Diabets Reversal After RNY

 Thanks for the additional information Jill.  I did see your post on another thread and appreciate the additional information.  I certainly would advise anyone looking into weight loss surgery as a way to resolve diabetes to research DS.  I do not personally know anyone who had their Type 2 diabetes return after RNY, but know several people whose never resolved.  It is frustrating to go through a surgery as serious as RNY and then have no change or little change in type 2 diabetes.

I also have looked into whether reversing from RNY to DS would be an option and Dr. Baltasar does not think that it would make any difference.  His opinion is that if RNY does not resolve, then the problem is with the pancreas, not the bowel.

Hi All,

I have a story about Diabetes Reversal, it is real.  Let me start by saying that I believe that a Diabetic is like alcoholic, if you are a drunk and you get into a recovery program, you are a drunk no matter how long you are sober and in recovery. I don't say this to be mean, but it is the truth.  I say this and now I will tell you my story.

The reason I had my operation RYN or RNY (can't ever remember, the correct way...)

Anyway I had a Dr.'s appoint and he had asked me to take my Glucose level minimum of 4 times a day for 2 weeks, and bring them in with me.  He said also to record the medication and times of each dose for his evaluation.

I was layed off for about 2 years and no insurance or money for that matter to spend except a little kitty for a rainy day...

Anyway I recorded all the info and the medication has he requested.

I took in the info the day of my appointment, and he reviewed it,  after some time, he asked me if I had some money, I said a little but that it was about 2 years+ since my layoff.

He said your Average Glucose with all the medication you are  taking should be in the normal range or maybe slightly elevated, although is should be manageable.

I was taking 50 units once a day (at sleep time), 3 Pills a day of Metformin 1000 before every meal, plus at night another pill can't remember the name of it.

With all this medication he said my average glucose was 270+ daily.

Which in his observation was totally out of control.  The reason it was out of control obviously was my eating. I was weighing 240 or so pounds can;t remember it is in my Bio.. but at one time my highest weight I recorded was 260+ pounds.  I had to loose a little weight Pre- op by my Doctors requests.

Well back to the story...

He said 2 things, he said to me you to me, you mentioned you have some money, I said yes...
He said I am going to give you to options for your money... he said first I want you to know that I am going to invest in these to options by not charging you for this visit, because there is nothing I can do for you.  But I will give you 2 choices.

1. you will invest that money in the future on some kind of amputation of some limb, either a leg, or some toes or fingers.  If this is what you choose then I will invest in that operation for you.


2. You will invest your money in a RYN or RNY (like I said can't remember which), he said I can't say it will bring your levels to normal but I can say is that it will bring your glucose to manageable range.

Within a week I had my operation. Before I was looking at my weight drop, I was monitoring my glucose range.  My weight was dropping but my Glucose although lower remained slightly higher and I still kept injecting myself.  This kept it in a daily average of 140 - 150, a lot better.

But My hope was that I could get away from using any meds, it will be a year in May and I no longer inject or take any meds for my diabetes.

I keep my insulin available although I don't buy has much, when there is a party or a gathering and I might over due it a little I check my glucose and inject maybe 10 - 15 units so that next day it is back to normal.

Like acoholic who are always alcoholic because of their disease, Diabetes is the same, we are always diabetics, but under control.

So I am no longer insulin dependent daily, unless I over do it.

Thank God,

Peter

Congrats Peter!

Like Diane said, the DS has better record than the RNY but it was the threads on reactive hypoglycemia here on OH that made me really look into the DS.

I had my surgery on Jan 24th of this year. On Feb 1st, I took off my insulin pump and it's been unused ever since, just sitting in a drawer gathering dust. I took my last shot of insulin on Feb 11th. My normal per day use of insulin was about 54 units Basel and whatever I needed as a bolus to cover what I ate. In those 11 days between taking off my pump and my last shot of insulin, I ONLY used 15 units.

I was also on 2000 mgs of metformin a day, that has currently dropped to 500 mgs a day and I hope to be completely off by summer.

I personally think that article is doing a disservice to patients by not laying out all the information and by focusing on just one type surgery when there is a better, and well documented was that is better, the DS.

Liz

I think that the DS is a great procedure, and it is clear that the DS has a higher resolution of diabetes than RNY. However the article that I was was concerning RNY and diabetes. If you would like to write a post for my blog about your experience with the DS and diabets, or if you have any info about the DS that you would like to provide I would be happy to put that on my blog as well! :-)