Diabetes after RNY

[kelliev2015 136]

Hi all,

I'm posting this for a friend of mine who had RNY surgery about two weeks ago. I can tell she is getting frustrated because her blood sugars are still high and she is still on medication. She keeps hearing these stories of people who went into instant remission and I think that was what she expected. I've been on this site enough to know that everyone is different and I am sure there are people out there who have had a similar experience so I'm hoping to be able to share some of those stories with her. Did anyone have a similar situation where their diabetes took longer to go into remission? I really appreciate any stories you can share. She is feeling now like the surgery wasn't worth it which is hard for me to hear. I'm still about 3 months away from surgery so it's hard for me to give her any advise without having had the experience myself. Thanks in advance!

[James Marusek 5,244]

I'm one of those people whose Type II diabetes went into remission quickly. Two days after surgery when I left the hospital, I was off all by diabetes medicines. I am now 34 months post-op and this condition has remained in remission ever since.

From what I observed from individuals that spoke about this condition on this website, they seem to say that it depends on 1) how long you were diabetic taking medication prior to surgery and 2) whether you had progress to the point of taking insulin shots prior to surgery. I was on 2 types of diabetic medicine prior to surgery, and I was taking these for at least 3 years prior to surgery. My physician wanted me to advance to insulin but I declined. Others have indicated that even if they did not totally get off their meds, they saw a decline in the amount of meds they were taking for this condition.

[DangerMouse007 105]

I posted this in another thread about this last night, so I'm just doing a copy and paste here. I'm one that diabetes has not completely been "cured" post-op:

I had the RNY Gastric Bypass in August 2015, but I had been diabetic since at least 2003 or earlier. Unfortunately I never recognized it for what it was at the time (enjoying the weight loss that came with being a hardcore diabetic) so I didn't see a doctor about it until mid-2006 when I finally started taking insulin. Even though my blood sugar was better controlled, I never really got a good handle on it, and my dosage just kept getting bigger and bigger. It's been a while since I thought of it (probably some of my older posts have the exact numbers), but I was taking something like 200 units of Levemir per day and nearly 150-200 units of Novolog per meal. My A1C was still pretty high.

As much as I had hoped that the surgery was going to be a cure all, I think the many years of being diabetic (including the time between 2003-2006 when I never knew I was diabetic) and the amounts of insulin I was taken will keep me from being fully "cured". Only time will tell. My next endo appointment is next month so will see what he has to say. When I talked with him last September he had hopes that I might be off the insulin by now, but I can definitely tell that's not going to be the case.

[kelliev2015 136]

@@DangerMouse007, I didn't see the post come through. It is just blank after "cured post op". Can you post again as I am interested in hearing your story. [emoji3]

[DangerMouse007 105]

Oh, wow, that was weird...I think I copied and pasted some extra stuff; I could see it, but I guess nobody else could...anyway, trying again:

I had the RNY Gastric Bypass in August 2015, but I had been diabetic since at least 2003 or earlier. Unfortunately I never recognized it for what it was at the time (enjoying the weight loss that came with being a hardcore diabetic) so I didn't see a doctor about it until mid-2006 when I finally started taking insulin. Even though my blood sugar was better controlled, I never really got a good handle on it, and my dosage just kept getting bigger and bigger. It's been a while since I thought of it (probably some of my older posts have the exact numbers), but I was taking something like 200 units of Levemir per day and nearly 150-200 units of Novolog per meal. My A1C was still pretty high.


As much as I had hoped that the surgery was going to be a cure all, I think the many years of being diabetic (including the time between 2003-2006 when I never knew I was diabetic) and the amounts of insulin I was taken will keep me from being fully "cured". Only time will tell. My next endo appointment is next month so will see what he has to say. When I talked with him last September he had hopes that I might be off the insulin by now, but I can definitely tell that's not going to be the case.

Edited March 28, 2016 by DangerMouse007

[nursesrock74 15]

I wasn't diabetic but I had wicked high blood pressure. My surgery date was 12/22/15 and I did not get blood pressure pills for my 2 day hospital stay. I went home Christmas eve and Christmas morning I took a blood pressure pill and nearly passed out. So I stopped taking the pill and on 12/30 I went to my primary and he officially took me off of them. I have been fine ever since.

Sent from my LGMS330 using the BariatricPal App

[mngreeneyes 674]

I was diabetic for about 5 years before my surgery. I have never been insulin dependent, just metformin. While I was in the hospital after surgery they gave me insulin because my numbers were elevated (150-180) and I couldn't swallow my metformin yet.

I went to my PCP three weeks after surgery and was taken off my high blood pressure meds. My PCP and I decided to wait until I had an A1C that was totally post-op before taking me off my diabetes meds. After three months, my A1C was 4.9 and we decided it was time. Now I have normal numbers so I guess I am in remission, but it took three months to be certain.

pam

[MRSKLUCERO 3]

Hi all,

I'm posting this for a friend of mine who had RNY surgery about two weeks ago. I can tell she is getting frustrated because her blood sugars are still high and she is still on medication. She keeps hearing these stories of people who went into instant remission and I think that was what she expected. I've been on this site enough to know that everyone is different and I am sure there are people out there who have had a similar experience so I'm hoping to be able to share some of those stories with her. Did anyone have a similar situation where their diabetes took longer to go into remission? I really appreciate any stories you can share. She is feeling now like the surgery wasn't worth it which is hard for me to hear. I'm still about 3 months away from surgery so it's hard for me to give her any advise without having had the experience myself. Thanks in advance!

I have had type 2 diabetes for over 20 years. I was taking 4 different medications to control it, including very high doses of insulin. My surgeon told me straight off that it was very likely because of the length of time I have had diabetes and amount of medications I took that I would still need some medication after surgery. I am only 3 weeks postoperative now, I am still taking one pill a day and some meal time insulin. It is likely that once closer to my goal weight I will be able to decrease or even eliminate these meds, but it is a process and only time will tell.

Sent from my HTC D816h using the BariatricPal App