Any Diabetics on Site

sounds very exciting!

mj78 wrote:

Hey ozrick, thanks for your reply. I made it through opti stage on meds. I saw my GP on tue and he said to stay off diabex for a week and then have blood test next tue to see what mu insulin levels are doing...keeping my fingers crossed!!

Hey ozrick, thanks for your reply. I made it through opti stage on meds. I saw my GP on tue and he said to stay off diabex for a week and then have blood test next tue to see what mu insulin levels are doing...keeping my fingers crossed!!

I was told to cease by the anaesthetist. My sugar readings were about 5.5 in hospital and the pharmacist told me when I was discharged to stop my meds. GP confirmed this on the weekend and yesterday Dr Craig Taylor, my surgeon also said that is the way forward. he said they need 3 months of results to say that diabetes is "gone" but he is confident that will happen. I am speechless.

mj78 wrote:

Hey people, just wondering if anyone who was on metformin/diabex was told to reduce their dosage while doing the optiufast pre-op stage???

Thanks

Hey people, just wondering if anyone who was on metformin/diabex was told to reduce their dosage while doing the optiufast pre-op stage???

Thanks

Hmmm... talk about timing...

Told by my doctor this morning that my blood test for sugar/glucose tolerance showed that my pancreas is 'impaired'....

I don't 'have diabetes' but it is 'just around the corner' apparently.

If I needed any other signs/warnings etc, here it is.

Definately time for me to take control of my life!!

Am now booked in to a Diabetes Educator, not really sure what I am going to be told...

to LOSE WEIGHT probably!!

Hi Lainey,

My advice would be to get in touch with your diabetes educator or health worker if you have one available and also speak with a dietitian. A type 1 diabetic will need supervision before surgery and post op as well with both diet and medication.
Good luck to you both.
Linda :)

Hey Lainey,

I can't help with your question, but wanted to say that you shouldn't be "sorry to open this thread again" It is better to re-open an existing thread so all the info is together, than to have lots of threads all containing the same stuff. There are many members with varying levels of diabeties on the site and I'm sure someone will be able to advise you.

- Carrie :-)

Hi
Sorry to open this thread again but my sister and I are planning on having the sleeve
beginning of October and she is type 1 diabetic .. has been since she was 4.
Any advice or guidance would be very appreciated on pre and post op diets.

it doesn't take us too long to work out what we should and shouldn't do as diabetics, if it hadn't already been done to death we could write our own diet books and make squillions lol. But alas that doesn't stop us from occassionally getting it wrong.. i remember going on a car rally with my husband some years ago, and we had a bag of bullits sitting in the consul, which I was nibbling on, at the end of the day a growled at him for eating them all, he claimed he didn't it was me......OMG I had eaten the whole bag...I couldn't stay awake that night and slept most of the next day as well...I never did that again. Terri

I had to check my bloods 8 times a day on optifast. if you are on injections you will have to be MORE vigilant than that. You will also probably reguire 100 calorie snacks between meals. have a look for forme satisfy yoghurt. yes I should sell the stuff hehehe.

applesauce

Thankyou for your replies. Funny enough, I know a fair bit about diet but just lack to motivation to stick to it. The reason it happened was because I was using too much lantus insulin and was not eating enough. I increased the insulin because of my numb toes and feet. It really is quite painful but I dont think I will do this again.
Thankyou all again
Darren

Have you ever seen a diabetes nurse educator? Or dietician? If I were you, I would not muck around after this warning.. I would get thee to someone who can tell you exactly what you need to do. Often the nurse educators have more practical day-to-day advice than a GP.

Have you got a dietitian? I think it would be best to get your gp to refer you to a dietitian, maybe one that is associated with your surgeon? This will help you get the best possible result for your diabetes etc..... we don't want you to drop dead!!!! that would be terrible..... have to get you nice and healthy enough so you can get this surgery so that you can be healthy for years to come!!!

OMG Darren, how scary, what are your sugars normally? and do you know why it happened? I think going on opti slowly i.e. 1 meal a day start is a good idea, but if you start on opti, please keep in touch with your GP, so he can monitor your sugars. I did regular readings, put them on the computer and emailed them to my Dr.

Thankyou Maria. Just got a call from my GP who told me what happened to me can be fatal. I have just started preparing my self a diet plan. Dont know how long it will last. Just wondering, is Optifast low GI and low fat?
Wondering whether to substitute this for some meals.
Cheers
Darren

Oh dear..... I hope you are alright now..... please look after yourself.... take care!

Wow, I just had the fright of my life. I had a massive hypo and had a seizure, bit my tongue many times (cant talk now), my staff called the ambo's and was out to it for over 2 hours. Fair to say I better start looking after myself and lose some weight!!!!

Hi, I am pre diabetic / insulin resistant and have been put on metformin for weight loss. 500mg BD.
It reduces the cells resistance to insulin so your pancreas doesnt need to pump out more and more insulin. From my understanding its all the insulin that causes fat to be stored. Metformin is supposed to help your body use insulin more effectively so you dont need to produce so much.
My fasting blood insulin levels were 19 before I started on it. Now they are 14. PS...thats blood insulin levels not glucose/sugar levels. My BSL's are 5.
When my head was right I lost heaps of weight just by going on metformin and a low GI diet. 10-12 kilos in a matter of months. I am stressed to the max and have been for several months and havent been taking my metformin properly, like not taking it for weeks at a time, nor doing the low GI thing religiously so my weight have been going up and down like a yo-yo.


Let me know how you go Apple. Am willing to give anything a go.

nimue I think I will give that a go, it is worth a go.

Yes meteformin is meant to help you lose weight, didnt for me tho.

For the neropathy pain if you have not already see your GP about doing a combo of anti sezisure and anti depression meds. Tehy are only particular ones in combination with each other that work. It doesnt curer it that is for sure but it helped a great deal made the pain mostely controlable with pain meds where as before they where it was not at all.

applesauce

Thanks Terri. The weight-increasing-medictaion syndrome is what my experience has been as well. It is great to read your post. It is little pearls of wisdom like this that can make a big difference. I am going to google this Leucine and find out a bit more about it. I will probably be putting myself up to fail but I am going to try and give up beer from tomorrow. We are going to Cairn for a week in June so I want to try and tone up a little. Take care Terri and thanks again.
Darren

Hi Fathatter, after 6 months waiting the big day is 18 days & 2.5 hours from now ..lol

The following info was taken from this web site, http://www.path2healthyliving.com/WeightLossLeucine.html Quick, Healthy Weight Loss with the Amino Acid Leucine: Recent studies have shown that adding larger amounts of the amino acid, Leucine, to your diet, can double your weight loss. Leucine triggers reduction in calorie intake, causes a drop in between-meal snacking and increases energy. Plus leucine helps you shed subcutaneous fat (just under the skin) very quickly and helps stabilize blood sugar - a great help to those with type 2 diabetes. The amino acid leucine is a building block of protein which helps with muscle building in the body. This not only keeps your body lean, it burns more calories - a pound of muscle burns 25% more calories than a pound of fat. Deficiencies in amino acids can result in fatigue, muscle cramps and weakness, headaches, dizziness and irritability. Add 3,200 mg of Leucine daily to aid your weight loss efforts. According to UCLA researchers, adding just 3,200 mg of leucine to your diet can double weight loss.

I put it to the test and it worked for me. I hope its helpfull to you too.

I had heard somewhere that metformin aids in weight loss but most of my diabetic meds put weight on me, especially the insulin, so i don't think the metformin has a ghost of a chance of being very effective with me.

Thanks guys. As usual applesause, you provide great feeback. Thanks to you Terri. The reason I posted the threat was vindicated by your responses. I wanted to know what impact the surgery MAY have on me. I have been diagnosed for 8 years so I have a bit of history. For this first 7 years I did not doing anything different...I just hated the diabetes and did not care what happened to me. A bit bad I know, but the facts are the facts. Now with the neuropathy in my legs, the pain is pis_ing me off. I am sooking at the moment because it looks like I will have the pain for ever, and yes, I am the only That is copious amounts of insulin are bringing my sugars down to 5-6 but the pain remains.
Terri, when is the big day for you?
Also Terri, that is a good point about reducing carbs and raising proteins. My 21 year old son is a bit heafty and his personal trainer told him to do exactly that and weight fell off him.
Applesauce, thankyou. I also find that when I am in bed and sleeping on my back, my hands "fall to sleep" - go numb. I never thought this could be because of diabetes. No one every suggested this. I think you are right. - Also, does metformin bburn fat? Again, I have never heard of this. Have you heard of this Terri. If so, I will be having a quiet word with my GP!!!
Well, it was certainly fruitful putting up the thread. Thanks again and Keep in touch- Darren

I'm a type 2 diabetic, have been for close on 20 years, I also suffer from diabetic neuropathy in my legs, some days it is difficult to walk espescially after sitting for long periods of time. My sugars where in the 15's and that is why this op was recommended for me. I am hoping to get of my meds after awhile, I have already gained lower sugar levels and some weght loss on my pre sugary programme. I have found for me, that when I cut out carbs and raise my protien, my sugars are better controlled. My mother went blind from her diabetes, this along with poor circulation & osteo arthiritis, left he chair bound for years, she also had emphasemia and heart disease (5 bypasses). She passed away June 11 last year and not wanting to end up as unhappy as she was is what motivated me to get sleeved, reduce my sugars/weight and live a long active healthy life

So, Fathatter what prompted you to ask for other peoples experiences, are you a newly diagnosed diabetic?? Terri

Type 2 diabetic here. I had out of control bloods in the 20's. I controled these with optifast before surgery. It was a rough ride, I threw up the morning shake every morning for 2 weeks as soon as I took the meteformin. But I stuck it out and it worked. Since surgery more than 2 years ago now my blood sugars have been around 5-6, the ONLY time my blood sugars go up now is if I am sick. I suddenly have to go to the loo more often and I KNOW to check my blood sugars and sure enough they are sitting around 8 and I am down with a bug within 36 hours. They go back to normal as soon as I am well or for the most part on the mend. I take 500mg of meteformin twice a day not to control my blood sugars now but as an way to help me burn fat. I do NOT do a diabetic diet I eat what ever I like. tho I avoid things like lolly snakes, pure sugar things on an empty stomach they tend to make me feel vile. Nor do I drink thinks like coke, but I have the occasional glass of orange juice. I share a dessert when out the more evil the better in my book and nah no effect on my bloods at a..

I have SEVERE neropothy in my feet extending to my knees, and to a lesser degree in my hands. This can make life difficult as I also have MS so my mobility can be an issue on occasion. This has NOT improved as hoped with the controled blood sugars. I tho do have control 99% of the time with medication for the pain. Before this was out of control and no meds even the strongest narcotics could control it. One of the main reasons for doing the surgery I just couldnt take the pain any more. anybody who says numb feet dont hurts have NO idea how much pain is involved.

I know walk, tho not in hot weather, before I could bearly get from the couch to the loo. Now a 3-6km walk is the norm for me. I am slow hehehe but I love it. I wouldnt do it if I did not. Seriously dont do any exercise you do NOT enjoy or you just will not keep it up. I never started exercising as in walking until I was nearly 12 months after surgery. I use to call shopping my exercise before that.

Now across the board normal blood sugars are the norm after surgery. Most people stop all meds. If you have a family history or associated conditions with the diabetese as in blood pressure and or neropothy that is stil NOT controled 100% after surgry then do seriously talk about your GP about taking a low dose maintence dose of meteformin even if not needed for your blood sugars you want to protect your heart and your feet even tho those conditions reverse for most people.

applesauce

Hi - Just wondering if there are any diabetics (both type 1 and 2) on the forum who could share their experience please.
Cheers