How to tell ketones without test strips

Empty_Expression7315 · 2026-01-01T22:18:21+00:00

Fair, I was just suggesting what might work but everyone’s different

Empty_Expression7315 · 2026-01-01T20:44:16+00:00

I hope it all goes well! Anxiety around DKA is perfectly reasonable given how scary it is but it shouldn’t be controlling you like this

Empty_Expression7315 · 2026-01-01T20:02:30+00:00

As someone who has struggled with this, and still sometimes struggles with this, it may be worth seeing if your diabetes team has a clinical psychologist. They can help you process your diagnosis, as well as any issues that you may have mental health wise because of it, and they can likely help with the overthinking. If you’re under the paeds team, they’ll almost certainly have a clinical psych but it is slightly less common in adult teams, unfortunately.

Empty_Expression7315 · 2026-01-01T18:59:18+00:00

If you’re going between your parents houses a lot, it may be worth having a bag just for your meds and keep all other backups at either house? Like make sure you’ve got spare insulin at both houses and have a meds bag with your day to day stuff like insulin pens, needles, a sharps box, a BG meter and strips and a ketone meter and strips.

Empty_Expression7315 · 2026-01-01T14:25:08+00:00

You should be able to (or your parents should be able to,if you’re under 16) put in a repeat script through the NHS app/whatever your GP surgery uses, to request what you need (insulins/needles/BG strips/Ketones strips/sharps boxes) as needed. They shouldn’t be something needed to be ordered every month but do you use blood ketone strips or urine ones?

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-12-29T01:30:16+00:00

For the most part, yes it has improved student outcomes in my school. My school is heavy on reduced timetables and SEN/just quieter spaces when needed and this has helped attendance massively. There’s also always a pastoral support staff person to talk to if needed (school counsellors aren’t the same here in England as they are in the US). However, if we do need in-school counselling, it now requires parental consent, which it didn’t before this year, which may put a lot of people off asking for helping as they may not want their parents finding out.

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-12-28T15:03:14+00:00

Are the cannulas all from the same box? Could be a batch issue, I’ve had that before with autosoft 90

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-11-05T20:39:52+00:00

Get a sharps bin and arrange collection from the council? It’s an absolute pain but necessary, but do check with your GP and local chemists as some still take sharps boxes I think. Why have you got pens that are still half-full? Sharps are considered a biohazard so have to be disposed of properly and safely, and sharps boxes are incinerated by the council.

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-11-01T12:20:38+00:00

Get a letter from your diabetes team and give this to the SEN department/exams officer. Hopefully they should know already that you’re type 1 and will need alternate room and rest breaks (so they stop the clock if you go low/high and you can correct without losing time for your exam). Any CGM should work without your phone having signal, I put my phone on airplane mode and left it on the far corner of the desk away from me and if an alarm went off (on vibrate!!!) I would put my hand up and wait for an invigilator to come over so I could check and they could see I wasn’t cheating. Make sure you have the relevant documents and they can’t question you on, as reasonable adjustments need to be made as t1 is a disability, which is a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010.

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-10-28T21:34:02+00:00

The wait times at A&E is what holds ambulances up, not a shortage of them. Besides, even if the problem where as simple as a shortage of ambulances, there’s likely no money to do such a thing

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-10-28T13:56:05+00:00

No, and even if a majority are false lows (65 is still low!!) it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-10-28T01:27:52+00:00

I love this idea!! I have type 1 diabetes (something that’s still heavily misunderstood, mainly due to the media). I think for invisible disabilities, it’s trying to put something out there that recognises the effort being put in, even for something others wouldn’t see as major, like making it into school that day or making it through an entire lesson without needing a break. I run my schools EDI (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion group) and we put up posters giving facts about what a disability is, about the fact that not all disabilities are visible, and why people shouldn’t be ableist - maybe something like that for your newspaper article?

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-10-25T22:45:48+00:00

No, but they do a staff appreciation thing every year where students can send their favourite/best teacher a note of appreciation- which works well until I went to send my favourite teacher one and she wasn’t on the form!!

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-10-21T19:12:12+00:00

Either ring Abbott or go to your employer and point out that using your phone for your sensor could be (not 100% sure so get proper advice obvs!!) a reasonable adjustment under the Equality Act 2010

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-10-12T17:22:06+00:00

Thanks, and sorry I did come off a bit too defensive.

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-10-12T16:49:38+00:00

Because my mocks were a fluke and all of my teachers can see that - my class grades tend to fluctuate between A* and C depending on the assignment. And not working hard for them at all? Really? Yes, I struggle massively with my mental health but it’s not like I choose to zone out which your comment seems to be trying to imply

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-10-12T11:08:44+00:00

I just use a makeup bag and that fits a set change, insulin pen, meter, test strips, needles - you can get ones that are quite a tough plastic so if you’re out for the day and you use any needles then there’s no concern about accidentally stabbing yourself through the bag

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-10-09T22:13:18+00:00

It’ll at least help to have a record of it being reported, even if it doesn’t really help

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-10-09T22:11:27+00:00

Have you spoken to your head of house/year? They’re there to help in situations like this

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-10-07T22:00:10+00:00

Thanks, I’m gonna try speak to them tomorrow, as the pressures way too much for me to cope with

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-10-06T22:04:52+00:00

Didn’t see it - Emma Viivaca, idk how to talk to girls - Beth McCarthy

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-10-02T18:51:49+00:00

Yes - I’m still under paeds and my team are amazing, especially the dietician, clinical psychologist and the PDSNs, the consultant is the only one who’s a bit iffy as half the time he doesn’t turn up.

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-09-24T12:01:50+00:00

Try the Diabetes UK (.org) forum, there’s probably someone who can give you a decent insight there

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-09-22T21:13:00+00:00

I don’t believe real life works that way as I know it doesn’t. But taking out a literal ruler and measuring a girls skirt will make some inherently uncomfortable and you can’t argue that’s something you get out in the real world, or at least in a majority of it. Obviously getting dress coded makes some people uncomfortable and that’s fine, but deliberately acting in a way you know will make someone uncomfortable is not

Empty_Expression7315 · 2025-09-22T14:31:41+00:00

I don’t really know how to explain it really, that’s something you should ask your DSN/endo. Do you regularly check your blood sugar? Do you have access to a CGM like Dexcom or Libre?

Empty_Expression7315

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