Ulceractive Colitus & Type 2

Hi and welcome!

I have a friend with Crohns, and I get that gut stuff and colitis can totally dominate your life - in a really miserable way.

Sometimes we have to prioritise our health conditions, in order to be comfortable (and stay sane).
I am a low carber, and have been for years, but in your situation I wouldn’t hesitate to choose foods that helped the colitis (or at least avoided triggering it). If that meant eating low fibre, or no garlic, or avoiding certain things and relying on carbs instead, then I would be doing that. Then I would turn to dealing with the type 2 as a second step.

But I would definitely be dealing with it. Months of blood glucose that high won’t be doing you any good at all, and will be increasing your future risk of diabetic complications.

So can you go to your healthcare team and rquest (politely but firmly) that they put together a drug regime that will allow you eat a diet that avoids half the day on the toilet, agonizing cramps and bleeding ulcers? You only get one gut, and it REALLY pays to look after it.

Wishing you all the best.
My friend has already had part of the gut removed due to strictures, and may be heading towards a second op. So if you need to eat a certain way to preserve your gut, then it just makes sense, doesn’t it?

Hi @H7DNA, What treatment are you prescribed for your U.C.? Some treatments can really muck up BSLs.
And what diabetes treatments, if any ??

I guess it would help if you said what you were eating..

But anecdotally
http://meatheals.com/category/digestion/ulcerative-colitis/

Thank you @H7DNA . As a diabetic, not as professional advice or opinion:
Have you spoken with your doctor about your BSLs? You are aware that your BSLs are very high at times?
For you a BSL greater than say 7.8 mmol/l is above normal range.
It would appear that your Ulcerative colitis, an inflammatory bowel disease, is causing body stress which is reflected in your largely uncontrolled BSLs. BSLs that Metformin is not proving capable of controlling.
The stress of being up so often to the loo and missing out on good quality sleep would not be likely to be helping either.
You may be aware that UC treatment often involves steroids, which cause raised BSLs also. Uncontrolled UC may cause you to lose a significant amount of blood also.
It is like being between the devil and the deep blue sea.
Please talk with your GP, endo and gastro doctors to develop a combined plan.
You need something to control the bowel inflammation or your diabetes will be difficult to control.
You need a better way of keeping your BSLs under control.
It is a complicated balance. Your GP needs to co-ordinate this with the two specialists so everyone is on the same page and not working at cross purposes. Ideally some UC treatment with minimal steroid doses ? faecal transplant.
Best Wishes and please do not delay. Your health appears to be deteriorating.

My best friend had ulcerative colitis. He could not manage life without the medication for it.

If the meds for ulcerative colitis do affect BS... well, it’s no different to your struggles now...

I would go back to your GP / Consultants.

Metformin has also got some side effects for some people too which can make things worse especially for ulcerative colitis.

Please consider having the meds as there are a few different types of diabetes drugs that can be taken if they do affect your BS. You aren’t right now, so you have nothing to lose.

Hi @H7DNA I would definitely encourage you to go to your GP and consultant and tell them your concerns. There are other meds for diabetes other than metformin, for someone with these issues even the SR metformin can cause problems.

Are you going through a colitis flare up now? If you are, your consultant is the best person to prescribe the correct medication for you to heal.

I was diagnosed with type 2, took SR metformin for 14 years, blood sugars were good, worked full time, looked after family and still had energy to exercise daily.

Then it all changed a few years ago... daily diarrhoea and vomiting, bloating, pain as though I was giving birth, only slept about 2 hours in every 24 hour, spent most of the time in the bathroom, absolutely no energy, no appetite .... it badly affected the quality of my life. Blood sugars were all over the place between 10 - 18! This went on for a few years because Drs didn’t have a clue what was going on.

I got too ill and had to leave work. After blood tests, scans, stool samples, biopsy and colonoscopy I was diagnosed with colitis. I was taken off metformin straight away and put onto insulin injections and I was given strong meds for colitis. I saw the consultant at the hospital every few months, took about a year until I went into remission. Ive had a couple of nasty flare ups during last year, was given steroids and within hours blood sugars shot up to 25!! I’m just coming out of a recent flare up so things are looking better now.

So, like yourself I was very confused what was safe to eat for colitis as I wanted to heal asap and not aggravate it further. I was already a lifelong strict vegetarian, had IBS for decades and now found the foods that were kind to the digestion weren’t always diabetic friendly.

Consultant said I’m afraid its going to be alot of trial and error from now on, everyone reacts differently to foods so if I get a bad reaction.... stop eating it . Even the salad and strawberries and raspberries I use to eat previously, my digestive system could no longer handle.

I can understand your frustration that foods for one condition fight against the other condition, the consultant said exactly the same.

Through trial and error for myself, I’ve realised all vegetables must be thoroughly cooked, if its got a skin I peel it before cooking, even courgettes I peel, I grind all seeds, no spicy food, I can tolerate peeled cucumbers but no tomatoes.

During a flare up I cannot control my blood sugars, even with more doses of insulin and have accepted they will be high but they do start to come down once the inflammation has gone... there is hope.

I am now trying to eat low carbs that are friendly for all these conditions, its a learning process.

Its not easy when you initially get diagnosed with colitis, its not something people talk about over coffee.... but you will be able to control it and get a better quality of life.

Wishing you all the best.

Please talk to your consultant very soon as he/she will be the best person to guide you through this.

Hey @H7DNA sorry to hear about your situation but can totally relate....have been researching the Specific Carbohydrate Diet and makes lots of sense and have started implementing it....we will see what happens! For people who do not have gut issues to the extent that some of us do - I envy them!! But, like everyone else has said, get in to see what can be done - don't ignore your gut!! But also realize that "patient heal thyself" is often what we have to end up doing with lots of trial and error.....take care/L

Hi, sorry that you are having a tough time.
I think that your UC is already upsetting your life big time (presuming that the metformin is not contributing to your diarrhoea); I would never tell anyone what to do, but your colitis sounds quite bad, and (sorry to be miserable) could get worse. If it gets worse, you might need decent dose oral or intravenous steroids which will really mess up your diabetes.
So perhaps reviewing your choice of treatment for the UC might make your life better and avoid serious illness in the future
It is worth being aware of a study that showed gliptins (normally very well tolerated drugs) may increase the risk of inflammatory bowel disease, so perhaps be cautious if offered these
https://www.bmj.com/content/360/bmj.k872
Best wishes

This is a great site https://www.crohnsandcolitis.org.uk/support

There’s So much info regarding colitis, symptoms, treatment etc. They also have a great support line, I’ve contacted them several times.

I found out through one of the advisors that most hospitals have a IBD nurse specialist, offering a wealth of support and information, they work in clinics with the consultants.

You can check whether your hospital has a specialist nurse and speak with them as often as you need.

Hope this helps.

Hi, i have had UC for 20 years now - I'm the wrong side of 50 - and i can't understand how on earth you can have UC without any form of medication to keep you in remission. I have come across numerous people over the last 20 years with UC and not one of them was drug free. You need to get to see someone that will take control of your condition and get you treated properly. In January this year i had a UC flare up, the first one for 5 years, and ended up in hospital on intravenous steroids. Whilst enjoying the culinary delights of the NHS i was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes - kick a man while he is down!! I have spent the last two and a half months balancing my UC with the dietary requirements of T2 whilst weaning off the steroids - took the last one 5 days ago so finally steroid free again. The steroids destroy any real ambition of getting blood sugar levels down to a respectable level but each week as i reduced the steroid dose so the blood sugar levels have been coming down as well. I have adopted the low carb low sugar approach to my diet and found numerous substitute foods on the internet that have kept my UC 'happy' - healthy food always costs more which is a real kicker as well.

My point is simple, i have medication controlling my UC and now medication for my T2 diabetes, my diet is working and I'm slowly even loosing a few kilos. My diabetes nurse and my doctors kept me away from metformin for obvious reasons and i take glipizide every day now, and hopefully in time will reduce the dosage i am taking and get the T2 into remission as well.

With the correct treatment, and a decent care team, there is hope - don't be afraid to shout until you get the right people treating you correctly!!

Good luck

Sorry about your problems, I am in a similar situation, I am in my 70s and been type 2 for some time and had colitis most of my life. I take 1 s.r. Metformin daily. My diet is restricted to all the things as a type 2 shouldn’t eat.. white bread, potatoes, white rice. Bananas, pears, I only eat parsnips and carrots, never greens and rarely salads. I include lots of eggs and organic chicken. Can tolerate sponge cake. I can’t eat whole foods or nuts and never seeds, but I survive and am free from the pain and the other nasty stuff that goes with colitis and my blood sugars remain stable. Gastro team may suggest diets but it really is trialling food yourself and finding what suits you best.

My niece has crohn's. She has to be very careful with her diet. She's not diabetic. She's been hospitalized a couple of times because of crohn's. I gather gluten and dairy are 2 things that are more likely to be a problem, but it really varies person to person. High fiber, fats and veggies sometimes have to be avoided too.

So you might consider a food diary, because foods sometimes have hidden connections or mixes have ingredients you never thought of. That way it will also help you keep track of what you can and can't eat. And try to get in to a nutritionist for colitis to see what works best for most people. I know she can only eat well cooked veggies as it's easier to digest. And any kind of high stress sets it off big time for her. She's had it since she was 18 and is now 47.

Plus while metformin works really good it is well known to cause digestive issues. But you obviously need something for your diabetes. Insulin? It shouldn't upset your stomach. And watch for depression, I believe it can be a problem linked to severe digestive issues.

Wish I could help you. I’ve had type1 for over 40 years and UC for about 20 years. Maybe I’m lucky but I manage. I’m 70, love my whiskey and don’t make any adjustments to my diet for UC. My last flare up was over 2 years ago and I’m due to see my UC consultant anytime (missed my appointment as I was in South America on holiday). It would be easy to say don’t worry but I’ve found with both my diabetes and UC you don’t let it take over.

I’ve got the same combination of diseases and find that when my UC is flaring up my body craves stodgy food ie carbd. I do just sometimes give in but have found that I can often use protein instead. I quite often down 4-6 slices of roast beef or similar which seems to help and let’s me stay low carb. I’d advise getting set up with a variety of treatments for UC that you can administer yourself as and when you need them. My blood sugar level are far from perfect but improving and I didn’t realize until you posted that they probably go up when my UC is bad due to increase white cell count!

Marie 2 said:

My niece has crohn's. She has to be very careful with her diet. She's not diabetic. She's been hospitalized a couple of times because of crohn's. I gather gluten and dairy are 2 things that are more likely to be a problem, but it really varies person to person. High fiber, fats and veggies sometimes have to be avoided too.

So you might consider a food diary, because foods sometimes have hidden connections or mixes have ingredients you never thought of. That way it will also help you keep track of what you can and can't eat. And try to get in to a nutritionist for colitis to see what works best for most people. I know she can only eat well cooked veggies as it's easier to digest. And any kind of high stress sets it off big time for her. She's had it since she was 18 and is now 47.

Plus while metformin works really good it is well known to cause digestive issues. But you obviously need something for your diabetes. Insulin? It shouldn't upset your stomach. And watch for depression, I believe it can be a problem linked to severe digestive issues.

Click to expand...

Marie 2 said:

My niece has crohn's. She has to be very careful with her diet. She's not diabetic. She's been hospitalized a couple of times because of crohn's. I gather gluten and dairy are 2 things that are more likely to be a problem, but it really varies person to person. High fiber, fats and veggies sometimes have to be avoided too.

So you might consider a food diary, because foods sometimes have hidden connections or mixes have ingredients you never thought of. That way it will also help you keep track of what you can and can't eat. And try to get in to a nutritionist for colitis to see what works best for most people. I know she can only eat well cooked veggies as it's easier to digest. And any kind of high stress sets it off big time for her. She's had it since she was 18 and is now 47.

Plus while metformin works really good it is well known to cause digestive issues. But you obviously need something for your diabetes. Insulin? It shouldn't upset your stomach. And watch for depression, I believe it can be a problem linked to severe digestive issues.

Click to expand...

Hi my daughter has Crohns it is a different illness to colitis , she is monitored very strictly and has had her small stomach removed. The things she has to avoid are not the same as myself

L glutamine powder (best in powder as it requires a lot of it and you dont need the additives they use in pills in such high doses, this causes liver stress) is useful for me, i use about 20 grams a day in my drinks ( squeezed limes in water with vitamin c powder (sodium ascorbate). you can try various amounts to see what works for you. this seems to help the gut lining. https://drhoffman.com/article/inflammatory-bowel-disease-update-2/

Specific benefit can be obtained from oral dosing with the amino acid L-Glutamine. One study showed that seriously ill patients requiring intravenous feeding were more likely to wean themselves from dependency on nutritional supplementation by vein when given relatively high oral doses of L-Glutamineon the order of one tablespoon three times daily, equivalent to 50 grams. L-Glutamine may work as a direct “food” for intestinal cells in need of repair, as well as by virtue of the fact that it is a precursor for synthesis of the premier antioxidant glutathione.

Indeed, antioxidants appeared to play a special role in protection of the intestinal cells from inflammation. It is believed that highly reactive free radicals literally disrupt cell membranes and cause inflammation in the gut. Several studies point to critical depletion of vitamin C, selenium, zinc and vitamin E in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Vitamin C and zinc must be supplemented carefully, particularly because of their potential to cause gastrointestinal upset.

I am 82 yrs. and developed U.C. about the time my appendix was removed, 60 odd years ago. I was treated with salazopyrin and spent weeks in hospital with acute kidney failure which has left me with 30% function. I developed type 2 diabetes about 25 yrs. ago and now have the usual problems ie diabetic retinopathy, neuropathy and 2 snapped tibial tendons. Some years back I jumped on the upturned buckle of my seat belt and ruptured my anus which could only be partially surgically repaired. Consider the effect on normal toilet life with ulcerative colitis. I try to keep my fasting bgl between high 4's and low 5's (mmol/ml) and HbA1C in the low 6"s .

As a former UC sufferer (now pouchie) that was ignored by the doctor and not diagnosed until it was too late to save my colon (which had to be removed in emergency procedure in 1999), I'd strongly urge you to take any medication offered to keep UC under control.