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Diabetes and infections

S

sandy669

Member
Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I have just been off work a week with a chest infection. I was even sent to the hospital by my GP. I had aspirated fluid into my lungs. I was sent home with antibiotics and painkillers. Now on my 2nd course of antibiotics but I fell as if its coming back. So work are like you are at your max sick leave its now a cause for concern you can not be off any more.

Are diabetics not more prone to infections and can it take longer to go away. I am constantly tired all the time

Sandy
 
Yes, diabetes can lead to problems with infections for various reason. How is your blood glucose? High levels can weaken the immune system.
 
Last edited:
HbA1c level 59 mmol 7.5% Jan 23

HbA1c level 42 mmol , 6%
March 23

HbA1c level 38 mmol 5.6%
August 23

HbA1c level 38 mmol 5.6%
Dec 23 HbA1c level

HbA1c level 39 mmol 5.7%
Oct 24

Hba1c level 39 mmol March 2025 5.7%

Hab1c is within normal range. I Just feel I seem to get a lot more cold bugs than use to and the last a lot longer
 
I hope you are feeling better. I can’t give medical advice but there is lots of info out there about depleted minerals in our diets. Might be worth some research. I’ve been taking 4000 units of VitD/k2 supplements since the pandemic started and have never had covid and have had 1 cold in the last five years.
Best wishes
 
Hi @sandy669 I'm with Harbottle on this, I have definitely found that I suffer far more and for far longer with illness due to my diabetes. It is also the reason I think I had diabetes before my diagnosis as I had repeated chest infections that I normally fought off within a few of days without any medical treatment just hot drinks. Now I find I need to seek treatment more often.
I always know when I am unwell as my BG test will suddenly show much higher readings than normal. This happened last night and this morning which aligns with my current blocked nose and bad cough which is likely to turn into a chest infection in if not already there.
 
Sorry to hear you’ve been struggling with a chest infection @sandy669 , and that work are starting to apply pressure about sick days and absence :(

Diabetes can make you more prone to infection, and can increase recovery times, but that is usually in the presence of high glucose levels, which you don’t seem to be having looking at your excellent HbA1cs.

Have you had full blood counts recently? Has your Vit B12 been checked? Just wondering if some other sort of imbalance might be behind your tiredness and fatigue. I’m not sure I’d be expecting it with your on-target HbA1c?
 
There are some nasty chest infections going about at the moment. My sister doesn't have diabetes and she has had some virus since late Feb/beginning of March. She is fit and healthy normally, but this has gone down onto her chest and she eventually went to the docs on Monday and got prescribed high dose steroids as well as antibiotics and today is Friday and she is not seeing much, if any, improvement and I am quite concerned about her!

I hope you feel better soon. Will the doc not sign you off?
 
rebrascora said:
Will the doc not sign you off?
Click to expand...
I remember when employers would offer months of sick leave and it was very very rare for anyone to use all their sick days.
Sadly, those days are over. Although doctors' note are needed for any sick leave, in my later three jobs, I have had 2 weeks of sick leave in my contract. One was increased to that during covid when the advice was to take 2 weeks off if you caught the virus.
If I need any more days, I would have to take it off my holiday or on statutory sick pay regardless whether a doctor signed me off or not.
This is now quite common. Some people get so few days, they feel they are "entitled" to them and take their full sick leave days regardless whether they are unwell.
 
I've had a couple of bouts of COVID but I think no colds at all (or any other kind of infection) since I normlaised my BG.

I used to get at least one bad-ish cold per winter.
 
Good quality Vitamin D3 with K2 works for me, pop a pill every other day with food, sailed through covid, no vax, despite my daughter catching it, not had a cold or cough for years. This together with getting bloods under control has given me new life, never felt better, granted the effect could be due to one, other or both, no idea.
On the other had it could be down to one beer a day? :confused:
 
everydayupsanddowns said:
Sorry to hear you’ve been struggling with a chest infection @sandy669 , and that work are starting to apply pressure about sick days and absence :(

Diabetes can make you more prone to infection, and can increase recovery times, but that is usually in the presence of high glucose levels, which you don’t seem to be having looking at your excellent HbA1cs.

Have you had full blood counts recently? Has your Vit B12 been checked? Just wondering if some other sort of imbalance might be behind your tiredness and fatigue. I’m not sure I’d be expecting it with your on-target HbA1c?
Click to expand...

I am B12 deficiency and get 3 monthly injections. a full blood works was done in March and I asked for my b12 to be check as I am on metformin. Its fine
 
sandy669 said:
I am B12 deficiency and get 3 monthly injections. a full blood works was done in March and I asked for my b12 to be check as I am on metformin. Its fine
Click to expand...

That’s good to hear, low Vit B12 can give rise to fatigue, and various other symptoms
 
rebrascora said:
Will the doc not sign you off?
Click to expand...
The doctor signing you off doesn’t mean there won’t be consequences at work though, and sounds like there has already been an absence warning. If you need time off then you need it though, but I’d expect to return to a formal warning, following whatever procedures are in place. If you’ve used all your sick leave off then the leave this time is likely either unpaid SSP or annual leave rather than full sick pay too.
 
Do you think it might help to call the Diabetes UK helpline when it reopens after the weekend @sandy669 ?

They may be able to talk you through your legal rights at work and point you in the direction of available resources and support.
 
helli said:
I remember when employers would offer months of sick leave and it was very very rare for anyone to use all their sick days.
Sadly, those days are over. Although doctors' note are needed for any sick leave, in my later three jobs, I have had 2 weeks of sick leave in my contract. One was increased to that during covid when the advice was to take 2 weeks off if you caught the virus.
If I need any more days, I would have to take it off my holiday or on statutory sick pay regardless whether a doctor signed me off or not.
This is now quite common. Some people get so few days, they feel they are "entitled" to them and take their full sick leave days regardless whether they are unwell.
Click to expand...
Our youngest had an absence warning when he returned to work after fracturing his collar bone despite having been told by the fracture clinic not to go back to work for at least 3 weeks and being signed off with a sick note. It seems his employer doesn't consider a fractured collar bone a valid reason for absence.
 
My boss is going to be completion an occupational health referral to see if I can have any additional sick leave and asked me to have think if I wanted to ask any questions not sure how to reply to that. Probably going to have to face a warning about my sick leave. I am now on my 2nd course of antibiotics and there has not been any change I feel that it's coming back. My GP sent me to hospital last Thursday cause I could not breath. I had aspirated fuild in to my lungs it very was very painful
Sandy
 
@sandy669 I'd advise keeping records and even a journal where you request doctors to write down their instructions and sign it just in case you need the information and back up.
Back in the 1970s I was told to go into work or face dismissal, even though I had brought back the new 'flu' strain from a week training in London.
A week later the entire office was empty except for me - most of the workers were elderly and a few of them never came back to work. Some time later I was carpeted for going into work with a viral infection - luckily I had been at the doctors when my boss called at my flat and he'd written a rather threatening note, which I put into my diary and could produce when required.
 
My husband had cellulitis quite badly and it took three weeks to get over it. A month later he had emergency surgery for a strangulated hernia. When he went back to work he was told to use up his leave. So we went on a two week cruise and stay. On our last day after coughing for a week he was rushed to hospital with pneumonia and spent a week in a Turkish hospital!!! All together he had taken 6 months sick leave. He was then told he would be under report and not to do it again!!! 18 months later he took early retirement at 59. He had worked for his employer for 30 years without a sick day. There is something very wrong with this country
 
Taighnamona said:
I hope you are feeling better. I can’t give medical advice but there is lots of info out there about depleted minerals in our diets. Might be worth some research. I’ve been taking 4000 units of VitD/k2 supplements since the pandemic started and have never had covid and have had 1 cold in the last five years.
Best wishes
Click to expand...
My vitamin D levels were very low when diagnosed and even with a high dosage supplement, it is still on the low side of acceptable. I am very fair skinned and wear factor 50 at all time because of high risk from skin cancer (i’ve already had a bcc removed) so I suppose this doesn’t help. I burn in 10 minutes so not wearing it is not an option.
 
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