Diabetes and Weightloss Surgery

[Dottychic]

Just thought I would post this for anyone considering having WLS. I had a Gastric Bypass operation 10 days ago. Before the op I was on 1 gramme of Metformin a day to keep my sugars under some control. I had pretty good numbers. Well, since the op I havnt taken 1 tablet and my sugars are on average between 3-5.....How good is that? :lol: I am having an appointment with my diabetic nurse next week and Im fully expecting her to say Im cured! X

 

[Sue Morton]

I don't want you to get depressed and down but diabetics cannot be cured its a life long effect (unless scientist can come up with something).

I assume that you are now eating correctly to keep your blood sugar down and hopefully to loose weight.

Some diabetic's do controll their BS via diet and if you are able to do this then carry on with your nurse's blessing and in controlling your BS you will also loose weight and its great to see the weight dropping off having been diagnosed in March of this year I have since lost 3 stone, using the low carb diet and testing regular especially when you have a diferent food. I stopped eating bread and now only occasionally buy a loaf - found a small brown seed bread that Aldi do is okay and had a Hovis brown seed loaf but found that this bloats me out but the slice per carb was 1.7 i think if memory serves me right. White bread is definately a no no as I did the other day when I wasn't feeling very well with this dammed flu like cold virus fancy a toasted bacon sandwich and as I didn't have any of my bread in I used the white bread that my husband has and tested 2hrs later and my BS was 9.9 so definately no more white bread.

I wish you luck an hope all goes well with you.
Sue

 

[youngmanfrank]

One of my friends had the surgery,and she told me some follow up data has been collected which suggests 80% of patients show no symptoms of type 2 diabetes at the end of the first year.One caveat,this really applies to newly diagnosed type 2's,who then elect for the surgery.Also showing no symptoms does not mean you have "cured" the condition.

 

[Dottychic]

This is copied directly from my discharge notes from the hospital.....

FOR DIABETIC PATIENTS;

Please note that blood sugar will need to be monitored closely after the surgery and after discharge from hospital, as reduction in anti-diabetic therapy dosage may be required as early as the first or second week after surgery. There is some 80-85% chance that the weight loss will result in "CURE" of type II diabetes over a course of 3-12 months, therefore gradual reduction in dosage and number of anti-diabetic medications should be anticipated. Your help in this regard following discharge in hospital is clearly crucial.

It clearly says CURE......

 

[Patch]

Yes it does, doesn't it...

I see you had a Gastric Bypass (and not a gastric band). Isn't that where they cut away your stomach completely and connect straight through to the intestine?

 

[Matblack]

Wow, congratulations

I think cure is a very big claim but I'm sure they have some studies to back it up.

From my research there isn't a direct connection between the pancreas and the portion of stomach removed during gastric bypass so I'm confused as to how this works apart from reducing food intake and hence moderating the absorbtion of sugers and carbs but I'd be keen to know.

For my part I'd be dubious about undergoing such radical surgery for something I may be able to control with diet, I have a problem with my weight but I believe I can control it with diet and exercise.

 

[Dottychic]

I didnt go into this surgery with my eyes shut, I took over 2 years to decide if it was right for me. I had Type II Diabetes, High blood pressure was totally immobile due to arthritis in all my weight bearing joints, had 2 strokes blah blah blah. I was advised to have the surgery due to all these issues.
I am not quite 3 weeks out and already I have stopped all my diabetes meds and High Blood Pressure meds so I'd say thats quite a good outcome.
The doctors dont quite understand why this works so well for most diabetes type II patients but it deffinately does work. Im still testing daily and will continue to have foot and eye tests for this year I think and then if all stays well I wont have to do any of these things. Id say thats a good result, and trust me..........gastric bypass is no easy option.

 

[Dottychic]

Yes it does, doesn't it...

I see you had a Gastric Bypass (and not a gastric band). Isn't that where they cut away your stomach completely and connect straight through to the intestine?

A gastric bypass operation involves creating a small stomach pouch and bypassing part of your small intestine to make your digestive system shorter, although nothing is actually removed. This means that you can only eat small meals and your body absorbs less food.

 

[Patch]

Thanks for the clarification, Dotty. And I'm happy that you're getting on well after the surgery!

 

[tracyann1]

Well done Dotty!
My mum is an alternative therapist and gave me a book called The Diabetes Cure, I read it not expecting much but the case studies init show that diabetes can be reversed, in my opinion if you show no symptoms and your blood sugers are 'normal' consistantly then to me thats a cure despite what so called experts say.

 

[Dottychic]

Thanks, there have been quite a lot of studies done on reversing diabetes with WLS and I know personally several people who have had surgery and take no meds anymore. It seems the people who are on large doses of insulin take longer but a lot are free from meds straight after surgery.

 

[Dottychic]

Just a quick update, I am nearly five weeks post op today and havnt had any Metformin since the day after the op. My blood sugars are averaging between 4 and 5 Still being monitored by the Gp and Diabetes nirse but things are looking good. Also I was on loads of High BP tablets and I havnt needed any of those either my BP was 122/81 today......

 

[phoenix]

I came across this trial, may be of interest to someone.
http://www.trafford.nhs.uk/news-med...udy-pioneering-treatment-obese-people-with-ty

 

[mutango]

I am mildly aggressive in resisting claims that surgery does not "cure" Type 2 diabetes.

It reduces your blood sugars into the normal range, wuthout you having to moderate what you eat, such that no test yet devisd by medical science could tell you were diabetic, whatever they fed you.

I'm not meaning to pick a fight with anyone but how in the lord's name is that not a cure?

As a young T2 I mildly resent the notion that diabetes cannot be cured or reversed. Particularly when u consider the guff about "pre-diabetes". So am I meant to believe that, if my reading is 7.9, my condition is reversible, but it it's 8.0 it's not? Like some MAGIC switch is pressed at 8.0? Look , if you've shed all signs of a disease, and you can behave how you want without it reappearing, then fact - you're cured.

 

[Dottychic]

I am mildly aggressive in resisting claims that surgery does not "cure" Type 2 diabetes.

It reduces your blood sugars into the normal range, wuthout you having to moderate what you eat, such that no test yet devisd by medical science could tell you were diabetic, whatever they fed you.

I'm not meaning to pick a fight with anyone but how in the lord's name is that not a cure?

As a young T2 I mildly resent the notion that diabetes cannot be cured or reversed. Particularly when u consider the guff about "pre-diabetes". So am I meant to believe that, if my reading is 7.9, my condition is reversible, but it it's 8.0 it's not? Like some MAGIC switch is pressed at 8.0? Look , if you've shed all signs of a disease, and you can behave how you want without it reappearing, then fact - you're cured.

I agree entirely, there are loads of "experts" who disagree about weight loss surgery curing type 2 Diabetes but the surgeons who perform the surgery and the endocrinology consultants believe in it 100%, I havnt had 1 diabetes tablet since the day before surgery and as yet havnt had one reading about 5 That will do for me no matter what the so called experts say! :lol:

 

[cugila]

"Bariatric surgery should only be considered as a last resort if serious attempts to lose weight have been unsuccessful and if the person is obese.

“Bariatric surgery can lead to dramatic weight loss, which in turn may result in a reduction in people taking their Type 2 diabetes medication and even in some people needing no medication at all.

"This does not mean, however, that Type 2 diabetes has been cured. These people will still need to eat a healthy balanced diet and be physically active to manage their diabetes.”

Just one of many saying the same thing........this from DUK. :|

 

[hanadr]

The "disappearance" of T2 diabetes following bariatric surgery has been reported quite frequently.
However. if you don't have the surgery and eat in the manner that post op patients have to, will that have the same effect? I suspect so.
Although I AM HAPPY for the people who benefit from the surgery, I would rather see diabetics getting psychological help to make drastic cuts in their eating than be subjected to general anaesthetic.
Good luck
I hope the effect lasts indefinitely.
Hana

 

[Patch]

The "disappearance" of T2 diabetes following bariatric surgery has been reported quite frequently.
However. if you don't have the surgery and eat in the manner that post op patients have to, will that have the same effect? I suspect so.

No way. The reduction of food intake WILL NOT have the same effect as reduction in stomach size. Even after the stomach shrinks, it will never reach the size that it does following bariatric surgery - which is what I believe triggers the effects that cure T2 diabetes and obesity.

The truth is, they've stumbled upon this cure.

I'll call it a cure.

It was devised as a weight loss surgery that would make you lose weight by resticting the AMOUNT of food you eat. Now, if you took 2 people with exactly the same level of T2 diabetes, exactly the same level of insulin resistance, and weighing exactly the same, gave 1 bariatric surgery and restricted BOTH of their food intake to match what the post surgery person was eating, the post surgery person's T2 would DISAPPEAR following the surgery. Weight would come off much quicker in that person, too.

The point is - restricting the amount of food that it is possible to eat is NOT what causes the weight loss and cure of T2. The reduction of the size of the stomach is what causes theese desirable effects. Are different hormones produced when the stomach is small? Does the size of the stomach have any effect on the way the pancreas works? Does the size of the stomach effect liver dumps?

I dunno.

It is NOT the reduction in th efood iontake that cures diabetes. They were lucky - they were not even looking for a cure to T2 Diabetes. I bet they wish they'd never stumbled upon it.

What they SGOULD be looking for, is a way to the effects of the surgery without cutting you up. If hormones are produced/stopped after surgery, they should find out which hormones are stopped/produced, and find a way to simulate that without surgery.

They're looking through the wrong end of the microscope!

 

[phoenix]

What they SGOULD be looking for, is a way to the effects of the surgery without cutting you up. If hormones are produced/stopped after surgery, they should find out which hormones are stopped/produced, and find a way to simulate that without surgery.

They're looking through the wrong end of the microscope!

there you go Patch http://clinicaltrialsfeeds.org/clinical ... CT01251016

(and I don't think it's the only one, just the first I found)

 

[catherinecherub]

Another one for you Patch,

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/210395.php

The most likely explanation as to why the surgery works is that the improved control of blood sugars lies in the effects the surgery has on key gut hormones, (GLP-1). These hormones are thought to mimic the hormones for initiating insulin release from the pancreas, thus helping to restore blood sugars to normal.

Interesting to note that this "cure" is actually called remission in this document. This says to me that there would still be a lot of work involved for the recipient as regards to their eating habits and exercise and you would still have to follow a diabetic plan of eating.