How is it supposed to happen?
My on-going question which some of you might also have is how do the doctors take you off meds after surgery? How do they know that you can survive without them. I can understand blood pressure meds since all they have to do is to monitor your blood pressure for a few days, but what about insulin. In my case, I won't ever be taken off of insulin since I am a Type I diabetic, but I know that the doctors will reduce my dosage. My doctor has already reduced it by some, but I don't understand how drastic of a change this surgery (lap band) will be on my system and how doctors know how much to reduce my insulin requirement. Does anyone else know?
Sharon in DE
Sharon, you need to be able to take charge of this yourself, because the changes can be very rapid, and as a type 1 diabetic, you can't afford to fool around. Basically, that means LOTS of testing from the very first day post-op. Your docs will probably cut your insulin dose from the beginning, but you will need to do pre-meal and post-meal testing after every meal for a while and keep records of youer pre-meal BG, exactly what you ate, and your post-meal BG. You need to know how your blood sugar reacts to each kind of meal, and as you make the transitions (from liquids to puréed to solids), and your insulin requirements will change both as you lose weight and as you add new foods. The dose will change based on your pre-meal and post-meal readings - without that information, the doctors won't be able to tell you anything, and obviously they cannot be there testing your blood sugar eight times a day for you. Get in touch with J2 O. for help if you want - Jeni is really nice, really knowledgeable, and also a type 1 diabetic. Good luck!
Dear Ros-Mari,
I did respond to your other post too. But I just wanted you to know that what I couldn't wrap my brain around was how exactly my doctor would recommend me lowering my insulin dosage. I already test more than a human being should
& have taken personal control of my diabetes for the last 36 years! For an experience such as this type of surgery, no one should be expected to do this on their own without an endocrinologist to guide them. I was not saying that I can't do it on my own, a patient should not just jump in & make all kinds of changes to their insulin schedule without consulting a professional. This is a new experience & even though I have excellent food journals & computer printouts of my blood sugars, making too many changes too quickly could lead to a dangerous situation for someone like me. I just wanted to write this for anyone else reading this blog also. I am learning what to do based on consulting with my endocrinologist & based on my personal experience. I don't recommend anyone doing this on their own, no matter how independent they are & no matter how many times they test their blood sugars/day. Like I said before, I was looking for some encouragement pre-surgery & for someone who was in my situation to share their experience with me. Now that I've gone through the surgery, maybe someone will come to me with their questions. I will be so glad to help & so non-judgmental! Sorry for taking this personally, but you must've hit a nerve.
& have taken personal control of my diabetes for the last 36 years! For an experience such as this type of surgery, no one should be expected to do this on their own without an endocrinologist to guide them. I was not saying that I can't do it on my own, a patient should not just jump in & make all kinds of changes to their insulin schedule without consulting a professional. This is a new experience & even though I have excellent food journals & computer printouts of my blood sugars, making too many changes too quickly could lead to a dangerous situation for someone like me. I just wanted to write this for anyone else reading this blog also. I am learning what to do based on consulting with my endocrinologist & based on my personal experience. I don't recommend anyone doing this on their own, no matter how independent they are & no matter how many times they test their blood sugars/day. Like I said before, I was looking for some encouragement pre-surgery & for someone who was in my situation to share their experience with me. Now that I've gone through the surgery, maybe someone will come to me with their questions. I will be so glad to help & so non-judgmental! Sorry for taking this personally, but you must've hit a nerve. Sharon in DE
Well, gee, Sharon, you have certainly made sure I won't bother coming back here again. From the way you wrote your first post, it sounded like you truly had no idea. Personally, I have found that I am *much* better at adjusting my insulin than the doctors are, because I have kept such detailed records that I know exactly how many units I need to lower my blood sugar by exactly how many points, depending on what I eat. Anyway, good luck to you. If you wanted specific information from a doctor, which is what it sounds like you wanted, then I guess you should have asked a doctor. I was trying to help specifically because I have gone through the surgery, and I have made adjustments all the way through from insulin therapy to no therapy at all (since I am type 2) and the principles are the same - and you also rejected my suggestion to seek help from another person with type 1 because you seem to be laboring under the mistaken belief that all type 1's are on insulin pumps. Regardless, I hope you meet your goals and that next time the people *****spond to you are equipped with a crystal ball so they can read your mind.
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