# Diabetic ketoacidosis and weight gain



## NicNic (Apr 7, 2010)

I was admitted to hospital a few weeks ago with ketoacidosis.  It gave me a bit of a shock and I'm now controlling my levels much better than I had been recently.  However, this (I think) is making me gain weight.  Any ideas on when weight gain might stop??  (I've put on nearly a stone in 4 weeks.)  I'm not overweight (at all!) but am a little obsessive about my weight/size.  Thanks for help and advice!!


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## xxlou_lxx (Apr 7, 2010)

Might depend on 2 things really, one being how long you had DKA and how much you actually lost through having it. I guess you will put on what you lost because your body is getting back to normal again, but unless you have changed your eating habbits then thats all you should gain i would think?


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## randomange (Apr 7, 2010)

It's apparently quite common to put weight on when your control improves. The reason (to quote my DSN) is that you're no longer peeing a whole load of sugar down the toilet!   If your levels were particularly high before, then a lot of the calories you were taking in weren't actually being used by your body, but once your insulin levels are right(ish ) and your blood sugars start to come down, then your body can actually process these calories properly again.


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## sofaraway (Apr 7, 2010)

spot on from Ange, this is the most likely reason you are putting weight on. From running high and getting DKA you will have lost alot of water weight and been very dehydrated so a couple of kg will be just the rehydration, the rest from the imporved levels. 

If you are worried about your weight, make sure you are not feeding your insulin. Try matching your insulin to your need rather than eating to fit your insulin dose. Are you currently carb counting?


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## NicNic (Apr 7, 2010)

Yeah, am carb counting and it's going pretty well.  I'm not at all overweight - just don't want to be..


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## sofaraway (Apr 7, 2010)

Thats good you are carb counting so don't have to eat if you don't want to. Are you doing much exercise? that will help with weight and also increase your insulin sensitivity.


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## sophieee (Apr 7, 2010)

NicNic said:


> I was admitted to hospital a few weeks ago with ketoacidosis.  It gave me a bit of a shock and I'm now controlling my levels much better than I had been recently.  However, this (I think) is making me gain weight.  Any ideas on when weight gain might stop??  (I've put on nearly a stone in 4 weeks.)  I'm not overweight (at all!) but am a little obsessive about my weight/size.  Thanks for help and advice!!





I ran for months with having HIGH blood sugars, and I actually put on quie a lot then, when I was high. I think it was because I was eating so much, as having consistently high bloods can cause excessive hunger, and I've only actually started losing some now my bloods are more 'normal'. Also, if you're going hypo a lot, that can be a cause of weight gain, as you're constantly treating it with glucose and eating even if you're not actually hungry. If I'm making any sense at all...


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## NicNic (Apr 7, 2010)

*Sofaraway:*  Yeah, I am exercising, I'm quite an active person!!  With carb counting I was told that I could skip meals if I wanted but then when I've been reading up after my time in hospital it suggests that I should never stop taking my insulin so I'm a bit confused... I have always taken my glargine every 24 hours and my Novorapid according to the carbs I eat so if I want to have e.g. one meal each day that does not contain carbs, is that ok??

*Sophieee:*  Thanks - I try to correct hypos with lucozade rather than eating sugary foods.. Not having loads of hypos tho..


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## rachelha (Apr 7, 2010)

Nic I also have issues regarding my weight/size.  I have quite a lot of hypos and worry about the about of calories I am getting from all of the glucotabs etc.  If it is not too bad a hypo I try and treat it with fruit juice so at least I am getting something healthy inside me.

Did you lose weight before the DKA?  As if your levels were too high for a while it may have been similar to prediagnosis when you lose weight as your body can not use the carbohydrate.


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## Northerner (Apr 7, 2010)

NicNic said:


> *Sofaraway:*  Yeah, I am exercising, I'm quite an active person!!  With carb counting I was told that I could skip meals if I wanted but then when I've been reading up after my time in hospital it suggests that I should never stop taking my insulin so I'm a bit confused... I have always taken my glargine every 24 hours and my Novorapid according to the carbs I eat so if I want to have e.g. one meal each day that does not contain carbs, is that ok??
> ..



Hi, you should always take your glargine, but it is possible to not inject the novorapid if you skip a meal or eat a no-carb meal. Some people find that they might need a very small amout of novorapid for a meal that is no-carb, but the only way to find out is to try it and test.


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## NicNic (Apr 7, 2010)

Rachelha:  I've always been quite slim...when I came out of hospital I'd lost a bit more than half a stone which went back on pretty quickly but I'm now heavier than I've been for years...  (Only a few pounds though..)


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## glodee (Apr 7, 2010)

Hi Nic,
You are probably just returning to normal. When we are not producing insulin, the body gets energy from fat, where ever it can find it. So basically, the body absorbs energy from any fat in your system, and will continue to do so as long as there is a lack of insulin to cenvert glucose into energy. This is why we often lose weight before diagnosis. I lost nearly 3 stone, and lost even more when I started on metformin. When I was referred to my DSN after 4 years on met, and weighing less than ever, she was horrified I was prescribed it as apparently it is not recommended for anyone with a BMI of less than 25 - mine was barely 17!!
Since starting insulin 6 weeks ago, I have put on about a stone, which I really needed to do. Try not to stress too much at this stage about weight gain. Most of it is natural and just returning your body to normal. 
Glodee


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