Hello all, it has been a while since I posted here. As of today I am 18 months 3 days post op for RNY. I met the goal ( and them some) that the surgeon has set for me. I was feeling great and went to my doctor and low and behold I am a full fledged diabetic again. Also, my sleep apnea went from being obstructive to being central. A huge reason that I had the surgery was to take care of these issues.

When the doctor told me that I was a diabetic again the first thing she did was put me right back on metformin (I think that she should have sent me to a specialist to find out what the problem was). But that is the VA hospital for you, just give you pills and not worry about what the actual problem is.

Needless to say, I have really been down in the dumps about this. I think that if I would have known that this is how it was going to be I never would have had the surgery. Don't get me wrong, I am happy that I lost 100 pounds and that I can do more than I could before, but I just don't know.

I have support group tomorrow night and for the first time in 18 months I really don't want to go.

OK pity party is over, I just needed to get this off my chest.

Welcome back. Congrats on your weight loss success. And sorry bout the diabetes and sleep apnea.

Would you post a few typical days of what you're eating along with quantities? Maybe it's a simple fix like lowering your carbs and cutting out bread/sugars?

i know that when Mr. F. eats anything with bread or sugar his snoring will be crazy bad. When he controls it and doesn't eat stuff like that, his blood sugars are beautiful and his apnea is non-existent. He wakes refreshed.

And yes, I'd read that it can come back in about 2 years. I'm sorry this has happened...

Hello,

I had my surgery last August (8 months ago) and I did the surgery for my diabetes / sleep apnea as well. When I was in the hospital, my blood sugar dropped like a rock and was finally normal for the first time in two years.. sadly when I went home from the hospital, my body decided that it wanted to continue to be diabetic, and I have never been taken off my medications. I was switched to a different one that is more expensive and I believe is less effective, but the original medications were causing me to feel like I was gaining weight again.

I can honestly say that I keep thinking the same thing. Why did I have the surgery if I am still diabetic?? My surgeon said that I am the only patient that he has ever had that didn't stop their medications after surgery. That statement alone made me feel depressed. However, I also know that my diabetes is also dependent on my stress levels (I am not sure if you are stressed or have anxiety but it could be a result of those). If I am extremely stressed, then my blood sugar increases rapidly to over 250.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you aren't the only one... We will get through it, we just have to stick it out a little longer.. hope your support group goes well!

Redmaxx I’m sorry to hear that. I’d definitely want to see a specialist if that is indeed the case. maybe Track your own numbers for a while and see if it’s consistent. ??? Maybe you had a spike in glucose for that day for whatever reason, I don’t know. But after losing 100lbs+ and having most of the fat out of your arteries, your body SHOULD be processing sugar normally. Unless your diet is high fat, that could also play role. High blood sugar numbers is just a symptom, not the cause.

i second @FluffyChix, eliminate foods that would cause a spike. I’m even an advocate for Plant based diets, as this is what I do. Lots of veggies and fruits, with grains and legumes. Look into it. There’s a book called Proteinaholic by bariatric surgeon Dr Garth’s Davis. He talks about diabetes and the links to diet in it. If you have time look in to that as well. I hope you find what works and that it can be remedied without meds!!!

Edited April 23, 20188 yr by Newme17

14 minutes ago, Redmaxx said:

diabetic again - sleep apnea A huge reason that I had the surgery was to take care of these issues.

if I would have known that this is how it was going to be I never would have had the surgery.

@Redmaxx

nice to see you

vent away!!

diabetes, sleep apnea - i don't understand why they would return to bother you!!

IF they never disappeared PO, that would be sad. but they were gone,. now to show

their ugly face again - what in the world!!

i DO understand your feelings - anger - but don't let this set back bring you down.

when i used to get upset - i would eat. don't suggest doing that for you/me/anyone!!

i think the good does outweigh the bad!! still upsetting. IMO you got the great

weight results, giving you more energy etc. (sorry about the return of the monsters)

congrats on your weight loss

you are aces!!

kathy

I think that @FluffyChix makes a good point, and you should really evaluate your diet. I'd imagine that at 18 months post op... you can probably eat almost anything. Are you monitoring your carb intake, are you avoiding all added sugars, are you keeping track of your blood sugar to see what spikes it? On another note, I hate that doctors immediately result to pills. I think trying to control diabetes through diet, is a much better option. How high was your A1C?

I think that @FluffyChix makes a good point, and you should really evaluate your diet.

I am over 5 years post-op. I had diabetes prior to surgery and that problem is still in remission. But I control what I eat.

I strictly avoid processed sugars. I have a sweet tooth and that is one of the major causes that contributed to my weight gain over my lifetime. I limit myself to artificial sweeteners (such as Splenda and sugar alcohols), to natural low calorie sweeteners (such as Stevia) and to the natural sugars found in fruits and milk. I had diabetes. That went into remission when I left the hospital two days after surgery and I have not taken any diabetic medicine ever since and my blood sugar levels are good. I test my blood sugar levels periodically. I read the labels of all food that I consume. I look at the grams of sugar per serving. If it is above 5 grams, I look at the ingredients. The ingredients are listed in order by highest percentage, and if the first 5 ingredients contain processed sugar (in any of its many forms), then I avoid this food, like a plague.

I also restrict myself to about one meal per day containing complex carbohydrates (such as pasta and bread). I also avoid all carbonated beverages. I lost 20 pounds pre-op solely on eliminating carbonated beverages from my diet and I will not go back.

@Redmaxx so sorry,to hear all this. You frighten me a skoosh, I am the adult child of 2 diabetics, not whini,g as much as stating a fact. PCP and I when we were discussing me trying a second time for Bariatric surgery felt this would stop any chance for diabetes to develop. Now I hear "tain't necessarily so!" Ought oh, not what I was hoping to hear. And then another poster says the same thing happened to her, well" que sera sera", whatever will be will be. But the magic bullet just misfired, guess the bariatric world isn't perfect after all. Hope both of your cases level out, and I'll follow and still be your Bari-friend.?

51 minutes ago, BellaItalia088 said:

Hello,

I had my surgery last August (8 months ago) and I did the surgery for my diabetes / sleep apnea as well. When I was in the hospital, my blood sugar dropped like a rock and was finally normal for the first time in two years.. sadly when I went home from the hospital, my body decided that it wanted to continue to be diabetic, and I have never been taken off my medications. I was switched to a different one that is more expensive and I believe is less effective, but the original medications were causing me to feel like I was gaining weight again.

I can honestly say that I keep thinking the same thing. Why did I have the surgery if I am still diabetic?? My surgeon said that I am the only patient that he has ever had that didn't stop their medications after surgery. That statement alone made me feel depressed. However, I also know that my diabetes is also dependent on my stress levels (I am not sure if you are stressed or have anxiety but it could be a result of those). If I am extremely stressed, then my blood sugar increases rapidly to over 250.

Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that you aren't the only one... We will get through it, we just have to stick it out a little longer.. hope your support group goes well!

Thank you. I am a government employee and I have been at the contractors facility for almost a year, so yes, I am very stressed. I use the VA hospital for everything (they bill my insurance) just so that everything is in one place.

I wake up about 0430 hrs. I usually eat a protein bar at 0500 hrs and then I have a protein shake between 0800 and 0900 hrs. I have a chef salad (almost every day) between 1100 and 1200 hrs. I will have a 100 cal bag of Special K chips around 1400 hrs. For dinner I usually have a salad only (if we eat out) or a pork chop and salad (if we eat at home). Sometimes, if the wife isn't home I will have a protein bar or shake for dinner. I also have a protein bar around 2000 hrs and go to sleep between 2100 and 2200 hrs.

1 hour ago, Newme17 said:

Redmaxx I’m sorry to hear that. I’d definitely want to see a specialist if that is indeed the case. maybe Track your own numbers for a while and see if it’s consistent. ??? Maybe you had a spike in glucose for that day for whatever reason, I don’t know. But after losing 100lbs+ and having most of the fat out of your arteries, your body SHOULD be processing sugar normally. Unless your diet is high fat, that could also play role. High blood sugar numbers is just a symptom, not the cause.

i second @FluffyChix, eliminate foods that would cause a spike. I’m even an advocate for Plant based diets, as this is what I do. Lots of veggies and fruits, with grains and legumes. Look into it. There’s a book called Proteinaholic by bariatric surgeon Dr Garth’s Davis. He talks about diabetes and the links to diet in it. If you have time look in to that as well. I hope you find what works and that it can be remedied without meds!!!

My glucose was like 204 that day. I will check out that book. Thank you.

35 minutes ago, AshAsh1 said:

I think that @FluffyChix makes a good point, and you should really evaluate your diet. I'd imagine that at 18 months post op... you can probably eat almost anything. Are you monitoring your carb intake, are you avoiding all added sugars, are you keeping track of your blood sugar to see what spikes it? On another note, I hate that doctors immediately result to pills. I think trying to control diabetes through diet, is a much better option. How high was your A1C?

My A1C was 7.2 I believe (I left the paper in my other jacket).

10 minutes ago, Redmaxx said:

My A1C was 7.2 I believe (I left the paper in my other jacket).

I think while 7.2 does put you into the diabetic range, VS. pre diabetic... it is worth it to really evaluate your diet and see if you can naturally lower your numbers.

I hear ya, Redmaxx. Avoiding/delaying the onset of DMII was also my main reason for having this surgery. I was on metformin for PCOS and prediabetes prior to surgery. I was able to come off the metformin briefly after surgery, but then started having significant issues with reactive hypoglycemia. Now I'm on two meds to help control this and my diet is even more restricted than if I had diabetes!! Very frustrated and leading me to question my choice. However, in your case it demonstrates that weight isn't the only factor in DMII. Hang in there!

I have had Type 2 diabetes since I was 27; I am scared that it will not get better with my surgery, or like some of you, it will rear its ugly head again. I can certainly understand how you feel about it; its my worst nightmare.

I'd honestly ask to go to an endocrinologist or diabetologist at this point since you have such special circumstances with the surgery.

Also, keep in mind that sometimes T1 can masquerade as T2. In reality it's really a special subset of T1-adult onset. Has to do with phenotypes I believe. So I would ask if there is any way they could make certain it's T2 and not another variation of it. I've had 2 friends who they found out were actually late onset T1s and not the T2s the docs had initially thought.

How much sugar in the protein bar? How many sugar alcohols. There is some proof that many diabetics do not do well with SAs. That they metabolize >50% of the carbs in them as sugar. So you may be sabotaging your bgs with the Special K chips and also the bars/shakes? I know Mr. F. has a terrible spike with Atkins protein bars and doesn't tolerate protein drinks either. I know that's just anecdotal but just wanted to throw that out to you.

If it were me, I'd also look up the book Normal Blood Sugars by Dr. Richard K. Bernstein, MD. He's a remarkable dude that pioneered the use of the home glucometer and eating to your meter. His A1c is lower than mine. He's over 70 and has zero diabetic neuropathy. He is a T1 and only take 5 units of slow acting insulin a day if I remember correctly. He's a diabetologist.

Edited April 24, 20188 yr by FluffyChix