Being Diabetic means a lot of things, one major draw back is the nearly nonexistent immune system. It wasn't so bad when I was younger and more on top of my control but as soon as the control slipped and my levels went up the little bit of protection I had, left.
I would get every single cold and flu going around. The one time I had the flu vacc I was ill for a month (I haven't had it since and knock on wood still going strong), having the flu was what they think set off the first DKA admission that started the whole 'crap hitting the fan' years.
But it was one of the first years I was trying to get everything sorted and back on track that I got quit ill around my birthday, at first it was a cold and like most cold I have had it moved into the flu but this time it didn't get better. I got very bad with fevers and the whole shubang. Ma got very worried and finally bullied me to hospital (I must have been bad to let myself get taken in, I dig in my claws and hold on for dear life before letting myself get taken in).
Turned out it wasn't the flu it was pneumonia. It was horrible, I never felt warm, bone cold and couldn't stop shivering. But it got sorted and I was let out of the hospital and all was well.
It was a few weeks late once all the antibiotics had gotten out my system and I started feeling the same again, bone cold and couldn't stop the full body shivers but sweating so much that I'd drench through the t-shirts I'd wear to bed. I could hardly move and I couldn't sleep properly, mostly because waking up in a puddle of your own sweat is so horrible. I felt terrible and lost.
Ma took me back to the hospital, but they couldn't find anything wrong so they gave me more antibiotics and that was that.
It worked for a little while but as soon as the antibiotics where out my system everything would come crashing back.
The doctors started testing my for everything, weird and wonderful even if it was a long shot, to no avail.
It took 6 months for them to find out what was wrong, by that time my body was trying to fit off what ever was happening on it's own. After all the testing for all the wonderful diseases out there turned out it was just a simple water infection that nobody picked up on when I had the pneumonia. But untreated with the right antibiotics for so long has caused long term damage and now I have to take long term antibiotics.
If I don't take them my fevers come back and everything goes to shit again.
Diabetics don't have the best immune system to begin with, but if we don't look after ourselves and our control then it will all but disappear, leaving the body open to the smallest but deadliest things. I never would have thought a simple water infection could cause so much damage let alone long term damage too. I haven't said this directly in a while, but please look after yourselves. You don't wont to go through the soaking nights and body shakes that hurt so much. It's so much easier looking after yourself.
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