Insulin Dependant Diabetic

I am new to this forum and I find it very helpfull, however I am wondering if there is any insulin dependant diabetics that have had RNY and if it is any different then being a "normal"person?

I am type 2 and was on an insulin pump.  I took not less than 120 units of insulin and 2 500 mg tablets of fortament every day.   I have not worn the pump since my surgery on 2/9.  I am off my oral meds and off the pump.   For the 1st two weeks, I took about 10 units of insulin each day and now I don't take it every day, and then just when needed.  Usually in the morning about 5 units.  My BS hasn't been over 180 since surgery. 

I have noticed that my weight loss is a little slower than "normal"  I suspect that that is because when the BS is down, the weight loss usually slows down a bit.  

I have lost a total of 52 pounds.  25 Prior to surgery and the remainder since surgery.   I am a VERY HAPPY CAMPER! 

I had surgery on Weds and the doctor took me off the insulin but is keeping me on Metformin but I am concerned that my I may need insulin until I am healed.    My sugars are about 180 with or with out the metformin.... I intend to call the doctor on Monday

I am on about 100 units of insulin a day so I am hoping that will go down as my weight does. I have a concern about what to do with a low blood sugar?

I have not had any lows that are low enough to worry about.  I'm sorry I can't help you with that. 

Thank you for your help!

I am in the beginning stages of getting everything together to have RNY.  I take over 500 units total per day of two different insulins.  All together I am on 23 different meds.  I am hoping that when I do have my WLS, that I can come off of my meds.  Even if I can't at least come off of some and use less units of insulin.  Does anyone have Renal Disease?  I am stage three (not on dialysis) and I hope that it doesn't stop me from getting WLS.   Good luck to you all and congrats to the you all on your weight loss.

Jackie
Carrollton, GA

Have you ever been tested for Celiac Disease?  I urge you to get tested ASAP, as many seemingly unrelated health conditions (PCOS, Lupus, Fibromyalgia, Diabetes, acne, depression, arthritis, osteoporosis, asthma, just to name a few) can be caused by undiagnosed/untreated CD (researchers have found a compelling link between Diabetes I and CD).  CD is a malabsorptive condition, and up to 40% of people who are diagnosed with CD are overweight, with 30% of that number being morbidly obese (this goes against what the medical community has been taught). 

If you have CD (or Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity) and you go on a Gluten-Free (GF) diet, you will more than likely find that the pounds start to fall off without you doing anything other than eliminating gluten from your diet. Incidentally, a GF diet is MUCH easier to follow than Atkins, as it is much less restrictive on carbs - the gluten-containing carbs seem to be the ones that give people the most trouble.

I know about CD because our youngest daughter was diagnosed with it last April (she had NO symptoms, it was picked up on a routine blood screening for kids with Down syndrome).  Since then, I have been on a GF diet and have dropped from 275 lbs. to 237 lbs. while eating all of the foods that I love.  It is, without a doubt, the EASIEST "diet" that I have ever been on!  The other benefit that I have found - quite unexpectedly - is that ALL of my bloodwork numbers have improved, the arthritis in my knee disappeared within 24 hours of going GF, and I have more energy than I did when I was a teenager.  The reason that all of this wonderful stuff happened is that for the first time in a long time my body was absorbing ALL of the nutrients that I ingested - it's that simple.

You may want to try a gluten-free diet for a while and see what happens.  I have been amazed at our family's results over the past 10 months.  Best of all, it doesn't "feel" like a diet at all!  Some people who have excess weight have Celiac Disease and don't know it.  There is a blood test that can be run, but if you don't have any other health issues, it is possible that you are just gluten sensitive.

 
The reality is that SO many more people are Gluten-Sensitive than have actual CD, but a person has to have a CD screen run first to determine if they do, indeed, have it.  Only 3% of people who have CD actually know that they have it, yet almost 1% of the general population is believed to have it.  That's a LOT of undiagnosed Celiacs!

If you go to www.celiac.com , there is a link there which lists all of the health conditions which are known and suspected to be associated with untreated Celiac Disease.  If you have 2 or more of those conditions, you are more likely to have CD.  Many people have their blood tests come back negative for CD, yet they still have problems, so they try a Gluten-Free diet.  If their symptoms clear up, they can safely assume that they are gluten sensitive.

The best thing about the GF diet is that we have been able to eat ALL of the foods that we love - REAL ranch dressing, baked potatoes with butter, sour cream, and cheese, Snickers bars, ice cream, chicken-fried steak with gravy, etc. - the only difference is that the flours that we use when cooking are gluten free (you can find these in many different stores or online).  We have been eating "full" fat foods (real butter, sour cream, cheese, etc.) and have actually lost weight and seen our bloodwork numbers come down significantly.  My doctor (PCP) was skeptical, but the results don't lie, and now she is looking into the GF lifestyle as "the way to go" for all of her patients!

I don't know where you live, but chances are that you have a Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG) chapter nearby.  They can be a wonderful source of information, and most GIG's offer a Restaurant Guide that tells you what is "safe" at various restaurants.  Now, be aware that if you want to have the same results as we have, you CANNOT eat any gluten whatsoever - there is no such thing as "gluten lite"......

My suggestion would be to request your doctor to run a Celiac Screen Panel and/or an HLA Typing for Celiac Disease test for you, and then do a "trial" GF diet.  You will want to do it for at least a couple of weeks, preferably for a month.  Don't be discouraged if your weight "yo-yos", because what will be happening is that your body will be converting fat cells into muscle, and muscle mass weighs more.  The weight loss will be slow, but it will be steady over time.  I have "lost" 5 pounds, then "regained" a couple of pounds back over and over due to this process, but the net result has been a 37 pound loss over a period of 10 months.  I would probably have lost more, but I like to drink Cokes, and I don't like to exercise.......

My husband told me that if I DID quit the Cokes and started exercising, I could probably lose weight faster, but I told him that I am "conducting a scientific experiment", and I can only have one variable.  Nobody believes me when I tell them that I am losing weight simply by eliminating gluten, so I am going to see how far this takes me.  So far, so good!  I am confident that I will be able to lose most, if not all, of my excess weight - it may take 3 or 4 years (maybe 5 or 6), but I figure it took me a while to put it on, so I can be patient.

Also, my skin isn't sagging like you see in so many people who lose weight so quickly on WLS.  Since I am eating so much dietary fat, my skin is actually kind of glowing now, and my face is nice and soft.  Plus, some of the complications that I have read about several years after surgery sound EXACTLY like the conditions that are seen in people with untreated CD - it can't be a coincidence that both situations involve malabsorption.  The main difference is that one of them (CD) is very treatable.  Even with a reversal, someone who has had WLS will NEVER get all of their intestinal tract back, so there will always be some form of malabsorption - not something I want to do at all......

One other website that you may want to check out is www.junkfoodscience.blogspot.com - a whole lot of food myths are debunked there, including the one about dietary fat causing heart disease.  There are LOTS of interesting articles on that site that you may find very interesting; I know I did!

CD is a genetically linked condition, and first-degree relatives are at a significantly higher risk of developing CD.  If you do, indeed, have CD, the LAST thing that you want to do is have Weight Loss Surgery!  You would be piling a treatable form of malabsorption (CD) on top of a surgically-induced form of malabsorption (WLS).  Good luck, and please keep me updated!  I am always available to answer questions.  PM me, and I will send you my contact information –

 

Links to Obesity/CD Related Articles: 

Obesity, Overweight & Celiac Disease

 

Link to Essay about Gluten Sensitivity: (This is EXTREMELY informative!)

http://www.baumancollege.org/pdfs/articles/Gluten_Sensitivit y.pdf

 

Link to Celiac Disease / Gluten Sensitivity Symptoms:

http://www.celiac.com/articles/1106/1/Celiac-Disease-Symptom s/Page1.html

Teresa Koch
Fort Worth, Texas 

 

My type I might have contributed to my difficult time post RNY.  Stoma Stinosis, bleeding, very slow weight loss.  Went from 200 units a day down to 30 and 40 - now up to 60 - 70 as food is increased.  Lows were easily corrected with 100% no added sugar juice.  No dumping from the juice, but dumping (thank God) from sugar and white carbs.  Poor, slow, stalled weight loss and terrible hunger.  The type 2 I had is better; less resistance, and the type I a little better: still highs and lows; A1C the same: 7 - 8s.  Good luck.  This is a hard road, but ultimately healthier.

Hi!  I am a type 1 diabetic and I have been on an insulin pump since 1983.  Over the past several years, I have gained a great deal of weight and, of course, the amount of insulin that I need to survive had increased to over 100 units a day.  I was having difficulty with my blood pressure and cholestrol.  I did a great amount of research on all different types of weight loss surgeries and decided on the gastric bypass first due to the fact that my insurance would cover the cost and second that many type 1 diabetics had had success with this surgery.

I had my surgery on January 27th.  All went well.  I was back to work within a week.  I am still on my insulin pump, but only a basal rate which has been substantially decreased.  I take 2 units an hour and reduce to 1.5 units during the night.  I take no more boluses and I feel great.  I am currently taking half of the medication for my high blood pressure and hopefully by the beginning of May, I will no longer have to take any.  I am no longer taking any medication for my cholesterol.

It has been 2-1/2 months since my surgery and I have lost 42 lbs.  I have gone from a Size 24 to a Size 20 and I am exercising regularly at the gym. 

In the beginning, I had several episodes with low blood sugars only in the morning.  I would drink a small glass of milk and within about 15 minutes my blood sugars were back to a normal level.  Prior to breakfast, I have my liquid multivitamin and calcium.  For breakfast, I have a protein shake, mid morning snack, I have cheese or yogurt.  For lunch, I have tuna or chicken or cottage cheese.  In the afternoon, I have a protein bar and at dinner, I have chicken, turkey, shrimp or crab.  I do eat a snack before bed, usually a piece of cheese or some ricotta cheese.  I have not been able to add vegetables to my diet yet.  I am full when I am done and cannot get any more food down.

I don't feel that having this surgery with the diabetes has made me feel anything but "normal."   It is about feeling healthy and happy both phsyically, emotionally and spiritually.  I have a wonderful support system.  My husband has been on a diet with me prior to my surgery and he has lost 25 lbs. and my best friend has also been on a diet with me and both of them are extremely supportive and always complimentary.  It is about being positive and knowing that the decision that you make for yourself is the right one.

If you have any other questions, write me.  Good luck!