Gastric bypass surgery was originally devised to cause weight loss in cases of extreme obesity. However, it has recently come to be known as a last resort measure for controlling Type 2 diabetes in obese patients. To read up on this phenomenon, you need look no further than this very site. Here's a previous blog on this topic by yours truly, one that touches on the horrible complications that some have to endure after the surgery. Then here's a more recent one about a Welsh study on the incredible efficacy of the surgery, this time courtesy of Bev.

Now I see a new report circulating in the news. This one focuses on some doctors and their patients who have experienced first-hand how well the gastric bypass can work at making Type 2 diabetes disappear. The piece profiles (among others) truck parts salesman and Type 2 diabetic Adrian Scolari, who weighed 360 pounds and became an insulin-dependent diabetic. Upon having the surgery, says Scolari, his blood sugar levels immediately returned to normal. "I'd have to say it's like a miracle," Scolari exclaims. Bariatric surgeon Nestor De La Cruz Munoz says a gastric bypass can completely rid patients of Type 2 diabetes in a majority of cases. Munoz says, (and Bev talked about this in her blog on this topic too), it appears to be successful because shrinking the stomach's size and rerouting the small intestine affects the production of GLP1 hormone. Result? Instantly normalized blood sugar levels. Obvious next question: can this technique be applied to non-obese patients with Type 2 diabetes? I will look forward to hearing more about this.

Should you want to read more about gastric bypass surgery, WebMD has a good summary of what the procedure involves.

The recent post about the death of the little girl in Wales from undiagnosed diabetes gave me a heavy heart. It also sparked a memory of the weeks leading up to my brother's type 1 diagnosis.

I actually profited from my brother's warning signs. In the six weeks or so leading up to his diagnosis, he was devoid of energy. He was also incredibly thirsty, trying to satiate a steadily rising blood sugar wracking his teenage body. I was only nine years old, but recall delivering gallons of ice cold water to him as he lethargically lay on the couch. For each gallon, he paid me $1.00. He proposed the deal out of desperate thirst. I only thought it an oddly-made fortune, and happily watched the rising stack of dollar bills.

As my brother's symptoms worsened, my mom's worry and frustration rose. A eureka moment arrived when she watched my brother drag his feet while playing ping-pong with my dad. Suddenly a thought popped in her head -- could it be diabetes? She called a doctor friend, only to have her notion dismissed. Stubbornly suspicious, she headed to a pharmacy to pick up a urine test strip to measure blood glucose ... this was back in the 1970s, remember those? The pharmacist steered her away from the test strips and recommended my brother get a blood test. Long story short, he was tested the next day. His blood sugar was off the charts. The lab had to dilute his blood three times to finally measure a 990 mg/dl blood sugar. After two weeks in the hospital, he was stabilized and sent home on a new regimen for life.

This article in WebMD clearly outlines the warning signs of type 1 diabetes. Early symptoms include frequent urination, extreme thirst, weight loss,and increased hunger (not always) over a few days or weeks. Rapidly rising blood sugar can also result in ketoacidosis, a deadly condition characterized by flushed/hot/dry skin; loss of appetite/abdominal pain/vomiting; strong, fruity breath; rapid, deep breathing; and possible coma.

Spread the word, we need more awareness on early warning signs of type 1 diabetes.

Lately the news has seen a lot of devastating diabetic events due to hypoglycemic unawareness. Hypoglycemic unawareness is commonly defined as an inability to recognize the symptoms (sweating, tremor, hunger, anxiety, and palpitations) of decreased blood sugar or a failure of the warning signs to occur before development of neuroglycopenia, which means a shortage of glucose in the brain. Curiously, this term was not coined for diabetes until 10 years after the introduction of genetically modified human synthetic insulin and insulin analogues.

I hate to say it but diabetes is a crapshoot. You never know what you are going to get, but you can sure try your best to keep your eye on the ball. Removing the inherent dangers of hypoglycemic unawareness would make me a happier diabetic, and improve the lives of all those I care about (diabetics like myself). The answer might lie in the only type of treatment available nowadays, insulin analogues. Diabetics who do not take any form of drug to control blood sugar do NOT have hypoglycemic unawareness.

It's called human but it is nothing like natural human insulin. It may be faster acting or longer lasting but I'm sure He didn't intend for insulin to break sound barriers or last three moons. If Big Pharmaceutical companies were asked to compare insulin analogues with natural human insulin you'd hear crickets. I promise you NO Big Pharma will fund a study that would become the antithesis of their marketing campaigns, human insulin is better. It's not better, it's just different -- totally different! Natural insulin is fat-loving. Insulin analogues are water-loving. The global command center of the body (the brain) is one big blob of fatty material. This means as your blood sugar is dropping, your brain is last fed, if it eats at all. Here in the United States we are victims of circumstance in hypoglycemic unawareness. Sorry brain, no soup for you.

In the next 3 to 5 years, we will have a new generation of control upon us providing continuous glucose monitoring. Some of these marvelous technologies will not require a drop of blood, while others will embody the tried-and-true stick-to-itiveness we all know and loathe.

Please join me as we browse the isles of things to come (and things now available) for continuous glucose monitoring.

The DexCom STS Continuous Glucose Monitoring System is a glucose sensor that reports glucose values every 5 minutes for up to 72 hours. The sensor is inserted in the abdomen. After a 2 hour start-up period, the STS System is calibrated with 2 fingerstick measurements taken by a traditional glucose meter. Checkout Amy Tenderich's review on Diabetes Mine of the DexCom Continuous Glucose Monitoring Sytem.

MiniMed Medtronic has 3 different versions: the Gold, the Guardian RT, and the Paradigm Real-Time Continuous Monitor.

Menarini GlucoDay S is a device worn by the patient for the continuous monitoring of glucose in the subcutaneous interstitial fluid. Monitoring is performed via insertion in the abdominal region of a microfibre for dialysis having the diameter of a human hair. Inside the microfibre a solution transports the patient's glucose to a biosensor within the instrument.

M-Biotech Glucose Biosensor is a minimally invasive implantation for painless and convenient monitoring. The key feature of our efficient Glucose Biosensor is the combination of a glucose-sensitive hydrogel and a miniature pressure sensor. Glucose-responsive hydrogels are biocompatible materials that either swell or contract when the glucose concentrations change in the body fluid surrounding the hydrogel.

The PreciSense System includes a microcapsule placement unit and a light detecting non-invasive reader unit. The microcapsule placement unit poses the right dose of glucose-responding microcapsules in the upper layer of the skin, painlessly. The glucose assay components in the microcapsules generate a fluorescence signal that corresponds to the glucose level. The non-invasive reader unit monitors this glucose binding event through FRET, Fluorescence Resonance Energy Transfer, which is directly related to the concentration of glucose.

Sensors for Medicine and Science glucose sensor is implanted under the skin in a short outpatient procedure. The sensor automatically measures interstitial glucose every few minutes, without any user intervention. The sensor implant will communicate wirelessly with a small external reader.

Synthetic Blood Implanted Glucose Biosensor claims to offer significantly more accurate glucose readings in a range of 30-500 mg/dl. The implanted Glucose Biosensor continuously monitors blood glucose without the need for finger sticks. The most accurate glucose monitor available, the implanted biosensor can be programmed to monitor blood glucose according to a predetermined schedule, thus eliminating problems of patient compliance. The sensor alarms for dangerous, life threatening conditions such as hypoglycemia.

GlucoLight Corporation is developing a low-cost non-invasive blood glucose monitor for home use by diabetic patents. GlucoLight's unique optical approach, microScatterTM (microscatter) technology, is based on patented technologies in the area of Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) and Low Coherence Interferometry (LCI). There is a working prototype with published clinical data on healthy volunteers.

The GlucoWatch G2 Biographer was approved to detect glucose level trends and track patterns in people with diabetes. It must be used along with conventional blood glucose monitoring of blood samples. The device, which looks like a wristwatch, pulls body fluid from the skin using small electric currents. It can provide six measurements per hour for 13 hours. (See David Mendosa's review).

Pomegranate juice was shown to reduce the risk of arthrosclerosis in diabetics who participated in a study conducted over three months. The pomegranate juice also appeared to slow the absorption of unhealthy LDL cholesterol by immune cells.

People with diabetes have increased risk for atherosclerosis, contributing to coronary heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, and other circulation problems. The results of this study suggest that the antioxidants found in pomegranate juice may be beneficial in reducing these heart-related risks associated with diabetes. The sugars in pomegranate juice are attached to unique antioxidants, which actually make these sugars protective against atherosclerosis. Researchers examined the effects of drinking a concentrated pomegranate juice that is the equivalent to about a 6-ounce glass of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice for three months in 10 healthy adults and 10 adults with type 2 diabetes (who were not dependent on insulin therapy). Drinking pomegranate juice did not affect overall cholesterol levels, but researchers found it reduced the uptake of LDL (bad) cholesterol by immune cells, which is a major contributing factor to atherosclerosis.

Albeit a little tart, the reputation of the pomegranate falls heavily on the sweet side. One pomegranate delivers 40% of an adult's daily vitamin C requirement. Food manufacturers' favor using pomegranate extracts instead of the juice because it contains no sugar, calories, or additives. Factor in the folic acid, the free-radical destroying antioxidants, and the overall health benefits of the Chinese apple and ask your arteries if it's worth a 6 ounce glass. I'm guessing the answer is yes.