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Diabetes and Irritable Bowel Syndrome

N

NoughtQAF

Active Member
Messages
33
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi,

I'm just going through the process of being diagnosed and it looks likely it will be type 2. I have been self testing my BGL for the past 3 weeks with the SD Biosensor Codefree meter starting in the morning (after 12 hour fast) with around 15 rising to the end of the day at around 25. Just had blood taken at the GP on Friday along with ketone urine check awaiting diagnosis tomorrow.

Thing is during this time I have been on a no fibre / no fructose / no lactose diet for my IBS. This has meant my diet has been constructed around white bread, white rice, white pasta, potatoes, Rice Krispies - the exact foods diabetics are meant to reduce! I have been consuming around 100g total carbohydrates three times a day. I guess all this will be changing soon.

My question is: are there any diabetics with IBS / fructose intolerance / lactose intolerance? If so, how do you manage the diabetes and the digestive disorder?
 
Hi NoughtQAF First of all welcome to the forum, you have reached the right place to be. There is lots of good advice and support on here. Ask and someone will answer. I was diagnosed with TYPE2 in Jan this year with a reading of 19.3. Also have IBS. 5 weeks down the line on a LCHF diet and eating more fruit and veg, no bread [other than 2-3 slices of Burgen bread and 1 lidl high protein roll a week. ] No pasta rice or potatoes, my bloating has disappeared and my IBS has settled down my readings are now in single figures and lost nearly a stone in weight. The only problem I have is with constipation due to the Metformin 500mg tablets 2 daily. Hoping to change them next week for a slow release version. This is what works for me everyone is different. Wish you well.
 
I really try to minimal gluten or lactose in my diet...and also follow low FODMAP eating too. I also do not have anything with sweetteners or preservatives in........but I don't find it limiting...

I have slow colonic transit and choices of food makes a huge differenece.

I do have milk and cheese.. But expensive types by Arla.
I have yogurt by Alpro.

I also eat good salads with salmon or chicken, olives, avocado, spinach, rocket etc.

I also eat some home made curries.... Again .. With salmon or chicken, coconut milk, sweet potato or butternut squash n peas.... The only exclusion is the curry paste I use-but this is minimal with preservatives/sweeteners.

Apart from that I eat well. Today I've had brunch of roasted pepper with pesto, sundried tomatos and a egg baked in it. Then chicken salad for tea followed by coconut flour pancakes with blueberries and a scoop of homemade icecream.

Tomorrow will be baked avocado souffle for breakfast, 1/2 kiwi and 7 melon balls and alpro coconut yogurt for lunch and salmon salad for tea..

I think I have a varied colourful diet... The only trouble is that I experience is going out...
 


For IBS... Do look at a low FODMAP eating way of life... This goes really well with diabetes....

Good luck.. But from personal experience of a really horrible stomach and bowel... Low FODMAP is the way to go...Sue Shepherd does some good books on Amazon Kindle or via Amazon. Some lovely recipes.

Really depends whether you have time to prepare etc with your lifestyle. However, there's loads of normal everday foods to eat and enjoy.. Ie when I prepare my kiwi and melon I do it in 4 or 6 large ramekins... And just leave in fridge till the next day or overnight for breakfast.

The key to low FODMAP living and helping IBS is not to have anything with onion or garlic..(I loved these!!)....even stock for gravies must be free of it..

Really depends upon the time you have and your lifestyle. If you see it as a diet-you will fail... If its a healthier lifestyle then you can get the plans and eating to a tee -and it really helps..
 
Thanks for your responses


I've done the FODMAP approach that's how I got to tests to confirm lactose and fructose intolerances. However as I still experienced pain on the exclusion phase of the FODMAP diet my neuro-gastenterologist has put me on a low fibre diet.

To clarify my question: do you find that excluding foods containing fructose, lactose, and polyols makes your diabetes harder to manage?
 
No.. I don't at all... But I'm type 1. For me personally its so much easier....
 

The lactose/fructose foods cause my colon to ferment and dry out more... Then giving me higher levels.....which are tough to handle. Cutting out the foods gives better digestion and then better levels...

I do have an odd bowl of rice krispies (like you) if I do get up early enough for breakfast!!
 
@donnellysdogs thanks for sharing your experiences. It's given me some things to think about and ask my dietician about this week. Sometimes other people's experiences make more sense than the advice you get from the professionals.
 

sorry to just in on this thread what is a fodmap?
 
Hello. I have just started the fodmap diet because I have a lot of food intolerances. I'm prediabetic, my worry is I'm loosing to much weight I'm not eating much at all the reason being don't know what I'm doing, tying to work out what to eat with the prediabetic and the food intolerance drives me mad. Now this morning I have got up with a splitting headache and hungry, I have some gluten free porridge lacto free milk that is good for fodmap but not good for PD breakfast, it the worst time for me. So I end up not eating anything. My husband said I'm fading away, not over weight to start with. I have bought all the books for fodmap, but a lot of the things on it are high carbs. I also have a feeling my food isn't going down stuck on my chest and wind, that's what made me think about the fodmap. I am feeling a bit better regarding the aches and pains in my joints and not falling to sleep all the time. I'm thinking of seeing a gastroenterologist that specialises in fodmap diet. My Dr looked at me as if I had two heads when I ask her about it. Just gave me some pills for acid reflux that mad me feel terrible diarrhoea etc.
 
Hello, may I ask if your food intolerances started recently with the pre diabetic state? I seem to have developed all of a sudden a whole lot of food intolerances. My doc spoke to me about fodmap but we need to check first that nothing more serious is going on. I'm also producing too much insulin . (Insulin resistant and hyperinsulin too). Any feedback could be helpful! Are u more thirsty than usual? Thx alicki. And yes you definitely need a doc specialized in fodmap
 
@Lilliepop Are you taking any acid suppressing medication? I was on various proton pump inhibitors for around 9 years and am annoyed as hell that they destroyed my digestion and I'm still having issues (luckily much reduced) because of them despite being off them for about 4 years now. They gave me most of the symptoms of IBS and gluten intolerance/FODMAPS intolerance.

I was absolutely horrified to see that Nexium is now going to be sold OTC in pharmacies in Australia - blew my mind when I saw the ads on telly.
 
I've had IBS D my whole life, that was much better the last few years that I've been eating rubbish food. Unfortunately I've been having the most awful flare up the last few weeks whilst adjusting to a healthier diet. It's been pretty awful, but I instinctively recognise FODMAP as triggers, so I might try a gentle re-introduction as right now as I'm barely eating any fruit / veg. I'd love to know how other sdo it because it has left me feeling pretty miserable I must say.
 
I know it's awful, tedious, and damned right despairing at times trying to get some respite from both the IBS/intolerances and diabetes. Thinking about it in terms of FODMAPS means we have problems digesting sugars and glucose is also a sugar. It really helps if you have a professional that understands the physical and psychological effects of this regardless of whether it's a nurse, gp, dietician, diabetes consultant or gastroenterologist. In terms of medication there's a range of stomach acid pills, anti spasmodics (in the UK at least), laxatives, opposite of laxatives (I forget the word), and painkillers in terms of tricyclic or SSRI antidepressants. Oh and for some hypnotherapy and/or poo transplants. However diet is where the tedious often contradictory personal experimentation is needed.

Use FODMAPS and no fibre approaches to work out your "safe" foods. Then introduce diabetic safer foods good examples milbona lactose free dairy yoghurt, arla lactofree milk, cucumber, lettuces, spinach (I presoak mine for 5 minutes in cold water to reduce phylates), courgette, aubergine, and hard cheeses especially raw ones like pecorino. Oh and meat. Actual meat, fish and eggs can be very good for both as they have barely any carbohydrates.

Sorry for the long post. I just wanted to give some ideas and hope!

Edit: there's nothing wrong with porridge for breakfast in terms of the diabetes. If it works for you digestive wise. Yes it's a carbohydrate but providing you're not having a mountain of it go with it.
I personally have arla lactofree semi milk with half rice krispies and half puffed oats. This is 56g of total carbohydrate and creates a blood glucose rise from around 5 to around 7 for about 5 hours. If I'm experiencing an IBS flare up then I go back to just rice krispies (86g) for a few days. It's not ketogenic but for me currently it's my most carby meal of the day. Dinner wise I've managed to get down to about 50-70g by reducing potato/rice portions and increasing meat/fish/egg and experimenting with vegetables. Lunch is an ongoing experiment! It was processed white bread but that sky rockets my blood glucose. I'm trying things like chickpeas, nuts, soups. There are FODMAP recipe blogs out there to help.
 
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What a great response. I am going to start back with gentle reintroduction this weekend. I have to say though that porridge is just awful for me as oats and milk are terrible triggers! I can do low fat yoghurt though. As far as I'm concerned, just through being careful this week I'm low carbing anyway. It's so boring ad depressing though sometimes. I hope my dietician understands and can help!
 
I have been thinking about what you ask and do you know it might have started when the prediabetic started. I have had food intolerances for a long time. It started just with wheat and gluten but now it seems to be so many things. My Doctor said she has looked back on my medical notes and as far as she can see I have been prediabetic for about ten years I was never told. But that is deffenatly when my food intolerant started. I am starting on the fodmap diet now I also have IBS. It's all so confusing.
If you want to send me a email we could chat about it more. Funny thing is all the things on high fodmap make me Ill anyway.
 
See my private message.


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