GIRL'S ONLY!

How to keep the ketones down on your bad days.

Cry?
Well, okay maybe a little, but that's not all you do.

Rest?
Well, yeh...hey, stop guessing and let me explain.

So, that day comes and your blood sugars are far from normal and your ketones are trace or higher. What do you do?

Well, for one, if your first days are as bad as mine the first thing on your list should be TAKE THE DAY OFF!

My first days are so bad that I am literally on the couch for four or five hours (which is most of the day), writhing in pain. That is a pretty good indicator that you are indisposed for the day.

Nobody talk to me, touch me or try to move me! Right? Well, that is me anyway.

So, if that is also you, DON'T TRY DOING ANYTHING!

Of course you won't want to do anything anyway, but as a reminder, don't do anything. Your body is very stressed as it is, you don't need to make yourself more stressed and sick.

Stress makes your blood sugar uncontrollably high which then causes you to get ketones in your urine, which is too much sugar (glucose) in your system. This is bad! Too many ketones could cause you to pass out, go into convulsions and/or go into a coma which then would kill you.

Does this sound good to you? NO! DANGER!

How do I prevent that,you ask. Well, tight control of your blood sugars, drinking water and resting!

It may sound easy, but when your body is in so much stress than it becomes more difficult to have tight control of your blood sugars.

For tight control of blood sugars I usually write them all down and check every two hours. Yes, it is a pain in the neck but it works! That way you can know what your blood sugar is and you can act on it.

It is very important that you keep track of your blood sugars! Especially when your body is under stress.

Here is the chart I use for writing my blood sugars down. It is easy to use and easy to read. Doctors like it and you can fax it in when you are finished filling it out. Check out my blood sugar chart sample for a sample picture of what it should look like!

At the bottom of this page is a blood sugar chart that you can print off and use for yourself. Make sure to check it out!

Drink water! This also is very important when your body is under stress, and especially when you have ketones. You must keep yourself hydrated.

If you have ketones, more water will help flush them out, and tight blood sugar control will keep them away.

Though you must stay hydrated, don't drink anything if you are vomiting! You will throw it right back up!

When you feel that you can hold something in your stomach again, sip some Coke a little at a time to help your stomach to settle down.

Also, if you can, sip water until you can start drinking gulps of it to stay hydrated.

The only reason you would need to take gulps is if you have ketones.

Another thing you can do to relax the cramps and lower your stress level a little is use heat pads on your abdomen and back. A hot water bottle works well.

I also like to use what I call a Jasamine pouch. You can make them easy. A Jasamine pouch is a "pouch" filled with Jasamine rice. You can heat it in the microwave and put it on the tender spots for immediate relief.

I personally love these! The very first time I used one, I was at a friend's house. I was very sick until I was given this to relax my cramps...it worked!!!

You can also buy heating pads for your back or abdomen. These are nice if you are just not feeling well and you are going to go somewhere or do something. That way you can still have the heat wherever you go!

For those of you whose first day isn't so bad, this is for you. If you feel like you can still do something...do! Walk a little or ride your bike slowly or just rest and watch a movie. It's still not bad to just take the day off, but if you keep moving your blood sugars might not be so high.

You still need to drink water to stay hydrated and keep your ketones down.

Although you may feel good, your stress level is still higher than normal because of all the hormones running through your body getting ready to hold a child. Isn't that exciting?

Sorry, I think it is exciting! I hope you do too and take care of your body!

Blood sugar chart print-out

Controlling ketones on the bad days

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