I found that my weight loss from RNY was steady, but at times slow.  I had a fair amount of stalls throughout, and often wondered if it was because of using insulin.  The nice thing is that as you lose weight, you do need less overall insulin and that then helps the weight loss.  I've lost about 85% of my excess body weight in 16 months and that's really fine with me.  I think the slower weight loss helped me not have so much extra, baggy skin, so don't fret if it's slow.

One of the reasons I chose the OmniPod is because there is no tubing.  It's a small pod that goes directly on your skin and then a small cannula inserts underneath for the insulin feed.  I did a trial for 24 hours to see how it felt and if I had any issues sleeping with it, and it was really fine and comfortable.  There's a small bulge on your skin since you are wearing the whole pump, but nothing too terrible.  I have been told that you actually use LESS overall insulin with a pump and get MUCH better A1c's.  That was the goal of RNY surgery for me - to improve my a1c's.  They are a bit better (around 7.0), but I'd really like to get down closer to 6.0.  I think the pump will help me achieve that now that my weight is more stable. 

I'm definitely looking into the CGM after I get used to the pump.  I've heard great things about the next generation of the Revel!

Thanks for this helpful conversation....

Good luck with your pump training.  I'm not familiar with the Omnipod.  I have always used a Medtronic pump.  However, I'm thinking the Omnipod should have options for temporary basal rates.  When I exercise I drop too.  I've worked with my diabetes educator to find what works best.  Usually a 50% basal rate for 1/2 hr before exercising, and 0-50% during exercise to keep from crashing.   It would make me sooooooo mad to have to treat a low blood sugar and eat all the calories (and more) that I had just burned by exercising!   Given the challenges in managing blood sugar after WLS, maybe your insurance will cover continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) also.  I use the Medtronic Revel.  It's not the most accurate sensor out there and I'll probably change to a different brand when my warranty is up.  However, it is invaluable for sensing the trends and looking at the patterns to make adjustments.

thanks so much for these tips!  I have been a carb counter for many years, and especially since the RNY 16 months ago.  All of my mealtime insulin is driven by a different carb/unit of insulin dose, so it keeps me honest on carbs.  My diabetic body also likes it best when I keep them at a minimum.  And I know the more carbs I eat, the more insulin I will need and insulin will promote regain.  I have to keep that top of mind because it's so easy to think differently about it.  It's the "this is what my body needs and I don't metabolize normally because I've had surgery and diabetes" vs. "I want that, I like it, I deserve, just a little will be fine" kind of thinking that I am sure you all know about. 

I loved what you said about treating the lows and it's good to know a new way to do it with the pump.  It feels so self-defeating to eat carbs to deal with the low, knowing full well that a rebound is in the future too.  I have my pump training on 1/28, so I'm sure I'll learn more about how to adjust all that on the OmniPod.  One of my long-term frustrations has been exercise.  I really don't mind exercising at all, but adjusting for it is a whole other thing!  I'm not always able to plan things out to the level you need to if using multiple daily injections.  So, I wind up having to either eat before/during exercise to compensate for IOB or not exercise at all.  I don't like either of those choices, so I'm glad to know that I have some other ones with the pump too.  I'm very exercise sensitive and can plummet 120-200 points when I do.  So there's this weird dynamic of having to push my sugar up to exercise.  Again, it feels quite self-defeating.

Weaver, I was concerned about RNY for the exact thing you said - dumping and how to treat hypoglycemia in the early days.  That's what led me to this board - I was looking for info on that and couldn't find it at all.  Fortunately, like you, that has not been a concern.  We Type 1 bariatric surgery people are not easy to find.  I am a LADA (type 1.5) and they are even harder to find!!  Glad to have some other people to share experiences with - it's lonely out here sometimes. 

That's awesome! I realllllyyy love carbs, though :-( that's a big deal for me to give up but I do need to cut them way back because I could eat a loaf of bread for a snack I swear I'm a bread-a-holic!

For the last 6-8 months Ive been going to my PCP with episodes of LOW (37-52) blood sugars. They did all the "normal" blood test and they all came back in the normal range. I called my Surgeon and was speaking to them about this and they told me I needed to go to an Endo. STAT!! I get these episodes mainly AFTER eating a meal. Which is opposite of a normal diabetic. I can eat a Greek yogurt and 20 mins later notice that my vision is not right and check my sugar and be at 50. After meeting with a WONDERFUL Endo yesterday he started me on an injection 3x daily called Octreotide, and he refered me to the Mayo Clinic. I'm wondering if there are anyothers out there with this same thing happening? It is VERY rare from what I'm being told. I know when I left the Dr's yesterday I was really REGRETTING my decision to have the WLS. Today, Ive been able to "digest" some of the information and start on a new diet plan ect.....I have these episodes on a NON-REGULAR basis. I can go 2 weeks and be good then have it happen 3x in 2 days. Thanks for any and all information...