Does Gastric Sleeve Surgery "cure" diabetes?

[Elissa55 8]

I was taking metformin twice daily and lantis insulin at night. I am now off the metformin and reducing the lantis. I am six weeks post sleeve.

[Teachamy 1,042]

I didn't see anyone else commenting on the difference of Type I and Type II until I got to the 3rd page of this "poll". I am a Type I diabetic. Type I can never be cured, and is not the same disease as Type II. It frustrates me that so few people understand the distinction or mention that.

[Reviewer 20]

I was pre diabetic before my surgery 9 weeks ago with average fasting blood sugars of 120. One month after surgery my fasting blood sugars dropped to 90. I had not seen numbers like that in years. My pcp had warned me last year that if I did not lose substantial weight he was going to start me on oral diabetic meds this year. Thanks to my sleeve no chance of that happening and he was ecstatic about the turn around.

[CrazyCatLady 130]

I was a type 2 diabetic prior to surgery 2 years ago. I had been in "remission", so to speak, not needing medication or treatment, up until about a month ago. I am now back to needing medical management.

I was sincerely hoping to be one of those "cured" diabetics, but I guess it just wasn't in the cards for me.

[Teachamy 1,042]

There are a lot of doctors who will label a patient as Type I diabetes if the patient requires insulin to control their blood sugars. Being insulin resistant & requiring insulin does not make you Type 1. As mistysj said, Type I diabetics do not make any insulin of their own. Unless they have a pancreas transplant, they never will. It is possible for someone with Type II diabetes to convert to Type I but not the other way around. I remember from the days that I worked as a clinical review nurse that there is a test that can determine if a patient has Type I or Type II diabetes. The criteria for an insulin pump has changed somewhat, but I was able to find the information on the web site for the insurance company I used to work for. It states "to qualify for a pump the member also has to have NO detectable endogenous insulin production (undetectable C-peptide levels. This is measured by taking a fasting C-peptide level (at a time when the blood glucose is over 200mg/dl)."

I have more knowledge of this than the average person. Not only am I a nurse, although never a diabetes educator, I have had Type II diabetes for over 20 years & have required increasing amounts of insulin over that time for increasing insulin resistance. But, since I started this WLS journey in April & have lost over 50 pounds, my insulin needs are much less & my blood sugars are greatly improved.

Thank GOD I am not the only one who understands this. I have been a Type I diabetic (With insulin resistance pre-op) for 32 years. My body make no insulin. My need for insulin is much less now, but this disease can't be cured. If you get tested,

• TheNewSusie, your docs will find your pancreas is making insulin.

[rtzj9 3]

First doctor I saw the morning after surgery was from the diabetes service. He told me that I was smart to have WLS before I had too many complications with my diabetes and that these surgeries are the best tool they have found for resolving (his word not mine) diabetes. The statistics for resolution of typeII are DS = 99%, RnY = 97%, GS = 61% and LB is under that but no firm % has been excepted.

My surgeon required an A1c of 7 or below before scheduling surgery. This took almost a year for me to go from 11.9 to 6.7 and required me to be on a Liquid Protein diet for nearly the last three months exclusively. My first fasting sugar after surgery was 125. Over the next 24 hours with little food and no meds my sugars slowly rose and was discharged with a medication and insulin plan. Over the last month I have been watching sugars closely and have stabilized with medications alone.

The only advice I have for someone considering WLS is to be honest with yourself, can you control your sugars now and are you willing to do the work after the surgery to perhaps resolve your diabetes but most definitely roll back the clock on possible complications.

[Jan36 6]

I was on 1000 mg metformin 2x a day plus two shots of insulin and one shot of victoza daily. I was put on a sliding scale after surgery for my insulin. My surgery was May 16, 2014 and since June 28 I have needed no insulin and reduced my metformin to 500mg 2x a day. I could not be happier with these results.

[jessiquoi 623]

thank you, @@luvinitcuzican, for the post. i too am a Type 1 diabetic, and it is very frustrating that people don't recognize the difference between Type 1 and Type 2. Understandable because Type 2 is so much more prevalent, but frustrating just the same.

to reiterate... i will ALWAYS have diabetes.

even my SURGEON was uninformed about this. he tried to convince me that i would be "cured" after surgery. this caused me to cancel my surgery the first time around. i finally had my endocrinologist speak to him, and he is now set straight. i just didn't want him to be giving wrong information to other patients.

[blondebomb 580]

:001_unsure:Hey folks,

I was recently "interviewed" by a psych for pain management- I shared with him that I had lost some weight but still have about 80 lbs to go and that was struggling with all my complications- diabetic, hbp, closterol meds, arthrits meds, etc.... and he asked about bypass- had I considered that...I said no that I knew that I would end up in a nursing home here in East ky and that I did not think that they could or were prepared to keep someone with a bypass-6 meals a day, shakes, etc.. he told me about the sleve- hadn't heard of this..also told me that WLS virtually "eliminates" diabeties- (4 shots a day)...now I am seriously considering this. I weigh 234 down from 284- but it has taken 4 years and everytime I go on steriods I end up in the hospital and some wieght gain.... I am just so tired of shots, and meds.... I would love to hear from anyone who has had success in eliminating severe diabeties via WLS...I am going for a consult

ation next week, would love to have some success stores to encourage me...I am hesitant, but if I want to live beyond 10 more years I am thinking that I need to do something drastic...doing what I have been doing is not getting any results and my diabeties is "brickle" and I still lots on my bucket list! Living seems like the better option!

AnitaLou

I had blood insulin levels were going up an down have hashis an was insulin resistance ..i had sleeve done 3 months ago down 64 pds off metformin since day one an went on armour thyroid doing good! If you have already living a life of free sugars an junk food you are a step ahead- its hard I'm not going to lie, but a person has to be willing to do a drastic lifestyle change for life to be sucessful- ppl can put weight back on but its from goin back to bad eating habits usually not always. My insulin levels stay around 70 now..do research..not on the cons aspect bc it will turn you away, but as my surgeon said thy have come along ways..death rate is down to extremely low. The benefits outweigh the risk. Im soooo happy i did this i wish i had done it yrs ago. An i didn't discuss this with family or friends just immediate 3 my hubs was one--didnt want to hear everyone's comments or opinions. Their irrelivant..best wishes!!