Bariatric surgery can eliminate diabetes!!!

[Twiggie]

Speaking to my GP today he told me that bariatric surgery can completely eliminate diabetes! He said for that reason alone it was worth considering and he is going to support me all the way if I come across any stumbling blocks

He also said there was evidence that blood sugars drop below the diabetic threshold even whilst still on the operating table!!!

Good news for those of us who are also diabetic, it's another tool with which to batter the PCT if they refuse funding

 

[cazbandy]

When I was first diagnoses my HBAc1 level was 7.9, now nearly 10 months after surgery it reads 5.1

I am type 2, diet controlled....and it's technically in remission.

Diabetes is never cured, only controlled. Once your pancreas decides to pack it's suitcases, it's a one way trip.

 

[tpt]

Well said Caz - my hubby is a severe type 1 and no type of surgery could ever cure him! - I think you mean Twiggie - cures type 11 diabetes.

 

[Twiggie]

Sorry, I should have stated that it was Type 2 diabetes which is the one most commonly associated with or caused by obesity.

 

[Bonita]

I was told the opposite last week. When I felt so rough one of the things that they tested for was Diabetes. Told them I was post bypass but was told that it was still possible to get it post bypass.

 

[cazbandy]

Yep Bonita, sadly.

Diabetes is not just a fat persons disease.

A seemingly normal, slim and healthy friend of mine has it. She is 10 stone, 5 foot 8, eats healthy, exercises and still has type 2, being treated with Prandin. She really has a hard time keeping her levels in the normal range and the doctor is threatning her with insulin if no control is gained in 3 months.

It's a bugger of a disease.

 

[Twiggie]

Well, I'm only passing on what I was told by my GP, which in turn came from one of the UK's leading bariatric surgeons!

This article also backs up what I was told

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/555171

 

[Karlos]

I was told by Dr Stephens who is one of the top Diabetic specialists in the UK that a gastric bypass can "cure" diabetes including insulin dependant diabetes in most cases.

The procedure bypasses the duodenum, which is where the blockers are made that prevent the insulin from allowing blood sugar to be absorbed.

Indeed it is this reason that all but guarantees that diabetics will be granted WLS. He told me insulin dependency is cured and in many cases the need for any medication is removed.

I was on injections and Metformin and have not needed any meds since the day of my operation.

 

[fairyringuk]

Yes the bypass does put lots of diabetics intio remission and many more who were having lots of insulin decrease their doses drastically, so it is great news, and your GP is right it is a good enough reason to have it done if you are diabetic and obese. It will also save the NHS lots of money over the years to come from diabetic and obesity related illnesses so all good

Jay xx

 

[cazbandy]

There is no "cure" for diabetes - bar having a pancreatic transplant.

Do not ever be fooled that your diabetes will go away - it won't - it will just be controlled.

You will still need regular bloods and eye exams to make sure everything is fine.

 

[bexmoss86]

As soon as I came out of the operating theatre my blood sugar was tested and I was told no need for metformin anymore!!!! I know diabetes cant be cured but its great that it can be controlled!

 

[cazbandy]

As soon as I came out of the operating theatre my blood sugar was tested and I was told no need for metformin anymore!!!! I know diabetes cant be cured but its great that it can be controlled!

Absobloominlutely...I have never felt better

 

[phatmomma]

I was told that wls can have such a good effect that the need for medication is eliminated. I will however as someone else said always be diabetic and need the retinopathy screening annually etc...

Bu as someone who keeps forgeting her meds in the evening i'll be happy as hell to be metformin free lol xx

 

[ScottTatum]

I stopped taking my metformin and gliclazide two days before my surgery. Also the two blood pressure meds I was on I don't take any more.

I will always be diabetic though. And bizzarely I have had a couple of hypo episodes where my sugar went as "low" as 3.7, but had all the effects you would get from a hypo episode.

 

[thinkbethin]

I was told that bypass "could" help cure it, not "would" cure it. Unless every patient has "been" cured then they should'nt say it will. Of course sugar levels will reduce dramatically and many patients no longer need there meds for it.Diet controlled diebetese needing no meds is classed as a cure to some people.Mine is still quite high but if I came off the meds I would'nt consider myself diebetic if you know what I mean.x

 

[Twiggie]

I don't think anyone has said it WILL cure diabetes but that it CAN cure or, as some of you prefer, put it into remission at least. But the fact of the matter is that the surgery alone will have dramatic and instantaneous effects on a person's blood glucose levels and in many cases lower it sufficiently to be able to stop medication immediately, including insulin in some cases.

And apparently it's not just Type 2 diabetes but also Type 1 that can benefit enormously from bariatric surgery.

Anyway, I didn't start the thread so we could argue over the semantics but to inform those of us who weren't previously aware of the benefits surgery can have on diabetes and also that the medical profession are now considering it a reason in it's own right to perform surgery, even in non-obese patients.

I've read some ladies (and gents!) here are struggling to get funding for surgery and thought, if they are also diabetic, this information could perhaps give them a little leverage against the PCT. Let's face it, we need all the help we can get to ensure we are accepted on the WLS programme!

 

[rambo]

I don't think anyone has said it WILL cure diabetes but that it CAN cure or, as some of you prefer, put it into remission at least. But the fact of the matter is that the surgery alone will have dramatic and instantaneous effects on a person's blood glucose levels and in many cases lower it sufficiently to be able to stop medication immediately, including insulin in some cases.

And apparently it's not just Type 2 diabetes but also Type 1 that can benefit enormously from bariatric surgery.

Anyway, I didn't start the thread so we could argue over the semantics but to inform those of us who weren't previously aware of the benefits surgery can have on diabetes and also that the medical profession are now considering it a reason in it's own right to perform surgery, even in non-obese patients.

I've read some ladies (and gents!) here are struggling to get funding for surgery and thought, if they are also diabetic, this information could perhaps give them a little leverage against the PCT. Let's face it, we need all the help we can get to ensure we are accepted on the WLS program!

well put as a type 2 i am well aware of the huge benefits bariatric surgery can bring to diabetics for that reason i think most pct will give funding for wls in the long term it is very cost affective
regards Steve

 

[ScottTatum]

I would though - Being exempt from prescription charges is a bit of a plus hehe.

 

[thinkbethin]

As I said if mine was diet controlled I would think of it as gone. I only think of it as a problem because I'm on meds. Once its down and I'm of meds I'd be saying it helped get rid of my diebetes so I know what you're saying Twiggiexx