I’m having some issues and am not quite sure who to ask, or where to go from here. I have had type 1 for over 25 years and haven’t had any long term complications that I am aware of … all of my labs and everything look great. Recently, I have started developing stomach issues- Dairy and Wheat are a no go for me, my stomach throws fits if I consume either of them. Also, no matter what I eat, if I don’t sit upright for 2 hours after, it all comes back up. Is this diabetes related? Does anyone else experience these issues? Who do I see about this?
I feel like I am going crazy.
It is possible that you have developed Celiac Disease, which is an autoimmune disease as well as Type 1. With Celiac, one must go gluten free (no wheat, barley or rye). Celiac also often brings lactose intolerance along with it. I have both Type 1 and Celiac with lactose intolerance. I take lactose capsules, which allow me to eat dairy, and never, ever eat gluten. If you want to test for Celiac, you must not go gluten-free until after the test, otherwise you will get a negative no matter what the case.
The part about having to sit up for two hours after eating makes me think of something like GERD, which is completely unrelated to diabetes (as far as I know) but a really common condition.
But there are all kinds of things that can cause stomach problems, some related to diabetes and some completely unrelated, so it’s best to talk to your GP about your symptoms and see if you need a referral to a specialist (a gastroenterologist).
I have had similar issues. For me, the cause was SIBO aka Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth.
The solution was:
eliminate gluten and cow dairy from my diet… I do ok with goat and sheep dairy
initially, I took both HCL with pepsin and digestive enzymes (for about 4 months)…now a high quality digestive enzyme is sufficient.
I used herbal antibacterial/antivirals to eliminate pathogens. Beberine, Alli-max ( a concentrated form of garlic without odor or taste) and noni extract. I would do a three week cycle and alternate with a three week cycle of spore based probiotics (bacillus coagulans is one type. I use a product called Sporebiotics. These probiotics build colonies that help eliminate pathogens), aloe vera juice, and glutamine to help rebuild healthy microbiome and heal intestinal tissue.
Bone broth–best thing ever for intestinal difficulties as well as a great source of collagen and minerals for the body in general.
It took about a year to clear up the SIBO on this protocol. Now I am clearing out candida from the large intestines with much the same protocol… with T1 and high blood sugars, we are prone to Candida overgrowth
I have had a lot of similar issues. Had ibs since my 20’s and I have cut wheat out now and most cow milk products although I eat cheese and cream etc. In the past I took the lactase pills which worked for me but they constipate me. My ibs gets worse depending on what is going on with bg: high tend to get constipated, swings in either direction make me go, it’s awful. And constipation can cause lack of food absorption and bad lows- I have to be careful all the time. The last time I was tested for celiac was over a year ago but I had cut out gluten for 4 months or so I don’t know if it was accurate. I take a probiotic, a cheap one I get at walmart because all of the other ones give me diarrhea except for probiflora which I used to order from SA before my D diagnosis when I was desperately trying to control all my symptoms of yeast and inflammation. That one is very expensive but it did help a bit then.
Trudy, I have a very gluten intolerant friend who always refused the test because she couldn’t handle eating gluten for the given time. She has recently been tested and found celiac without the necessity to eat gluten. The only but is that I live in Australia and the same treatments are not always available in other countries.
I started having similar issues May of 2014. I progressively felt worse and worse until finally in July of 2014 I ate a Subway sub, felt miserable and had my stomach extend far out an hour or two after eating it. I decided to try cutting out gluten completely from my diet (my sister and many relatives on my paternal side has celiac disease).
I kept a food diary when I began cutting out gluten products and after a couple weeks of doing this I noticed I was feeling better. I tried re-introducing a beverage that had gluten in it to see what would happen and before the beverage was finished I was running to the bathroom.
I had my doctor order blood work to check for celiac but it came back negative. I knew in my gut (no pun intended) that negative or not- my body wouldn’t tolerate gluten. I eat as though I have celiac disease. I even put my gluten free bread in a toaster bag to avoid contamination in the toaster with regular bread crumbs!
Unfortunately, celiac disease is quite common among type 1 diabetics.
I don’t trust Celiac Disease tests to be correct. You are probably very wise in treating yourself as if you have Celiac. (Btw, I have Celiac and also my very own toaster! My highly recommended way to go.) I was interested in hearing my doctor say today that he has dx’d people with Celiac when they had difficult cases of anemia.
Do you know the name of that test Maureen? I don’t think we have it here yet. I checked and all of the celiac sites say the same thing- you need to eat gluten for a few weeks before either blood tests or biopsy.
