Diabetes - does it make you more prone to regular illnesses?

[DeckTheHallsWithBling]

My MIL has Type 2 diabetes. She's generally pretty unhealthy and suffers quite badly from colds, flu, chest infections on a fairly regular basis. She also, is absolutely appalling at eating appropriately for her diabetes so while she'll avoid a regular coke like the plague, sipping her diet coke with a distinct air of "look how good I am" she is happy to eat cream cakes, toasted buns, chocolate etc while she's out and about with SIL.

Now, my question is... if you're a diabetic, besides the obvious issues with your sugar being all over the place, is one of the side affects of this kind of eating a reduced immune system? I'd like to be able to say to her, "Go read this book/webpage/tv programme/whatever - it shows that keeping your sugar levels at a decent level is important not just for long term health but to stop you getting sick all the time" but I'm not sure if that's just my opinion?

bump! Maybe I should post this in Chat? or in AIBU as in "AIBU to want to rip my MIL's head off for acting like a child who doesn't realise that eating too many sweets will make her sick?"

Is she treated with injections as well as her tablets? Sometimes it's easier when T2 diabetics do go onto injections as they can match carbs eaten to the insulin going in - as long as they're on a rapid acting insulin rather than a mix, which can be trickier.

I don't know about autoimmune stuff with T2, as T2 is linked to lifestyle triggers. Certainly there is an autoimmune link with T1, and people with both types of diabetes are offered the flu jab.

She will feel a lot better if her sugars are kept more stable, and certainly the implications for long term health are better if her hba1c (the 'average' taken at the hospital roughly every 3 months) is less than 7. Risks of retinopathy go up exponentially once the hb goes up over 7.5 There are lots and lots of research papers out there about the implications for long term health and short term feelings of wellness. Once in possession of the facts, it's her choice though, as long as the ill health is not impacting on anyone else (or the moodiness of being hyperglycaemic ...)

No, just tablets.

the ill health definitely impacts everyone else - she's not a well behaved sick person and it becomes very tedious. Interesting on the moodiness - I've never made that connection as she doesn't get irritable and bad tempered. But she does get very emotional.

I will have to talk to dp and sil about it. Sigh. Thanks though - I'll do some more formal research.

High blood sugars release fight or flight hormones. They also affect vision and make people feel grotty.

My dad's T2 and there's a definite link between behaviour and blood sugar. My son's T1 and now has an insulin pump and his sugars are so much better. Pre diagnosis he was running sky high and was Mr Whiny of Whiny town with no energy. Better now.