Type 2 Pending operation

tabbun9 said:

Hi,
I have to have my gallbladder removed next month because of a large growth inside. I'm told it will be open surgery not keyhole. I'm worried because I am not able to heal well and simple scratches can take weeks to heal. How have other people with similar past operations coped please?

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Have you expressed these concerns to the staff at the hospital? If not, please ensure you do so, at the pre-op assessment, if not before. They will be experienced in dealing with all manner of personal factors.

What sort of blood scores do you usually have? Good control will help wherever it can. Higher than ideal bloods can really be a pain, and should be avoid wherever possible.

tabbun9 said:

Thanks for the reply.
Unfortunately not had the chance yet - I was too shocked by finding out I had the growth and needed an operation to ask questions at the time. I am set to visit the diabetic nurse on 22nd Sept due to diabetes being uncontrolled for along while now. Taking metformin and sitagliptin long term and had dapaglifozin added (4 months ago) However still not controlled, as you can imagine not a good start. Having to wait so long between appointments is so very frustrating and demoralizing.

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My BG is well under control, so it was not a big issue in my recent cancer surgery.

But it can be. Make sure you tell your surgeon. I ended up visiting multple surgeons. One wanted a recent A1c. Another just asked for recent readings. My primary care doctor said that if you can keep your BG under 11, healing time is about the same as without diabetes.

They should ask about diabetes, but some don't - with me, a few forgot because I no longer look like the stereotypical person with T2 diabetess.

Good luck!

I would also ask my doctor about long term effects on your GI system. I have had chronic extreme diarrhea ever since my gall bladder was removed. I had asked about that before hand as I have several friends with this problem from gall bladder removal and was told it is rare. It is not rare. Without a gallbladder there is a constant trickle of bile into the system which is irritating to your intestines and when you eat fat there is no large release of bile to deal with it (the gallbladders job). Add metformin into the mix and well.... There are medications to help with this and not everyone has problems by a long shot but if you are one of the lucky ones please don't suffer in silence. Talk to your doctor. Good luck and swift healing.

tabbun9 said:

Thanks for the reply.
Unfortunately not had the chance yet - I was too shocked by finding out I had the growth and needed an operation to ask questions at the time. I am set to visit the diabetic nurse on 22nd Sept due to diabetes being uncontrolled for along while now. Taking metformin and sitagliptin long term and had dapaglifozin added (4 months ago) However still not controlled, as you can imagine not a good start. Having to wait so long between appointments is so very frustrating and demoralizing.

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What was your last HbA1c like? We quite often encounter folks on here whose ops have been delayed due to higher than expected sugars. Please don't think I'm saying that to scare you; I'm not, but if your bloods are running high, that, in itself can affect general healing and of course the naughty bugs love sugary bloods.

Now could be the time to have a concerted effort to take the Big D by the throat and give it a decent shake?

Hi. Can you let us know your weight/BMI and age. If you are slim then there is a background possibility of being T1 and not T2. It's not ideal having an operation with high blood sugar so do reduce the carbs right down and discuss with the GP and hospital. It may even be worth being on insulin for a short while?