Diabetes meds

It's been six years since I was diagnosed.  Not sure how long before that I may have went undiagnosed. My A1C has never been above 8.4, and that was when I was first diagnosed. They put me on 500mg metformin twice a day, but they upped it to 1000mg  twice a day, three months later. Been there ever since.  My A1C has hovered around 6.2 ever since.  Now with my low carb, high protein, liquid diet, my sugars are at their best levels since diagnosis. 

Like K below said, I'll do whatever it takes to keep it from coming back. One thing this journey has taught me; I don't need as much food as I had been eating to maintain enough energy to get through the day. It is also teaching me that I can eat healthier and not feel deprived or slighted. I can still be social without having to stuff myself too.

The thing I am having the hardest time with is smoking. I quit a month or so ago, as soon as I made the decision to persue this surgery.  I've quit drinking over ten years ago, I've now stopped eating, and while those things were hard, they pale in comparison to stopping smoking. I am really struggling to stay off the cigarettes. The only thing that keeps me from it is knowing how very important it is to prevent ulcers and promote healing. 

Anyone else quit just before surgery? Any tips on combating the cravings? 

I quit smoking Jan. 23, 2005 -- best thing I ever did -- but the hardest thing I have ever done too.  Keep up the great work.  You're making some fabulous changes and you should be incredibly proud of yourself

Thank you! I feel like such a failure though to have let myself get here where I am now. If I had my life to do all over again, I sure would have made better choices. The best I can do now is learn from my mistakes and change my future choices for the better.

Any ideas I can try to get through these incestuous nicotine cravings? I'm using the patch but still really having trouble today. It's raining and just a blah day, so sitting here is about the extent of my excitement for today. Unfortunately,  this leaves a lot of time to think about having a cigarette. 

I wish there were something I could offer.  Quitting was so hard.  One thing I did have a was a fake cigarette.  It was made entirely of the filter part of a cigarette and looked real.  I would hold that in my mouth and hand while driving, on the phone, drinking coffee, etc.  

That makes sense.  Sort of like that guy on the cop drama in the late 70s or early 80s. Barretta! Robert Blake.  He always had an unlit cigarette in his mouth. When people asked him why, it was because he had quit smoking, but that fulfilled his motor movement addiction. 

Thanks for the replies, I really do appreciate it. I've made it without a cigarette today and you helped.  Thanks again!

I have heard it said that it was easier to get off heroin than off tobacco. Good luck!

I was diagnosed 11 years before my surgery.  I wasn't on insulin, but I was maxed out on medications.  I went from taking 5 different meds, including Metformin XR 750 x2 twice a day down to just metformin 500 x1 twice a day.  It may not have pushed mine into remission, but it was greatly improved.  My morning blood sugars went from around 168 right after surgery to low 130s now.  I'm hoping that after I lose all my weight I'll be off the metformin, but even if I'm not, I'm definitely pleased.

I was on insulin 3 x a day, metformin 2x a day, HBP meds and a water pill.  I also had sleep apnea.  

Within one week of surgery, I was off all my meds.  It really was a miracle.  I am very worried about going out of remission of diabetes.  That is one reason I am so incredibly strict about my carb/sugar intake.  I figure, if I am unlucky enough for it to come back, I will have already established good habits to help control it.

Awesome news!

I went home post-op off all diabetes meds (Metformin and Byetta).  My husband, who had the surgery in April, was taken off his B/P meds after about 3 months post-op.  And he'd been taking them for 30 years!