Something Nobody Wants To Talk About

Constipation.

In around November before I found out that I have diabetes, I started becoming constipated and it became chronic. It became on-going, I tried everything, more fiber, over-the-counter medicines, enemas and nothing worked. It wasn’t until I was looking up diabetes on-line that I found an association between diabetes and constipation.

Diabetic Neuropathies National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse (NDIC)

What are the symptoms of diabetic neuropathies?

Symptoms depend on the type of neuropathy and which nerves are affected. Some people with nerve damage have no symptoms at all. For others, the first symptom is often numbness, tingling, or pain in the feet. Symptoms are often minor at first, and because most nerve damage occurs over several years, mild cases may go unnoticed for a long time. Symptoms can involve the sensory, motor, and autonomic-or involuntary-nervous systems. In some people, mainly those with focal neuropathy, the onset of pain may be sudden and severe.

Symptoms of nerve damage may include

• numbness, tingling, or pain in the toes, feet, legs, hands, arms, and fingers
• wasting of the muscles of the feet or hands
• indigestion, nausea, or vomiting
• diarrhea or constipation
• dizziness or faintness due to a drop in blood pressure after standing or sitting up
• problems with urination
• erectile dysfunction in men or vaginal dryness in women
• weakness

Symptoms that are not due to neuropathy, but often accompany it, include weight loss and depression.

Bingo! “Symptoms of nerve damage may include… diarrhea or constipation”

I started researching further…

Constipation and the Diabetes Connection…

by admin on Friday, April 15th, 2011

There are several explanations why you may feel constipated . The first thing to relieving this feeling is to figure out why you are constipated in the first place. For instance, if you have diabetes, then chances are likely that you have been subjected to either diarrhea or constipation. If it isn’t a malady such as diabetes or hyperthyroidism, then fixing your constipation should be straightforward. You simply modify your diet and routine.

If you have Diabetes, hypothyroidism or kidney disease, then you may have constipation

Most diabetics suffer from constipation. The reason why is actually the same reason why kidney patients and those who have hypo or hyperthyroidism are likely to be constipated; It all boils down to the amounts of blood sugar your body releases and how it reacts to the nerves in your intestines. The nerves regulate how quickly or slowly food passes through your system.

I don’t know if this will be lifelong or my body will repair the damage that I did to it over the months that I had high blood sugar. I hope and pray that this and my kidney disease will improve with time.