Hi Sarah
I have been a type 1 for approx. 40yrs. 10 years ago I developed horrific stomach problems, the weight was falling off me almost on a daily basis, my GP didn't want to know & just told me I was depressed & prescribed anti-depressants. She could virtually see me "disappearing" in front of her eyes! I was so angry at her attitude & behaviour that I kept returning to see her virtually every week over a period of about 6 weeks, all that time continuing to lose weight. Eventually I realised that wheat seemed to be a problem (lunchtime sandwiches always sent me straight to the loo) and virtually everything else I ate didn't seem to help.
Then I did some research, attended university to study biochemistry, so I could find out what the heck was going wrong with my body.
It transpired that Type 1 has genetic links to both asthma & coeliac disease. (Both are also in my family). So I cut out all gluten-containing wheat, barley & rye products - & VOILA! My gut response to food intake was SOOOO much better after approx. 2 weeks' time. It did take nearly a year for my gut to properly repair itself though. (yr gut keeps yr consumed foods & drinks for approx. 4 days - & these somehow seem able to "accumulate" sometimes before you notice an adverse effect). So if you eat something that does NOT harm yr gut, within 4 days of having eaten something that DOES harm yr gut, you'll have terrible difficulty in distinguishing which foods have caused you harm.
A formal diagnosis was never made because by the time I found the solution to my stomach problems, my whole body was sooo ill, I felt unable to tolerate eating gluten-laden products for the period of 2 weeks the gastroenterologist insisted I do - in order to show the damage to the microvilae (hair-like strands on part of the gut). Even then, the medics had it wrong. They were telling us that the microvilea were being slewed off the gut, then re-growing, when in fact they were simply swelling to such an extent that the gut surface seemed flat. Hmm. The medics do learn along the way, as do we.
All-in-all, the only real solution to your own gut problem will be to keep a record of EVERYTHING you consume, food or drink, over a period of at least two weeks. ALSO keeping a record of your gut reaction day by day.
Then make a decision about what seems to be causing the most obvious problem & eliminate if from your diet. One step at a time, there will possibly be more than one particular food that upsets your gut, you may even find the troublesome foods are related in some way, eg. gluten, nightshade, citrus, etc. etc.
I wish you the best of luck Sarah, & don't despair at the lack of interest my the medical community. As a body, its not what drives them. In my experience they seem to be more drugs-orientated by way of driving force. That will not necessarily be true for all the individuals, but it was certainly the case for me. Thank God I was able to get myself into uni & learn for myself...... Lynda
