Hi all,
I’m looking for advice on behalf of my partner. His journey with diabetes began in July when he went to the doctor with chronic diarrhoea, which is sometimes really urgent. While they were investigating the cause of this, they did a HBA1C test and his was 137. Soon after, he was put on insulin and things seemed better for a short time. Originally they thought he was type 1 due to drastic weight loss but the test came back negative and he was told it was type 2. This is reasonable because his diet before diagnosis was not great.
However, the diarrhoea continued and he began to get severe abdominal pains too. He had a fecal elastase test to test for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency which came back normal. He’s also been tested for haemochromotosis because his iron levels were high. The results came back showing he had two genes for two different types of haemochromotosis. Normally you need two genes of the same type for a diagnosis of haemochromotosis. The GP thinks that this would not cause any damage but the diabetes specialist asked for further tests to see if high iron levels have caused the diabetes. The specialist also asked for them to redo the blood test to check if he’s type one.
He’s also had an endoscopy, a full body CT scan and today a colonoscopy, all of which showed nothing noticeably wrong.
At the moment, he is really struggling with controlling his blood sugar. It seems really erratic and completely unpredictable. We wonder if this has got to do with his digestion being erratic or if the iron levels are effecting his control. Or maybe both.
So far, the only treatment he’s had is the insulin and codeine which helps with the pain and reduces the diarrhoea from 6 to 10 times daily to maybe a two or three times a day.
Is there anyone who has had a similar experience or has some recommendations about what to do next? It seems like every test comes back negative but the digestive symptoms continue and he’s feeling so fed up. It’s affecting his ability to work and socialise and this has a really negative impact on his mental health. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
I’m looking for advice on behalf of my partner. His journey with diabetes began in July when he went to the doctor with chronic diarrhoea, which is sometimes really urgent. While they were investigating the cause of this, they did a HBA1C test and his was 137. Soon after, he was put on insulin and things seemed better for a short time. Originally they thought he was type 1 due to drastic weight loss but the test came back negative and he was told it was type 2. This is reasonable because his diet before diagnosis was not great.
However, the diarrhoea continued and he began to get severe abdominal pains too. He had a fecal elastase test to test for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency which came back normal. He’s also been tested for haemochromotosis because his iron levels were high. The results came back showing he had two genes for two different types of haemochromotosis. Normally you need two genes of the same type for a diagnosis of haemochromotosis. The GP thinks that this would not cause any damage but the diabetes specialist asked for further tests to see if high iron levels have caused the diabetes. The specialist also asked for them to redo the blood test to check if he’s type one.
He’s also had an endoscopy, a full body CT scan and today a colonoscopy, all of which showed nothing noticeably wrong.
At the moment, he is really struggling with controlling his blood sugar. It seems really erratic and completely unpredictable. We wonder if this has got to do with his digestion being erratic or if the iron levels are effecting his control. Or maybe both.
So far, the only treatment he’s had is the insulin and codeine which helps with the pain and reduces the diarrhoea from 6 to 10 times daily to maybe a two or three times a day.
Is there anyone who has had a similar experience or has some recommendations about what to do next? It seems like every test comes back negative but the digestive symptoms continue and he’s feeling so fed up. It’s affecting his ability to work and socialise and this has a really negative impact on his mental health. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
