Comment

Comment by netbadger on May 5, 2013 at 10:39am

Before Debb read my post, and invited me to join this group (which I was unaware of), I posted a question asking if anyone who was using Humulin U-500 insulin had been through the Roux-en-Y procedure. Specifically, I asked if they were able to give up insulin completely. As part introduction, part explanation, I will give a little background. If you read my original post, some of this is redundant. I was diagnosed with type II diabetes about 14 or 15 years ago. I went the usual progression of pills, to insulin, but I developed an insulin resistance. I had to start using Humulin-R U-500 insulin, which is nearly $1000 a 20mL bottle. I have insurance, but still have a co-pay of 20%. E. Lilly keeps raising the price of the insulin every few months. It doubled in price in 2011, and double that again in 2012. Before another year is out, at this rate, I would be unable to afford my insulin. My pharmacist (an HMO member only pharmacy) said the insurance company was considering dropping the U-500 from the formulary, because of the price. So getting off of the U-500 is a necessity for me.

I have been obese most of my life, and morbidly obese since I became disabled in January of 2006. Until recently, I had too many health problems for my insurance HMO to approve the gastric bypass surgery for me. By religiously following my doctor's (all of them) instructions, I have been able to get my health to the point I do qualify. The last domino to fall in place was getting from stage 3 kidney disease to stage 2. My surgery is on the 15th of this month, so only ten days to go. I had to go through the bariatric program and lose 20 lbs. At my last weigh in a couple of weeks ago, I had lost 33 lbs. The co-ordinator for the program seems to think I may reach 40 lbs. lost before surgery. As of this morning, I had reached 37 lbs. lost. Because of Painful Diabetic Neuropathy, Lymphedema, and gout (as well as weight), I am unable to walk more than 150 feet or so, without sitting down to rest. I also have to take several very strong pain medications. So losing this much weight without exercising has been a personal triumph for me. I started off at 400 lbs even, and the doctor set my target weight at 155. I am told the first 100 lbs. will most likely come off in the first six months. From what I understand, the weight after that, until I reach my goal will be more difficult.

I am getting to my additional questions, believe it or not. I am VERY interested to hear from anyone who may have similar problems with severe neuropathic pain in their legs, and how having the gastric bypass has affected it? For anyone with mobility problems, were you able to reach your weight loss goals with your reduced exercise capability? I have heard that vitamin deficiencies and osteoporosis are just two possible difficulties I may have to deal with. I am on a group of vitamins and have calcium citrate chews, which are supposed to deal with those two problems. Have you been taking these, and still have those problems? What are some of the other bonus issues I may have to deal with because of this surgery?

I will give the questions a temporary respite, although I have many more. I probably should have asked them in separate post, but once they started tumbling out, I could not stop the flood. I feel that it is a necessity for me to have this surgery, regardless of what other issues may develop. This is my attempt to learn about challenges I may face, and how to deal with them.

Comment by Char Berss on December 19, 2011 at 6:58pm

Hi everyone. I posted a topic last night, and i'm really hoping to get some feedback. If someone (or some many!) could take a look and comment, i would REALLY appreciate it! Thank you!!
~Char

Comment by debb on December 16, 2011 at 3:43am

yeah joanne, it's just so amazing how it all works. i'm still having problemswith my knee, i may need a knee replacement, but not sure yet. i want to hold off on that one for as long as possible. at 55 i'm still young and want to try to leave that for when i'm older. i see my doctor again on the 21st for the knee and hopefully he will have some answers. but the longer i'm away from exercising the more weight comes back. it's so agravating. but i am so proud fo you for going through with the surgery. it will take time to get through those bad days but the will be fewer and further apart. i do get a bad day here and there where i have bad gas in my tummy and the only way i can get rid of it is to drink about a 1/4 cup of diet pepsi. my doctor isn't happy with that but when he happened to see how much pain i was in and how quickly it helped me he said grudgingly ok. he said that it's not something he would recommend but it seemed to be the only thing that would help me. he still doesn't recommend it to any of his other patients. he is very much against soda pop of any kind and for the most part i agree with him. regular soda has the sugar and the diet can cause kidney damage. so it's 6 of one and half a dozen of the other. i stay away from it for the rest of the time. since i hate water and they want me drinking it they ok'd pepsi's 0 calorie life water. my fav is the apple pear. it has a nice flavor. best of luck to you and message me any time you want to talk to someone who has gone through it. love ya, debb........

Comment by Joanne on December 15, 2011 at 8:23am

Well I am here and had my RNY done 12/6/11. Still mostly on a liquid diet with stuff like yogurt an s/f pudding. Had some good days and some not. Taking one step at at time. But before surgery I was on a hi protein low sugar/carb liquid diet for a week and my BS was still running 150-180 even with all my meds (Metformin,Amaryl & Byetta) Now I am off all my meds including ones for Cholesterol, and GERD and my BS today was 106 = ) Really amazing. Not easy but amazing.

Comment by Rixie on October 11, 2011 at 7:02am

Back on TuDiabetes and want to learn folks experiences with gastric bypass

Comment by debb on August 1, 2011 at 4:54am

hi rachael & joanne, i know people who have had the lapband and some that had the full bypass. for me the full fit my needs better then the lapband. a friend of mine had the lapband and had to have more surgery to fix it because it slipped, (because she was lifting heavy things before she had permission to do so) and then last spring she went back in because she had a different set of problems with the new one and had the full bypass. she is much happier now that she has had the full. that said i also have friends that have had no problems with the lapband and are very happy with it. the reason i didn't choose lapband was because of the need for a stent and if anything needs adjusting they have to go back through that stent to do the adjusting. i'm not adverse to big needles but i don't want to go through all that every time there is a problem either. my progress has been halted right now due to some knee and thyroid problems but i am in the process of getting them taken care of so that i can get back on track with my weight loss. i have found out because of the knee problems just how important exercise is when trying to lose weight. i haven't been able to even walk on my treadmill since i hurt my knee last sept. of course the doctor's have been pussyfooting around wanting to make sure my knee really needs the surgery and have now decided that i have a torn cartilage and will have to have arthroscopic surgery. i'm not sure how they will go about doing it because the one thing they can't do is put the tube down my throat for the surgery. i'm opting for a general anesthesia but that has it's problems for my doctor as well. lol, i burn through the anesthesia real fast and keep on waking up on them. lol, it really freaks them out when that happens. because of these problems i have been discouraged but not once have i regreted the surgery and know that once i get through these problems i will be back on the road to weight loss again. just remember that GB is not a cure, it's an aid to changing your life style and will give you a good jump to a better and healthier way of life. let's face it we all need any help we can get and if it weren't for my GB Family i would still be going down a bad path. they are the best and really care about me and want to help me do the best i can do. best of luck to you. if you need someone to talk to my e-mail address is debblahnen1956@yahoo.com. don't hesitate to send me an e-mail. the option you choose is your own preference and is the right one for you. you have to do what is most comfortable for you. both ways have their own goods and bads to them. take your time and make sure that you are ready for it. my GB doctor told me that he would not do anything until i was sure i knew what i wanted and was comfortable doing the surgery. he smiled and said that he doesn't feel good about operating on someone who isn't sure and just won't do it, and that he has so many people needing GB or Lapband surgery that if i thought that i would be wasting his time by taking my time in my decision that i shouldn't worry. when i was ready for the surgery then he would be ready to do it. i couldn't ask for a better doctor or GB team. they are the best.

Comment by Joanne on July 31, 2011 at 8:24pm

I have discussed this with my DR. He has wanted me to have GB surgery 2 years ago already but could never get myself to the point of considering it. Finally he said
"just go and listen". I did and the other people there were great. Everyone I spoke too had great success and all had but one regret ..... "should have done this sooner". So I started going to team and taking "baby steps" I do not have the BMI required but have the multiple health issues which put me thru. The only thing I know I was told was the Lap Band would not give me the cessation of my Diabetic issues like the GB would. My son is a PhD in Pharmacology and did a lot of personal research for me. If I can still find it I will send it to you. I was finally set to be scheduled for surgery last Feb when I went thru multiple major health problems and it was put on hold. Am just now starting to get the courage to even think about it again. I am here anytime you would like to talk.

Comment by Rachel0328 on July 31, 2011 at 7:45pm

I have begun talking to my Dr. and will have the lap band surgury in the fall, probably late October. My insurance, Humana, will only pay for it or the gastric ypass surgury and I am intimidated by the bypass surgury. I chose to go with the safer option. Does anyone have any information to share with me or any advice? Thanks Rachel

Comment by debb on May 21, 2010 at 1:37pm

what kind of insurance do you have? now a days most insurances cover gastric bypass. all i paid for were my co-pays to the doctor and for the pain medicine for after the surgery (which i hardly used), and the actual surgery was a $250.00 co-pay. the insurance covered everything else. at the time i had blue cross and blue shield. i have independent health now but i noticed they cover it as well. they feel it is preventative so that in the long run the patient has less problems that they would have to cover down the road which would end up costing more then the surgery does.

Comment by Michelle Hughes on May 21, 2010 at 11:36am

How can I get my insurance to pay for gastric bypass? They say it is not covered, I beleive it would help me with all my other ailments too.

• ‹ Previous
• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• Next ›
• Page