WLS...on "60 Minutes" Tonight... Re: Diabetes

Hi, just saw this on the Main board... passing it along...  http://www.obesityhelp.com/forums/amos/a,messageboard/action ,replies/board_id,4856/cat_id,4456/topic_id,3589692/ The preview that I saw said it was about Diabetes. Ro

Here's a bit more info, including the CBS article link... and what DH & I thought about the segment. Best to all... Ro Hi, Bea... Here's the CBS article that describes the segment: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/17/60minutes/main4023451.shtml Basically, it seems that that act of separating the pouch from the stomach has added benefits... diabetic / cancers... so this would mean that primarily RNYs would benefit. The panel of 6 -8 people had all stopped taking their diabetic meds soon after surgery, so the effect came much sooner than their weight loss. This alone was a positive, as many diabetics are not MO, so their focus might end up being on getting well and trying not to lose too much weight. As a positive...their health could be improved, but WLS comes with it's own set of requirements. When I was in the hospital for my RNY, a LapBand patient was taken off of her Humilin so there must be more to it. My Support Group Leader mentioned that staff meetings were ongoing as doctors would like more people (not obese / over-weight) to be considered by insurance companies, if their diabetes requires another treatment. Over the last few months, I have heard that the diabetes "returns" in a milder form, I have also heard about "resistant hypogycemia", which I still don't fully understand... but that would suggest that there is more to learn within the medical community. The Main board received a few comments on the second "page" from members. One made a good point. Although increased suicides after WLS was brought up in the segment, the answer was vague at best. I think that it was a good beginning discussion and that WLS was seen in a positive light. Follow-ups should be interesting. Ro & DH, who thought that the segment was very good!

What did you think of the show?

Hi, amyamybobamy...  I thought that segment was very good as described above in this thread.  More importantly, my WLS Surgeon, who used to be a vascular surgeon thought that it was absolutely fantastic.  He discussed with his patients that he viewed the segment as 100% correct; gastric bypass essentially cures Type II diabetes in almost 90% of patients.  His take is that many people don't know how serious diabetes is... the leading cause of blindness in the US, as well as limb loss from amputation and kidney failure.  He explained that rather than spending effort to try to improve circulation of diabetic patients so that they wouldn't end up with amputations, sometimes without success, he decided to become a bariatric surgeon.  It seems that he was delighted with the show's coverage and saw it as a great validation to his decision to change his practice.  I'm glad that he did make the move and hope that WLS can improve the lives of people living with Diabetes. Ro Good Job... Well Done! http://www.cbsnews.com/sections/i_video/main500251.shtml?id= 4029652n