mypov

I thought maybe those of us with PCOS need our own ongoing thread and place to go for our specific issues and concerns. If you've been banded and you have PCOS I think those of us in the waiting or research stage really need your advice. Has it been hard(er) to lose weight even with the band? Do you follow specific dietary guidelines that are helping? Are your symptoms improving? Let's get together and share our questions and/or experiences!!! Polycystic ovary syndrome: Abbreviated PCOS. hair growth. PCOS is a disorder of chronically abnormal ovarian function and hyperandrogenism (abnormally elevated androgen levels). It affects 5-10% of women of reproductive age. PCOS is also called the Stein-Leventhal syndrome. Women with PCOS do not ovulate -- they do not release an egg every month -- and they are at significantly higher risk for high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer of the uterus (endometrial cancer). Much of this risk can be reversed by exercise and weight loss. Medication is generally prescribed to induce regular periods, thereby reducing the risk of uterine cancer. For acne and excess hair growth, the diuretic spironolactone (Aldactazide) can help. And for women who desire pregnancy, clomiphene (Clomid) can be used to induce ovulation. Studies have indicated that diabetic medications that are designed to improve the action of the hormone insulin may benefit women with PCOS. Long-term trials of these insulin-sensitizing drugs -- such as Avandia (rosiglitazone), Actos (pioglitazone), and Glucophage (metformin) -- for PCOS are underway. The results appear promising. A type of surgery called a "wedge resection" in which a piece of the ovary is removed also helps some women with PCOS. The cause of PCOS is unknown. However, the ovaries of women with the disease characteristically contain a large number of small cysts. Hence, the name polycystic ovary. Other common names are polycystic ovary disease, polycystic ovarian disease, and POD. Common Misspellings: polycystic ovary syndrone, polycistic ovary syndrome, polycistic ovary syndrone

Hello all toddler mommies!!! My little guy is 20 months. He is one of my main motivations for surgery (along with my hubby and 2 girls). He is sooooo active I just can't keep up. I want to run along side him and carry him for longer periods and just be there enjoying every little moment. One of my little worries after surgery is that I wn't be able to pick him up for awhile, I hope someone can at least hand him to me and I can rock him cause he loooooveees when I rock him and sing to him- hey, at least SOMEONE appreciates my singing voice!!!!

Hi all, just like my title says my mother-in-law weighs 500+ lbs. She has spent the last 2 years considering gastric bypass but gave up that idea because her surgeon required her to lose 50 lbs first and she only lost 35 and got stuck....i can't believe what a stickler the guy was. anyway, she can see how excited i am about the band and she is wondering if it will work for her....I don't know what to tell her- can they do lap band on someone her size? We all fear she doesn't have much time left without something being done- thoughts?

I too am a december bandster. I am extremely excited! Nervous too, of course. Hopefully by this time next year I will down 60, 70, maybe even 80 lbs!!

Wow, very sorry to hear you are in so much pain. Are you sure you don't have a slipped or bulging disk or something? Have you had an x-ray to check? I don't have nearly that pain but I do get uncomfortable if I don't have a pillow under my neck and under my knees when I sleep. This seems to keep my spine better aligned. Keep us posted on how you are doing!

Very encouraging! Thank you all, and thanks Kimberly for the great ideas on what to have. I will just keep reassuring them all that I will be fine. I agree though, this is a Christmas gift to myself I have been looking forward to for a long time. There really is nothing else anyone could get me this year that I will appreciate more!!!!

My extended family (parents, siblings etc) are all getting together this Christmas and they worry that my having surgery on Dec 18 will mean Christmas will be difficult for everyone. They are getting this idea because my Dad had major back surgery in September and was pretty much recliner chair-ridden for a month. he needed help with EVERYthing and the pain meds pretty much knocked him out most of the time. I'm trying to assure everybody that though slightly less mobile (I am less mobile anyway because of my excess weight) that I will be in good spirits and getting around. I will, right? I mean, I don't want to lie to them but maybe it will take me awhile to recover. Still I my husband will be around that week to help me out- but I don't wnat to ruin anyone's holiday.

Sherilynn, I think we can all remind you of why WE chose/are choosing the band, but no one, not even you will know the outcome (so sorry to hear about your cousin Tricia) so it's important to be comfortable with your decision. One of the reasons that I want the band rather than bypass is the fact that I don't want to just lose weight, I want to be healthy. You can eat junk food with both surgeries but since with the bypass you don't absorb as many calories I felt I would use that as an excuse to continue eating the same types of food as before. I want to HAVE to chnage my eating choices to make a significant difference. You CAN be thin AND unhealthy and that's not what I want for myself. I also like the slower weightloss factor because 1)may allow the skin to shrink along with the weight loss better than what the bypass would allow and 2)Honestly I think I'll have to answer less invasive questions with the weight coming off slowly. 1-2 lbs a week is easier to explain as "eating less moving more" than is 50 lbs in one month. I do want to say to Tricia though, please don't ever blame yourself. Your cousin made the choice to have the surgery and if she hadn't heard about it from your experience she would have found out about it some other way. She chose the SAFEST of the two surgeries and my heart goes out to you and your family that she passed away. My sincerest condolences>

You guys have really helped me think about things. I think what it really is, as someone mentioned, is that the actual losing weight is the fun part. Well- of course it will be hard work but it will be neat to watch how my body changes, get compliments, realize I can buy new cuter clothes and all that. Maintaining seems like such a chore and BORE. That's where I think as many of you have mentioned, I should plan to set an exercise goal or some sort of goal to work on once I get to my goal weight. Exercise is something I dread, so I want to work on that and have a goal to do a 5k or bike race or something. I did always find kick boxing interesting......and am I too old to learn hip hop dancing? hmm..MB I could talk hubby into taking a ballroom or swing dance class with me.NEway You guys all had such excellent thoughts and ideas. Another thought I had was that sometimes life seems so mundane the only things I look forward to is food, or events that feature food prominently:rolleyes: Birthdays, thanksgiving, ben&jerry's while watching tv with hubby late at night. I need to find different things to look forward to. Little things. MB I will pick up scrapbooking again or being better at my journaling. Little things to do when I'm bored and just want some me time.

Yeah, Dumping is exactly how I'd describe glucophage side effects too. I've been on/off it for several years to prevent full-blown diabetes. Everytime I forget or miss a couple of days I have to schedule in a new time to start, a time when I won't have to leave the house for a few days (very difficult). The first time I was ever put on it I lost 25 lbs in a month, going from 243 to 218, but if you look at my stats now, obviously that was short lived. I believe everything I lost was purely water weight. The only reason I still take it is because my sugars are so high with out it that I could very easily become diabetic, and I don't need that along with everything else!

Thanks so much. I emailed the nurse back and explained everything. They aren't open today of course so I hope Monday I will hear from someone and it will all be ok. Sheesh I hate waiting.

I'm so upset!!! The surgery center I'm going to is 2 hours from my home. Not knowing the area at all I left 3 hours prior for the pre-op education class on Tuesday night. I figured this would give me an hour to find it in case I got lost. Well, I got stuck on the freeway for an hour and 40 minutes!!! I ended up at the meeting 40 minutes late!!! It lasted another 40ish minutes after I got there and I talked with one of the nurses who'd run the meeting about what I missed. I got my packet of info and had my picture taken "so we know who you are". So tonight I checked my junk email folder and I got an email from the center saying "We missed you at the pre-op education class. There are no other classes offered for this mandatory meeting until early next year so we need to reschedule your consultation and surgery date." AHHH!! So was I not there long enough for it to count? Did I not sign some role??? I am freaking out!! I have no room in my schedule for surgery until summer 2007! I had everything arranged!! Will they really make me reschedule??? Whhaaaa!!!! Now I'm panicked :) :girl_hug: :omg: :help: :paranoid :cry

Josephine, Congratulations on your accomplishments!! Well done. I hope the very fact that I am going through a major surgery and spending all this money will be a huge motivation to change my life. Sounds like that is what has happened for you? Again, well done!!!

I had this SAME question! Good to know!

YEah actually I've been keeping a notepad file on my computer and as I read lapbandtalk if I think of questions I type them up. Watch me forget to print it and bring it on my consultation day I live in the Logan area. I think my main questions are: 1- Should I plan on going all the way home the day of the surgery or should i stay in a hotel nearby in case of complications? 2-What should I do if I have concerns over the holiday, will I be able to get in touch with anybody? and my main concern: Will I lose weight wiht my PCOS??? I don't know how many women he's banded that have it, but I hope it doesn't hinder my progress. Oh and actually I am curious of what his stats are now (went to the info meeting over a year ago) like how many he's banded, how many slips, removals, erosions etc And if there are different size bands or just one that he uses lol okay ill stop. Good to hear from you all!!!

Can I join the U-crew? Its nice to gather with some people that know of the unique Utah culture. I haven't met Dr. Hansen other than the originally informational meeting, but not personally. I have sooo many questions for him during my consultation. I'm really hoping they are easy to work with...I have heard good things about them.

Thanks for taking the time to reply guys. Thanks Carol for all the great tips. I really want to try that. I think after awhile I will even need to find a way to make the oatmeal look more appealing. I just loooovee food, and I want to learn to love it in smaller portions and enjoy it more, savor it rather than gulping it. I think if I learn to do this I can possibly even get my family to eat healthier. well-mb I shouldn't go THAT far

llewis- Thanks for the support. It does sound like weight-wise we are similar....but I'm in a size 26/28! Awesome about your success so far though! DerickM- I agree that weight loss is a project. I need something for when that project is conquered and a marathon sounds like a good idea...I'm a little less ambitious than that though so mb just a 5k run JJM- Yes thats the obsession I'm tlaking about!! THanks for the words of encouragement! TAMI- Yeah I guess thats it, the process, while difficult, is also kinda exciting and mb I just worry about that being over. Good for you for going back to school. I started back last year and one thing about losing weight is how much easier I think it will be for me to deal wtih college. Thanks everyone!!!

I recently read that people rate food as tasting better when it is presented in an attractive way. So I was thinking, you know how those expensive restaurants get away with serving tiny portions and charging big bucks? Well first of course their good chef's but they make it about presentation. I'm wondering if I will feel more satisfied during the thick fluids/mushy stages if I present each tiny meal as if it is gourmet? What do you all think? Any tips on how to do this?

I have been married for over 6 years now. When I married my husband He was 6'2 and 195 lbs. I was shocked the other day when my mom asked me, "What if your husband feels bad that you are getting surgery but he isnt?" I said, "Why would he want surgery? He's not overweight." My mom looked at me like I was joking. Later I was looking at my husband and realized he was getting a little chunky. I asked if he knew how much he weighed and he said "ABout 275 I think, why?" I couldn't believe I hadn't noticed an 80 lb weight gain!!! mb I just love him or just am not focused on his weight, or just TOO focused on my own weight problems. Anyway, once I realized he was overweight I now worry that he'll start getting some of the same health issues I'm dealing with. However, I think after surgery he will lose weight just because I'm eating/cooking better and I want to be much more physically active as a whole family. But yeah, mb love is blind. BTW- weird coincidence. We've both struggled with weight our entire lives. when we met, we had BOTH just lost about 50 lbs and BOTH were at a normal weight. I just gained it all back before we got married and he hadn't. BUT that was one of the things that attracted me to him was that I knew he would understand my weight struggles and wouldn't judge me if I regained (which he NEVER has judged me for)

What's your favorite post-band snack? What's your favorite post band meal? Favorite post band drink? Thanks, looking for ideas

So I this problem. Last night I was laying in bed and fantasizing of all the wonderful things that will come from losing weight. I would finally be able to quit stressing about being so overweight and having so many health issues. And then, suddenly, this panicky feeling came over me and I thought, OHMYGOSH THEN WHAT?!?!?! I have been putting so much of my focus and time into researching and preparing for this surgery. I have been obsessive about it (much like when I was in the process of trying to conceive a few years ago). The way I work is that I NEED something big to look forward to, I NEED a project. Crazy I know. Anyway, so if I finally get the surgery and lose weight THEN WHAT??? Any of you experienced this? ANy one have major non-weightloss related goals? Thanks I really need something to strive for I guess.

Very sorry to hear you are in pain :cry I hope your doc appointment will go well and he's able to do something about it. Let us know how it goes! Good luck!

Congrats! December 18th here....My family is all very concerned how its going to affect their Christmas plans. I think its perfect timing since I'll have plenty of family around to hlep out with my very active kidlings!!!:biggrin1:

Can someone post a pic of it? Thanks!!!