Question:
One year post ops diabetic numbers

Well I was a diabetic big time pre op. Blood sugars over 200 in the AM. HC1A 11 and 12. Had to STARVe to get am sugars in the normal range. Have eye problems retinapothy to remind me of those days:( <P> Post op a lot better, at 6 months my HC1A was 5.8 normal for a non diabetic and I thought diabetes was gone. PCP congragulated me on this. My 1 year blood work was perfect except HC1A back up to 6.6 morning sugar 102 normal under stress of worry about blood work. Incidently my cholestrol dropped from 275 pre op to 138 today. Off all pills except vitmins I feel great. BP normal without pills too. Now my question is for others that have gone thru this am I typical? For awhile I ate WHATEVER I wanted, including sugars, no I dont dump. Now I am being more careful about my food choices. I am wondering how carefully you once diabetics control what you eat?<P> Even given this I am THRILLED with my surgery and would do it again in a instant. POST OP IS THE PLACE TO BE!!    — bob-haller (posted on July 2, 2002)

July 1, 2002
Obviously I am a type 2
   — bob-haller

July 2, 2002
Bob, I have the same story as you. Was on Glucophage prior to LAP-RNY in Aug. 2001 and BP Med. I have been off both for over 6 months now with NO problems. I do not dump either, which really brings my "will power" into control...I do have chocolate occasionnaly, but try to watch what I eat. I DO NOT want to be considered "Type II" again.
   — Laura M.

July 2, 2002
I am diabetic and now control it with my diet. I was taking 3 glucophage a day, 2 tolamazide a day and giving myself 5 shots of insullin a day. The very day I was released after my open rny I was taken off ALL the above meds and have not had to take them again. I feel like a new person with my 102 lbs loss and the freedom from my diabetic meds and also my blood pressure meds. I still test my blood sugars daily and they seem to be fine. Just remember, diabetes does not go away, it is just controled!!! Once a diabetic, always a diabetic. I have noticed some messages saying they are no longer diabetic, WRONG!!!!!!! Please do not stop your blood tests, they are extremely important.
   — RODEO CLOWNS S.

July 2, 2002
I am Nancy Wilson's husband (she posted just before me). I am also a type II diabetic. I was taking 2 tolazamide and 2 glucophage a day and was in pretty good control of my diabetes. I also had an open rny in Oct of 2001. I have lost 207 lbs and am off all my diabetic meds and blood pressure pills too. Neither one of us eat sweets, ever!! I guess we have been diabetic for so long that we don't even consider eating anything sweet. We really do not know if we would dump on sugar and we are not going to try to find out!! We eat three small meals (mostly protein) a day and do snack on a little cheese, sugarfree things and frozen crystal lite popcicles (sp?). We are both extremely pleased with the results of our surgeries and would do it again in a second!!!! We recommend it to anyone who asks us about it, but we do not just go up to someone and tell them about it!!!!
   — OLD RODEO C.

July 2, 2002
My blood sugars were in the 200's before surgery. I went off the meds right after I had the RNY (June 01), and haven't taken anything since. My sugars now run on the low side, at times they fall into the low 30's. I have to watch what I eat, making sure I eat the right things. Dr. Ho told me to eat peanut butter when my sugars dropped to low and to try to eat more protein. I'm happy my sugars are not in the 200's, but now I'm at the other end of the spectrum. I do watch what I eat, sweet wise, but I don't dump. I don't push it either, I will have a bite of cake at a party, or a square of chocolate, but not the whole thing. I guess I've learned that I don't like how I feel when my sugars are too high or too low, so I do "try" to watch what I eat.
   — Gail M.

July 2, 2002
Forgot to add I was on one glucophage and 2 amaryls a day plus prinivil for BP. Come a long way just sad the diabetes isnt totally gone....
   — bob-haller

July 2, 2002
At time of surgery I was taking 5 glipizide tablets (5mg), 4 Glucophage - shot of insulin in morning and at bedtime. Range was between 165 and 200. One year out I am now taking 1 glipizide a day - range is between 120 - 140 - take blood test every day - last month tried to go off all meds but went up to about 165 - so decided to wait till I lost a few more pounds.
   — connie m

July 3, 2002
Bob, I think you're doing great at manageing your diabetes! Remember that while you have reduced the amount of food you're taking in, it is still much greater 1 year post-op that it was a few months post-op, and you need to be concerned more about the quality of the food you eat so that your diabetes continues to be well managed. I'm 10 months post-op and also saw my numbers begin to creep back up a bit a few months ago---a shoulder injury also kept me inactive and out of the gym and it made a huge difference too! I've been working with the wonderful diabetes educators & dieticians from the Joslin Center, I go to the North Hills office, but there should be one in your end of the city too---they are affiliated with the West Penn Hospital system. These people have been very supportive and extreemly helpful. Before surgery I counted carbs for a 1500-1800 calories a day eating plan, now I do the same for a 1000 calorie a day plan----life is really great, although I do really need to watch food labels and adjust portion sizes to figure out the exact amount of carb grams sometimes :=)! One thing the diabetes educator informed me, was that the effects of the medications can take quite awhile for our bodies to fully clear themselves of. Infact our liver functions can be effective for almost a year! What really amazed me was that I looked back to my logs from 5 years ago when first diagnosed as a diabetic and my blood sugar levels still follow the same pattern, only at a much lower level. I still find that the same food that sent it screaming high, still do, that I tend to be more even throughout the day if I exercise in the morning, and that I will have a morning spike on the days I'm ovulating and a morning low on the day my period will start. Instead of seeing the numbers in the 90-150 ranges with glucophage, and avandia, I see the same numbers without any medications. As someone who has worked with diabetics for over 20 years, I can say that once diagnosed as a diabetic, it is for life----you never get rid of the diagnosis, you just learn how to keep it under control and in the normal ranges. Remember that even if you've been under control and in the normal range for a long time, something can still effect you as someone on an insulin pump----one cortizone shot in the shoulder sent me into the 275s and running for the vial of insulin in my fridge for 2 days! Yes, I was upset that I had to touch it, but glad that it could be managed and better yet, that my shoulder was not hurting!
   — Sue F.