When a child is sick, why can ketones appear 15minutes after vomiting when blood sugar has been low?

Hi Ashti,

David Mendosa wrote a share post about ketones that discusses the very situation you are describing.

"Ketones are acids released into the blood when your body breaks down its stores of fat and burns it for energy. Two things can cause your body to do that. One is when you don't have enough glucose to use for energy. The other is when your insulin level is too low. In either case your body then make ketones, which are waste products that might cause the acid level in your blood to become too high."

"So, what are the symptoms? Unfortunately, they aren't so specific as to be easy for you to diagnose. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) says that they are "nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain."

You can read the entire sharepost here, but one passage goes on to say; "A high ketone level may not be easy to diagnose, but at least the experts pretty much agree about what it is. The disagreement is with the relationship between ketones, sometimes called ketone bodies, and diabetic ketoacidosis, sometimes called ketoacidosis.

Worse, the experts tell me that when you have diabetic ketoacidosis you may also have these same symptoms. But the NIDDK also lists "fruity breath odor and rapid breathing" among the symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis. It goes on to say that untreated diabetic ketoacidosis can lead to coma and even death.

So it's no wonder that controversy rages about ketones. This stuff is something that all of us need to take seriously."

Sounds like this is a question for your child's doctor. Online sites are great for getting all the information you need to ask all the right questions, but nothing can take the place of your doctor's sage advice and care.

Hope this gives you something to go on. Take care and stay in touch, let us know how you are doing!

Vicki M