Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is the most common form of diabetes.

“In type 2 diabetes, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin. Insulin is necessary for the   body to be able to use glucose for energy. When you eat food, the body breaks down all of the sugars and starches into glucose, which is the basic fuel for the cells in the body. Insulin takes the sugar from the blood into the cells.

When glucose builds up in the blood instead of going into cells, it can cause two problems:

• Right away, your cells may be starved for energy.
• Over time, high blood glucose levels may hurt your eyes, kidneys, nerves or heart.”

Of course, if you have Type 2 Diabetes, then it is very likely that you know all about its dangers and complications, but what if you don’t even know you have the disease?

The Warning Signs or Symptoms:

If you find yourself feeling extremely thirsty, frequently urinating, and having blurred vision, then they could be initial signs that you have type 2 diabetes. This happens because high levels of glucose (hyperglycemia) in your blood draw fluid from your body’s tissues which results in the above-described warning signs or symptoms.

If you have type 2 diabetes, you might feel tired because the cells in your body are not getting the necessary levels of glucose that they need for energy. Therefore, without the necessary glucose or energy supply, your cells will constantly feel “hungry,” which may even result in weight loss since your body will use other sources, such as burning muscle and fat tissue, for energy.

The fact is that hyperglycemia can make it much more difficult for your body to fight off infections, which makes it more difficult to heal. For example, you may find that infections will last longer, or that you have skin infections, sores or open wounds which much longer to heal than they should.

Hyperglycemia or high blood sugar has also been known to lead to other complications, including blindness, kidney failure, gangrene, limb amputations, skin infections, cardiovascular disease, coma, stroke, shock, and even death.

How can you treat type 2 diabetes?

The usual type 2 diabetes treatments are:

• Diet
• Controlling weight
• Lots of physical activity
• Medical check-ups and control

If there are no changes in your blood glucose levels even after undergoing traditional treatment, the next step is to prescribe medication to reduce hyperglycemia. If you still have high glucose levels after taking medication, then you may need insulin injections.

Are there other options to treat type 2 diabetes?

Not only are there other options, the fact is that you can actually reverse type 2 diabetes and send it into remission. This was actually a serendipitous discovery following bariatric or weight-loss surgery, especially laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery.

Surgeons performing bariatric surgery began to notice that patients who underwent the procedure began to show signs of type 2 diabetes reversal, even before they had lost any weight. However, in the early days, nobody was sure why this was occurring, so studies were begun.

The studies showed that the first section of the small intestine actually produces substances called antiincreatins when food passes through, and that it is these substances that inhibit the production of insulin and create resistance. Conversely, when food passes through the end of the small intestine, there is an increase in substances called increatins, and these substances actually produce insulin and decrease resistance.

What this means to you is that if you undergo metabolic surgery you will have a 90% chance of reversing your type 2 diabetes.

Answers:

At Type 2 Diabetes International, we are often asked, “can you cure type 2 dibetes, is there a cure for type 2 diabetes, can type 2 dibetes be reversed, can you reverse type 2 diabetes, can you get rid of type 2 diabetes?” and many other similar questions.

The answer is that according to American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines, we cannot say that your type 2 dibetes has been cured until it has been in remission for 5 years. Therefore, it would be entirely unethical if we were to say that we are able to cure type 2 diabetes.

What we can say is that if you undergo mini gastric bypass or metabolic surgery, you will have a 90% chance of putting your type 2 diabetes into remission, but the disease is not cured, per se, until you have met ADA guidelines.

How do I know whether I qualify for metabolic or mini gastric bypass surgery?

You can find all of the information you need in our treatment for type 2 diabetes page. If you do not qualify for metabolic surgery to treat type 2 diabetes, you could still be a prime candidate for laparoscopic gastric bypass surgery.