You don't understand why you are losing weight so quickly, you skin is always hot to the touch and dry to the point its is scaly or flaky. Maybe you have noticed your hear start racing for no understandable reason?

If you are diabetic there is a pretty good chance you are in DKA or Diabetic Ketoacidosis. Other symptoms will include unquenchable thirst, very strong odor when you urinate and frequent urination. and a fruity odor to your breathe. You need to seek medical attention right away and here is what has happened.

With diabetics it is not uncommon for the pancreas to still be creating insulin but not enough to fuel the cells in your body. Over time the pancreas may reduce the insulin it creates or stop making it all together. Either this has occurred or you have not been watching your diet and taking your medications properly.

In either case the body do not have enough insulin to break down sugars and feed the cells. Your body send out a signal that the cells are getting fed to create the energy your body needs. The liver kick off a release of sugar because the body does not know the sugar is there it just knows it needs more for the cells. This creates the frequent urination and dry mouth as your body is dehydrating.

Still the cells are not getting the fuel they need to energize your body. As a final defense mechanism your body will start taking stored fat deposits and breaking them down into fuel for the cells to keep going. You will notice it over a very short period of time with rapid weight loss.

When I slipped into DKA I lost 50 pounds over a 3 week period of time. My body was a skeleton and you could see the bones in my face, my back, my rib cage, basically everywhere. All the fat had been converted to fuel and my body was in critical mode. The final stage for me was a rapid heart beat that would not go away and a trip to the emergency room where I stayed in the hospital for a week to stabilize my blood sugar and adjust medication to get me back on track.

There is one thing you can do to prevent slipping in to DKA. Test your blood sugar and test it often. As diabetics we all know we need to test but almost all new diabetics go through a phase where you start to get comfortable with your diet and medication. We start feeling pretty good for long periods of time and our tests stay in range.

Without fail we start reducing the amount of testing we do until it's only once in awhile. High blood sugar is a silent killer because it damages the body over long periods of time and if a diabetic is not paying attention and testing on a regular basis the damage can be done without even knowing it has occurred.

The best thing about my stay in the hospital with DKA was the fantastic diabetes education I received and understanding that it does not matter if my blood sugar levels stay in range for years, diabetes is a constantly changing disease and I must continue to test every single day.

After I got out of the hospital everyone wanted to know what had happened and when I said I had DKA you know what question I got? What is DKA? Well now you know a little about it and if you or anyone you know is displaying the symptoms above please get to the doctor or hospital. your life could truly depend upon it.

If you are a diabetic or you know one, it is important that you receive some diabetic help in the way of education. There are many things that can happen and we have to be prepared for them and work towards preventive measures.