I have been duped and I bet you have too

Jun 05, 2010

I've lost 30 lbs since surgery, and with the 20 before surgery, I am down 50 lbs.  I am wearing a size 14 now, which is amazing. I started at a size 18 or 20.  My journey has been smooth, I'm introducing foods back into my diet slowly.  I started salads, which I am grateful.  I stayed so constipated from all the protein!  Anyway, right after my surgery I had very low blood pressure, and it took at least a wek for it to stabilize.  I came off all my blood pressure meds until I saw my regular physician that next week, and I never was put back on.  Wow!  I felt successful! After all, that is what my surgeon and my insurance company deems as success.  Coming off my meds.  My first visit with my surgeon we talked extensively about my meds, I'm a diabetic and I have high cholesteral and at that time, I was on the high blood pressure meds as well.  Success to him was the coming off all my meds, and I couldn't wait.  The support groups I attend are filled with patients who state they are off their meds... wow, I can't believe it, I'm so looking forward to being off all this medication. .
With 50 lbs off, I felt like it was time to bring this up to my internist. What about me coming off my meds?  My A1C has been at 6 for the last year, my insulin levels within manageable levels.  ??  I met with her last Thursday.
That's when it happened.  I feel like I got duped.  She said diabetes is an incurable disease.  My cholesterol is hereditary.  Even the thinnest of persons can high cholesterol she says.  Coming off my diabetes medication is not wise, I am at risk for developing all the effects that diabetes can ravage upon your body without my meds, including damage to my eyes, my circulation, my kidneys.  I started crying.  Maybe I am a failure.  What will my surgeon say?  I am not a success.  My internist was not happy.  She advised me to tell my surgeon he is treating me for my weight and SHE is treating me for my chronic conditions such as my diabetes.  She then began to tell me that insurance companies would never approve a surgery that was just for weight loss, that there has to be a carrot to dangle.  The carrot in this case is the medications I will be coming off.  The cure of all my diseases.  OMG- it's so not true.   I was duped, and if you were duped too, better to know now than later.  Diabetes is an incurable disease, you may can manage it BETTER wth weight loss and exercise, but it will never go away!!!! High cholesterol may can be managed with proper diet, but if it is hereditary (I had two brothers die in their 40's from heart disease) like mine, medication is the only answer!!!   I was duped, and I can't beleive I fell for it.

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