Dang...i've Got Diabetes

[mufasas-mom 170]

well the phone call last week from the carewise nurse with united healthcare was correct...I do have diabetes. Will visit with my doctor tomorrow to find out what I need to do....my lab results were awful....my cholesterol is so high 250 (norm 100-199)...A1c was at 6.5 (norm 4.8 to 5.6)- and glucose, serum - was at 138 (norm 65-99). I am so freaking pissed off at myself for letting me get here,....it's nobody's fault but my own for eating like a little piggy. I've always been a size 6-8 for all my adult life and then I started working here at PepsiCo and I put on 70 pounds in 4 years....I'm so irritated.

I hope they don't put me on lots of meds....

Just left a voicemail with my bariatric nurse at united healthcare to see if now that I have 2 co-morbidities and BMI over 40 - do i still have to wait the 6 months??? would be nice to be able to move the insurance timeframe up a notch!!

[Shoshanna 98]

Condolences on what must be a very difficult time for you. May the surgery proceed apace!

[LBWannabe 1]

I too am really sorry to hear the news. While devastating to learn this, for sure, it is better to know now so you can get treated properly. Thank God that the nurse called you! Try not to berate yourself though. Yes, hindsight is 20/20, but now you know and you can have a very healthy lifestyle going forward and it sounds like you are really motivated to do so!

I do not know you and how you have decided on the lap band versus other types of surgery, but there is now a lot of research showing that Gastric Bypass can reverse Type 2 diabetes in many patients. (They think it has something to do with the bypass part, that when food bypasses the intestines, it does not stimulate the hormones associated with diabetes, or something like that - don't quote me!). You may want to continue having conversations with your PCP and surgeon who would do your weight loss procedure about what the best option for you going forward is, whether it be the lap band or something else. Don't give up hope though! Diabetes is a treatable condition and you certainly sound motivated to get it under control. I wish you all the best!

[eyeononederland 27]

I too am really sorry to hear the news. While devastating to learn this' date=' for sure, it is better to know now so you can get treated properly. Thank God that the nurse called you! Try not to berate yourself though. Yes, hindsight is 20/20, but now you know and you can have a very healthy lifestyle going forward and it sounds like you are really motivated to do so!

I do not know you and how you have decided on the lap band versus other types of surgery, but there is now a lot of research showing that Gastric Bypass can reverse Type 2 diabetes in many patients. (They think it has something to do with the bypass part, that when food bypasses the intestines, it does not stimulate the hormones associated with diabetes, or something like that - don't quote me!). You may want to continue having conversations with your PCP and surgeon who would do your weight loss procedure about what the best option for you going forward is, whether it be the lap band or something else. Don't give up hope though! Diabetes is a treatable condition and you certainly sound motivated to get it under control. I wish you all the best![/quote']

Exactly. My mom is having gastric bypass in hopes it reverses her diabetes. There is an 80-90% success rate.

[SageTracey 608]

Just losing weight will reverse your type 2 diabetes. But it is definitely a factor to discuss with your surgeon when deciding which type of WLS to pursue.

[mufasas-mom 170]

thanks for the feedback. I will mention it to my surgeon, although i think i'll try the band first, as having my stomach removed is pretty freaking scary to me... looking foward to talking to my primary care doctor today about the diabetes, as now alot of things are clearer - why i'm always tired, why i go to the bathroom constantly, maybe why i have these 'dizzy spells' although i'm not sure what to call them as i have them about 3-5 times a week usually between 4:30-5:30pm on my drive home from work, i get the very quick onset of dizziness and feel faint - then it passes within 30-60 seconds. so maybe that's my blood sugar falling or rising or something...

my son came over last night to go grocery shopping in my pantry...can't believe how much I thought some of the healthy choices i was making were really bad...like Nutri Grain bars - full of sugar and carbs.

have to go grocery shopping all over again....

[eyeononederland 27]

That's a great first step, though, m-m!!

Get the bad food OUT and bring some great healthy stuff IN.

My advice: Don't buy things just because you know you should eat them...find things that you should eat and want to eat. If my fridge/pantry is full of things I don't like, no matter how healthy they are, I will find a way around things. Think of healthy options that you enjoy - maybe even try some things you've never had before, if possible.

Keep your chin up!! And, yes, the light-headed/dizzy feeling is likely your blood sugar dropping. Be careful!

[OldMomOf3 52]

I'm right there with ya! I just found out yesterday that I have diabetes too. That was a bit of a shock to me because I've never tested positive for that. It just has me all the more convinced that WLS is the right thing to do. Learning I have diabetes just removed that last shred of doubt I had about WLS. I'll consider the bypass surgery if weight loss via band does not resolve the issue. I hope you can move your date forward now. Let's keep tabs on our diagnosis and hopefully we will see it improve!

[mufasas-mom 170]

Just spoke with my bariatric nurse with united healthcare and I MUST do the 6 months supervised diet - that's ok, cause next week is my 4th visit - w/psych eval and such - so 2 more months will fly by and it gives me a chance to learn how to eat better prior. only thing is I also have Chron's and with that I cannot eat raw veggies (plus I have stupid dentures from years of chemo that destroyed my teeth, so with dentures it's impossible for me to chomp on veggies and fruit like apples - I have to buy the freeze dried apples). So my diet will have to consist of fruits i know I can eat and cutting out ALL of the bad starches/carbs.

[ilikebunnies 48]

Don't beat yourself up! I was diagnosed with diabetes this year and went through some of the same feelings. The reality is that the way you eat is just one factor not THE factor. A lot of other things are involved as well. So cheer up and don't be to hard on yourself. You are trying to take care of yourself now and that is what matters.