Under normal circumstances I love May. Growing up in southern California May always had great weather, right before June Gloom. May always meant summer was that much closer and school was ending. Of course how could I not love May when it is my birthday month?! Since moving to the East Coast (even when I was in the midwest for college) May brought beautiful weather before the humidity set in. May and October are my favorite months of the year.
Not this year. May has been difficult. At the beginning of the month I came down with what I thought was a cold. Turns out I had a sinus infection and bronchitis. Off I went to see Dr. F, my primary care doc and she gave me a 10 day course of antibiotics and the ok to fly 10 days later to Boston for my brother's graduation.
When I got to Boston I was feeling 99% better except for the lingering cough. That weekend with my brother, parents, and Steve was a blast. After a visit to the Joslin my parents came down to DC and and were here for the rest of the week to celebrate my birthday. We had a great time and I was feeling alright, still had a lingering cough.
After I dropped my Dad off at the airport that Thursday (1 1/2 weeks ago) I quickly went down hill. My mom was still in town for meetings so I laid low in her hotel room. What was to be a girls weekend turned into me feeling crappy.
This past Wednesday I gave in and went to see Dr. F again. Immediately she sent me to have and xray done of my chest in case this had turned into pneumonia. Thankfully that was not the case. I still had bronchitis and sinusitis but this time added on strep throat and an ear infection. Dr. F thinks that the first course of antibiotics killed off enough of the bacteria so that I didn't have any symptoms but it didn't call off all the bacteria. She blamed the big D. DIABETES. Ugh. Diabetes makes fighting infections harder.
Back on the same antibiotics (not sure how I feel about this but anyway) but instead of 10 days I have to take it now for 14 days. That means 24 days on antibiotics with 10 days off in between. All this antibiotics led to me getting thrush. If you don't know what it is google it. Eww. Luckily I caught it before it took over my entire mouth and went to Urgent Care yesterday to get some anti-fungal medications. Last night I could hardly swallow even just my saliva and I got low twice. I said F* that and lowered my basal rate 30% overnight and stayed between 110 and 120 mg/dL.
This morning I'm better but not there yet. Through all of this dealing with diabetes has been challenging. Paying extra close attention and being extra vigilant has helped but diabetes and illness are not friends and don't get along well. The 30 day average on my meter is higher then I would like but I'm cutting myself some slack. In the past I would get upset with myself and throw my arms up in defeat. Not now. Now I am just trying to keep my mood up because this whole ordeal has been taxing.
That is why I am looking forward to June. A fresh start. Yes, I'm still sick but getting a little better every day. I'm looking forward to a healthy June. I'm looking forward to spending less time indoors (as much as I love my condo I'm getting sick of being inside!) Most of all I'm looking forward to spending time with Steve when I'm not coughing all over him.
What is your favorite month? What are you looking forward to in June?
Showing posts with label illness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label illness. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
A Day with Diabetes- Being Sick Edition
Sorry in the delay posting this. I've been without internet.
This is the first post for Diabetes Blog Week, the genius idea of Karen from Bitter Sweet. The first day's topic is to write about a day with diabetes. Last week I was sick with bronchitis and a sinus infection which greatly affected my blood sugar levels. People with fully functioning pancreases do not have to worry about anything but their illness unlike people with diabetes. Instead of concentrating on making sure I have enough kleenex around (I ran out!) people with diabetes (PWD) are forced to deal with not only their illness but also their diabetes. The stress on the body from being sick causes high blood sugars. Let me tell ya, it is not fun. Dealing with being high and being sick makes a simple cold feel a lot worse.
So here is what one of my days was like last week:
1:30 AM Woken up as I am coughing up a lung. I take more of my cough syrup with codeine (which sure does taste like it has some sugar in it) and figure I should test my blood sugar. 246 mg/dL. Oh crap. Ok, take a correction bolus and try to go back to sleep.
5:45 AM Up again coughing. I get up to test again. 161 mg/dL which is better but still too high. I do another correction bolus and crawl back into bed hoping to get some sleep.
8 AM Steve is off to work so I get up and test, again. 186 mg/dL. Argh. Wrong direction. Ok, give a correction bolus and back to bed for sicko.
10 AM I get up and test. 96 mg/dL. Now that is more like it! I decide to take a long hot steamy shower to help clear out my sinuses.
11 AM Starting to get hungry so I go and test. 142mg/dL. Guess my long shower disconnected from the pump was too long! Oops. Should have given myself a bolus for the amount of insulin I was missing. I figure out what I'm in the mood to eat and eat it first before bolusing since my hunger hasn't been around much since I've been sick. After I eat I bolus for the carbs in my breakfast/lunch.
1:15 PM Feeling crappy again so I test and I'm 233 mg/dL. Ok, I know I counted those carbs correctly. Ugh. Give myself a bolus correction and it's back to curling up on the couch with the laptop.
3 PM Time to test again. 271 mg/dL. Again WRONG DIRECTION. Correction bolus and off to find another box of kleenex.
3:30 PM Starting to feel really lethargic and headachey. Best to test. 225 mg/dL. Ok, at least I'm coming back down.
5 PM Test once again: 258 mg/dL. Quick bolus while I make myself another cup of tea.
6:45 PM Steve's home from work which means dinner time. I'm 214 mg/dL. I (ok my pump does the math I just enter the blood sugar and carbs) figure out how much insulin to take for my high blood sugar and for dinner.
9 PM Curious if I'm out of the 200's I test again. Uhmm nope. 250 mg/dL. I barely had any carbs in dinner! Remind myself that I'm doing the best I can. I correct and go back to hanging out with Steve.
11 PM Getting ready for bed. I'm 183 mg/dL which is better. I take my cough syrup with codeine and give myself a correction bolus plus a little extra for the sugar in the cough syrup.
That is what one of my days was like last week. I did not take symlin last week because I had no appetite and the symlin was just too much. Now that I'm feeling better (aside from this damn cough) I'm back on the symlin.
This is the first post for Diabetes Blog Week, the genius idea of Karen from Bitter Sweet. The first day's topic is to write about a day with diabetes. Last week I was sick with bronchitis and a sinus infection which greatly affected my blood sugar levels. People with fully functioning pancreases do not have to worry about anything but their illness unlike people with diabetes. Instead of concentrating on making sure I have enough kleenex around (I ran out!) people with diabetes (PWD) are forced to deal with not only their illness but also their diabetes. The stress on the body from being sick causes high blood sugars. Let me tell ya, it is not fun. Dealing with being high and being sick makes a simple cold feel a lot worse.
So here is what one of my days was like last week:
1:30 AM Woken up as I am coughing up a lung. I take more of my cough syrup with codeine (which sure does taste like it has some sugar in it) and figure I should test my blood sugar. 246 mg/dL. Oh crap. Ok, take a correction bolus and try to go back to sleep.
5:45 AM Up again coughing. I get up to test again. 161 mg/dL which is better but still too high. I do another correction bolus and crawl back into bed hoping to get some sleep.
8 AM Steve is off to work so I get up and test, again. 186 mg/dL. Argh. Wrong direction. Ok, give a correction bolus and back to bed for sicko.
10 AM I get up and test. 96 mg/dL. Now that is more like it! I decide to take a long hot steamy shower to help clear out my sinuses.
11 AM Starting to get hungry so I go and test. 142mg/dL. Guess my long shower disconnected from the pump was too long! Oops. Should have given myself a bolus for the amount of insulin I was missing. I figure out what I'm in the mood to eat and eat it first before bolusing since my hunger hasn't been around much since I've been sick. After I eat I bolus for the carbs in my breakfast/lunch.
1:15 PM Feeling crappy again so I test and I'm 233 mg/dL. Ok, I know I counted those carbs correctly. Ugh. Give myself a bolus correction and it's back to curling up on the couch with the laptop.
3 PM Time to test again. 271 mg/dL. Again WRONG DIRECTION. Correction bolus and off to find another box of kleenex.
3:30 PM Starting to feel really lethargic and headachey. Best to test. 225 mg/dL. Ok, at least I'm coming back down.
5 PM Test once again: 258 mg/dL. Quick bolus while I make myself another cup of tea.
6:45 PM Steve's home from work which means dinner time. I'm 214 mg/dL. I (ok my pump does the math I just enter the blood sugar and carbs) figure out how much insulin to take for my high blood sugar and for dinner.
9 PM Curious if I'm out of the 200's I test again. Uhmm nope. 250 mg/dL. I barely had any carbs in dinner! Remind myself that I'm doing the best I can. I correct and go back to hanging out with Steve.
11 PM Getting ready for bed. I'm 183 mg/dL which is better. I take my cough syrup with codeine and give myself a correction bolus plus a little extra for the sugar in the cough syrup.
That is what one of my days was like last week. I did not take symlin last week because I had no appetite and the symlin was just too much. Now that I'm feeling better (aside from this damn cough) I'm back on the symlin.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Diabetes+Illness
I'm sick. What I thought was becoming a cold has gone straight to my lungs. I'm feeling pretty miserable.
On our way home from dinner I turned to Steve and said that my throat was starting to hurt. Within 10 minutes I was feeling bad. My first thought was "well that explains all those highs I've been dealing with for the past week." Is it bad that I felt a sense of relief to have an explanation even if it meant that I was sick?
Yesterday, after a restless nights sleep, Steve and I participated in the JDRF Walk for a Cure at National's Stadium. I felt bad but was determined to participate in the walk. It was hot out but Steve and I finished and made it home to crash on the couch for a bit. Ever since my blood sugars have been phenomenal. As in I've been hanging out between 70-110.
So today I am testing every 2 hours and curling up on the couch with a cup of hot tea. I despise being sick and having diabetes just makes being sick worse.
Sorry this is such a complaining post.
On our way home from dinner I turned to Steve and said that my throat was starting to hurt. Within 10 minutes I was feeling bad. My first thought was "well that explains all those highs I've been dealing with for the past week." Is it bad that I felt a sense of relief to have an explanation even if it meant that I was sick?
Yesterday, after a restless nights sleep, Steve and I participated in the JDRF Walk for a Cure at National's Stadium. I felt bad but was determined to participate in the walk. It was hot out but Steve and I finished and made it home to crash on the couch for a bit. Ever since my blood sugars have been phenomenal. As in I've been hanging out between 70-110.
So today I am testing every 2 hours and curling up on the couch with a cup of hot tea. I despise being sick and having diabetes just makes being sick worse.
Sorry this is such a complaining post.
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