Pre-diagnosis symptoms

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CMH

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Hi all,

My partner has just been diagnosed with diabetes. He’s a bit of a Luddite sometimes, so I’m on typing duty! We were curious to see if any of you had similar symptoms because none of the doctors seem to agree if all of his symptoms are caused by diabetes or if there is something else going on.

The first symptom he actually went to the doctors about was bad diarrhoea. On a bad day, it will happen 10-15 times and sometimes he has a really urgent need to go. It’s now been going on for nearly two months. He was initially put on the 2 week cancer screening program and had a CT scan and an endoscopy which were normal.

As part of the investigations, he had a blood tests which confirmed he had diabetes. He’s not sure what type of diabetes he has as he’s yet to see a specialist diabetes nurse and he hasn’t started any treatment. The first GP that he spoke to suggested the diarrhoea was explained by the diabetes, but the second one thought that it must be something else.

He is due a colonoscopy soon, as well as a blood test to check for haemochromatosis (because his iron levels are quite high) and coeliacs disease to see if they might be the cause of his digestive issues.

I guess we’re just wondering if this is something that anyone else has experienced and if so how long it took to get better after treatment started for things to go back to normal.

Many thanks!
 
CMH said:
Hi all,

My partner has just been diagnosed with diabetes. He’s a bit of a Luddite sometimes, so I’m on typing duty! We were curious to see if any of you had similar symptoms because none of the doctors seem to agree if all of his symptoms are caused by diabetes or if there is something else going on.

The first symptom he actually went to the doctors about was bad diarrhoea. On a bad day, it will happen 10-15 times and sometimes he has a really urgent need to go. It’s now been going on for nearly two months. He was initially put on the 2 week cancer screening program and had a CT scan and an endoscopy which were normal.

As part of the investigations, he had a blood tests which confirmed he had diabetes. He’s not sure what type of diabetes he has as he’s yet to see a specialist diabetes nurse and he hasn’t started any treatment. The first GP that he spoke to suggested the diarrhoea was explained by the diabetes, but the second one thought that it must be something else.

He is due a colonoscopy soon, as well as a blood test to check for haemochromatosis (because his iron levels are quite high) and coeliacs disease to see if they might be the cause of his digestive issues.

I guess we’re just wondering if this is something that anyone else has experienced and if so how long it took to get better after treatment started for things to go back to normal.

Many thanks!
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Very high level of blood glucose can cause diarrhoea, but it would be accompanied by also being very thirsty, urinating a being very tired.

Of course, each one of us is different, and not everyone get the same exact combination of symptoms. In my case, instead of diarrhoea I got constipation.

I think it would be a good idea for the doctors to keep an eye until they can tell for sure.
 
Thanks for your reply Carlos! That’s useful information. He is also thirsty and urinating a lot too. And he is definitely suffering from extreme fatigue. I guess it’s a wait and see situation! The diabetic nurse has said she’s going to start him on insulin when he has his appointment so hopefully that will help.
 
Any history of gallstones? Could also pancreatitis starting, sulphur smell is classic for me, unfortunately goes hand in hand with diabetes for some but not all of us. Maybe push for an ultra sound scan.
 
Sarahp said:
Any history of gallstones? Could also pancreatitis starting, sulphur smell is classic for me, unfortunately goes hand in hand with diabetes for some but not all of us. Maybe push for an ultra sound scan.
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Thank you, we’ll talk to the GP about it. He’s never had gallstones but good to have some other options to research
 
CMH said:
Thank you, we’ll talk to the GP about it. He’s never had gallstones but good to have some other options to research
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Hope I am wrong as pain is evil, my trigger food was cheese, if he likes fatty food then is a possible but just saw he has had a ct scan but some people get sludge rather than stones. Maybe reduce fat content and see if that helps as a starting point until can see someone re whole thing. I get acidic burps too and pain under my ribs, toilet up to 25 times a day if I eat cheese so now eat close to home cooked vegan diet to control fat in my diet.
 
His pancreas sounds like it could be under pressure and not doing one of its jobs properly ie producing digestive enzymes. Has he lost weight? If so he could be malnourished if everything goes right through him. Losing weight can also be a sign of high blood sugars. hope you don’t mind me asking but is his poo very, very smelly, sticky and floats in the water and looks greasy/oily? I had pancreatitis caused by gall stones and eventually had an op to remove most of my pancreas so have a bit of experience. If it turns out to be caused by his pancreas they should give him Creon which are enzyme replacements. Hope you get to the bottom of it ( pardon the pun). Good luck to you both.
 
eggyg said:
His pancreas sounds like it could be under pressure and not doing one of its jobs properly ie producing digestive enzymes. Has he lost weight? If so he could be malnourished if everything goes right through him. Losing weight can also be a sign of high blood sugars. hope you don’t mind me asking but is his poo very, very smelly, sticky and floats in the water and looks greasy/oily? I had pancreatitis caused by gall stones and eventually had an op to remove most of my pancreas so have a bit of experience. If it turns out to be caused by his pancreas they should give him Creon which are enzyme replacements. Hope you get to the bottom of it ( pardon the pun). Good luck to you both.
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Thanks for the pun! It gave us both a much needed laugh! Thanks for the information too. It’s good to have some ideas about what to talk to the GP about.
He says that his poo just looks like very thin gravy or slightly brown water. He has lost a lot of weight and I am quite worried about malnutrition and dehydration.
 
I am sorry to read about your partner.
Another thing to throw into the mix is coeliac disease. The only reason I mention this is if he has Type 1 diabetes, this is an auto-immune condition and auto-immune conditions tend to socialise with others of their ilk: it is not uncommon to have more than one auto-immune condition like Type 1 diabetes and coeliac.
It would be useful to keep a food diary and include a note of bowel movements. I have a spreadsheet called "food and s**t" which I used to keep track of such things as I have had some weird digestive symptoms recently (not the same as your partner).
I hoe they get to the bottom of his issues.
 
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When I was first diagnosed with diabetes (mine is Type 2), my original visit to my GP was because of very persistent diarrohea. It got so bad, towards the end of last year, that I was quite worried about leaving the house. My GP was very thorough and the blood tests proved diabetes but the colonoscopy showed inflammatory bowel disease - most likely Crohn's but not 100% confirmed.

At the subsequent gastro appointments, we have discussed the cause of the original issue and the diabetes was likely the cause, coupled with my absolutely terrible diet at the time!

Both of these discoveries (the diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease) have been a MASSIVE wake up call for me and I have since taken the time to understand what foods work for me, my bowel and my diabetes - it's only taken me 53 years :rofl:

Low carb, high fibre is working really well for me and my stomach issues have completely stopped. I am still taking meds for the diabetes but nothing for my tummy and the gastro team are happy with that.

Good luck - it's a nightmare waiting for results but once you and your partner have a diagnosis, you can do your own research and make positive choices and changes for the better.
 
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It could be his gut microflora is disrupted and having some probiotics may help, you can have live yoghurts or get them as capsules.
It certainly needs investigation to rule out things and hopefully resolve the issue.
I love all the puns.
 
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helli said:
I am sorry to read about your partner.
Another thing to throw into the mix is coeliac disease. The only reason I mention this is if he has Type 1 diabetes, this is an auto-immune condition and auto-immune conditions tend to socialise with others of their ilk: it is not uncommon to have more than one auto-immune condition like Type 1 diabetes and coeliac.
It would be useful to keep a food diary and include a note of bowel movements. I have a spreadsheet called "food and s**t" which I used to keep track of such things as I have had some weird digestive symptoms recently (not the same as your partner).
I hoe they get to the bottom of his issues.
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Thank you! I love the idea of a spreadsheet and your title for it! He’s going to have a blood test for coeliacs tomorrow.
 
Deb_l said:
When I was first diagnosed with diabetes (mine is Type 2), my original visit to my GP was because of very persistent diarrohea. It got so bad, towards the end of last year, that I was quite worried about leaving the house. My GP was very thorough and the blood tests proved diabetes but the colonoscopy showed inflammatory bowel disease - most likely Crohn's but not 100% confirmed.

At the subsequent gastro appointments, we have discussed the cause of the original issue and the diabetes was likely the cause, coupled with my absolutely terrible diet at the time!

Both of these discoveries (the diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease) have been a MASSIVE wake up call for me and I have since taken the time to understand what foods work for me, my bowel and my diabetes - it's only taken me 53 years :rofl:

Low carb, high fibre is working really well for me and my stomach issues have completely stopped. I am still taking meds for the diabetes but nothing for my tummy and the gastro team are happy with that.

Good luck - it's a nightmare waiting for results but once you and your partner have a diagnosis, you can do your own research and make positive choices and changes for the better.
Click to expand...
Thanks so much for sharing your story! It’s reassuring to know that someone else has similar experiences.
 
My immediate thought when I read this was a pancreatic issue too. I would be pushing for a scan of his pancreas. Diarrhoea is not a symptom of uncontrolled diabetes and at that level of malfunction it needs investigating. The fact that it coincides with high BG levels should immediately focus their thoughts on the pancreas. If his pancreas is inflamed or diseased or atrophied then it will not be able to make enough insulin or digestive enzymes. I think they can also do a Faecal Elastase test to check for a lack of digestive enzymes.

I do hope that he is able to get the appropriate tests and treatment. My mother suffered with pancreatitis and issues with her digestive system and diarrhoea in later life and it was very debilitating for her and knocked her confidence to go out, so can really sympathize and so wish I knew then what I know now so that I could have pushed for better support/treatment for her.
 
rebrascora said:
My immediate thought when I read this was a pancreatic issue too. I would be pushing for a scan of his pancreas. Diarrhoea is not a symptom of uncontrolled diabetes and at that level of malfunction it needs investigating. The fact that it coincides with high BG levels should immediately focus their thoughts on the pancreas. If his pancreas is inflamed or diseased or atrophied then it will not be able to make enough insulin or digestive enzymes. I think they can also do a Faecal Elastase test to check for a lack of digestive enzymes.

I do hope that he is able to get the appropriate tests and treatment. My mother suffered with pancreatitis and issues with her digestive system and diarrhoea in later life and it was very debilitating for her and knocked her confidence to go out, so can really sympathize and so wish I knew then what I know now so that I could have pushed for better support/treatment for her.
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Thanks so much! That’s really helpful. My partner has finally had an appointment with a diabetic nurse (who was incredibly helpful) and the nurse said something very similar. The diabetes team are going to get in touch with James’s GP and recommend some tests so hopefully things are moving forward now!
 
So relieved to hear that. Thank goodness the nurse is switched on!
Has he been started on insulin and if so, which ones and how is he managing?

If it is his pancreas which is causing both problems, then he would actually be classified as Type 3c diabetic rather than Type 1 or Type 2 etc. We have plenty of members who are Type 3c here including @eggyg above. Some will be due to pancreatitis and some to cancer and others cysts or possibly even trauma from road accidents etc. They can all present slightly differently and diabetes can be quite individual anyway, but it really helps to be able to compare notes with people who have faced the same challenges and now managing things well and know the questions you need to ask and the buttons you need to push to get the support you need.
 
rebrascora said:
So relieved to hear that. Thank goodness the nurse is switched on!
Has he been started on insulin and if so, which ones and how is he managing?

If it is his pancreas which is causing both problems, then he would actually be classified as Type 3c diabetic rather than Type 1 or Type 2 etc. We have plenty of members who are Type 3c here including @eggyg above. Some will be due to pancreatitis and some to cancer and others cysts or possibly even trauma from road accidents etc. They can all present slightly differently and diabetes can be quite individual anyway, but it really helps to be able to compare notes with people who have faced the same challenges and now managing things well and know the questions you need to ask and the buttons you need to push to get the support you need.
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Thank you! That’s good to know. I’m so grateful to all of you for your comments. We’ve both been feeling a huge amount of frustration with the lack of answers from doctors and it makes us feel so much better to have so many people taking the time to help us!
I imagine I’ll be back with loads more questions once all the tests are done and the results are in!
 
Thanks to everyone for their answers to thread! As an update: J saw the GP today. She has referred him to the lower GI team for further investigations and is writing to the endocrinology team for advice about what tests she can order to test his pancreatic function. Seems like things are moving (slowly) in the right direction! Thanks so much for your help - it was much easier going in with some ideas about what should happen.
 
I may be mistaken but I thought the pancreas was considered upper GI. @Proud to be erratic Rowland, I am guessing you would know this?
 
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