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The Question
08/12/09 07:25 AM

"My Endo says that Ketone Test Strips are a waste of time and money but, I find them very useful. What are your thoughts?"
Asked By: wheber2  
Category: Blood Glucose Monitoring

Background Info Hide
My insurance co is now covering the costs of Ketone Test Strips. When I asked my Endo for a prescription he refused to write one saying it's a waste of time and money. I'm on an insulin pump and it suggests that I use ketone test strips. I like to use them when I exercise. If, I test bg at 250 I might HAVE ketones so, any exercise will bring it higher. If, I test 250 and I DON"T have ketones then my bg's will drop. So, I find it very valuable to use. Not, to mention when I get DKA.

Expert Answers (1)

09/25/09 09:44 PM

Well, in our practice ketone strips are a must for all type 1 patients and some type 2 patients, and especially patients on insulin pumps as there is no reserve of long acting insulin if there is a pump or site problem. Of course testing your blood sugar is the first method to assess if pump is working correctly, but if high did you miscalculate carbs, forget to bolus, or is pump not working. If you check for urine ketones when >240 and see you have moderate/large ketones then you know you have a problem and can change your infusion site etc and bring down your blood sugar. If this same situation happened and you didn't check for ketones you may do repeated boluses through a bad pump site and continue to go higher and feel worse and worse leading to DKA. So, yes, I agree that having ketone test strips is helpful. I think your endo should respect your request for ketone strips.
Answered By: Shannon Lyles
Accreditations: BSN, RN, CDE
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