I have previously stated that I’ve had diabetes for just over ten years now.  Early on, I was told that I needed to test for ketones when my blood sugar ran high.  In the first few years, I’d check my ketones level and never found a trace of any present.  Shortly after, the bottle of urine test strips expired and got thrown out when I moved.  After my move, I didn’t bother to replace the strips because I never found any trace of ketones.  Yeah, in hindsight that probably wasn’t my most well thought out decisions. 

Just this year, trying to better manage my diabetes, I got a new bottle of strips.  After one of my episodes previously mentioned, I tested my urine and sure enough, the strip matched to the ‘moderate amount’ color.  Honestly, my very next thought after seeing that there were ketones present was, now what the fu… heck do I do.  Seriously, I had absolutely no idea what it meant other than, this can’t be good.  What I did end up doing was getting my blood sugar down and under control.  I didn’t do anything else specific to treating the ketones.

Recently, I asked the diabetes online community (D-OC) this question: What do you do when you find a moderate amount of Ketones in your urine?  Here are some of the responses that I got. 

• Drink lots of water
• Lots of fluid, give insulin and recheck in 1 hour
• Wash your hands (funny huh)
• Water, correction, call doctor
• Check BG, Water, insulin, relax
• Lemon Water

I checked the American Diabetes Association site for more information.  They basically say to call your doctor if you find more than a trace and they should tell you what to do.  Here is some information from their site about ketones:

“Ketoacidosis (key-toe-ass-i-DOE-sis) is a serious condition that can lead to diabetic coma (passing out for a long time) or even death. Ketoacidosis may happen to people with type 1 diabetes.

Ketoacidosis occurs rarely in people with type 2 diabetes. But some people — especially older people — with type 2 diabetes may experience a different serious condition. It’s called hyperosmolar nonketotic coma (hi-per-oz-MOE-lar non- key-TOT-ick KO-ma).

Ketocidosis means dangerously high levels of ketones. Ketones are acids that build up in the blood. They appear in the urine when your body doesn’t have enough insulin. Ketones can poison the body. They are a warning sign that your diabetes is out of control or that you are getting sick.” [source]

I also checked with the Joslin clinic and they say:

“Drink plenty of water and fluids containing no calories to “wash out” the ketones. Continue testing your blood glucose every 3 – 4 hours, testing for ketones if the blood glucose is over 250 mg/dl. Do not exercise if your blood glucose is over 250 mg/dl and ketones are present.” [source]

In hindsight, the moderate amount of ketones may have been due to the exercising I did just before testing.  If I’m supposed to check my ketones every time my blood sugar is over 250, I may need to order a bit more.  I hope this helps and at least gives you some information about what to do if you ever find ketones in your urine.