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One of our readers, Teresa, has some questions for the Blogabetes readers about diabetic retinopathy. Has anyone had retinopathy surgery and can share their experiences with Teresa?
"I have a question that I was unable to find an answer for, and couldn't figure out how to post a new blog. I have type 1 diabetes and have had it for over 30 years. I have retinopathy and have had many surgeries. I now have cataracts as a secondary problem of the surgeries and my doc wants to remove them, I have done some fairly extensive research on the two (retinopathy and cataracts) and have found that most articles agree that cataract surgery speeds up the process of retinopathy. Has anyone here had this surgery as a person also with retinopathy?
Does anyone know more about the complications?
- Teresa" (READ MORE)

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There are two very important people in my life who are considering weight loss surgery. I won't lie: I've thought about it, too.

 

I'm not really that excited, though, about the type of lifestyle you have to lead after bariatric surgery. Seems to me there's a lot of liquid involved and the recovery is long and slow. How would that affect my family? My family life? What about my job?

 

I've thought about a lap band, too. That seemed to be much less invasive and more my style. From what I understand, a lap band makes your stomach smaller and doesn't change the way your food is digested.

 

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I went to bed early enough to get eight hours of sleep the night before surgery. Before I fell asleep, my blood sugar was 168. I lowered by bolus by about 20%. I set an alarm for 3:45 am (9 hours pre-op) and an alarm for eight (to call the doctor's office). Not too long after, I was fast asleep (thankfully!)

 

At 3:45am, my blood sugar was 185. I ate 45 grams of carbs and bolused for both the correction and food. I decreased the bolus by 15%. I set my basals to decrease by 30% at 8am, since that would put me at 5 hours pre-op and awake (and nervous!).

 

When I woke up at 8am though, my blood sugar was 233. I bolused, lowering it by 40%. I called the doctor's office to confirm my pre-op instructions and ask about my basal rates before I came in for surgery. The nurse told me that the oral surgeon wanted me to keep my basal rates at a normal level. If my blood sugar dropped, I was only to treat with Sprite.

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My laparoscopy went quite well on Thursday. My blood sugars held steady around 180 to 200. I woke up easily and quickly from the anesthesia with no lingering side effects, although my pain upon waking was definitely at a 10. My incisions have been a tiny bit little sore when I move certain ways and the gas used to extend the abdomen is still floating around inside me (causing shoulder pain even 4 days later).

 

I'm back at school today, but I'm still trying to take it easy to give my body a little more time to recover. My throat had been a little scratchy from the tube for anesthesia. And that gas is still making squishing noises when I move. I've been trying to eat well the past few days along with moving around as much as possible so that gas will dissipate faster. Unfortunately, it's just taking its sweet time.

 

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I'm over seventy-two hours post-op on my wisdom teeth removal. And I'm doing okay. The surgery went well with no ups or downs in blood sugars or the actual removal. Ever since, I've just been recovering as best I can.

 

Immediately after the surgery, my blood sugars did okay. The anesthesia and the stress haven’t seemed to have any kind of effect on them. However, the diet that I'm keeping is throwing me into a minor tailspin.

 

Some soft foods (like shakes) send me sky high so I go scrambling to get them down. And some soft foods (like soup and fruit) leave me low after a few hours. And since I'm not eating as many carbs in general (eating is more annoying than it's worth), my blood sugars are staying in a moderate zone.

 

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There was a time when The Mr. and I could wear the same size pants. In fact, he put on a pair of my jeans one day and though they fit it didn't take him long to realize why they didn't feel right.

 

I thought we were heavy then. I'd love to be back in that size jeans. That was before kids. That was before 12 years of marriage. That was a long time ago.

 

When I look back 15 years ago at pictures of us I think about how skinny we looked. And though I didn't see it then, we were; especially compared to how we look now.

 

The Mr. has been contemplating weight loss surgery for years. We talked about it casually. We knew people who went through it. We knew the fantastic results. We knew it was a tough road.

 

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One thing about diabetes that can be particularly frustrating is not knowing how our body will react to stress. I've had just as many highs from stress as I have had unexpected lows.

 

Strangely, I think I more often go lowish from certain kinds of stress. Namely medical stress. Just over a year ago, for example, I had to have an MRI on my hip with contrasting dye and it was really an experience I was not prepared for. Sitting in the waiting area before the procedure I was high. During the part where the doctor injected the dye into my hip, I felt myself going low and thought I was going to pass out.

 

And then there was the minor hand surgery I had two and a half years ago where my sugar stayed low all morning until my mid-day surgery.

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One thing that has always bothered me about diabetes is how our bodies react to different things. Our ability to physically heal is always slow. We also seem to be more prone to catching diseases and other ailments than most other people. Anytime we have a cut, sprain, break, or tear it seems like an eternity before our bodies fully recover. Anytime its flu season we hear about the need for people with diabetes to get their shot. Whenever dental hygiene is discussed we are reminded that it is even more important for us to take special care of our teeth and gums. Even things like staying too long in a hot tub, steam room, or sauna. WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH ALL THIS? (READ MORE)

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