabetes Spotlight

The University of Edinburgh in Scotland released a new cancer treatment. Since cancer can behave similarly to diabetes (Jessie explains in the episode), this is another step toward a cure.

"Scientists from the University of Edinburgh believe the SeNBD molecule can trick cancerous cells into ingesting them when combined with a chemical food compound without harming healthier cells.

The molecule - which is smaller than existing light-sensitive treatments—can pass through the body’s defences more easily, according to research carried out on human and zebrafish cells.

But further tests are required to determine whether the drug can be used as a safe and quick method of treating early stage cancers and drug-resistant bacteria."