Nevermore

I have PCOS and was sleeved July 8 2013. I was 241 day of and am now 178. The weight loss has been consistent since surgery but I guess you could say it's a bit slower than others but I don't see it that way. To compare you will drive yourself insane.
My periods are sort of regular now. I've been putting off going back to the Endocronoligist for another glucose test but I need to. I Will say this - you know how with pcos the weight is carried around the middle? That's the first thing (thank god) to start shrinking.
I have a blog on you tube where I've documented how the whole process has been from the beginning and the last 5 months if you'd like to see. Newlifemelissa is the channel name.
I decided to get the sleeve because of the pcos and being 35 and single. I didn't want to get to a point in my life where I wanted kids and than had to do all of this. Plus not being fat has helped me feel so much better. I still have 52 more to go to goal (125) but there isn't a single day when I don't thank myself for doing this.

I have severe PCOS and this is what my surgeon recommend for me. We discussed my fears and goals. At the end this is what we both decided was good for me. Research success rates. I'm on this site per suggestion of my doc. He said best place to research is a forum. Internet is going to be biased. Good luck

I also have PCOS and I am hoping to get sleeved in January. I have period issues and fertility issues. I have heard of PCOS patients doing better with the RNY and I have heard of them doing just as well with the sleeve. I decided on the sleeve because the malabsorption issues of the RNY scared me. I look at it as this -I will lose weight with the sleeve, and any weight loss will help my PCOS. I may not lose quite as much or quite as fast but as long as I am healthier! Good luck on your journey whatever you choose!

I have PCOS and I can see a change in my hormones.
Apart from breaking out in a load of spots recently - I've had two 'cycles' that have lasted over 17 days each... (not pleasant - particularly as I'm on a pill which is alleged to stop me having them )
But... I can't imagine that my nutritionist would have told me to be 'exceptionally careful' with regards to my birth control, if there weren't changes afoot and I needed to be 'exceptionally careful' not to get preggers.
I don't know where your insurance person got their info from - but if you need some additional information, I can see if I can dig up some sleeve-specific gumpf for you.. Unless she's got confused with PCOS and Diabetes - of which RNY would be the preferred procedure - as it has such a rapid impact on that....
May I enquire how high your BMI is? That, too, might have an impact on their suggestions?

DCborn It sounds like you have a good plan enforced. How do you like Unjury shakes and where can i buy them?

Day 5 of this liquid diet, I think about food but not really hungry for it, counting the days down, I think once I have a week under my belt the second week will b a breeze? I hope so any way, lol

"Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat." -Theodore Roosevelt

Don't be afraid to fail... that's how we learn to succeed! And those that love us will give us a hand up, dust us off, and give us a shove in the right direction! They fail at stuff too, you know.

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind." - Bernard Baruch

kmiller, I'm 100% with you on the relief. I even tried sharing these thoughts with my husband and he just didn't understand and thought I was being silly. It's an incredible weight off (hah!) to know this is a familiar road to a lot of people and that they are nice enough to let us know we're not alone.

I'm exactly two weeks from my surgery 1/6/14.
I've noticed that the closer I get, the more "crazy" my thought process towards it becomes.

"Maybe I don't really need this."
"This is irreversible and I love my stomach!"
"I know lots of people said they have had it done... but what if they aren't real?"

Yes, I need it.
Yes, it's irreversible, but my stomach is causing a lot of problems. Begone, vile demon.
Yes, I know you people are real.

It's all anxiety and stress (wheeee holidays) but logic doesn't stop the panicky thoughts.


Have any of you gone through or are going through anything similar?
Did you do anything to relieve the stress?
Any suggestions or helpful/hopeful comments?
Are you SURE you're real? *eyes you suspiciously*

It is amazing how other people can have such an impact on our lives. My husband and I were sleeved. He made the decision to tell no one. I have told my daughter and 1 dear friend, a nurse. I would rather be open about it, but respect his wishes. At my age, 67, I no longer have friends who are judgmental, or family. My life is too short for that nonsense.
One thing, I am sure the people some of you have told have told others. Nature of the universe lol. But who cares, it is your life. Treasure it and guard it from negative people. Just distance yourself. Blessings to you!!

I am, Nurse_B thanks! kmiller13137 Thanks I'm glad you think it helps! I do believe that you've hit the nail on the head. Many of us who have been overweight most or all of our lives deal with self esteem issues & the desire to be accepted by others. Some would think that having a life changing surgery such as wls, that we would want to shout it from the rooftop. But, I think that my fear of failing, not reaching goal, or no one noticing my weight loss has prevented me from being able to share this with more people that I believe do care about me. I don't want them to see me fall flat on my face. kmiller13137, in actuality it's about us & our health not them.

I am a newbie to the site, and this is actually my first post. I am so incredibly glad I stumbled upon it because even now I have these boughts of "crazies." I just finished my required three month dietitian supervised diet last week, and will be seeing my surgeon for our final meeting this morning for my insurance submission.
I have had so many of these same thoughts and fears and jumping back and forth as many of you have. I considered the surgery once before about four years ago and backed out because I was just not committed. I'm glad I didn't go through it at that time because I was most definetly in a different place in life, but I am quite anxious about it now.
I'm glad to know that I am not the only one thinking or having thought these things.
"They can't put my stomach back. What if I regret it after the surgery? What if I am allergic to the anesthesia? I might die of dehydration." I'm sure many other silly things as well, that are true fears at one point. It's very refreshing to know that I am not alone in this.

My surgery is 1/6/14! January sleevers unite!

I've been telling everyone. I'm even having a countdown to my surgery (14 days!) on Facebook to my 200ish friends and family. Whoever isn't supportive can kiss my butt and get out of my life. I've got enough working negatively against me without people volunteering for the job. Of course, I'm also a -very- open book and my struggle with PCOS and weight would be on daily news if they'd give me a spot. I've also got a dominant "run with me or get run over attitude" and my approach works for me. But I feel if I have to hide something, I'm not being true to myself.

As you can tell from all the replies, you are not alone. We all go through this phase. After all, it's a major decision, not to mention the social stigma that some may feel.
I'm one of those people that always has a backup plan for everything. So having the sleeve was the hardest decision I've ever made, because there's no going back and having my stomach put back in. :-)
All I can say is the stress, pain and lifestyle changes I've gone through are completely worth it.

One of the odder thoughts I had pre-op was feeling guilty as if my stomach was a bad pet who was oblivious to the fact that it was about to be euthanized.
Another, hopefully more useful thought I had, was with regard to the permanence and how it would be limiting my ability to enjoy food - something that I felt delivered significant pleasure pre-op. My eventual reasoning for coming to terms with this was that the joy of food was only fueling my weight and associated health problems - problems that were severely restricting my ability to enjoy life overall and would only cause greater hinderances as I aged further.

Hello, all!
My name is Raven. I'm 35 and I'm pre-op. My surgery date is January 6, 2014 and I have very mixed feelings about it.
I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) and I have a particularly bad case of it. I have all the symptoms in varying degrees of severity. I also haven't seen a natural menstrual cycle since I was 22 and only recently, within the last year, were they able to force a cycle with near dangerously high doses of progesterone and even that has stopped working. Because of my amenorrhea (total absence of a cycle), I've been through multiple surgeries to remove hypoplasia (pre-cancerous buildups) and calcifications from my uterus. I am, of course, infertile because of this and from being overweight.
Along my journey of doctors and surgeons, almost every one has brought up weight loss surgery. "NO WAY!" I would proclaim loudly. I've done my research and I also watched a few of the videos of the surgeries. I've seen the poking and the bleeding and the meatball surgery... and these guys know they are being watched and video taped for the world to see! What are the ones who aren't being watched doing? Yeah, you can forget that...
After a few years of struggling, dieting, surgeries, losing the constant battle against my weight, my symptoms gaining strength and frequency, the sudden realization that I'm in my mid-30s and haven't had a child... the "NO WAY!" turned into... "Okay, but only as an absolute last resort."
A couple of years ago, my endocrinologist told me we were at the "last resort". I told him I wanted to give one more try myself. I redoubled my efforts at dieting. I took myself down to 1000 calories a day. I was exercising for 4-6 hours a day. I started making progress! Over the course of almost 2 years, I went from 300 lbs. to 215 lbs. Huge, right? Don't worry, I nearly broke my arm patting myself on the back. But I just could not keep up that momentum and my body started breaking down. And the moment I let up even a little bit on either the calories (even just 100) or the exercise (even just 30 minutes), I would either plateau or start gaining again.
Then I made a huge move across the country which required all of my mental and physical resources over the course of a few months. I was still counting calories, averaging 1500-1600. And by the time I was moved and settled, I was up to 235. I tried to regain some control, but this was about the time they started putting me on high dose progesterone. This gave me extreme irritability, unprovoked and constant crying, and insatiable hunger. So now, I'm back to 245 lbs. and just hopelessly watching the scale inch up a pound or three every month.
I brought all of this to my recent endocrinologist appointment and she said, "Raven, we're at the end of our rope." It rang in my head for about 10 minutes. She said our last options are a partial hysterectomy or weight loss surgery. But either way, I can't go on the way I am. Not only is my quality of life suffering tremendously, but the health risks, especially the constant threat of endometrial (uterus) cancer, are on the verge of consuming my life.
So, I finally gave in. I went to my first appointment with the VSG surgeon in September. I've scheduled out to January because my insurance doesn't cover ANY of the cost of the surgery. Not a whit. Luckily (and unluckily), my endoscopy found a severe hiatal hernia that needs immediate attention so that forced my insurance to chip in half, but I still have to come up with $6k. I tried the medical credit sites, but have been turned down.
I'm angry that no matter what I did, I was forced to this. It's infuriating that if any person without PCOS would have done what I've done, they'd have lost 300+ lbs in the time it took me to lose 80. It's maddening that I could maintain at 1500-1600 calories a day if it weren't for the progesterone that's sort of keeping me for getting cancer. I'm filled with trepidation over someone cutting out a significant portion of a very beloved body part. I know that the risks of death or serious injury are minimal and that the practice has been highly refined over the years, but my trepidation prevails.
But I'm also relieved that I've finally committed to it.
And I'm admittedly a little excited at the prospect of the help this could provide... not just for my weight, but for my PCOS that has been plaguing me since I was 14 years old.
Thanks for listening to me ramble.

I'm exactly two weeks from my surgery 1/6/14.
I've noticed that the closer I get, the more "crazy" my thought process towards it becomes.

"Maybe I don't really need this."
"This is irreversible and I love my stomach!"
"I know lots of people said they have had it done... but what if they aren't real?"

Yes, I need it.
Yes, it's irreversible, but my stomach is causing a lot of problems. Begone, vile demon.
Yes, I know you people are real.

It's all anxiety and stress (wheeee holidays) but logic doesn't stop the panicky thoughts.


Have any of you gone through or are going through anything similar?
Did you do anything to relieve the stress?
Any suggestions or helpful/hopeful comments?
Are you SURE you're real? *eyes you suspiciously*

I've told everybody. I've been very lucky in that I've not heard one negative word from anybody, but even if I did I don't think it would bother me much. However, it's definitely a personal choice & what works for one person wouldn't necessarily be right for someone else.

Lots of encouragement here... I've been thinking the same thing! I start my pre op liquids the same day on the 13th. First thing when I told my fam...oohh NO gumbo for you!!! But I can do it! I've been working hard for months to get this surgery! I will be praying for you and hope you will be praying for me in return... Just think of the real reason for the season... Celebrating the birth of Jesus...not food...

When I was pre-op, I skipped a couple of events I thought I couldn't handle. I made modifications with a couple of fairly immediate post-op things (brought my own Soup, etc.) I learned that if I didn't make a big deal of it, people hardly noticed. I'm 7 weeks out now and have had quite a few things come up (holiday parties, etc…) including a luncheon and a party tonight. I'm also trying to get a workout in at 5:30.
So, the thing is, just a couple of months ago I would have had a couple of glasses of wine at the luncheon, bemoaned my bad choices, skipped the workout, and gone on to the party. And felt bad physically and mentally about what I had done. Yes, today will take a little more planning…but it will be so worth it because this is what I am choosing for my new life.
I'm nowhere near done but I am starting to look and feel better than I have in years. I can already tell that I look more "normal" and less "fat" although I still have 50 pounds to lose. So, I figure I can still have fun at these two events. Let's face it. It's really more about seeing people I love than it is about drinking wine and eating too much. But obviously for years the two things took equal billing. It's a mind shift, and maybe it's not easy but it is worth it.
This surgery is not easy to obtain, and pre-op is something you can do.

dont worry about you will do it...you just do......
you are stronger mentally than you give yourself credit for..

My husband and I both being sleeved, me Nov. 18, and him Dec. 2, we had our first Thanksgiving alone and LOL we survived.
The holidays are the hardest, but missing food on one holiday is just a step in your journey. There is SF apple cider in the grocery stores. It will be worth it now to eat. Be thankful! Count your blessings!

Sacrifice: to surrender or give up, or permit injury or disadvantage to, for the sake of something else.
One thing you'll find about this journey - it's a series of gives and takes. Another thing you will find out about this journey - you are stronger than you know.
I was two weeks post-op at Thanksgiving - I knew I wasn't ready to be around a bunch of people eating food and I didn't want a lot of questions about why I wasn't eating (not everyone at the get together knew I had surgery). So, I went to the party before dinner and had a great time visiting with my family, then I went home right before dinner was served. I went home and had a Protein Shake. It sucked, but I'm still alive to tell the story.

You'll do just fine with your broth as long as you have the right frame of mind - you have this great opportunity ahead of you. Not everyone is given this chance to change their lives. It is truly an opportunity for your life - something that eating for 30 minutes cannot overshadow.

You'll do just fine - just stick to your plan and enjoy your time with friend and family.

I start my pre op diet the same day Dec. 23 and I am also concerned about how I am going to do.