Type 1 diabetic looking into this surgery (need advice ♥)

[MandieClick 6]

Hello! I'm new here. I'm a Juvenile diabetic and was diagnosed when I was about 5 years old. After that time I had gained weight rapidly. Once I was about 18 I was also diagnosed as a double-diabetic. Now not only am I a Juvenile Diabetic I also suffer from insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. I haven't found much info on type 1 diabetics getting this surgery. I really need help as I have been suffering from the complications of becoming insulin resistant. While in the mean time if I'm able to lose the weight I might be able to reverse the type 2 diabetes and be able to manage my type 1 without much issues. I have lost a very little amount of weight but not enough to make a dent in this issue. Yet ...but someday I will!

My A1c is embarrassingly high! I try so hard to manage a disease where I'm completely dependant on insulin, BUT my body is strongly resistant against it. This feels like a lose-lose battle without the extra help. I also heal slowly and suffer nerve damage, and I'm still pretty young. This scares me horribly! Since turning 26 I outgrew my parent's insurance, so maybe I can find a nice insurance plan to help cover the procedure in the marketplace. Back on subject though, Is there any other double diabetics, type 1's or any one else out there that has any of these troubles? Like the slow healing...

I really want to get this surgery, but will I be more open for complications? Sure! I was just looking for any kind of tips, advise from other diabetics whom have had the sleeve. I was even thinking of getting the sleeve and see if they can take not remove as much of the stomach just so I can have some additional stomach there. In case of any surgical complications the extra "stomach" might be life-saving. Leaks are scary and so is the aspect of healing slowly from a procedure like this is something to prepare for? What would you do if you were in such a situation that this is a viable option but with huge risks attatched? My mind is going in all sorts of directions and I would love to go in the right one, if you know what I mean.

Sorry for the length, and thank you for taking the time to read this post ♥

[DestinClair1983 72]

Welcome to the board, Mandie.I wasn't a type I diabetic, but I was a type II diabetic before I got the surgery, I was only on oral hypoglycemics, no insulin. However I did notice wounds were hard for me to heal pre-op. With this surgery, I an no longer a diabetic, I'm about 3.5 months post-op and recently got my A1c checked, and it was in the normal range. Even though there are more risks involved getting the surgery with diabetes, I feel that the benefits of this surgery outweigh the risks. I was taken off all my blood pressure medications, my diabetic medicine, and some other pills I was taking after the surgery. The weight loss that will be produced from this surgery will greatly help get your diabetes under control. Yes, there's a risk involved, but think about the future, and all the ensuing health problems that might result from the diabetes, and how the weight loss will really help you try to get your health in a better place. I wish you the best

[MandieClick 6]

Welcome to the board, Mandie.I wasn't a type I diabetic, but I was a type II diabetic before I got the surgery, I was only on oral hypoglycemics, no insulin. However I did notice wounds were hard for me to heal pre-op. With this surgery, I an no longer a diabetic, I'm about 3.5 months post-op and recently got my A1c checked, and it was in the normal range. Even though there are more risks involved getting the surgery with diabetes, I feel that the benefits of this surgery outweigh the risks. I was taken off all my blood pressure medications, my diabetic medicine, and some other pills I was taking after the surgery. The weight loss that will be produced from this surgery will greatly help get your diabetes under control. Yes, there's a risk involved, but think about the future, and all the ensuing health problems that might result from the diabetes, and how the weight loss will really help you try to get your health in a better place. I wish you the best

Wow! Thank you for such a warm welcome. Congratulations on your success and filling me in on your successes. I also have a question of you. When you started the liquid diets was you on them longer than a non-diabetic individual and was the hypoglycemia bad for you at all? I'm getting more and more excited each moment lol. Thanks again ♥

Edited February 10, 2014 by MandieClick

[LindafromFlorida 1,542]

MandieClick, on 09 Feb 2014 - 21:16, said:

Hello! I'm new here. I'm a Juvenile diabetic and was diagnosed when I was about 5 years old. After that time I had gained weight rapidly. Once I was about 18 I was also diagnosed as a double-diabetic. Now not only am I a Juvenile Diabetic I also suffer from insulin resistance or type 2 diabetes. I haven't found much info on type 1 diabetics getting this surgery. I really need help as I have been suffering from the complications of becoming insulin resistant. While in the mean time if I'm able to lose the weight I might be able to reverse the type 2 diabetes and be able to manage my type 1 without much issues. I have lost a very little amount of weight but not enough to make a dent in this issue. Yet ...but someday I will!

My A1c is embarrassingly high! I try so hard to manage a disease where I'm completely dependant on insulin, BUT my body is strongly resistant against it. This feels like a lose-lose battle without the extra help. I also heal slowly and suffer nerve damage, and I'm still pretty young. This scares me horribly! Since turning 26 I outgrew my parent's insurance, so maybe I can find a nice insurance plan to help cover the procedure in the marketplace. Back on subject though, Is there any other double diabetics, type 1's or any one else out there that has any of these troubles? Like the slow healing...

I really want to get this surgery, but will I be more open for complications? Sure! I was just looking for any kind of tips, advise from other diabetics whom have had the sleeve. I was even thinking of getting the sleeve and see if they can take not remove as much of the stomach just so I can have some additional stomach there. In case of any surgical complications the extra "stomach" might be life-saving. Leaks are scary and so is the aspect of healing slowly from a procedure like this is something to prepare for? What would you do if you were in such a situation that this is a viable option but with huge risks attatched? My mind is going in all sorts of directions and I would love to go in the right one, if you know what I mean.

Sorry for the length, and thank you for taking the time to read this post ♥

Mandie, here is what I can tell you. I am 2 months post op and off Metformin, off a BP med and no more neuropathy. My husband is 2 months post sleeve also, and has had Type II diabetes 35 years. He is 65 years old. He is on insulin twice a day. Prior to surgery he was eating carbs and fruits like crazy at bedtime, because he bottomed out at a 40 blood sugar so many times, unconscious, ambulance and ER. Most days his blood sugar was 400 - 300 - 250. He had terrible circulation, neuropathy, cellulitis from the swelling in his ankles. He had a toe amputated at the end joint. It was very scary. With the help of the hyperbaric chamber his toe healed wonderfully. Now he has gone from 320 to 269 since October '13. His insulin dosage is down. No more night sweats. He eats nothing at night now and his blood sugar does not go down. I lived in terrible fear nights with this going on for about 22 years. His blood sugar most mornings now is 110-125. He does not have to eat Snacks all day now to keep his blood sugar stable. Today he had 1/2 carton premier Protein shake, 1 cup homemade vegetable Soup, 3/4 cup stir fried zucchini and a 4 oz. filet mignon. That is it. I would suggest that you start visiting some excellent doctors and ask a million questions. BTW, my husband was terrified to have this surgery because he did not think he would heal. The sleeve incisions healed perfectly. I told him in front of the surgeon, that he looked scared. He admitted it. I said I am scared if you don't have the sleeve, and the doctor agreed. He has a heart stent, was on 3 BP meds, and the Diabetes. Sometimes you just have to put your faith in God and go for it. You can finance the surgery. It could be the price of your life from what you are posting. Please get educated by the surgeon and endocrinologist, and by posting here, and make an informed decision. I am praying for you girl! God Bless.

[MandieClick 6]

Mandie, here is what I can tell you. I am 2 months post op and off Metformin, off a BP med and no more neuropathy. My husband is 2 months post sleeve also, and has had Type II diabetes 35 years. He is 65 years old. He is on insulin twice a day. Prior to surgery he was eating carbs and fruits like crazy at bedtime, because he bottomed out at a 40 blood sugar so many times, unconscious, ambulance and ER. Most days his blood sugar was 400 - 300 - 250. He had terrible circulation, neuropathy, cellulitis from the swelling in his ankles. He had a toe amputated at the end joint. It was very scary. With the help of the hyperbaric chamber his toe healed wonderfully. Now he has gone from 320 to 269 since October '13. His insulin dosage is down. No more night sweats. He eats nothing at night now and his blood sugar does not go down. I lived in terrible fear nights with this going on for about 22 years. His blood sugar most mornings now is 110-125. He does not have to eat Snacks all day now to keep his blood sugar stable. Today he had 1/2 carton premier Protein shake, 1 cup homemade vegetable Soup, 3/4 cup stir fried zucchini and a 4 oz. filet mignon. That is it. I would suggest that you start visiting some excellent doctors and ask a million questions. BTW, my husband was terrified to have this surgery because he did not think he would heal. The sleeve incisions healed perfectly. I told him in front of the surgeon, that he looked scared. He admitted it. I said I am scared if you don't have the sleeve, and the doctor agreed. He has a heart stent, was on 3 BP meds, and the Diabetes. Sometimes you just have to put your faith in God and go for it. You can finance the surgery. It could be the price of your life from what you are posting. Please get educated by the surgeon and endocrinologist, and by posting here, and make an informed decision. I am praying for you girl! God Bless.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and his! That gave me goose pimples! It is amazing to learn that even slow healers do very well This made my night thank you so much! The more I learn the closer to becoming healthier and more incontrol of the diabetes. Such a wonderful inspiration you both deserve huge pats on the back ♥

[LindafromFlorida 1,542]

Mandie, I friended you so I can follow your journey. Big hugs!!!! Linda

[MandieClick 6]

Mandie, I friended you so I can follow your journey. Big hugs!!!! Linda

Thank you so much! I really appriciate that and having support is always important for longterm success you are such a jewel, thank you! ♥ Hugs!

[Jencovi 261]

Hey Mandie,

welcome to the site. I am also type 1 with insulin resistance. I have had a hard time finding other type 1s on the site. So I am glad you posted. I am getting sleeved on Thursday. So I don't know how it will be after, but I will let you know. I am also a slow healer. But I have had lapband surgery with no healing issues, a nose job and chin implant with very minor healing issues, and a c-section with no healing problems.

A little background on me...it's more than a little and a long read. Sorry. Haha!

I was diagnosed type 1 at age 6. I didn't have troubles with my weight until I hit my early teens. Since age 13 I've been overweight or obese. I have never had an easy time with my sugars. My a1c has always been terrible (8 or higher since age 16 or so). So I got the lapband in 2009. At first I did well. REALLY well. I went from 251 to 179 in the first year. Then in early 2011, before my 2 year band-aversary I started having throwing up at every meal. I had the hardest time keeping anything down, no matter how small or how liquid it was. I had just moved across the county with my husband (he was in the Navy at the time) so I had to find a new doctor. He removed all the Fluid from my band and I seemed to be okay with that. But my weight slowly crept back up and my a1c went from 7.5 to over 9.

I got pregnant in early 2012. She was a surprise. I would have never gotten pregnant knowing my a1c at the time was 9.2 and my weight was back up to 206. I had a rough pregnancy. I had morning sickness everyday, all 9 months. And it came on at different times. Because of the hormone fluctuations and my diabetes I was just always sick. But I worked out everyday until my 7th month when I was put on bed rest and I saw my endo every week. With the combination of me being pregnant therefore being incredibly motivated to be healthy, and an amazing endo who saw me every week, I kept my a1c at 7 or better my entire pregnancy. My a1c was 9.2 my first endo appointment, and within a month was 6.8. I haven't had that kind of diabetic control my entire life. And, the day I took my daughter home from the hospital I weighed 175. 31 pounds less than I did when I got pregnant. I felt amazing. I was wearing clothes I hadn't worn in years and had my healthy (11lb, 14oz) little girl.

When my daughter was 3 months old I started throwing up at every meal again. It didn't matter what I ate. This caused my breast milk to dry up. So I went to a new surgeon (we had moved yet again, yay military!). I told him my history and my weight was back up to 190. The doctor gave me a few ideas and asked me to try another month with some meds and see if I could do better. At the next appointment I was back to 206 and still struggling with solid food. So we decided to take the band out. He encouraged me at the time to switch me to a sleeve. But I was so upset with the band and didn't have a lot of info on the sleeve. So I waited. I'm glad I waited, even if my weight is 222 now and my a1c is 8.9. I got to do a lot of research, and I got plugged in on this site which has been a huge resource for information and encouragement.

All of my doctors (Endo, OB, GP, Chiro and of course my surgeon) are convinced this will help my diabetes. That's why I'm doing it. I don't want my daughter to grow up with a sick mom, and eventually die and leave her and my husband behind. I also want more kids. Can't have more right now. I would probably die or lose the baby.

I will keep you updated as I go through surgery. I am so nervous but I am excited to have a chance to take control of my diabetes again.

If you get the insurance and opportunity to have the sleeve (or whichever surgery you choose) do your research and make sure your surgeon has a good reputation in the diabetic community. My surgeon came recommended from my endo, and because I'm settled in So Cal again he is also known by my entire health team. But he has a long history with my endo and her patients so I know I'm in good hands.

Again, that was A LONG read. But I wanted to give you as much info as I could. Please post or private message me with any questions. I'll be adding you as my friend on here. Good luck!

Jen

[LindafromFlorida 1,542]

Thank God for this site so people like you, Mandie and Jen, can hook up and find help and guidance to make your journey to a healthier place in life, and we all are here to support you.

[Jencovi 261]

Hi Mandie,

I am on day three post op and my insulin is down to 1/4 of what I was taking before. I was getting 3-4 units an hour on my pump and now am on 1 unit an hour and my sugars have stayed between 100-140.

So far so good. Also not in too much pain. I will let you know how I'm doing as time goes by.

Jen

[bearman99 228]

If you are committed to not eating carbohydrates T1 diabetes can be greatly helped with this surgery.

Alternately, you may want to consider Gastric Bypass - Roux En Y since it has an element to it that will sometimes violently tell you to not eat carbohydrates - it is your nuclear option. If you are serious about arresting the issues of T1 in its tracks you may want to investigate this.

Also, Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution is a book that I highly recommend. He is a T1 diabetic and this is the book to read and follow in my estimation for a T1 (or T2 like me too)

http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Bernsteins-Diabetes-Solution-Achieving/dp/0316182699

[MandieClick 6]

Oh my god wow, Jen thank you! I'm so amazing and thankful you have posted here I'm so glad to hear no issues so far and hope your surgery was a complete and utter success! This information was priceless! I appriciate all the details you have shared with me so willingly as well. I'm getting more and more excited and trying to study about VSG as much as possible.

Now will be the task of finding a surgeon and taking the biggest steps to get to the beggining of my new life. Jen, you already shared critical information to me as well and that is appriciated like having children. The current state where I'm at my endo said I should not attempt to have any because the baby could get injured or death to myself.

Your a1c after lapband looked pretty darn good after getting it back to 7. Jen I hope your new surgery can help get it back down to 6.5 and it become a permanent fixture for you The fact you had children was even more amazing! Someday when I meet the right person I will have a family too. I saved all these posts to my computer so I can also show my doctor about the good that will come from having this surgery. I found a community health clinic, New Horizons, that will be able to help me in getting referals to my endo again, and even diabeties management classes.

I hope soon that I can be like you Jen and join the ranks of the sleeved. I'm so jittery and excited just thinking about how much healthier I will become! Thank you for this!

Edited February 22, 2014 by MandieClick

[MandieClick 6]

If you are committed to not eating carbohydrates T1 diabetes can be greatly helped with this surgery.

Alternately, you may want to consider Gastric Bypass - Roux En Y since it has an element to it that will sometimes violently tell you to not eat carbohydrates - it is your nuclear option. If you are serious about arresting the issues of T1 in its tracks you may want to investigate this.

Also, Dr. Bernstein's Diabetes Solution is a book that I highly recommend. He is a T1 diabetic and this is the book to read and follow in my estimation for a T1 (or T2 like me too)

http://www.amazon.com/Dr-Bernsteins-Diabetes-Solution-Achieving/dp/0316182699

I'm looking into this book now, thank you! Roux En Y sounds like a viable option. Carbs are such a vicious cycle once they are eatten. They cause a lot of havoc in the body too (the bad ones not the complex ones lol.) My best friend has had Roux En Y surgery, but she had a couple of minor complications so it makes me a bit nervous. She was also a non-diabetic. However, this is why I'm here to learn everything I can and do whatever it takes to become healthier. Thank you for this amazing information! I will do more research on this procedure as well and start looking to see which one will work best for me and a violent upset like dumping syndrome would sure keep me away from carbs and the like lol!! I apreciate your valuable input thanks Bearman!

[CComo55 0]

I am also a type one diabetic for 40 years . I am scheduled to have the gastric sleeve done in Mexico on January 30 . I am wondering how you guys are and if you've had the sleeve or not. My insurance would only cover the lap band not the gastric sleeve so my only option was to have the surgery down in Mexico . Currently I am on 180 units of insulin a thousand milligrams of Metformin and I'm also on a Symlin pen. I have severe insulin resistance and so I feel that getting the gastric sleeve will help me tremendously . If any of you already had the sleeve can you please share your experiences with us . Thank you for your time and I look forward to hearing from you .

[bluesclues 49]

Check the Diabetic forum as well. I'm T1 and have PCOS and fibro as well. My surgery was in July, best decision ive ever made! I've lost 37 lbs and my basal has been cut in 1/2. I'm still taking glucophage but thats for my PCOS/hormones, but in general my blood sugars have gotten a lot better, A1C as well. I'm back to my college weight and it's great. Any questions, feel free to ask