whew...it's been forever...hi again!

[conceit]

Well, FWIIW, 34 is still very young, and might account for the heart health

Alas, things get worse as you get older, and one of the helpful modifiable factors for comorbidities is obesity control. One can do something about obesity, age, OTOH, is inexorably unmodifiable

Compared to age, obesity control is paddling about on a summer day in a backwoods pond. Age is like being tossed about with a broken main mast and lost rudder in an antarctic winter's gale, with the ship taking on water no matter how hard you pump.


Age... definitely not for sissies

Hi there, I had the test (coronary ct angiogram) done because I had a very high heart rate for a year after an excessive bleeding episode (heavy periods) plus POTS symptoms etc., and they were testing for all kinds of things including potential coronary artery congenital defects. But I really wasn't sure if my coronary arteries would turn out to be healthy, because of diabetes and family history of CAD.

My mother was already experiencing angina at 40, had high blood pressure in her 30s, so I had my concerns and worries. And she's reed thin. I still have plenty of years left for clogged arteries to develop lol, but I am glad they are doing well so far. It's a win for me so far.

Aging is def not for the faint of heart, yes.

BTW, welcome back and you‘re doing good controlling your diabetes.

Thank you Liz! Could I ask if you are still maintaining yours through metformin and diet? I never did get to check in if you ever ended up returning to insulin.

Could you tell me how old long it's been since your DS?

Welcome back conceit! Nice to hear from you!

Thank you so much!

welcome back!

THANK you! <3

Hi there.

If I were you, I’d be begging to try Mounjaro.

As I am me, I have asked doctors to prescribe it, but they won’t because I’m not diabetic. As a diabetes drug, it’s great. As a weight loss drug, it’s spectacular. I could probably get a script for it for weight loss from a quack shop, but I can’t afford to pay full price for it off label.

Hi Diana, it is so lovely to hear from you.

My doctor did recommend it, but it's quite expensive. I was also concerned about its safety after reading this article: https://www.bloodsugar101.com/glp-1-agonists

I am not sure how comprehensive or accurate it is (haven't cross checked yet), but it did give me pause. If you have any thoughts at all, I'd be very happy to hear what you think.

FWIIW... back when I had T2 diabetes people swore Byetta, a GLP 1 agonist, would help one loose weight, as well as control BG. Well, for me , it helped with theT2 diabetes, but was no help for weight loss

DS completely resolved the T2 ( last A1c was< 4.2), and it did it almost immediately.

Here's hoping Monjaro works for weight loss for those who try it.

Hi George, that's so encouraging about your A1C. Do you have any lows by any chance?

Also, could I ask how old you were when you had your DS and how long it's been? If you've maintained a non diabetic A1C for a while, that's pretty amazing.

 

[southernlady]

Thank you Liz! Could I ask if you are still maintaining yours through metformin and diet? I never did get to check in if you ever ended up returning to insulin.

Could you tell me how old long it's been since your DS?

I just hit 12 years on the 24th.

Yes, I am. But due to an upcoming hiatal hernia surgery in a week, he has me coming off the metformin. Liquid metformin was prohibitively expensive, so my PCP is letting me do insulin short term to keep me out of the stratosphere. While we are at it, she’s also getting me a Free Style Libre 2 (Medicare only pays for type 2 only if on insulin), we just aren’t telling them it’s short term. <—— DianaCox

 

[Georgepds]

...
Hi George, that's so encouraging about your A1C. Do you have any lows by any chance?

Also, could I ask how old you were when you had your DS and how long it's been? If you've maintained a non diabetic A1C for a while, that's pretty amazing.

I was 68 when I had my DS (2019) following a VSG (2018).

The nice thing about T2 remission is I no longer obsessively track the disease. I first learned about DS forT2 from a woman named Jill around 2007, who occasionally attended a T2 forum I was in. She tracked her progress diligently just after the DS, and then, just stopped participating. Fixed is fixed, at least it was for Jill. She was young,mid 30s IIRC, and had a baby soon after DS.

As to lows, no I don't think so... Believe it or not, for most, DS works so well you soon toss the T2 paraphernalia, like the BG monitor. After the DS, I'd track my morning BG, as I'd done for a decade, and titrate down, then eventually toss, the 4 meds I was on ( metformin, trulicity, an SGLT2 agonist, and a secretogogue). Morning BG stayed low (BG <100 mg/dl)

These days BG gets tracked twice a year by the GP. The A1c is always <4.2, the lowest the lab can measure, and fasting BG is ~85. Before DS my fasting BG was in the 150 range, and climbing, despite the meds. It drove me nuts

T2 remission with DS doesn’t work for everyone, but it works for most, T2 remission is nominally ~95% of the time. Ten years out this drops to ~80%, so it can return. Also depth of remission depends on how long, and how severe the T2 was.

I wish I had the DS sooner. Some damage by diabetes doesn't go away when BG normalizes, peripheral neuropathy for one.

 

[JackieOnLine]

she’s also getting me a Free Style Libre 2 (Medicare only pays for type 2 only if on insulin), we just aren’t telling them it’s short term.

very smart!

 

[Georgepds]

Hi there.

If I were you, I’d be begging to try Mounjaro.

As I am me, I have asked doctors to prescribe it, but they won’t because I’m not diabetic. As a diabetes drug, it’s great. As a weight loss drug, it’s spectacular. I could probably get a script for it for weight loss from a quack shop, but I can’t afford to pay full price for it off label.

FWIIW.. I was at the library today , and read the 3/27 New Yorker. There is an article on ozempic... The author notes compounding pharmacies ( allied to onLine weight loss shops) use sodium semiligutide, which, when mixed with sterile water, separates into semiligutide (the glp 1 agonist) and sodium.She notes the manufacturer of Ozempic does not permit compounding pharmacies to sell pure semiligutide

 

[Katti703]

Hi everybody,

I hope you are all doing well! I have been away for a very long stretch this time. On my end, I've switched careers since then, exited a long term relationship, become a caregiver to my mother and have maintained normal A1Cs (between 4.9 and 5.5, averaging around 5.2) and slightly elevated fasting numbers (100-115) for about 5 years now. My kidneys, livers, eyes etc. are all fine. Coronary arteries look great on CT coronary angiograms, so I'd say so far so good on the Diabetes front. If I count the 'pre-D' years, I have probably been diabetic for close to 10 years now. Keeping fingers crossed

I have mild sleep apnea for which I use daily CPAP. Cholesterol levels are a bit elevated but otherwise stable.

My weight, despite a keto-ish low carb diet (under 30 grams of carbs per day, no more than 5 grams of net carbs for dinner), has stayed about the same. I work out on and off, but as we all know, neither the diet nor weight would have done much with my endocrine system and body being what it is.

Thankfully, If I may say so myself, successfully managing diabetes for close to half a decade, which is both not very long and an eternity considering the level of discipline I have exercised every single day for years on end, has given me a lot of confidence about managing life after WLS. I have refused meds like Jardiance and the weight loss drugs (Victoza), preferring to maintain my numbers through diet, exercise and metformin usage alone. It's worked okay so far, but I can't count on it forever as I head towards my 40s in the next couple of years.

I have not opted for the DS, because caregiving and COVID both impacted my finances in the last couple of years. I am saving up for it again and will be able to self-pay by the end of the year.

But if I am honest, there's also a part of me that wants to keep managing diabetes the way I've been doing so far because I worry about the nutritional impact of the DS, 30, 40 years down the line.

And I am also aware I will not always be lucky enough to manage diabetes just with diet, exercise and metformin. So the DS is my best bet for remission and better outcomes regarding coronary artery disease (for which I have a family history) later in life. It's still a very daunting decision to me. All these years later, a big life changing surgery like the DS feels like a massive responsibility (and it is). It intimidates me, if I am honest.

And maybe that's how it is for us anxious folks until we have our surgeries.

Quick questions:

A while back I had read Vitalady was no longer operating her supplements business, if I recall correctly. Where do folks buy DS vites these days, usually? I will also look up the forum for more details tomorrow.

Do folks know if Dr. Ungson/Dr. Esquerra and/or Dr. Marchesini are still working? I will email them this week as well.

Thank you all for reading, for your compassion and support through the years. When I first joined DS spaces, I was a baby...like I was barely 24. I can't believe I am 34 now. Time really does fly by. I am so glad this amazing group is still active. You were the first place I thought of as I ventured back into caring for my body long term.

I purchase my Vita4life vitamins on Amazon, as well as my dry Vitamin D, and calcium. Easy Peazy!

 

[southernlady]

As to lows, no I don't think so... Believe it or not, for most, DS works so well you soon toss the T2 paraphernalia, like the BG monitor.

hese days BG gets tracked twice a year by the GP. The A1c is always <4.2, the lowest the lab can measure, and fasting BG is ~85. Before DS my fasting BG was in the 150 range, and climbing, despite the meds. It drove me nuts

That’s more indicative of hypoglycemia which we are finding out on FB so many are dealing with it. So then they need all their paraphrasing, cause lows can kill unlike highs.