Apparently low carb causes DKA for T1D's

Sunny_Bunny_
Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
edited November 23 in Social Groups
So I went with my T1D daughter to her new diabetes nurse today and we liked her very well except that when discussing why using an insulin pump was difficult for my daughter, because she has a high insulin to carb ratio and can easily use 100+ units a day, therefore the pump had to be changed quite often, I mentioned that if she wanted to use less insulin she would have to eat less carbs. The nurse responded with "Well, you really need to make sure every meal has between 30-60g or you will get DKA" (diabetic ketoacidosis).
Uhhhhhh. Ok then. I never said stop taking insulin.
Anyway, I like the new place better already because they have better education available (not from this nurse) and immediately referred us to a dietician as well.
Now with that said, my daughter isn't interested in low carbing anyway, so it won't matter if this dietician is on board with that or not. But I'm still curious. I guess I'll be good and keep my mouth shut.

Replies

  • saraphim41
    saraphim41 Posts: 205 Member
    You have amazing self control.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    I have read a little about ketoacidosis and type 1 since my neighbor has almost died from ketoacidosis I gather. I really do not see why a type 1 could not eat low carb if they were taught how to balance insulin injections with carb intake based on just the below info.

    dietdoctor.com/low-carb-manage-type-1-diabetes

    The below article does seem be balanced and covers why I became more insulin resistant (not a concern to me) on a high fat diet. When I first got into ketosis my fasting glucose levels could drop to 55-65 but 10 months into consistent ketosis after 12 hours of fasting it will still be around 90+ with a 102 being the highest I have recorded.
    diabetesforecast.org/2011/mar/are-carbs-the-enemy.html?referrer=https://www.google.com/

    I strongly suggest reading this article to the end if you or a love one are type 1.
    marksdailyapple.com/type-1-diabetes-paleo-primal/#axzz3jH0ao8XH

    Keep in mind the medical training today for the most part is that low carb will 'kill' one with Type 1, Type 2 or NO diabetes. You can find tons of articles that will state that we all know already.
  • DrawnToScale
    DrawnToScale Posts: 126 Member
    My T1D friend suggested checking out Dr. Bernstein's low-carb treatment of T1D. This doctor is a T1D himself.

    http://www.diabetes-book.com/video-dr-bernsteins-diabetes-university/
  • jamie_lee80
    jamie_lee80 Posts: 176 Member
    I am 34 years old and was diagnosed with T1D at the age of 10. I am on a pump as well. I have done the typical 45-60 grams of carbs at each meal and chased it with large doses of insulin. Due to this living this lifestyle for 24 years now, I am approx 100 lbs overweight and am now dealing with the beginning stages of retinopathy. The retinopathy scares me to death. I picked up Dr. Bernstein's book and just finished reading it and I have to tell you that every word made so much sense to me, I wish that I would have found this many, many years ago. Dr. Bernstein is 80 years old, he was diagnosed with T1D 68 years ago, before you were able to test your blood sugar at home, before so many of the medical advances that we have available today. When he was diagnosed, T1D was basically a death sentence. I only started eating low carb on Monday of this week, I cut back on my cardio and have added more strength training to my workouts and for the most part my blood sugar has been fantastic and holding steady. I wear a continuous glucose monitor so that I can stay aware of my trends. For most of the day I am staying under 100, I am having an issue in the morning where I am rising to 130-140 after breakfast that I am working on and i'm sure it will take some more time, but already this is a huge improvement over the spikes and crashes that I have dealt with in the past.

    I have nobody to blame but myself, however, I wish that my parents would have been aware of a low carb lifestyle and pushed me towards it when I was younger. I can only hope that I caught this in time and can reverse and prevent any more damage to my body. I have an appointment with my endocronologist in 6 weeks and I am really excited to see how my bloodwork compares to the last time I was there.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    @jamie_lee80 thanks for your post. It is good you at least know about low carb and can at least work to offset the side effects of diabetes. We all wish we had known sooner but at 64 the side effect of carbs are fading but the arthritis past damage is still there but not the inflammation like it has been for the past 40 years.

    Having teenage kids with risk of my condition was one thing that drove me so hard to master very LCHF in my life.
  • batlott
    batlott Posts: 61 Member
    As I understand diabetes, the cause of DKA is lack of insulin, so the blood sugar rises, the body begins to try to burn ketones. The ketones begin to rise in the blood. It often happens in young women who are not taking their insulin to keep from gaining weight. Insulin is a storage hormone, so if no insulin is available the glucose is not burned nor stored. When the person presents to the ER with DKA they need insulin and fluids. So it is always necessary to keep the insulin and carbs in balance.
  • Sunny_Bunny_
    Sunny_Bunny_ Posts: 7,140 Member
    It's so funny that all of us know this but that nurse doesn't.
    My daughter doesn't want to cut carbs to specifically eat low carb. She won't binge on a 100g meal or anything, but has no intention of low carbing.
    I know it can be done safely. I have talked to her about it and it's one of the reasons I am Keto. I want her to see all the good foods that can be eaten and show her that I'm willing to make "sacrifices" for better health (which is how I felt at first, not so much now). I was only talking to her about trying 100g or so a day. There's no need for her to go as low as what I decided to. I just wanted the extra challenge and as it turns out, it's not really so difficult.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,159 Member
    Sunny kids can be funny. My son was missing from the trade show booth on Monday when a rush came in so I texted him. He was in the bathroom. I told him carbs was what caused my IBS to start years ago. He said no it was just a sweet roll that he had eaten. The light bulb may come on some day. His twin sister told me last week she was starting to watch how much sugar she was eating. She now has a part time job at Culver's and said she is cutting back on the custard soft serve at break time. :)

    A living example can have an impact on family members.
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