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Permalink Reply by Brian (bsc) on June 13, 2012 at 3:35am

Do you think you might have gastroparesis? That can causse bloating and gas. There is a group here on the topic. I have also found that Dr. Bernstein's writings to be quite useful, he has a number of articles on the subject on his website and in his book.

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Permalink Reply by Pete on June 13, 2012 at 4:22am

GP could be the problem I hope it's not. Think I'll go along to me docs tomorrow to see if I can get myself referred to have the test to determine it once and for all, well hopefully.

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Permalink Reply by Tim on June 13, 2012 at 4:32am

About 10-15 years ago I had the "gas at both ends" problem too, with a fair amount of abdominal pain.

I saw some docs, I wondered if it was Gastroparesis too but was never tested for it, and (knock on wood) it hasn't happened again.

Sort of historically I had a lot of episodes of abdominal pain when I was a kid (predating my diabetes) and in my 20's, but it doesn't seem to happen anymore. Don't really have an explanation. I used to get awful headaches when I was a young kid too, and those kinda stopped a couple years I was diagnosed with T1. I always wonder what the connection is but don't understand it!

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Permalink Reply by lotsofshots on June 14, 2012 at 6:39am

Tim, the same thing happend to me too when I was younger. It went away for a long time but now it is back again with a vengence. I really wonder about this. Hopefully, I wish for you that you stay free of the problems.

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Permalink Reply by Holger Schmeken on June 13, 2012 at 4:33am

For more than 10 years I am punished for the pleasure of drinking coffee. I really like the taste but it became so hard to digest. Now I just leave it out. The same is true for black tea. This type of sensitivity to coffee and tea can be related to bittering agents and a reduced tolerance towards these agents. In addition with coffee often milk is consumed and many people loose the ability to digest lactose with age.

For T1 the risk of developing complications in the nervous system is higher. The digestion needs a highly orchestrated nervous system operating the bowels. If nerves are impaired these processes get out of sync. Your endo can measure the speed of digestion to diagnose gastroparesis.

So we have
-bittering and other agents (irritable bowell)
-lactose (bloating)
-gastroparesis (bloating, irritable bowell)

I think it is time for new A1c targets: try to shoot for 6.5. This should help your nerves to regenerate to some degree.

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Permalink Reply by Trudy on June 13, 2012 at 5:30am

Hi Pete. Another possibility is Celiac Disease. This condition requires you to be gluten-free; that is, to avoid wheat, barley, rye and to eat only oats that are marked gluten-free.

I have Celiac, and drink my coffee well buffered with milk. Gas is definitely a problem with Celiac, until you become gluten-free. I don't have full-blown Gastroparesis, but do have slow digestion.

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Permalink Reply by Pete on June 13, 2012 at 6:03am

Thanks so much for your input guys it is much appreciated.

P.s I did have a test for celiacs but it came back negative so at least I can rule that out. Thanks Trudy :)

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Permalink Reply by Trudy on June 13, 2012 at 6:15am

That is good news. However -- I have heard of false negatives. IF it turns out that you do not have Gastroparesis, you might consider putting yourself on a gluten-free diet, just to see if you get relief. Only IF. Wishing you luck in getting this situation resolved soon.

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Permalink Reply by Martina H Milligan on June 13, 2012 at 6:43pm

I have this problem and i have gastroparesis, you should see your doctor if you haven't already. good luck and keep us posted please

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Permalink Reply by lotsofshots on June 14, 2012 at 6:44am

I have the same problems and it is very uncomfortable. I am guilty of really enjoying coffee and drink it throughout the day. I am wondering now if we should give it up and see if our symptoms get better. It is worth a try I guess, but I tell you, in all honestly, I am really going to miss the coffee a lot, sometimes I think it is my best friend and the only thing that keeps me going through a long day. Maybe we are aggrivating our stomachs with the acid in the coffee and getting our digestives systems overactive with the coffee.

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Permalink Reply by Erin Huff Carper on June 14, 2012 at 2:42pm

i had the same syptoms. i thought i had gastoparesis but my endo thought it could be celiac. i had the blood test but it came back negative. my endo had me try a gluten free diet anyways because she said the blood test often gives false negatives. i tried it and it has totally taken care of the problem. it is amazing!  i can't believe how much better i feel! 

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Permalink Reply by Jim on June 14, 2012 at 3:08pm

I found that most doctors don't like to diagnose gastroparesis, so that will be the last diagnoses they consider. They'll run you through endoscopies, cat scans, blood work, diet changes and then they will make there way to thinking about gastroparesis. So by then your insurance has probably forked out 10-15 grand. I think most doctors are taught that we will have a lot of other complications before gastroparesis appears. That is not true.

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