DS scheduled and looking for advice

I posted a couple weeks ago that I was wanting the RNY but my surgeon was wanting me to change to DS.  After spending an hour with the surgeon, he made me realize that DS is the way to go for me and I have done a lot of research on my own, on here and dsfacts.com and I feel very comfortable with this decision.
I was scheduled to have my surgery on August 2nd, and was asked to do an A1C as i am a type 2 diabetic.  It is horribly high, so I have had to reschedule to October 2nd and have been put on Victoza, a non-insulin injectable to get it down to be able to have a safe surgery.Which is disappointing, but I want to give myself the best chance for a safe and trouble free surgery.

Are there any tips that newly post-ops or veterans wish to share that they wish they had known now that I know I have about 2.5 months to prepare ?

Go LOW carb...avoid all carbs except green veggies (peas however are not good). Keep each meal under 20 carbs (hard to do if you add anything other than green beans, broccoli, spinach, etc)

You can get your a1c down quickly doing this...following this list of foods:
www.diabetes-book.com/book/chapter10.shtml

Dr. Bernstein is a type 1 diabetic who is also an endocrinologist.

Now, with that said, many have gone thru the DS with a1c's very high, mine was 8.2 when I was scheduled for surgery and they did mine...

If you google weight lose surgery proboards you will find more vets.

Liz

I applaud Dr. Cooper for recommending the DS for you, esp with your poorly controlled diabetes. However, I think the key to getting the diabetes under control is to have the surgery, not to hold off. I understand his desire to proceed as safely as possible, and of course he gets to decide when to do the surgery, not you, but to me, the high A1C is all the more reason to get you switched and on the road to better health.
     But since you don't have a choice, do follow the low carb recommendations above, and see if your pcp can help with your diabetes meds as well. Diet alone may not be sufficient. Keep in mind that you medication needs will change drastically as soon as your surgery is done. Many people with diabetes leave the hospital off their meds - I don't think this will happen for you, with severe diabetes, but you will surely be on less medication (maybe a lot less) and will need to work with your pcp in the following weeks to keep adjusting downward.

Larra

Going without carbs will bring your blood sugar under control, which is very important to avoid all the nasty things diabetes does to you. Dr. Bernstein's books are great.
To get ready for surgery, they also suggest pushing up the protein to make you better able to handle the surgery.
Just so you know, many people become non-diabetic after the surgery. I was having trouble getting my blood sugar under control before the surgery, and 2 weeks after the surgery my fasting blood sugar came completely under control It is always 104-109 every morning I check it. It has been a year since surgery and I am very happy I have had a year without worrying what the diabetes is doing to me.
Good luck with the surgery!

I remember your post - glad you have came to a decision! 

I too am pre-op - my surgery is scheduled for Sept 11th - so we're kind of on the same journey right now!  I'm wondering beside the A1C test, has your Dr. done a full work up to check all of your vitamin levels?  If not, I would suggest having this done so you can make sure all of your levels are in tip top shape.  When we did mine, we found that my vitamin D level was at a severely low level.  From what I understand, this is fairly common, so now I am taking 30,000 units daily in order to bring it up.  Also, my B12 was in normal range, but on the lower side, so I'm working on this too.  Hair loss is also something that is common at about the 3-4 month point post op, so I've added Biotin to try to help prepare in advance because I can't really afford to lose alot of hair because I have fine and thin hair!  I'd go ahead and get a daily or weekly pill organizer now so you can get in the habit of organizing your pills and developing your own daily plan now because you will definitely be taking quite a few vitamins after the fact for the rest of your life.

A couple of other things I would suggest is walking and trying to lose a bit of weight.  Especially if your surgery is going to be a lap procedure, as much weight loss before will help reduce liver size and also give your dr. the ability to have a better view inside of you during the surgery.  Also, get in the habit of drinking at least 64 oz of water a day every day - more if you can. 

Finally, read, read, read and learn as much from the vets because they are a wealth of knowledge.  

My surgery is also Sept. 11th, did'nt even make the connection to 9/11 because I was so excited,  till my husband pointed it out after the consult..my surgeon asked me to start low carb, higher lean protein, no bacon..lol and try to lose some weight before my surgery.

I am 2 1/2 years out and I can tell you I don't regret my DS for a minute!  In fact my only regret is that I didn't do it sooner.  My greatest fear was to go through surgery only to gain it all back, as I have seen so many before me.  I know myself and that would be me.  I had already endured an failed Lap (or should I say Crap) Band, so I was really worried.

Fast forward 2 1/2 years...  The recovery SUCKED!!!  I had an open procedure and it took me a good 5 weeks to really start feeling like myself again, but it was so worth it!  I lost almost 100 lbs in less than a year, and have kept it off.  After the initial weight-loss phase its not uncommon to gain some back, but I only gained about 7 lbs and have stayed steady at 147 for over a year!  When I'm hungry, I eat.  No need to count calories, or fat grams I can have a snack when ever I want.

Of course there are a few rules...  Protein, protein, protein!  I eat at least 100mgs a day, which sounds like a lot, but when you get into the swing of things its really not.  Everyone is different and can tolerate different foods so it may take a few months to see what bothers you and what doesn't (usually you can tolerate more as you go along.)  I can not eat flour of any kind.  So no bread for me, and that's tough!  No pasta, etc.  I can eat potatoes and rice in small quantities, but I try and stay away from the starch, that keeps my weight down, although I do love oreos and wind up eating them more than I should, and it does give me gas, but hey, ya gotta live.

OK Diabetes... I also had type 2 preop.  My A1C was 9, now it's 4!  It also cleared up my high blood pressure, sleep apnea and high cholesterol. This surgery saved my life.  Yes, there are limitations and nothing in life is perfect, but like I said I would do it again, only this time sooner!

Good luck to you, PM me if you have any other questions and I'll try and answer them for you.  

Definitely go as low carb as possible.....if your A1 is very high, Victoza is not the best to achieve a good result. I was on it for a year and it only made me nauseous....you should be on metformin and insulin to bring your blood glucose do to a normal level.