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9-day Update: Food, Pain Meds, Diabetes Meds

I’m continuing pureed foods, what Dani calls my “goop”. I’ve added small amounts of cottage cheese (pureeing that too), and I seem to be tolerating that well. Will slowly add in some other foods over the next few days.

The best news is that I’m off pretty much all pain meds. Even those I was taking before surgery! I still have back pain, but the pain level is about what it was before the surgery, but without meds! I’ve lost about 10 lbs since surgery, but I’m having a hard time believing that just that amount of weight loss can make so much of a difference. So I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’m not complaining.

No major changes in terms of diabetes meds. I’m having to take 500 mg of Metformin just about every day, and still take Lantus some days.

I have my post-op appointment with Dr. Foster on Tuesday; will let you know how that goes.

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How is my diabetes being affected


I’ve gotten a number of questions about how this journey has affected/will affect my diabetes. In the long run, the best case scenario is that it will put be completely in remission. But this will take time.

Before embarking on this journey, I was taking 2500 mg of metformin and 180 units of Lantus (a long-acting insulin, in a single shot once a day) and my A1C measure was around 6.3. (For comparison, normal is below 5.9, diabetic is over 7.0, and 6.3 is a good number for a well-controlled diabetic.) When I started changing my eating in preparation, in October, I substantially reduced my carb intake. By November my A1C was down to 5.7, my metformin had been reduced to 1000mg, and my Lantus was down to 120 units. By March by A1C was 5.6, metformin was at 500mg, and Lantus was 60 units.

Since surgery I am monitoring my blood sugar and only taking medication based on my numbers. I have taken 500mg of metformin 3 times in the last week, and have had to take Lantus only twice, both times under 30 units. So the good news is that so far my blood sugar is responding well. More news as time progresses.