Hi Robin
I too, have diabetes, and control it with exercise, diet and some medication. I don't normally post on this board but I come by and read sometimes and this morning I read yours.
About three years ago my DH and I were in Hawaii on our winter holiday and we met a couple there that we liked very much. She was very much over weight, and at that time I had recently joined WW and lost I think about 20# at the time. Anyway, during one of our talks she told me that she too, had recentlyjoined WW was even going to the meetings in Hawaii while on holidays. I told her that I thought that was great. She said that 4 years ago she had opted to have gastric bypass surgery and had lost quite a bit of weight (I forget how much she said), but then just started eating again like she always had, and gained much of the weight back again. I told her that I thought that with the surgery your stomach was made smaller and you could only eat small amounts of food because you felt full. She said yes that was true........except, as overweight people we do not ONLY eat when we are hungry and we sure don't ONLY eat what is good for us. So, slowly, over a short period of time the weight was back. Her daughter had also had the surgery about the same time, and had also gained the weight back and was planning on having the surgery again, if she could find a doctor that would do it a second time. As of now, (as far as I know, the daughter did not have the surgery a second time) and I don't know how either her or her Mom are doing with their weight.
Robin, you are right, your doctor may not approve you for surgery because of your diabetes. Whether you have the surgery or just follow a healthy weight loss program is up to you, except that even if you have the surgery you will still have to follow a healthy weight loss program and exercise on a regular basis because the weight will come back and of course the need to control your diabetes. I would suggest that even now, while you wait to see about the the surgery you join a program like WW or perhaps your doctor could set up an appointment for you to see a dietitian who could monitor you now and after the surgery. Which ever route you follow I hope you are successful.
