Hi to everyone
I was also one of the lucky ones to get the barrier in Mid Feb 2011 in London. Since having the device my HBA1c has improved greatly and I am getting my sugars under control (touchwood).
Anyone that is considering any surgery to help get them in the right place to control their diabetes must remember that the support network that you have is as important as having surgical intervention.
The most important thing to remember is that most of us (not all) have got to our state of diabetic meltdown because of ourselves and the factors around ourselves that have affected our eating habits. As an individual that has in the past been in diabetic remission (medication free) through losing weight and improving insulin sensitivity all that I can say is that to be getting there again feels great.I had the barrier to help me get my diabetes under control again after having to return to oral medication.
The barrier is a means to end - if you can lose weight without it I would seriously advise trying to do this first - it will be difficult but it is possible. If however you cannot do this with willpower then having the endobarrier (when it is available) will be a great catalyst to get you going.
So whats the catch ?
(i) The initial post operative suffering - discomfort and feeling of
unwellness (see previous post)
(ii) The issue of introducing food slowly back into your diet and being very
careful with what you eat - worry about blocking the device
(iii) Initial support has been poor and the lack of patients posting on a
specific forum has been disappointing since we all need support to
some degree - there should be better facilitation of info exchange by
the hospitals carrying out the procedure
(iv) Sharing of data from the manufacturer with the patients - we deserve to
hear about findings and possibly common advice from the patient pool
(v) You must remember that any foreign object in your body will cause some
irritation - I have had irritation in the early weeks after the op which
has gone away only to return again recently
We all have to make lifestyle changes with or without an endobarrier to see our health improve.
Best wishes to all my fellow diabetics struggling to get their health under control.
I hope that the above post has been of help
I was also one of the lucky ones to get the barrier in Mid Feb 2011 in London. Since having the device my HBA1c has improved greatly and I am getting my sugars under control (touchwood).
Anyone that is considering any surgery to help get them in the right place to control their diabetes must remember that the support network that you have is as important as having surgical intervention.
The most important thing to remember is that most of us (not all) have got to our state of diabetic meltdown because of ourselves and the factors around ourselves that have affected our eating habits. As an individual that has in the past been in diabetic remission (medication free) through losing weight and improving insulin sensitivity all that I can say is that to be getting there again feels great.I had the barrier to help me get my diabetes under control again after having to return to oral medication.
The barrier is a means to end - if you can lose weight without it I would seriously advise trying to do this first - it will be difficult but it is possible. If however you cannot do this with willpower then having the endobarrier (when it is available) will be a great catalyst to get you going.
So whats the catch ?
(i) The initial post operative suffering - discomfort and feeling of
unwellness (see previous post)
(ii) The issue of introducing food slowly back into your diet and being very
careful with what you eat - worry about blocking the device
(iii) Initial support has been poor and the lack of patients posting on a
specific forum has been disappointing since we all need support to
some degree - there should be better facilitation of info exchange by
the hospitals carrying out the procedure
(iv) Sharing of data from the manufacturer with the patients - we deserve to
hear about findings and possibly common advice from the patient pool
(v) You must remember that any foreign object in your body will cause some
irritation - I have had irritation in the early weeks after the op which
has gone away only to return again recently
We all have to make lifestyle changes with or without an endobarrier to see our health improve.
Best wishes to all my fellow diabetics struggling to get their health under control.
I hope that the above post has been of help
