New Sleever

[bobbywhy 0]

Just got sleeved Thurs. morning, Aug 9th 2012. My hospital/*** was at Kaiser West L.A. My surgeon is Dr. Um. I started with the Kaiser 12-week program, "Options" dedicated to providing the patient with Bariatric alternatives including diet and surgery info. I'm 5'10" with a muscular build. I started at 269 lbs. and lost 26 lbs..... (Their recommendation to help shrink the fatty liver prior to surgery.) I didn't consider myself as morbidly obese, but I had been diagnosed with Diabetes 2 one year earlier. I had noticed some neuropathy in the front pad of my right foot, and frequent night-time urination told me I might be Diabetic. That was about 6 months prior to diagnosis, so, approx. 1 and a half years of Diabetes before surgery.... So on surgery day I was down to 243.2 lbs. I don't really care about any big weight loss, just want to get off the Diabetes meds. I lost 83 lbs. in 4 months about 13 years ago on phen-fen. I loved it but now there's confusion about the drug and weight doctors push other less effective drugs on you..... The operation and over-might stay were so painful that I thought I'd made a mistake. Today I feel slightly better, enough to think I'll be thankful for this down the road... I'm off the meds, (Two 5 mg glipizides per day....One 850 metformin per day....and One 20mg simvastatin for cholesterol...) since Wed. night before the operation. I haven't checked my blood sugar as I ran out of test strips last week. The new ones should be here Monday. I'm not worried though. I haven't eaten solid food since Wed. night. The cramping is the worst, followed by the acid reflux. The actual holes from the oper. are surprisingly okay, but I have interior stomach soreness when getting up or lying down. Gotta move slow..... I researched "Surgery for Diabetes" and I know that the Gastric by-pass is the best chance for Diabetes remission at over 90% but I switched to the sleeve (47%) before the op. I just couldn't get on board with the severity of the by-pass. The cost of supplements due to mal-absorption and the even more rigid lifestyle change needed were too much for me. My surgeon thinks that my age and relative newness to the disease should be enough to knock it down. I also know that there are new drugs in developement all the time, and I could still do the by-pass later if I had to....That's it...Time will tell! Bob

[Michele T 48]

We were in the same hospital at the same time. I was sleeved by Dr Zelada on the 9th at 7:30am.

[ProudGrammy 8,322]

age and relative newness to the disease

Bob

your dr. is correct. you've only been diabetic for one and a 1/2 year - thats a big plus, your diabetes will probably resolve very quickly, as i see it did

my surgeon explained to me that the longer you've had diabetes, the worse your chances of getting rid of this "problem" will be resolved.

I've had diabetes w/meds and recently insulin for 20 yrs. Since WLS i'm off meds and insulin I consider myself very lucky

With the sleeve, not everyone will get off there meds, but a good percentage will - glad to hear that you did

Gastric Bypass Sugery does get rid of diabetes almost immediately - many many problems with gastric bypass as you know

the sleeve is the way to go - it helps with many other medical problems too - i.e. i no longer take blood pressure meds either

take care

[DivaK 55]

Well congratulations on the sleeve and getting off those medications! I pray this surgery helps to get you at your desired weight and the bypass surgery will not be necessary.

[bobbywhy 0]

Hi everyone. Michelle T. Small world huh? Thanks repliers. Nine days since the operation. Feel much better every day. No regrets now. Weight loss is 10-11 lbs. The big news is my blood sugar, which was around 120 with meds and 140 the morning of the operation, has been 116 - 108 - 108 the last three nights and 112 - 115 - 111 the last three mornings. That's only one week post op., only 10 lbs. lost, and no meds.... A strange development with my foot neuropathy however, as I woke up yeasterday morning with pain where for around two years now has been numbness. A deep soreness as if I'd stepped on a nail the day before. It's only slightly better today. My doctors haven't given me any info on the problem for the last year and a half, so I don't expect to learn anything regarding this when I go back for my first post op. check next Wed... I'm going to choose to believe that this is a positive effect from the surgery and see if in a couple of days, when the soreness is gone, if the neuropathy has changed at all....Weird dreams since day one after surgery. Not quite nightmares, but they don't feel familiar to me. Landscapes and characters that I don't recognize... (I wonder who got MY dreams?) .... No problem sleeping though....Starting to get a little hungrier each day. I'll be able to eat pureed foods starting next Friday. Oh, and I get tired real easy. Just walking up my steps after getting the mail...I'm sure it's normal after surgery....Thanks, Bob