Celiac And Now Just Dx. W/diabetes

[JustJust]

Maybe someone can shed some light on this......... Not only was I daignosed with Celiac 6 months ago but I just had a Glucose tolerance test and it indicated that I have diabetes as well.... I AM SO UPSET!!! It's it possible that this could e a false positive because of the celiac? I know carbohydrates are absorbed in the small intestine so if I have no villi to absorb them maybe extra glucose is floating around in my blood causing it to be elevated? If I have diabetes I feel like I am totally screwed! Does anyone else have Celiac and diabetes? If so, can you give me some advice or tips on how to get it under control? Thanks so much, it's greatly appreciated! Justine

[psawyer]

Hi. I'm sorry to hear this.

First, let me say that there are a number of us here with both celiac disease and diabetes.

There are two distinct types of diabetes.

Type 1 is an autoimmune disease where the antibodies attack the islets of Langerhans, a part of the pancreas responsible for manufacturing insulin. Unlike the villi, the islets do not regenerate, and insulin by injection is required for the rest of the person's life.

Type 2 occurs when the body produces insulin, but there is not enough and/or the cells in the body become insulin resistant. This form develops slowly over time, and is usually (but not always) associated with being overweight. Type 2 can sometimes be controlled solely through diet, or it may require medication. There are some oral meds (pills) that are used in the treatment of type 2, and in some cases insulin injections may be needed.

Not all carbohydrates are absorbed in the small intestine. Some are absorbed through the stomach lining. Simple sugars, such as those used in the glucose tolerance test, are absorbed in the stomach. If celiac-induced damage to the villi interferes with carbohydrate absorption the result will be low blood sugar, not the high reading which indicates diabetes.

A person with celiac disease has a greatly increased likelihood to develop type 1 diabetes (and other autoimmune diseases). Similarly, a person with type 1 diabetes is more likely to develop celiac disease (that is my personal case). There is no correlation between type 2 diabetes and celiac disease.

Devastating as it is, I have never heard of a false positive on the glucose tolerance test. The condition can be temporary as it sometimes appears during pregnancy and lasts for the duration, but then clears up. This variation is referred to as gestational diabetes.

If you are in the position of having to manage both diabetes and celiac disease, one thing is certain. If there is a conflict, the gluten-free diet requirement takes priority every single time. A temporary rise in blood sugar does far less damage than a new gluten-triggered autoimmune attack on your body.

[ravenwoodglass]

I was diagnosed with both. However after reviewing my A1C for a year and a half along with my regular post meal testing it seems my glucose is usually under really good control.....unless I get glutened. Then my morning readings will be high. This is what happened when I was diagnosed. I had a severe glutening and went to the doctor, he based his diagnosis on that reading, ignoring the normal A1C and pushed Metformin on me. I chose instead to drop all high fructose corn syrup from my diet, eat sweets with restraint, same with carbs and to learn through pre and post meal blood glucose checks how my food was effecting my sugar. My readings have been completely in a normal range now for a year.

What have you started to do to control your sugar? I would suggest getting some books that will let you know what the glycemic indexes of foods are and if needed get an appointment with a GOOD diabetes educator. Mine was really lousy, she basically gave me a script and told me I could eat however I wanted. She did give me a lot of info but she also said she didn't expect me to do more with it than line the bottom of my bird cage. I got no info from her on how to eat with diabetes at all.

Make sure you keep all your appointments for blood work and do your BS checks as often as needed at first to see how your food impacts your sugar. Usually you will check one, two and three hours after eating, when you get up and before bed. You can always check more often than they say, I was told just to check in the morning. For me that told me nothing.

There are quite a few of us, some were not as lucky as I was and have had much more trouble keeping sugar in check. I know they will have some good advice for you also. It is hard to deal with the blood sugar issues on top of the celiac, but you will get the hang of it.

[elye]

Hello, Justine!

Peter has written a terrific post, and I have very little to add. The gluten-free diet complements the diabetic diet incredibly well--in fact, it really helps keep blood sugars under control. I have had tight bs control for years, but I was quite amazed at how much tighter it became once I got off gluten.

I've been a type one for 35 years, and a diagnosed celiac for 3. I remember how completely overwhelmed I was when I was diagnosed with celiac. I remember screaming to my poor husband, "How am I going to DO THIS??!! The diabetic diet is restrictive enough...now I can't eat anything with gluten in it?!!!" Believe me, as huge a mountain to climb that it seems right now, it absolutely gets easier...I promise.

In fact, having the celiac disease accompanying your diabetes really is a blessing, as it will be a lot easier to keep your blood sugars from yo-yo-ing, and within a safe low margin. Gluten causes blood sugar to spike. Take it out of your diet, and watch the fantastic blood test numbers come through!

I would suggest you get in to a dietician. I had a good, informative appointment when I found myself having to combine these two diets.

Many of us on this forum have a clustering of autoimmune disorders (one in eight type one diabetics are also gluten intolerant), and we're always here to help!

[~alex~]

I was diagnosed with type 1 about 4 months after being diagnosed with Celiac disease. It was so difficult and frustrating at first but I am a year post celiac diagnosis right now and it really doesn't seem too bad. You will learn quickly and it will become natural before you know it! I don't really feel that limited in what in eat, I just feel like I am much more conscious and careful about my diet than I would be without these conditions.

If you are in the position of having to manage both diabetes and celiac disease, one thing is certain. If there is a conflict, the gluten-free diet requirement takes priority every single time. A temporary rise in blood sugar does far less damage than a new gluten-triggered autoimmune attack on your body.

I totally agree with this. Also, a couple of days of vomiting and diarrhea from eating gluten won't make controlling your blood sugar an easy task.

[ShayBraMom]

I'm osrry to hear aobut that! Sadly, Celiac-Desease if not found in time, causes Type 2 diabetes, with you it seems it was found too late. If you would have known sooner, the glutenfree diet would have prevented it. That is the tricky part of Celiac, hard to diagnose, so easy to treat and damage to the intestine done completely reversible iwth just leaving gluten out, but anything else caused by Celiac such as Diabetes 2 is sadly NOT reversable, it's managable but once there it's there! I hope it was just a false Diagnose on the Diabetes, but if not I hope it'll be at least easily managable!

Big hugs!

Maybe someone can shed some light on this......... Not only was I daignosed with Celiac 6 months ago but I just had a Glucose tolerance test and it indicated that I have diabetes as well.... I AM SO UPSET!!! It's it possible that this could e a false positive because of the celiac? I know carbohydrates are absorbed in the small intestine so if I have no villi to absorb them maybe extra glucose is floating around in my blood causing it to be elevated? If I have diabetes I feel like I am totally screwed! Does anyone else have Celiac and diabetes? If so, can you give me some advice or tips on how to get it under control? Thanks so much, it's greatly appreciated! Justine

[silk]

Justine;

I am sorry for your pain and frustration and for all the things that you are feeling right now. I have been a type 1 diabetic for 9 years and discovered the Celiac about 2 months ago, so my situation is what you are going through in reverse. I think the biggest initial reaction to the celiac diagnosis being tacked onto the diabetes was that life was just not fair and that I was being punished for some unknown offense. Sounds silly, I know, but the "Why Me'? factor kicked in big time.

Once I got past that initial response and got into following the diet and began to feel better, I realized, that as another person here said, having both is a blessing. The pain and problems that gluten cause for me removes any desire to cheat even a little bit. Kind of like God's way of telling me to 'be good or else!"I have excellent control of my BS and my A1C's have been in the non-diabetic range for about 5 years now but the control does become much better once you get the hang knowing what to avoid.

I think that for me it helps me not to think of what I eat as a diet. Everyone else in the world eats what pleases them and makes them feel good. I eat what makes me feel good and that pleases me so it's just another way of life. Some people wear glasses. Some people don't. It's that simple.

My doctor, who is very low key and matter of fact, said the easiest way to eat what is best for you is to eat things that do NOT come out of plastic, metal or cardboard containers. In other words, eat everything you can as often as your can in it's least processed form. I know it's impossible to do all of the time but the snag with the prepared gluten free products are that they are made with highly processed, refined materials that go right to your bloodstream and cause the bs spike that everyone is talking about. If you drink apple juice, it's in your system right now. If you eat the apple, your body has to work to process it. Make sense?

Also, I don't know if anyone else mentioned this but exercise is key. If you can possibly do even 1/2 a day it does wonders for the BS. I used to take 50 units of Lantus insulin at bedtime until I started to exercise. I now take 10 units and sometimes have problems with low bs in the a.m. and lost 40 lbs as a bonus.

Not only will you find that it helps with the physical aspects but I am sure that you will find that it will also help with the emotions that you are dealing with right now. I walk, usually alone, because I like the quiet and also because it gives me time to get a grip and work through my problems and I always feel so much better when I'm done.

I have found such comfort, helpful information and support from the people here, and as others have said, we are here for you. If you want to p.m. me or have questions......

Roxanne