Well it would seem another 'diabetic moment' to come from last week's epic activities is my ability to catch germs in a nano second. I should've seen this coming too, same thing happened last year. This year, and last, I'm confident I can pint point exactly when I picked up the bug. You know when you just know. Well I thought it got me good last year! Nope this year was worse, and yes I do have a flu shot every year. I have had every single flu symptom possible from cold & hot sweats to body aches, runny nose, sore throat, chest cough, nausea... the list goes on. I've spent the better half of the last four days on the floor or in bed and I still feel like death warmed over. I also can't seem to handle Cold and Flu pills, they all make me dizzy and drowsy, which especially when I'm home alone, worries me! (Is this just one of my little oddities or is this a diabetic thing????) Just to sock it to me, this is the first time I've been sick and not had Mum around.
As us diabetics all know though, flu symptoms are not nearly our only concern when sick. Blood sugars + sick = Ugh!!!! Talk about stress! I can't remember the last time I was struck down so bad, and last night it came to a head: I got scared and began telling my partner that we may have to consider calling a doctor or taking me into the hospital. My blood sugars wouldn't come under 20 all day (which I'd been been stressing over more and more with every reading and am sure were also making me feel more nauseous), and by 7pm it actually seemed that the more insulin I injected, the higher I was going! To make matters worse, what little I could seem to stomach getting pass my lips, didn't seem to want to stay in me very long! Oh and did I mention how much stress simply hates me? - always making my blood sugars even higher.
Some days the battle with diabetes can seem so unfair, full of 'what ifs' and calculations even Einstein would perhaps be proud of. Its easy to get wrapped up, wound up, turned inside out and upside down and then not even really quite realise how you got there, just that its a diabetic thing... But that's just it, its a battle some days and a few deep breaths can go a long way to making sure I take one day at a time, one blood sugar at a time, one sick day at a time.
I'm miles better than I was on Monday and I'm certainly not invincible, so its back to the couch with a good book...maybe the TV remote too, to keep those stress levels in check. I will be checking in with the doctor tonight or tomorrow which will also help of course. The blood sugars are gradually coming down, but it can still be hard to shake that horrible feeling that niggles away inside when I know that a high blood sugar is lingering around too long, as if I can almost feel it damaging me! Cue deep breathing!
On a lighter note, I have to say I am so lucky to have one of the best boyfriends in the entire universe. Despite the palest skin, the sweating, the sniffling, coughing, cracked voice, watery eyes (and probably potential highly contagious at the beginning), he has not once fluttered at eye lid at looking after me, even coming home from work to look after me... that definitely makes the battle a lot easier too!
and Hey, I hear this bug is going around and striking even the 'normal' down.
Hi, I've recently found you thanks to Diabetic Living :)
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to say thanks for your efforts. It's really great to see at least one other person feeling the same! Some times I get a bit down that even my husband ( who is AMAZING at diabetic care and understanding, doesn't 'get it', doesn't understand the muscle fatigue or deep frustration that comes with trying to simply eat, work, exercise and have a bit of fun. May I ask, have you considered an insulin pump? I've had one for a few years and though my control still isn't great it is SO much better! And I feel SO less tired all the time. My sister in law of 8 years said after a few months "sorry do I know you??" my family noticed I was less tired and cranky within weeks of starting it. It is daunting but even if you just use the basics like I do it is so worth it. One major advantage for me was that it records what insulin you have (I was also injecting in autopilot and then not remembering what I'd given myself or even if I had it at all!) and it does most of the calcs - no need for that Einstein brain at 3am or after several hypos :) Mikael