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Gastritis and Type 1 diabetes

Kirstine

Kirstine

Member
Can anyone offer any advice please.

My son is 13 and type 1 for nearly 3 years. He has had 4 bouts of gastritis since being diagnosed, and is currently suffering quite badly. He is in a lot of discomfort, cannot get comfortable at all, so much so that he ends up crying. He doesn't want to eat anything in case it hurts, which obviously is not ideal. He has been told to try Gaviscon, and last time he was prescribed Ranitidine tablets, but none of these seem to help. We have also tried yoghurt drinks just after meals. He gets so upset with it, and its heartbreaking to hear him say he hates himself. Whenever he drinks, he thinks he is going to be sick - thankfully he hasn't. This latest episode is probably the worst he has been, and it started two days after he had booster jabs at high school - don't know if there is any connection there. I have got him so low carb food to nibble on as we have been told it is best for him to eat little and often. Does anyone else have any experience of this and any suggestions as to what I can do to help him?
 
Gastritis should be treated with antibiotics, and you need to find out what us causing it, get your GP to refer your son to a gastroenterologist. Too much gaviscon can cause gall stones which in turn can cause gastritis, you need to get to the root of the problem, a low fat diet is better as it doesn't take as much effort to digest and the probiotic drinks should be taken 1 st thing in the morning and before a meal
 
Hi @Kirstine, I agree with the above post the doctor should be considering other meds to help your son, I take acid reducing tablets as I can suffer terribly with this. Don't let them fob you off, they did that with me and it got to the point where I was ill every 4-6 weeks. I hope he gets some meds that work and he feels better soon

Abbie x
 
Spoke to diabetes nurse this afternoon - she suggested we should try and get him referred to gastroenterologist. Spoke to his GP who doesn't want to go down that route just yet, but we now have some new tablets - Zoton FasTabs, which are proton pump inhibitors, which should help to reduce the amount of acid he produces. Could be on them as a preventative measure. Got to go back to docs in 2-3 weeks to see how he has got on with them.
 
He's on 15mg, doc has said if there is no improvement I got to get back to him. We are going away for a few days next week so hopefully it will improve for then.
 
Sorry to hear about the terrible time your son is having, It is soul destroying when a parent cannot help.

I think you need to push for a gastro consultant referral as there are other conditions that may be causing the problems.
He could have H.Pylori which can soon be rectified with antibiotics.
It could be Vitamin B12 deficiency or it could even be caeliac disease.

Even if it is none of the above, it is better to get specialist advice.

Hope things improve and you can enjoy your holiday.
 
How sure is you GP it is gastritis? And not coeliac disease or lactose intolerance? OR an autoimmune attack on his stomach lining? Gaviscon and proton pump inhibitors will have no positive effect at all in these cases.

I agree with @catherinecherub you should ask for a gastro consultant referral asap.

Or even go to a&e.
 
Progress update - he's had 2 of the proton pump inhibitors and he actually feels like eating which is progress in itself. He seems happier in himself, not as uncomfortable as he was, so am hoping this is a step in the right direction.
 
catherinecherub said:
Sorry to hear about the terrible time your son is having, It is soul destroying when a parent cannot help.

I think you need to push for a gastro consultant referral as there are other conditions that may be causing the problems.
He could have H.Pylori which can soon be rectified with antibiotics.
It could be Vitamin B12 deficiency or it could even be caeliac disease.

Even if it is none of the above, it is better to get specialist advice.

Hope things improve and you can enjoy your holiday.
Click to expand...
He gets tested for allergies and intolerances every year when he has his MOT, and they are always clear.
 
Kirstine said:
He gets tested for allergies and intolerances every year when he has his MOT, and they are always clear.
Click to expand...
H pylori is a bacterial infection and the only way to test for it is endoscopy. Sometimes doctors will treat it with antibiotics without testing first, as that is cheaper and easier.
 
Kirstine said:
Spoke to diabetes nurse this afternoon - she suggested we should try and get him referred to gastroenterologist. Spoke to his GP who doesn't want to go down that route just yet, but we now have some new tablets - Zoton FasTabs, which are proton pump inhibitors, which should help to reduce the amount of acid he produces. Could be on them as a preventative measure. Got to go back to docs in 2-3 weeks to see how he has got on with them.
Click to expand...

He does need to be checked out by a consultant - years ago this was always the case before prescribing anything other than Gaviscon as proper diagnosis is most important first. And especially when the problem has started suddenly. This applies even more now, as proton pump inhibitors (and to a lesser extent H2 blockers (eg ranitidine)) can often seem to sort things, but are, anyway, now seen as only a temporary short term measure and not for the long term - as research suggests various long term side effects - see http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/804146, and many websites including NHS choices - There is often a reason for gastritis - as others say above - has he had an autoantibody screen for celiac? Even if he is not celiac there may be the diagnosis i have - 'reactive gastritis', where a biopsy finds more eosinophils - i discovered through trial and error that gluten and cows milk were part of the problem foods i must have been reacting to, even though not celiac, and was able to stop various medications i had been on for 20 plus years, which had probably contributed to long term problems i have with bones.
PS i cant manage very low carb - i keep as low as i can but need porridge, bananas, apples etc.Hope things sort out.
 
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