I am incredibly frustrated with my immune system right now. Sunday night, I began having some symptoms of that upper respiratory infection that took me down over the Christmas holidays. Stuffy nose and pressure in my ears. Monday, that hadn't gotten any better. So I decided to go back on the antibiotics Monday night as well as increase all my vitamin intake like I normally do when fighting something.

Today, I am no better. The stuffiness is terrible. My poor nose is beyond raw. I'm coughing thanks to the drainage. And I'm exhausted.

I know that a lot of factors play into your immune system. Diabetes is definitely one of them. I've always been a little more susceptible to illnesses but with a good diet and proper supplements, usually I kick things in a few days. This time, I can't even stay well for more than a week. And I really don't have time to be sick.

My diabetes certainly hasn't been in the best control for the last year and a half. My last A1c in late October was 9.1%. Way beyond where I want to be. I'm trying to get it under control but it seems like everything I try either causes some side effect I can't handle or it just plain doesn't work consistently for my numbers. I know that getting my diabetes into a better range will help my immune system fight things off and stay well, but right now, this is easier said than done.

I'm also dealing with some different stressors. In the past year, I've been struggling with a health issue that has decided to flare again. For personal reasons, I've decided to keep this diagnosis out of the blogosphere. I went in for some more testing yesterday and expect results next week, but it's certainly caused some anxiety and stress that isn't helping.

There are also every day life stressors like financial strain, work, friend's weddings, and so on. All of which I am trying to control and not become overwhelmed but every now and then, I just can't take it anymore. I see a counselor every few weeks to help relieve my stress and find solutions to keep myself sane. I spend time doing fun things and things that take away my stress. But I know that I'm still fighting it all.

It's also that time of year where the weather switches back and forth from spring-like to blustery winter. This makes it difficult to fight the crud that's settled in my lungs. The rain, the wind, the wet do not help despite my attempts to stay warm, stay dry, and stay covered.

I think what I really need is a vacation to a warm climate (luckily, I have one planned in the coming weeks!) where I can kick my feet up, read a good book, and forget that there are things like bank accounts, jobs, and needy pets. As long as my diabetes also takes a vacation and lets me settle into a decent number routine. Possible? Sure. Probable? No.