I'm a diabetic for over twenty years with aBMI of just under 31. I'm having a hard time convincing my husband about the benifits of this surgery for this disease. I don't believe my insurance will pay for it but I feel it could save my life. My h1c is over 11. Advice on what to do?

Gastric bypass is done as metabolic surgery on patients with hard to treat T2 diabetes, even with a BMI that is relatively low.

You might want to gather information specifically about gastric bypass as metabolic surgery and not so much as bariatric surgery.

It worked wonders for me. The day I left the hospital I stopped taking the three diabetes medications that I was prescribed. My A1c at the time was over 8 (with meds) . Today it is 5.9 (without meds). One reason for my insurance approval was due to my diabetes. Good luck. I was also a type 2 diabetic.

I totally agree that WLS is an incredible tool to reset the metabolism and reverse co-morbidities. I do not regret having surgery for even a second. My life is so much better now.

Now to throw a spanner (monkey wrench) into the works. It may be well worth your time to research Whole Food Plant Based (WFPB) eating. This is an incredibly powerful way of healthy eating that can quickly reverse co-morbidities. Like WLS, it requires a dietary overhaul, and the same degree of planning and lifestyle modification. But there is abundant research and evidence to show that it is very effective and healthy for life. It would certainly work best if the spouse could also be on board. Anyway, there are a lot of resources out there about what it is, and how to do it. I think for someone with a lower BMI who would not qualify for surgery under their insurance plan, WFPB would be a very viable option. (You also have to realize that having surgery with a lower BMI means you will not lose as fast.)

WFPB is very filling and satisfying. You can eat a LOT of food and feel full all the time. (That is not to say you should not also be working on "head hunger" issues, and overeating issues as well. There is a reason you are overweight, right? And you have to work on that forever.) Combined with some exercise, it is a very good alternative to consider, if done well.

PS: Read "The Obesity Code" by Dr. Jason Fung. A great book that explains how weight gain/loss actually works. Its a lot more complex that simply "Eat less, move more" mantra that makes intuitive sense, but is wrong.

Thanks for the inspiring words. I am working with a therapist/hypnotist already regarding how and why I eat. I’m on inhaled insulin with every meal and long acting insulin before bed. Also glucophage 2 times a day. I know this surgery would be a great tool for me.

I was BMI 31 and am diabetic - closer to type 2.

I went off insulin the next day and down to an aggressively managed hba1c on just an oral med with a trash diet. It was hard to get doctors to consider it necessary given my lower BMI but the important docs - the endo and the surgeon - both agreed it was a good idea.

Best decision I could have made.