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Should I expect to be iller now I'm type 1?

GBS_82_

Well-Known Member
Messages
70
Location
Croydon, London
Type of diabetes
Type 1
Treatment type
Insulin
Hi everyone

I was diagnosed type 1 about a month ago on the back of a nasty dose of DKA. When in hospital they discovered I also had influenza B (probably what triggered the type 1) and a chest infection. I am 33 years old.

I was in hospital for a week and a half and obviously took the rest of the week off when I was released. I said to work that I would go in three days the following week and then be back properly. However I only really made it in for half days.

It then got a bit better but for the last week or so I have had a cold. I know this pushes my blood sugar up and although frustrating I know how to manage that so it's under control. But I have felt much, much worse than I normally would with a cold and have again missed a bit of work.

I used to be one of those people who was never ill and I very rarely missed a day of work. I wanted to ask other T1s whether in their experience, they tend to be iller than previously. For example:

- do you feel iller with the common cold than you otherwise might have?
- Is it usual to take the best part of a month to recover from DKA?
- Am I being a bit pathetic and should I just be pushing through it?

My employer is really sympathetic which is a real blessing so I'm not stressed about that. I just want to make a wise decision as to whether I should be pushing through it or taking more time to rest.

Thanks in advance!

Gareth
 
GBS_82_ said:
- do you feel iller with the common cold than you otherwise might have?
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No, but as you already know controlling bg levels can be problematic.

GBS_82_ said:
Is it usual to take the best part of a month to recover from DKA?
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I'm not sure, most likely had high ketones on admission to hospital when diagnosed but have never had a DKA episode since, but reading members experiences on the forum it can take some time to recover.

GBS_82_ said:
- Am I being a bit pathetic and should I just be pushing through it?
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Of course not, it's early days yet and you've been through a lot in the last month and it's got to take its toll on you both physically and mentally.
 
I had 30 years before type 1 diabetes andhave had 20 with it. I don't take any more days off sick now than previously. Depending on what job I'm doing, I would go to work with a cold when eg working as a country park ranger, but not if I was going to be leading a group of children or doing care work, when I might pass my germs to a vulnerable person, although most of my colds are caught from children when I'm leading craft or animal handing sessions, farm tours etc.
It takes a while to get used to dignosis and managing blood glucose levels with infections, of course.
Make sure you have a flu vaccination next autumn. Also, ask about a pneumocooccal immunisation, which lasts for years, protects against some types of pneumonia, meningitis and septicaemia and you can have it any time of year.
 
Noblehead has pretty much given the same answers I would have.

What I have found is that how ill I feel seems to be more a function of my sugar and ketone levels.
I don't think I have been more prone to illness since diagnosis but I have worked quite hard to get my sugars under control pretty much since diagnosis.

One point I have noticed is that sometimes I will see a jump in my insulin requirements (or a reduction in my insulin sensitivity, same thing I guess) and this seems to tie in with when there is some bug or other going around. I suppose what makes it hard is I have always had a pretty good immune system and when I have caught something I have recovered fairly quickly. That said we are all different.

If you can keep your sugars under control and catch them early when you see them rising due to illness then there shouldn't really be any reason for you not to recover like a "normal" person.

/A
 
I was diagnosed as a teenager and definitely have had no more time off ill from education or work than anyone else I know, except for that which was self medicated....

I'd say that T1 makes no difference at all. Your mental approach to being ill is a much bigger factor than any physical effects...
 

Hi and welcome Gareth.
My answers are no, I very rarely got coughs and colds, still don't and they don't linger or make me unwell. I was diagnosed many miles from home, away from my two children, I spent one week in hospital and was advised to stay another week ( with a relative) because it was a over 200 miles coach journey. My employer, Sainsbury's were very good and HR was understanding. So when I got back home, seeing my children again and getting my head around it all, I went back to work.
Tbh, I think some people can tend to get more viruses/bugs than others, even though they didn't get them before. I am like you hardly had any time off work, I always carry on, unless, it's in extreme circumstances.
Good luck I hope you start to feel better very soon. If it continues, pleasesee your GP.
Take care RRB
 
Its very early days, and as you are an adult you will have probably had higher blood glucoses for quite a long while before diagnosis, as onset is often slower. You would have needed more insulin due to infection which pushed you into DKA.
It also depends how ill you were on diagnosis - i was an adult also, and was very ill, nearly died and in intensive care for days, and was told it would take me a year or two to recover as my body had had a 'bit of a battering'.
As to later, when you are back to some normality, as with most things, everyone is different. I do not have the usual diabetic complications, but I have had more than half a lifetime getting numerous illnesses, irrespective of control. At the time when i was most well controlled, i was still having numerous illnesses, and was told by one of the then top consultants that they did not know why, but some Type ones, though not all, were just more susceptible to illness. Since then i have continued to have numerous illnesses, and also had shingles. I also have a number of other autoimmune diseases now. I was fine before Type one, other than having numerous allergies.
 
O my goodness, you are being so hard on yourself! Putting aside the diabetes and the DKA, remember that flu is nothing like the common cold - they say someone with a cold would see a tenner outside and they would go and get it, maybe taking a tissue with them, someone with the flu, wouldn't even move! It's perfectly normal for anyone to take a good few weeks to recover from proper flu.

I've never had DKA, but I understand that it can take a while to recover from. Remember that you were hospitalised for over a week. You wouldn't expect anyone to be running any marathons within a month of that would you?

I haven't noticed any particular increase in illnesses or recovery time since diagnosis, I just have to be aware of impact on my blood sugar due to the illness. Its certainly pretty unusual for me to be off sick. I do make sure to get the flu jab though.

I hope you give yourself a chance to recover and feel back up to it soon.
 
I agree that you are being too hard on yourself!

GBS_82_ said:
- do you feel iller with the common cold than you otherwise might have?
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I've been diagnosed 15 months now and, touch wood, my colds have not been worse than pre-diagnoses BUT I do seem more susceptible to catching bugs. I've found that Vicks First Defence works wonders in fighting them off though.

GBS_82_ said:
- Is it usual to take the best part of a month to recover from DKA?
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I'm not sure as luckily I was diagnosed with only mild DKA.

GBS_82_ said:
- Am I being a bit pathetic and should I just be pushing through it?
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Absolutely not. You should take it easy. Not only is there a lot to learn and take in but it takes time to adjust to the new routine and how your body responds to different insulin doses and food. I think you should take as much time to rest as you need AND some more. It's a big deal!
 
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Thank you EVERYONE for your responses and for being so encouraging.

It seems to me that either;

a) my body is still getting over the shock of DKA and flu. or
b) By an unfortunate coincidence I have just got ill again quite quickly

Either way I need to be patient!

But it's great to know that, judging by your experiences, I should expect to return to normal health quite quickly.

Gareth x
 
How consistent are your BG levels? Are you swinging from high to low to high, perhaps? That's one thing that can make you feel awful.

I find that high sugar days, or up and down days, make me feel awful. Tired, can't get concentration going, feel weak, knackered. Avoiding snacks, injecting in time (30 minutes ahead), not wasting my carb allowance on the wrong things (ie keeping off the 85% chocolate) makes everything much better, for me. May be boring, but I need to feel good.

How are you on your carb intake? I would recommend Volek and Phinney, Art & Science of Low Carb Living. Plus Diet Doctor site to get you going.

Low carb (I do about 30 grams carb/day) is the key to more consistent, lower BGs (and lower insulin doses) - I find, anyway.

But once you've got yourself settled in a regime that works, No, you won't be sicker.
 
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Hi everyone!

Just to close the loop on this one, today I have felt much better and my readings have been really good. I woke up to a 5.6 and it felt WONDERFUL!

Thanks for all your support - I guess things are scariest when you go through them the first time!

Gareth
 
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