Hi

My name is Cara, I have just begun this long process to weight loss surgery. I have to do a lot of stuff the insurance requires for me to have surgery but I recently met with the surgeon and he recommends gastric bypass because I am a type 1 diabetic. I am excited, nervous and terrified all at once. I need some help with understanding how this surgery works and what to expect, please anyone help me!!!

Thank you

Congratulations on the first step towards the new you, Cara! All of your feelings are perfectly normal and just about everyone experiences these at some point along their journeys. I am a Type 2 Diabetic, and in just two days post-op, I was completely off all blood sugar control medicines. Gastric Bypass is the gold standard for Bariatric Surgery as it has the most research data and still has the best success rate. Basically your stomach is reduced by about 75% and you have a malabsorbtive component which helps you lose weight. It's probably one of the most "major" routine surgeries performed. My surgery was completely performed laprascopically and my surgeon told me that basically robotics do the majority of the work. A robot is going to be far more precise than the human hand at incisions. The end result is that the incisions healed up very quickly.

The one recommendation I make to everyone starting out is to seek out counseling, because some people may experience worsening depression post-surgery. I experienced this, and consequently, I had a much harder time with the mental game. I had very few, if any, physical complications at all. They say anesthesia and the hormonal changes can effect each person quite a bit differently. I am still learning to eat slowly and more mindfully. If I don't do this, I end up praying to the porcelain god. I also don't like sugar anymore. If I accidently have too much, then I get an uncomfortable feeling of shakiness and rapid heart beat.

I hope this helps you out some! Good luck and I think you'll find some really receptive folks on here.

Hi Cara. Welcome.

I had Type II diabetes and the surgery drove it into remission. But I am not sure if the surgery will affect Type I diabetes. So if someone is on the board with Type I, maybe they can come forward and describe what effect the surgery had on that condition.

The attached article describes my experience with the surgery. http://www.breadandbutterscience.com/Surgery.pdf

Welcome Cara! I think being a T1, you will need to work very closely with your doctor and RD about managing the amount of insulin you will need to cover meals! But it should really help you to lose the weight and bring your med needs down!

Good luck and let us know how we can help!