Question:
Any long-term diabetics go into remission after surgery?
— susyhoho (posted on August 7, 2008)
August 7, 2008
I don't know how "long term" you mean, but I'd been diabetic
since '95. I had DS 10-17-06. I haven't taken any diabetic meds since Jan.
'07, and my numbers are great. My primary said that "if" diabetes
could be cured, she'd say that I'm cured...Eve
— scaryreader
August 7, 2008
Hello, I had gastic bypass ob 10/31/07 i am down 140 lbs. I was insulin
dependent, but i have not taken insulin since about the 11/2/07 when I left
the hospital. I still take oral meds but my A1C has improved every blood
test I just had one done last friday and we are hoping it will say I can
stop taking all meds for diabetes. But after taking insulin for 15 years I
am happy even if I have to contiue on the oral meds. We were told in the
seminar, and it was also said on 60 minutes since I had surgery that
between 92% to 97% are cured of diabetes. If you have any questions just
ask. I wish you well.
brad
— dapoohster38
August 7, 2008
Below are some links you can click on or copy and paste. These were given
to me by another OH member.
The Bypass Effect On Diabetes, Cancer, Surgery Can Send Diabetes Into
Remissio
Weight-loss surgery slashes cancer risk - Cancer- msnbc.com
http://www.homanmd.com/diabetes.htm
http://www.asbs.org/html/patients/bypass.html
— Gina S.
August 7, 2008
I posted 2 links in my previous response here. Here is a 3rd, it has a
vdeo, it's very informative.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/04/17/60minutes/main4023451.shtml
— Gina S.
August 7, 2008
Try to go online to the network that airs 60 minutes. A few months ago
they did a one hour show ststing that new research shows the RNY Gastric
Bypass is CURING diabetes. NOT the lap band. Almost 100% are being
pronounced cured!
This is a radical thought since every doctor until this year, has been
trained that there is no cure for it. So a few doctors are hesitant to use
the word "cured."
This surgery is now beginning to be considered in diabetics who are not
overweight in an attempt for a cure.
Almost all of us who HAD diabetes are now off all diabetes meds and having
great labs.
Why would you hesitate? No one can give you a written guarantee.
Nancy Carle, RN
— nancycarle
August 7, 2008
Sorry to be a harbinger of bad news, but I had diabetes for 10yrs or more
(discovered 10 years ago but could have been longer) and it did not go
away...yet. I did go home from the hospital with no insulin, and I took
lots, but I still must take 1000mg of metformin twice a day. I am thrilled
to be off insulin, and by the way, I have loads of the humalog pen 25/75
insulin to get rid of...expires end of 09 (contact me at [email protected]
for info). My A1C was 6.5 which is the lowest I have had since finding out
I had the disease, but Endo. says I am stil diabetic as I am between 85 and
150 on blood sugars. With met. much better. They say in 6 months it
should be gone if it is going to go away. God is taking care of it in his
own time, whenever that is, and I am trusing. Also watching carbs/sugar
still. Also, My cholesterol is the same as before surgery and still on BP
meds. Hopefully that will also leave as the meds plus the surgery vitamins
are causing a strain on the wallet. CPap is gone...no more snoring.
Arthritis in knees is also gone. I have lost 48 pounds since my surgery
not yet 3 months ago. I feel great, look pretty darn good and am glad I
had the surgery, even if it just meant to get off insulin...just hope I
never have to go back on that. I would get the surgery if I were you. I
would do it in a heart beat, even if I knew before it might not do the
whole trick on Diabetes. Lyn Anders
— SkinnyLynni2B
August 7, 2008
hello, there is so much food for thought here. research is going to be your
best friend. reading all of the posts on this site has been so
enlightening. i was banded on 06.12.08. i was insulin dependant. i have
lost 30 plus lbs. and my numbers totally declined daily for the first 5
weeks. my blood sugars range in the 70's. i don't want to say that i am
cured, but i am and have been off all meds since leaving the hospital. my
doctor calls it remission. god bless you in your quest for the right
information.........steve
— stevenzak
August 7, 2008
I am not quite sure what you mean by the term, "Long-term
diabetics," but I was diagnosed with diabetes for about 5 years before
I had the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I had my surgery on March 1, 2008.
On Easter Sunday, March 23rd, I ended up having a HypoGlycemic episode
because I was taking TOO MUCH MEDICATION, even though I had dropped ALL of
my medication EXCEPT for ONE PILL of GLUCOVANCE! After that, I dropped ALL
of my diabetes medication! I had STARTED OUT taking 70 to 80 units of
70-30 humulin a DAY with an OCCASIONAL booster of REGULAR insulin just to
keep my blood sugar levels UNDER 200 POINTS! WHILE I was taking 4 PILLS of
GLUCOVANCE a DAY! In just 22 DAYS, I went from taking ALL of THAT
medication to taking NONE! This was with the VERTICAL SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY!
I don't know what the results would be with the Gastric Bypass, I SUSPECT
that they would be similar, but then, each person is different and each
person's BODY may REACT different to the same situation. How the body
would react to a different procedure would be difficult to say. There HAVE
been studies done that I have seen that state that SOME doctors are
beginning to think that the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy and Weight Loss
Surgery in general may be considered a CURE for diabetes, but the medical
profession is HESITANT to recommend it without YEARS of studies and PROOF.
The medical profession is pretty much ULTRA CONSERVATIVE when it comes to
this kind of thing. If they stick their neck out and ENDORSE a procedure,
and it suddenly proves DETRIMENTAL, they risk some serious LAWSUITS. You
will NOT find many doctors who will take that kind of risk. This is
something that you are going to have to decide FOR YOURSELF! Are YOU
willing to take that kind of risk? Are you willing to WAIT for the DOCTORS
to be SURE that this is SAFE? CAN you wait, or will you be DEAD by that
time? YOU may have to be the guinea pig that PROVES that this procedure
WORKS! I know that it worked for ME! It has also helped me with a number
of OTHER health issues that I have. I suffer from FibroMyalgia, Severe
Migraines, Severe Asthma, Arthritis, Sleep Apnea, and several other issues.
My FibroMyalgia has improved as has my migraines. They have not been
ELIMINATED, but they have improved. My asthma has also improved. I no
longer use a cPap machine for my sleep apnea. My Arthritis was nearly
eliminated IMMEDIATELY after the surgery. I had not even lost WEIGHT, and
I felt about 80% better! Just the reduction in caloric INTAKE seemed to
have made a difference! As I lost weight, The arthritis has improved even
more. I have lost 96 pounds in 5 months! I have less than 50 pounds to
go! The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy is almost nearly as effective as the
Gastric Bypass at helping people lose the weight that they want to lose,
but it does so without the malabsorption issues and the other side effects
of the Gastric Bypass and is safer. The difference between the two
procedures when it comes to losing weight is statistically negligible. The
only commonly performed procedure that is more effective is the Duodenal
Switch. The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy can be easily converted to the
Duodenal Switch if the need arises, the Gastric Bypass cannot. As it
stands, the only reason that I can see for the Gastric Bypass to be
continued to be performed is that the insurance companies will PAY for it
when many will NOT pay for the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. The reason for
this is that it does not have a long track record here in the US. The AMA
and the FDA will not often allow drugs and medical procedures to be
approved in the US, unless they have been here and tested for a certain
length of time. In the case of the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy, the time
requirement is 10 years. The US medical Practices have not been performing
the procedure FOR WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY for that long. They HAVE done it FOR
OTHER REASONS for quite a few years LONGER than that, but THAT does NOT
COUNT! The powers that BE in the medical profession will not certify the
procedure FOR WEIGHT LOSS without 10 years of DATA from US MEDICAL
PRACTICES! SOUTH and CENTRAL America, and EUROPE have been doing this
procedure for weight loss for quite some time, but the US Medical Industry
will not USE THEIR data because they consider it to be UNRELIABLE! As if
the US has CORNERED the MARKET on RELIABILITY! We have had a NUMBER of
DRUG RECALLS lately due to MANIPULATION of DATA by the DRUG MAKERS! This
is a JOKE! SURELY there are places in EUROPE that can be considered
RELIABLE? How about GREAT BRITAIN? They have been performing this
procedure for quite some time! The upshot is, this procedure has been
proven to be SAFE and EFFECTIVE. The insurance companies would be doing
themselves a FAVOR by PAYING for it because they would NO LONGER have to
pay for all of the FOLLOW UP visits that are required with the GASTRIC
BYPASS! This would also BENEFIT the PATIENTS because they would have a
BETTER QUALITY of LIFE! They would not NEED to take all of the supplements
and have all of the BLOOD WORK done that they REQUIRE regularly with the
GASTRIC BYPASS! The Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy is a much simpler
procedure. There is much less that can go WRONG with it. Therefore, there
are LESS COMPLICATIONS! Less COMPLICATIONS means LESS MONEY spent by the
INSURANCE COMPANIES and less TROUBLE for the PATIENT and the DOCTOR!
EVERYONE BENEFITS! This is one of the FEW CASES where THAT happens! Sorry
for the rant, but I keep hoping that SOMEONE will hear. The most important
thing that I can tell you is that you need to do your OWN research. You
CANNOT rely on folks on the boards to give you the straight facts. Most
everyone is biased toward their OWN procedure. Even I am. There are folks
on the board who CLAIM to be "EXPERTS." DON'T be fooled. These
people are NOTHING MORE than PATIENTS who have done a BIT of RESEARCH!
SOME of them are DANGEROUS! SOME of them promote dangerous habits that are
nothing more than a TWISTED version of BULIMIA! ANYONE who promotes EATING
HABITS that cause you to "DUMP" is promoting just that, a twisted
form of BULIMIA! These folks promote habits that cause people to
"dump" the nutritional value of the FOOD of the that was lost and
the SUPPLEMENTS that were TAKEN BEFORE you chose to eat to cause
"dumping." You also lose the MONETARY value of the food and
supplements that were lost due to dumping. The DANGEROUS part is that the
NUTRITION that was lost can cause malnutrition. Well, I hope that answers
some of your questions, and I hope that helps. Hugh
— hubarlow
August 7, 2008
I will have by pass on Oct 7, this yr. The doctor said my diabetes type 2
may not go away as I have had it for 12 yrs.
But, the hypertension, chance of stroke, heart attack, and all the rest
associated with diabetes will be lessened by 90%.
To me that is worth the operation. I will go from 20 pills
a day to between 2-4 pills a day. I can't wait for this to
happen. My endocrinologist says my diabetes will be gone.
Both doctors are brilliant and tops in their fields, so it will
be interesting to find out which one is right. But meanwhile
the meds I take will be less and so will the probability of me
having a stroke etc will be lessened. Good Luck, mrs
— Mich44
August 7, 2008
I was type 2 diabetic for 7 yrs and on medication. I had the bypass 15
months ago and have lost a total of 150 pounds. I came home from the
hospital off my medication and I have had great sugar levels ever since. It
was the best choice I ever made. Good luck!
— Alvernlaw
August 8, 2008
Hi, there are tons of statistics out there. If you go to the new england
journal of medicine website and search on bariatric surgery, there are many
articles, the best is the recently completed european study that is the
biggest study ever done. They have actual numbers and percentages. It is
a life saver for many of us with diabetes.
— brindledanes
August 8, 2008
I had RNY on August 22, 2006. 3 yrs prior to that, I was diagnosed with
type 2 diabetes, my PCP prescribed Metformin. The day after my surgery,
the surgeon took me off 98% of my meds and I am no longer diabetic, my
blood sugars have been running any where between 92- 96. I am 300 lbs less
from when I started this incredible journey.
Peggy
— DBlazer325
August 9, 2008
I had type 2 diabetes for over 10 years, was sometimes fairly well
controlled with diet and meds, sometimes not, depending on how I did with
my yo-yo dieting. Had lap RNY in February. My AIC is in the low 6s. Last
took diabetes meds the day before surgery & haven't needed them since.
And my blood pressure is normal & am off those meds. And off the
lipitor, although my numbers aren't great and may eventually have to go
back on that. I've been very fortunate. Have struggled with what I
can/can't eat, and the list of foods can't eat is longer than I thought
would be, and it's harder than I thought it would be, but i'm healthier and
feel better and would do it all over again without a second thought. Good
luck to you whatever you do.
— Susan C.
August 9, 2008
Hi Sue. I can't comment on the long-term diabetes issue but I just wanted
to say that I had Lap RNY w/Dr. Williams on 2/21/08 (down 91 lbs. and
counting). I felt that Dr. Williams, his staff and The Hospital of the
University of Pennsylvania took very good care of me. His assistant,
Irina, is terrific. She knows everything about guiding you through the
insurance, leave of absence from work and short term disability process.
If I had one complaint, it would be that I haven't seen Dr. Williams since
the surgery. While my post-op care was directed by him, it was and has
been executed by his team. They have performed marvelously but it would be
nice to see the doctor himself. Other than that, I am truly happy that I
ended up at HUP w/Dr. Williams and his team. Feel free to contact me if I
can be of assistance. Good luck to you as you begin your journey!
— dsmuffin
August 9, 2008
Hi Sue
I was type 2 diabetic before my surgery 5/28/08. I had RNY and since
leaving the hospital have been totally off my meds. Although I wasnt on
insulin before, just oral meds, I found that my blood results improved
dramatically. However, one thing I did realize, is that it is also still
about what you eat. Thinking about the changes I guess my blood is ok
because I dont eat sugar - at all - and my carb count is very low. For me
this worked. Hope your surgery goes well - trust me, if for nothing else,
you will start to feel great again (no high blood pressure, no back pain,
no knee pain, energy to run after my kids and I have only lost 47lb so far
- can't wait to see what the rest of the weight loss brings!)
— Orlie
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