Diabetic complications stomach pain/nausea

[Bobby Anne]

I have been a diabetic since age 6 and am now 30. I am so nauseated all the time, I have to force even toast down to keep it from coming right back up. I have bad stomach pains too. My blood sugars are under control.  I've tried nexium and other pills, nothing helps, not even reglan or phenergan. Does anyone have any other suggestions?

[JDRF-VOL-RL]

Hi, Bobby Anne.  I'm not a medical professional, just a parent of a kid with diabetes.  Do you have any other symptoms, like constipation or fatigue?  Have you ever been tested for celiac disease?

[Forum-vol-cmb]

I have to ask-are you pregnant? When I was pregnant I was very nauseous.  Have you had your thyroid checked?  I had graves disease(overactive thyroid) and I had stomach pains.  I felt constantly nervous and had a quick pulse.  These are just guesses.  I suggest you go to your doctor and tell him/her your symptoms.  

[Bobby Anne]

Pregnancy is not a factor.   I'm not able to urinate except 1/2 - 1 cup per day.  How can you be sure if your kidneys are shutting down or not?

[Larry68]

Hi Bobby Anne,

I am sorry you are in such misery. It sounds like this has been a problem for a while, so it could be a common diabetic complication, called gastroparesis.

This complication is caused by autonomic neuropathy, or damage to nerves that control the function of internal organs, like the stomach and intestine.  It is similar to peripheral neuropathy, which makes feet and legs painful or numb, but does not have the accompanying nerve pain. It causes the stomach to empty slowly or not at all, and the intestines to process food very slowly. The result is an always full feeling long after eating, food pressing up against your throat, nausea and heartburn. It can also result in very infrequent defecation, and a very hard stool. If these symptoms are similar to what you have been experiencing, you may want to see a gastroenterologist for a stomach emptying test. They can measure the rate at which your stomach empties to determine if this is the cause of your problem.

Hopefully, you will have something less serious to deal with, but medical evaluation would be a good idea. If you do have this complication, it can be treated in a number of ways from diet change to (at the extreme) surgery. I experienced this problem after 20 years as a type 1, and I control it successfully now with diet. I hope you can find the cause soon and start feeling better.

Larry