Decided to Buy Ketone Testing Strips Today and I Used One Already
I didn't think I would be using the ketone test strips 2 hrs after I bought them.
When we hear someone talking about peeing on a strip and watching it change color, the first thing that comes to most people’s minds is a home pregnancy test. That is of course, unless the person is a diabetic and they’re talking about ketone test strips. During our once a month trip to Costco today, when I stopped by the pharmacy for sugar tabs and lancets, my wife reminded me that I should see if I can buy ketone testing strips. I knew that they were available over the counter, because my mom bought a box for me back when I was first diagnosed in 2004. I can’t remember for sure if I ever tested for ketones or not before the strips expired. I should have picked up another box to have on hand, but since my blood sugar went low much more than it went dangerously high, I figured it wasn’t necessary (even though I still should have bought a box just in case). However, now that I have started using an insulin pump, I’ve come to learn that ketone test strips are even more important to have with my arsenal of diabetic supplies.
“I think I see them on the shelf,” my wife said as she pointed to a box labeled Ketostix that had a Bayer logo on the side. When we got to the front of the line we asked the pharmacy technician if they were in fact what we were looking for. She pulled down 3 different boxes. The first two boxes of Ketostix contained the basic ketone test strips, only one box was bigger than the other. The strips in the third box tested blood glucose levels in addition to testing for ketones. I’m not exactly sure how that works, but since I already have blood glucose testing supplies, I opted for the smaller box of basic ketone testing strips. I chose the smaller box because I was hoping that I would hardly ever need to use them, especially not on the same day that I bought them.
My blood sugar has been running a bit high since I started using an insulin pump last week. Morning and early afternoon has been the worst, as I have been seeing peaks over 250. Two hours after a modest lunch today my blood sugar climbed to 308. This was the highest it has been since I started on the pump last Thursday. I knew that my lunch wasn’t the culprit, since I had been high prior to eating and I had counted the carbs correctly. Curious to see how the ketone test strips worked and curious to see if my body was in fact producing ketones (the waste produced when the body has to resort to burning fat for energy), I opened the box of test strips, read the instructions and headed for the bathroom.
After it was too late, I quickly realized that I should have sat down on the seat before trying to pass the end of the strip through the stream of urine. Minute splashes darted off the end of the strip like a dying sparkler. I quickly adjusted the angle of the strip a little and made sure I had thoroughly drenched it. After double-checking my jeans for any splash marks (none found), I zipped up and watched to see if the end of the strip was changing color. After 15 seconds I only noticed a very slight color change, if any. Thank God, I’m not pregnant. Actually, after comparing the color to the diagram on the ketone strip container, it’s possible that I had trace amounts of ketones in my urine. However, it might be a good idea to test sometime when my blood glucose levels are in a normal range, just to see how the ketone testing strips look then.
My name is Kevin Lang and I am a Type 1 Diabetic who was diagnosed in May of 2004 at the age of 27. My last A1C was 6.0 in May 2015. I used to use daily shots of Lantus and Novolog to control my blood sugar until I switched to the MiniMed Paradigm Revel Insulin Pump in February 2011. To learn more about me, follow the about link in the menu bar.
You are funny. I think I’m going to look for these strips for my DH.
I haven’t seen you post in a while. Are you and your wife Okay?
S