Both UC and diabetes are autoimmune diseases, with genetic predispositions. I have not heard of such a severe and profound launch into type 1diabetes following colectomy. However, high dose steroids can set things in motion for diabetes. The altered carbohydrate metabolism is usually temporary, but sometimes it is permanent. You may well have developed those antibodies prior to your colectomy, perhaps from some gut infection during a UC flare. Adult onset type 1 diabetes is on the rise.

It baffles me why you were not treated at an earlier stage, or at least referred back to your primary doctor for diagnosis and treatment. I am not sure that earlier treatment would have saved your pancreas, as your disease progressed very rapidly. Type 2 diabetes takes years, decades, to advance, and type 1 is usually a more sudden onset. But, it would at least prevented DKA (diabetic ketoacidosis) that was life threatening and gotten you the treatment you needed.

Hope things are under control now.

Jan

Things are under control now I did have some issues with a stricture that I thought was never going to go away I finally got that problem fixed for good back in July.But now my j pouch is working great and I'm never sick anymore! Way better than having uc for 13 years.Now I just have to keep up with my type 1 diabetes, it's almost like I traded one disease for another.I hope one day they find a cure for both autoimmune diseases.

Hope springs eternal! My husband and I both have type 2 diabetes (we both have UC too). My diabetes is much slower progressing than his. Mine is under control with diet/exercise, but my husband's has progressed to requiring maximum doses of 3 different oral meds. We eat the same. Just goes to show that each case is different.

Jan

Hi Jan. I’m new to Diabetes (January 2018 DX) but old to j-pouch (25 years). I’m on Metformin XR  1,000 mg daily. I’m totally confounded by how to eat to both control my sugar and not have completely and totally liquid output. I wanted to reach out to you because you seem really knowledgeable about both conditions. Is there a site that you know of or any info that addresses Diabetes/jpouch concerns? I wonder about nutrition too. Any help you could give me would be appreciated.

Hi, Seagirl.

I'm managing to keep my type 2 diabetes under control through food. I don't take diabetes medication, but I take Invokana to prevent my body from reabsorbing the sugar from carb foods.

Try to eat "complex carbohydrates" (carbs that have lots of fibre such as brown rice, basmati rice, whole wheat pasta, quinoa, pastas made from red or white quinoa, sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes, sourdough bread, 100% whole wheat bread, steel cut oatmeal, broccoli) instead of "simple carbohydrates" (carb foods that have very little or no nutritional value or fibre, such as white sugar, white pasta, white rice, doughy pastries, anything made from sugar, white flour, corn starch, cold cereals). It took me a short time to switch from eating white rice, white potatoes and white pastas to brown rice, or brown basmati rice, and quinoa, and now I love it.  My pouch has no issues from the extra fibre. I started off with small portions.  

Also try the "plate method" where you fill 1/2 your plate with vegetables (very well cooked vegetables for j pouchers), 1/4 of your plate with a complex carb, and the remaining 1/4 with a protein. I did this and lost weight, and kept up my protein and complex carb intake. This also brought down my bad cholesterol and upped my good cholesterol. Eat three nutritious meals a day, plus two complex carb snacks.  No late night snacks, you don't want an active pouch at night, or the extra sugar to float around in your system all night. Try small portions of brown rice or quinoa to start, to see how your pouch will react. I have no problems with it. Look up starchy vegetables and try to avoid or have less of those. 

Look for free diabetes classes at a hospital or university. Usually 90 minute classes, a dietician will teach you to read labels, use simple measuring tricks (a closed fist is the measure of 1 cup), recognize foods that are pure sugar overload, and what foods to avoid. This will become second nature and soon you won't need to count carbs (very boring!), you'll just know which foods are high carb, and which are complex or simple carbs. Yes, you can still have dessert and yummy things, you just learn to have a smaller portion and make different choices. There is carb / calorie / fat counting site called Fat Secret where you key in a food and it will give you the nutritional count. I hope this is helpful.