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Diabetes and Gallstones

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peterpoppet22

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Does anyone know if having Gallstones stops your insulin from working? I have type 2 db and take metformin and have recently started a slow acting injection once a day and although I have increased the amount of insulin injected, my diabetes readings are not changing and if anything they are rising. I have been diagnosed with gallstones and have read somewhere that they can stop your insulin from acting. Does anyone know if this is true and has anyone else had this problem. Thanks

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Hi @peterpoppet22 .

I am struggling to understand the biological mechanism of gallstones affecting one's own insulin production, or insulin introduced via injection, and usage in our blood glucose regulation. But I admit I have not gone online to do a search... did you find the research/comment you originally came across? Do post it if you can.

My resident scientist has just looked it up and says there may be a mix up between cause and effect - that folks with T2D are more likely to have gallstone problems, in that order.

My understanding is it is about how your body has been dealing with fat, in relation to food (ie the other macronutrients - protein and carbs, and maybe count water too) you are eating and drinking.

For myself, on the low-fat high-carb diet oecd governments 'strongly suggested' from the late 70s, there was not enough healthy fat flowing through my gallbladder, and as we know - way too many carbs for my blood glucose system to function properly. When the gallbladder empties, and then does not fill up again any time soon, and given the right 'ingredients' gallstones get made and then can get stuck in the duct, trying to get out. And - boy oh boy - do we feel that!

Resident scientist has just said too, that he is looking at a diagram of the intestinal system, and sees that the pancreas and the gallbladder both 'feed' into the small intestine - so maybe that is where there is some inter-relationship?

I speak as someone who has chosen to live with a gallstone (and therefore my gallbladder), under advice from a magnificent gallstone surgeon who thought I was a good candidate to do that. And it turns out I was.

My 'secret'? Good old apple cider vinegar (ACV), and the acetic acid and malic acid are the 'magic' ingredients to break down that pesky gallstone! I strongly encourage my offspring to make salad and coleslaw dressings with ACV, with plenty of healthy-fat mayo and garlic (yep - healthy fat), in order to not get gallstones in the first place, like their mother and maternal grandparents.

No-one wants to get gallstones if you can prevent it in the first place! Is my reasoning. But what prevents, also aids in getting better when beset with metabolic dysfunctions.
 
Interesting topic. I had my gallbladder removed 8 years ago and was diagnosed Type 2 three months ago. Hence I've wondered what impact not having a gallbladder would have on my pancreas etc. Time for some googling when I've finished learning how to live with Diabetes!
 
Hi both , thanks for your replies, I was diagnosed with non alcoholic fatty liver disease about 4 years ago , this probably resulted because I packed in smoking after 50 years and to do that I ate load’s of sweets, bacon and cheese toasties etc, my weight ballooned from 17 stone to over 20 stone in less than 3 months. My GP was totally useless and just treated me for impaction, it was only after I went to A&E that I was diagnosed with nafld and told I had to lose weight and do vigorous exercise, I did this and am back down to 17 stone. It’s been a hard fight, I was in hospital earlier in the year with problems when I ate anything, they thought it was Gallstones then but they seemed to have cleared then. I have recently had a camera down my throat into the stomach and been diagnosed with Gallstones, I have to have another external scan in 2 weeks and I will know more then. I just Googled in and asked if Gallstones affected insulin or diabetes and found some information. I am still learning and I will ask my consultant when I see him. The diabetic nurses I have spoken to knew nothing on this matter so I have to keep digging.
 
Hi again @peterpoppet22. Sorry to hear about your liver. My liver is pretty screwy too, and spurts out a ton of glucose into my blood stream of a morning, so I hear you on that one. But they say the liver is one of the delightfully self-generating/healing organs - so here's to our livers getting better!

So you have gallstones but you haven't had the pain? In that case - who cares?! Are they pretty small? - they could be a no problem problem. Mine was the size of a golf ball, and it isn't any problem for me now. And I have gotten really good at consuming a decent amount of ACV, and even have my favourite brand. (Eating vinegar is an artform!) And I have a bottle of apple syrup in the fridge, and a couple of lemon trees (for the self-help drink of ACV, apple syrup, and squeezed lemon in boiled water when I had an attack coming on - now it doesn't seem to happen any more, touch wood).

Good luck on the weight-loss thing. Paleo and LCHF worked well for me to lose weight and keep it off - that and a lot of walking, back in the year post diagnosis. Lots of ways to suit you eating-wise (and drinking-wise) in order to lower the carbs. And exercise! Keep us posted on what you decide to do about the gallbladder, and the diabetes...
 
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