Question:
Insulin use after surgery.

I am currently on Novalog 70/30, 80 units in am and 75 units in pm; plus sliding scale of Novalog for readings over 150 & 1000 mg of metforim,. 2 x's a day. Does anyone know if I will be completly off of the insulin after surgery and usually how long after surgery with it happen. My surgery is on 8/22/03, in St. Petersburg, FL    — Carol G. (posted on August 18, 2003)

August 18, 2003
A friend of mine had surgery 4/1 (Rick Jones here on AMOS). He used to be on 300 units of insulin a day - now is on NOTHING! Per my surgeon 90% of diabetics are cured with this surgery. Don't know the time frame, but my assumption would be that it is fairly immediate.
   — bethybb

August 18, 2003
I am 12 days post-op, and before surgery I was on 40units of 70/30 in the morning and 40units of 70/30 Novolin in the evening, my A1C was 6.6, so I had my diabetes under control before surgery. They want your blood sugars as low as then can before you go into surgery. Mine was averaging 100 to 120. But, after alot of work. Right after surgery my blood sugars were over 200, the highest being 245, they say that is normal, because your body is under stress, and stress makes your sugars rise. They gave me 15units of insulin twice a day in the hospital, when I came home I had to take 15units if my sugars were over 150, I had to do that once, and I have not had any insulin since my first day home. My sugars are running between 130 and 170, but my body is still under stress. The doctors can not tell you what or how long you will have to continue insulin, hopefully when your body has healed some, you may not need any insulin or very little.
   — cindy

August 18, 2003
I was on 70 units twice a day before my surgery and taking 4 glucophage a day. By 1 week after surgery I was off all diabetes meds and doing great. Exercise is a key to keeping your sugars under control.
   — blank first name B.

August 18, 2003
These were some numbers I got off the web regarding diabetes & WLS. With WLS 89% of diabetes is completely resolved, and of the remainer, 93% of them is greatly improved. I chose the DS because the Hess Study had a 100% complete resolution of diabetes amoung the study group with no return as far out as 10 years. I believe all of these though are type II diabetics though so that would make a difference.
   — Shelly S.

August 19, 2003
The husband of a friend of mine had surgery the day before me, and he was on 100 units of insulin a day. By six months post op, he was completely off insulin and all oral antihyperglycemic meds.
   — koogy