Question:
Long term post ops please read

Hello! On Nov 19th I will be celebrating two years of freedom from obesity. I am down 113 lbs and life is essentially the best it has ever been. The only bad thing is, I was diagnosed on Monday with Non Insulin Dependent Diabetes. I am very upset as I have lost so much weight, exercise, and keep a pretty healthy diet and still I have diabetes. My doc says unfortunately I cannot escape my family (who has a long history of diabetes) and will have to deal with the disease. There isn't much I can do as a lifestyle change as I am doing all the right things, I just hope and pray for no insulin. Has anyone else been diagnosed post op and how did you deal with it? What sort of changes did you make to help combat the disease? Thanks so much for your support and answers! Amy    — purdue_1993 (posted on November 13, 2003)

November 12, 2003
I'm sorry to hear of your diagnosis. Rest assured though that Diabetes is a disease that can be controlled. I was diagnosed 15 years ago. I let my eating get way out of hand and ended up on insulin shots. I was determined to get off the shots, so I tried to shape up. Nothing seemed to help until I had my surgery back in December of 2002. I immediately came off shots and now I am only on one pill each day. Anyway, don't be too scared. Just eat right and exercise and all will be fine. Follow your doctor's orders. Sandra
   — SandyParker

November 13, 2003
I'm still a pre-op, but I do have a neighbor who has never had a weight problem. He's very active, but was diagnosed with diabetes last year. It runs in his family too. It runs in mine also (but all over weight), that's my motivating reason to have this surgery. Congratulations on your weight loss. It will be easier to manage now that you are down 113 pounds. The diet we have to follow as a post-op seems to be very similar to a diabetic one anyway - no or little sugar, low carbs, etc. That and exercise should keep you healthy - oh, and lots of water. I had gestational diabetes (did not need insulin) and water and exercise seemed to keep my blood sugar in check when it started to creep up. When I had periods of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), I'd drink milk or eat a piece of fruit to get it back up. If you are eating small meals many times a day, you should be able to keep your sugar regulated. My nutritionist then told me to have protein with every snack or meal to keep the carbs from bringing my blood sugar up. So you could always increase your protein too. She also said to not eat fruit before noon. It tends to raise your blood sugar all day -more than it does if you eat it in the afternoon. Good luck and take care of yourself.
   — Dragonfly2B2

November 13, 2003
Hi there, I am so sorry that you are having some emotional "leaks" but I think this would be normal. After all, food was our best friend (albeit an abusive friend), companion, comfort, solace, and emotional "nuker", if you will. Food was the ultimate way to "stuff" feelings down into oblivion while we killed ourselves with unexpressed feelings, unsaid words, and unexpressed emotions. Now we take away the food as a coping mechanism and what do you have, all the bottled up emotions with no compression device, they are their, being felt and a little too intensely. It's hard to learn how to express emotions appropriately since us overeaters don't do that...we stuff and pack them in with food (a full mouth can't express pain or sorrow). You might want to see a counselor and be evaluated for depression since most of us are depressed at some level due to the years of abuse, self-hatred, and stuffing of feelings we have felt. Most of us will become overly sensitive and have to learn new ways to cope. This is why a support group is a necessity...if you don't have one, consider seeing if someone who works with WLS patients would start one, or start your own. It helps to have a place to go and ways to keep busy that are healthy outlets for a lot of overflowing feelings. My best to you, Lorrie Plate
   — Lorrie S.

March 21, 2004
Hi Amy, I am so glad that I am not alone. And I can totally understand how you are feeling. I had my WLS December 2000. I have lost 200 pounds. Just last week I was diagnoised with diabetes. I see the doctor this week and he said that we will discuss my type and what we will do about it. Just last year I was also diagnoised with Hashimoto's Autoimmune Disease as well as Hypothyroidism. I do not understand how we can have this surgery to improve our lives and then all of a sudden all these things that we were trying to prevent happen anyway. It sucks! I just try to remain positive (although at times hard) and say a little pray to get me through the next wave of events. I too am doing all the right things, but to no avail. I too pray for no insulin. Please keep me informed on your progress. And thanks for posting :-)
   — debbieoard