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Despite the fact that temperatures here in the Valley of the Sun (or as my brother likes to call it The Actual Sun) continue to hover around 100 degrees, it's technically fall, which means that flu season is upon us.

I don't think I ever got a flu shot prior to getting diabetes. I was healthy for the most part and likely didn't understand what the flu really is. And even four years into the disease, last fall was the first time I got the shot since being diagnosed.

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It's about once a week now that my college sends out an important "Flu" reminder. Wash your hands, stay at home if you experience symptoms, and seek treatment immediately for the more severe. We've had several reports of swine flu, including some students in my friends' classes. And more and more of my friends are coming down with colds and "flu-like symptoms."

For me, every reminder and every swine flu diagnosis sends a tiny shock-wave through my system. I know that my immune system isn't that of a healthy, non-diabetic. It has its weak spots, its vulnerabilities. Especially lately with all these highs and crazy numbers.

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My blood sugars are in a world all their own lately. Last weeks averages are in the 200's...something I haven't experienced in probably three to four years. Even between sick days, periods, and holidays, my averages never top 190.

But last week was a total landslide in the diabetes realm. My body is telling me something, although I'm not positive what it is. And unfortunately, those blood sugars are now telling my body something else as they've wreaked havoc on my immune system, my energy level, and my concentration.

I really did try to work on my list of diabetes "to-do's" over the past week. I stopped forgetting my Lantus injections and I only let a bolus slide once or twice. I didn't check as much as I should have, nor did I get any more workouts into my routine. But I was hoping the slight increase in positive diabetes behavior would have a decreasing effect on those blood sugars.

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I'm no politician, but my day job does involve shaking the hands of many strangers. In the "normal" (i.e., non-diabetes-related) world, this is no big deal -- if the other person's hand is really icky, just use some hand sanitizer and be done with.

In the 1980's, AIDS-phobia taught us otherwise.

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I don't believe in vaccines. Perhaps it was the family that I grew up in. Or the disease that I've lived with every day since a series of regular, routine vaccines when I was 4 years old. Maybe it's just my own understanding of health and traditional thinking.

But I don't believe in them. However controversial that might be and however many of you might hate/ban/harass me for it, I cannot bring myself to believe in them. And trust me, I have done my research.

When I was 4 years old, my mother took me in for all the regular vaccines. The most memorable for both of us is the MMR because it has since been linked to autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes. Almost immediately, my mom noticed a change in me. I was sick, unlike myself, and in ill health.

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I interviewed for a preschool teaching position last week. I observed the class and really enjoyed the kids and fellow teachers. It's a part time position that would work great with my own graduate school classes. One of my initial thoughts was that kids are often sick. And kids don't often remain aware of germs.

The preschool takes precautions with specific things. Hand washing after being on the playground. Handwashing before and after meals. Clean systems in place for other things. But there is still that constant interaction with the kiddos as they have runny noses, coughing without covering, sneezing. And that's just colds.

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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.

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I think my immune system is pretty strong, personally. For a diabetic at least. I've never really battled infections or viruses. When other people were sick around me, I withstood. I always blamed it on my diet and intake of vitamins/fruit/veggies. The proof is always in the pudding.

But lately, I've been fighting with my body and it's beginning to worry me. Not in a way that has me rushing for the doctor, but just in a "watch and wait" kind of thing. Today, I'm battling stopped up ears, slight sore throat, and a mild cough. Nothing terrible, but certainly the makings of being sick.

This is the fourth event like this in the last eight months. In October 2011, I had this same thing and nothing seemed to help it. No matter what medications I took, I still had the same symptoms. No fever, no blood sugar issues. Nothing like a normal "cold" really.

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