I have type 1 diabetes and for the past few weeks get diarrhoea at least once a week, which i never used to get before. My poo is also a strange colour at the moment, anyone else have this problem as i saw that you can get diabetic diarrhoea, just not sure if it is just too easy to put everything down to being diabetic x
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Diarrhoea
- Thread starter kellie01
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I would see a doctor, especially since it has been going on for multiple weeks. Just to be safe. Like you say, it's best not just just assume everything is diabetes-related.
rebrascora
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Are you also losing weight? When you say strange colour are you talking more yellow? Just wondering if it could be Pancreatic Exocrine Insufficiency. Might be worth doing some research on that to see if it rings any bells with your situation.
nonethewiser
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Definitely see your Dr.
If it continues then your Dr should ask for a stool sample, one of the checks is for steatorrhea, if there's a high presence of fat it can indicate that your pancreas isn't producing sufficient digestive enzymes to break down your food, about 7 years ago had same issue as you & further investigations found I had EPI, which is Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency.
Not saying its that or anything else but sensible to rule it out if things continue as they are,
Deb_l
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You can get diabetic diarrhoea but your BG levels have to be persistently very high for a very long time. Believe me, I’m no expert but I did do a lot of googling last year when I had a chronic upset stomach for the longest time.
I would definitely agree with what everyone else has said. Have a chat with your GP and drop in a poo sample. They may also want to do another test for blood in your poo (called a FIT test). If this is positive, it’s not the end of the world. Mine was but on further investigation, it turned out I have inflammatory bowel disease, which explains sooooo much. I now use diet to control my symptoms.
I would definitely agree with what everyone else has said. Have a chat with your GP and drop in a poo sample. They may also want to do another test for blood in your poo (called a FIT test). If this is positive, it’s not the end of the world. Mine was but on further investigation, it turned out I have inflammatory bowel disease, which explains sooooo much. I now use diet to control my symptoms.
Agree with at @rebrascora suffer with this and also oily stools.
Any persistent issues definitely need discussing with your doctor especially when diabetic.
Guinealady
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Ive been on insulin for 19 days after a bout of DKA, my poo is now soft and caramel coloured. Am scared stiff. Doc is aware and told me to call her next week if it doesnt change.
rebrascora
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Hi and welcome to the forum.
How long have you been diabetic and how did that come about? Have you gone straight onto insulin or have you been on oral diabetes medication for a while?
Have you ever had pancreas or gall bladder issues? Yellowish coloured poo and diarrhoea are associated with Pancreatic Endocrine Insufficiency I believe and together with needing insulin, would suggest that your pancreas may be failing for some reason. You might want to ask your GP for a Faecal Elastase test if the problem persists as that will show if your pancreas is producing enough digestive enzymes. Are you or have you seen any unexpected weight loss recently as that would also point to it being this. Basically if you haven't got enough digestive enzymes then you can't digest your food and get the nutrition from it, so you lose weight. If this is the problem, it is a relatively simple fix in that you need to take Creon which is an enzyme supplement with your meals. It might also be a good idea to ask for a scan of your pancreas to see why it is no longer working if this is the problem as there may be a cist or other abnormality. First thing would be the Faecal Elastase though to see if it is a digestive enzyme deficiency.
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