Husband is diabetic

Hi,

My husband is joining me and is scheduled to get his band April 28th.  He really doesn't have much weight to loose, 50 lbs would be wonderful, but he is a Type 2 diabetic on an insulin pump, and we were hoping that the band would help to get him off insulin.

At his pre-op appointment this morning, the dr. mentioned that RNY would really be the better option for him, and that he could be off meds within 3 weeks.  We really have talked about both procedures and we are both opposed to RNY for various reasons.

Is there anyone out there who has gone through this and can give some insight on their experience.

Thanks,
Ilisa

Hi Ilisa! I'm a Type I diabetic on an insulin pump who just had my lapband surgery on Monday.  So, I'm brand new!  My diabetes is the type that won't go away; it'll just get easier to control.  I don't see anything wrong with the lapband, but your husband, being a Type 2 does have a choice.  I didn't due to several factors including that I had to have an easy way to fix a low blood sugar just incase & since I have less than 100 lbs to lose, it just was the obvious answer.  This doesn't mean that if your husband chooses the lapband that he can't get off of insulin...it just may take a little longer.  And that is maybe, maybe not.  Even with the lapband, I've had to suspend my insulin pump for an hour or so at a time in order to bring my blood sugars back up some.  It is an individual choice & either way, as long as your husband loses the weight, no matter how long it takes, he could be off of insulin...if that's your goal.  My goal was to be healthier.  I didn't have a # in mind; I just knew that I needed to work at being healthier & that lapband is just the tool I needed.  Hope this helps.

Hi Ilisa,

It is true that in most (not all) cases, type 2 diabetics improve almost immediately with RNY and DS, even before weight loss begins. It is important to remember that whether or not the diabetes resolves is partially dependent on factors like how long the person has been a diabetic and whether his/her pancreas is still producing beta cells. The good news about insulin treatment for type 2 diabetics is that it often helps preserve beta-cell function, whereas long-term treatment with pills only can sometimes lead to complete breakdown of the pancreas. There is a simple blood test that can be performed to confirm whether or not your husband is still producing beta cells (for natural insulin production). If he is not - if his pancreas has completely quit working - none of the WLS procedures will ever free him from insulin treatment. If he has had diabetes for a long time, they should really perform that test on him.

If he is still producing beta cells, weight loss will help, but there is no guarantee (the closest you can get to a guarantee is the DS).

Now, I don't know as much about the band, so I won't make any specific comments about that procedure, but I can tell you that I also had a restrictive procedure (VSG), and since my main goal was to improve or completely resolve my diabetes (which I have had for 24 years), a couple of doctors tried to steer me to a malabsorptive procedure, but agreed that the VSG was a less risky, less complicated procedure and said they were comfortable with it as long as I understood that it might not be adequate and that I might have to go back and have it revised to RNY or DS to resolve the diabetes.

Long story short: it has been 5 months, I have lost 74 pounds, I am off insulin (pre-op - 70 to 90 units a day) and my diabetes is under control with metformin only (when I remember to take it - haven't taken any for days and my fasting BG was 124 this morning). Oh, and my blood pressure is now normal too.

Thank you both for responding with such detail.  This is a big decision, and we are both really against RNY.  I think with the change in diet alone, his insulin amount itself with decrease.  Keep your fingers crossed. Ilisa