Yes I know that other WLS's also can reverse diabetes (If you have a story you would like to share just let me know!), but I just happened to run across this one recently.

ABC News Health: Gastric Bypass Surgery Can Reverse Diabetes

Surgery should be considered as a treatment for obese patients with diabetes, according to a position statement released today by the International Diabetes Federation.

Doctors have made a significant discovery: When it comes to weight-loss surgery for diabetics, gastric bypass surgery reverses the disease before the patients lose the weight.

“It’s not uncommon for a patient to be on 100 units of insulin a day, so they’re injecting themselves three or four times a day, and before they leave the hospital, they will never use insulin again," said Phil Schauer, director of the Cleveland Clinic Bariatric and Metabolic Institute. “For that patient, it must be an absolute miracle."

Gastric bypass surgery works by reducing the size of the stomach so a person can’t eat as much and shortening the length of the intestine so that the body doesn’t absorb too many calories. But it might also have the side effect of normalizing blood sugar.

“The fast effectiveness is due to, we think, an elaboration of hormones made by the intestines," Schauer said. “These are called incretins and these are dramatically increased after surgery in hours or days.

“These hormones stimulate the pancreas to make more insulin. And that’s thought to be the underlying problem with type 2 diabetes."

Katy Wiley suffered from diabetes for 16 years.

“It was horrible, diabetes controlled my life," she said. “I had to watch what I ate, I had to eat at a certain time, I had to take a shot at a certain time. It affected me, it affected my family. My family’s schedule had to revolve around me, and I was so worried that I was going to die."

Wiley was 5-feet 2-inches and and weighed 198 pounds. But as with many diabetics on insulin, dieting was difficult and exercise was painful.

“I was obese, and I didn’t have the motivation," she said. “I was tired all the time from my blood sugar being extremely high.

“My knees ached, my body ached, I would get breathless if I would take a walk. I tried very hard."

Soon after gastric bypass surgery, Wiley was off insulin, even before losing 75 pounds. Now she’s saving thousands of dollars in medical costs and has gone from 180 shots a month to none. She is also working out everyday.

 

Read: ABC News Health: Gastric Bypass Surgery Can Reverse Diabetes

It worked for me. 

  I was on 5 shots of insulin a day ( 3 shots of Novolog and 2 shots of Levimir) and i still had issues keeping my numbers under 200.

on 9/14/10 i took my last shot of Levimir before bed, on the morning of 9/15/10 i had my surgery and have not had to take another shot since.  My numbers now are between 90 - 100

That's awesome Frank! Whole new life for you isn't it?! :-)

that is why I had the RNY was to help with my diabetes.  Since the surgery, mine has been in remission.  You are never cured, but it is in remission.

I took

250 units of Lantus daily
240 units Humalog
20 mcg symilin
300mg metformin.

My A1C pre suregery 9.7, post, 5.7

Steve

Congrats!!!

Well I'm not a RNYer, but a DSer, but my diabetes is also in remission.

My pre surgery A1C was 8.7 and my recent (6 months) was 4.6
My fasting blood sugar was 72

Isn't it nice to not be tied to insulin and all the other crap that goes with it?  I took insulin for 25 years.  I am so happy to have a respite from the daily routine.

Steve

DS is an awesome WLS also. If you have a story you want to share about it just let me know.

While I'm glad that WLS (of many forms) can cure some types of diabetes...it's sad that it's still a fight with insurance companies to pay for it.  My grandma died a few years ago of diabetes complications...complications she likely never would have had if WLS had been an option - even a recommendation  from her dr - for diabetes treatment.  Makes you wonder how many more lives could be saved if more people a) knew there was a surgery that could cure them (not 100% guarantee...but good enough odds if I were diabetic), and b) had the surgery as an available covered option for treatment. 

In the long run, from an financial point of view, I think it's cheaper for insurance to offer the surgery as an option than it is to pay for the meds and medical complications for treatment of diabetes.  The insurance would pay one chunk up front for the surgery, followed by follow up labs for life...or pay for the insulin and other meds, as well as the hospitalizations, dr appointments, specialists, etc needed for treating diabetic complications. 

Sorry about your grandmother. Sad to think of how many ppl could have been helped through WLS.

I do NOT understand the reluctance of insurance companies to pay for WLS. The stat that I have heard is that on average, after WLS the insurance company breaks even at 18 mos., so a definite savings for them in the long run!