Lizardlady

I have PCOS and I'm almost 2 years post op. Although I am having issues right now with regaining weight, it's not all because of PCOS. I'm 5'6" and started at 369 as my highest weight. Surgery day I was around 325 and after surgery my lowest was 235lbs (up until September when hurricane Irma came through Florida). So I lost quite a lot (134lbs total) but I would say that PCOS definitely played a role it keeping the weight loss slower and maybe not as much as most people would have. I did have several long stalls even in the early honeymoon phase that I think I would attribute to PCOS. I was pre diabetic before my surgery and I was on both Metformin and Spironolactone to control the symptoms of my PCOS. After surgery I am no longer on those medications and MOST of my symptoms seem to be somewhat under control. HOWEVER, there were/are some issues for me. Many women with PCOS have issues with Hair growth (in places you really don't want hair) as well as issues with Hair loss on your head. If you are one of these people then I will warn you that the hair growth has gotten worse as it grows much faster and the hair loss although it is finally starting to get better for me now, my hair was VERY VERY thin for quite a long time after surgery. I always had hair that would fall out a lot in the shower but I always had thick hair even still and that part of PCOS never bothered me because it wasn't really noticeable. My hair was able to keep up and replace the hair that I lost fast enough that it didn't cause thin hair issues. After surgery it fell out pretty dramatically and the backs of my shirts and pillows were always covered in hair that had fallen out and the hair itself seemed to get frizzy and a lot less healthy. It is only now STARTING to come back but it has a long way to go still before I would say it's back to normal. Obviously the surgery doesn't cure PCOS because there is no cure, you will always have it, but it does help with many of the symptoms. I will say that I would do the surgery all over again though so don't let what I say dissuade you. It helped to give me my life back and I have NO regrets about having it done.

I have PCOS and I'm almost 2 years post op. Although I am having issues right now with regaining weight, it's not all because of PCOS. I'm 5'6" and started at 369 as my highest weight. Surgery day I was around 325 and after surgery my lowest was 235lbs (up until September when hurricane Irma came through Florida). So I lost quite a lot (134lbs total) but I would say that PCOS definitely played a role it keeping the weight loss slower and maybe not as much as most people would have. I did have several long stalls even in the early honeymoon phase that I think I would attribute to PCOS. I was pre diabetic before my surgery and I was on both Metformin and Spironolactone to control the symptoms of my PCOS. After surgery I am no longer on those medications and MOST of my symptoms seem to be somewhat under control. HOWEVER, there were/are some issues for me. Many women with PCOS have issues with Hair growth (in places you really don't want hair) as well as issues with Hair loss on your head. If you are one of these people then I will warn you that the hair growth has gotten worse as it grows much faster and the hair loss although it is finally starting to get better for me now, my hair was VERY VERY thin for quite a long time after surgery. I always had hair that would fall out a lot in the shower but I always had thick hair even still and that part of PCOS never bothered me because it wasn't really noticeable. My hair was able to keep up and replace the hair that I lost fast enough that it didn't cause thin hair issues. After surgery it fell out pretty dramatically and the backs of my shirts and pillows were always covered in hair that had fallen out and the hair itself seemed to get frizzy and a lot less healthy. It is only now STARTING to come back but it has a long way to go still before I would say it's back to normal. Obviously the surgery doesn't cure PCOS because there is no cure, you will always have it, but it does help with many of the symptoms. I will say that I would do the surgery all over again though so don't let what I say dissuade you. It helped to give me my life back and I have NO regrets about having it done.

I'm having surgery in 5 days and this sums up how I feel. But, honestly one of the main reason I want to do this now is that I am healthy, why wait until I have a bunch of obesity caused problems and am a higher risk patient? I have had to take a hard look at where the current path I'm on will inevitably take me and I've decided that isn't what I want for my life.
I think it's normal and good to be nervous and take this seriously. It's a big decision and I think a laissez faire attitude about it would actually be a warning sign that you might not have fully thought things through.

I had my surgery almost 9 months ago. I can only tell you my own personal experience but everyone seems to have a unique experience so I'm not sure if it will help you or not but here it goes:
1. I've had several surgeries done in the past. Back surgeries for ruptured disc and also to widen my spinal canal as well as a C section. This was by far the easiest as far as pain goes. I even had some issues with the dry heaves and vomiting the same night of surgery and it wasn't nearly as bad as what I thought it was going to be. I thought if I vomited I might rip something open or at least be extremely painful and that just wasn't the case. Sure it wasn't the most pleasant experience but it's not nearly as bad as one might think.
2. Again the pain wasn't anywhere near being as bad as the other surgeries. Actually, I didn't even take any of the prescribed pain meds once I got home except later in the week and that was only because I had a pretty bad Migraine so I more or less took it for the headache pain. The pain from the surgery itself was there but more of a tenderness and stiffness. The only sharp pains I had was if I turned or tried to move suddenly. Once relaxed, the pain is pretty bearable. As far as the other things you listed goes: Yes, I did throw up some things for the first few months and honestly, even now sometimes something just doesn't sit well but it's usually when I eat something that I really should not have eaten and early on it may have been from just trying to eat too much. Certain things just turn my stomach but not very often now. I can pretty much eat anything I want (if the mood strikes me or there is a special occasion) and if it doesn't sit well then it just doesn't. I should mention, it's hard to explain but for me, it is a much different experience than your normal "sickly" vomit. It's not nearly as big of a deal and I throw up and feel fine after. Constipation was another issue I had and it was unexpected as I had NEVER had issues like that before. However, it was more than likely from the Vitamins I was taking (too much iron) combined with Protein Shakes and Peanut Butter powder as well as lots of cheese (it was about the only thing I really wanted to eat). it was only really bad up to about month 5. I can still have some minor issues with it now but nothing some Milk of Magnesia or an Enema can't fix. No issues swallowing. As a matter of fact, I asked my surgeon about that since it was a concern for me since I had issues with my swallowing sometimes pre-sleeve. I no longer have issues at all which is a bonus I suppose. Gerd is a common issue, yes. Especially if you had issues with acid stomach before surgery. My surgeon gave me a prescription for it which I did take for the first few months. Now I can usually pop a tums if I need one and be good to go.
3. Follow your surgeon's instructions to a T to minimize your risks. Also, there is never any harm in asking your surgeon about his history with potential issues. Ask how many times he has done the procedure and how many issues he's had. I did and it certainly made me feel better! Make sure you have a great surgeon! I was also extremely nervous about the risks of surgery but mine was mostly worries about waking up after anesthesia. Honestly, I shouldn't have worried so much.
4. That seems to be a pretty common question on here. I can say with all honesty, the only real regret I had was when I was having major constipation issues and I worried it would last forever (which it didn't). Here are a few other posts that I had replied to that had a similar question. Maybe reading all of the replies on these will put you more at ease (or not?):
5. When you eat it might feel funny. I remember feeling my food move through when I swallowed which was pretty weird. Almost like I could put my finger on the exact spot my food was as it went down and it would make funny noises (sometimes still does). Other than that, it feels pretty normal. You don't feel like you are missing a piece of yourself if that's what you mean lol.
6. Can't really answer this honestly since I'm not THAT far out yet but so far so good.
7. It's tough at first but your surgeon's team probably expects that. Stay hydrated and treat every day as a new one. Don't dwell if you don't make your goal for the day. You won't want to eat much at first but if you're anything like me, just give it some time.
I know this was a lot to read, but I wanted to cover all the questions as much as possible and hopefully it helped you some in your decision. Having the surgery done is a very personal decision that nobody else can make for you or tell you what you "should" do. For me, I don't have any regrets. I'm down 123 lbs from my heaviest weight and I would not have been able to do it without this surgery. Other than a few very minor issues here and there I feel back to my normal self only much healthier and happier, a lot less pain (from being overwight) and I'm able to do things I never thought I'd be able to do again. The trade off was more than worth it for me. I would wish the same for anyone else!

@Lizardlady I believe this should be resolved now, please let me know if that's not the case for you.
@orionburn We hope to have a fix for this in place fairly soon. Unfortunately the bug is within a 3rd parties code, and we have to await their fix.

After some of the posts here about what people are eating, I'm definitely going to bring this up to my nutritionist and see what she has to say because now it's a pretty big concern of mine.

Honestly, going through the pre-surgery and post-surgery liquid diets should help to cleanse your pallet if you do them properly. I drank A LOT of soda and really 0 Water pre-surgery but now most things taste way too sweet and I just don't like them anymore. Cake at a birthday party I can eat a few bites of and I'm done. Same for carbs. I LOVED carbs pre-surgery and sometimes my nose thinks it wants them still but if I do decide to have a bite of something, it's not nearly as satisfying as it used to be. As a matter of fact, it just simply doesn't taste good anymore and it's not worth the extra lbs to me. However, there are some things that I loved before that I still love now. One of them being sea food! I can't eat as much of it of course but I actually enjoy my food more now since I only get a little bit of it and seafood is something I don't need to feel guilty about eating. It is hard to explain, but the best I can say is that the voice inside my head that used to tell me "You love the taste of this food so eat it!" is almost entirely gone. Some explain it as a scream has become a whisper and that is pretty darn accurate. I would definitely say your tastes will most likely change but not all of them so pay attention to what your body tells you and if you know you have a weakness, use caution if you decide to give in to it because you CAN go back to craving things over time if you let it get away from you.

Honestly, going through the pre-surgery and post-surgery liquid diets should help to cleanse your pallet if you do them properly. I drank A LOT of soda and really 0 Water pre-surgery but now most things taste way too sweet and I just don't like them anymore. Cake at a birthday party I can eat a few bites of and I'm done. Same for carbs. I LOVED carbs pre-surgery and sometimes my nose thinks it wants them still but if I do decide to have a bite of something, it's not nearly as satisfying as it used to be. As a matter of fact, it just simply doesn't taste good anymore and it's not worth the extra lbs to me. However, there are some things that I loved before that I still love now. One of them being sea food! I can't eat as much of it of course but I actually enjoy my food more now since I only get a little bit of it and seafood is something I don't need to feel guilty about eating. It is hard to explain, but the best I can say is that the voice inside my head that used to tell me "You love the taste of this food so eat it!" is almost entirely gone. Some explain it as a scream has become a whisper and that is pretty darn accurate. I would definitely say your tastes will most likely change but not all of them so pay attention to what your body tells you and if you know you have a weakness, use caution if you decide to give in to it because you CAN go back to craving things over time if you let it get away from you.

Honestly, going through the pre-surgery and post-surgery liquid diets should help to cleanse your pallet if you do them properly. I drank A LOT of soda and really 0 Water pre-surgery but now most things taste way too sweet and I just don't like them anymore. Cake at a birthday party I can eat a few bites of and I'm done. Same for carbs. I LOVED carbs pre-surgery and sometimes my nose thinks it wants them still but if I do decide to have a bite of something, it's not nearly as satisfying as it used to be. As a matter of fact, it just simply doesn't taste good anymore and it's not worth the extra lbs to me. However, there are some things that I loved before that I still love now. One of them being sea food! I can't eat as much of it of course but I actually enjoy my food more now since I only get a little bit of it and seafood is something I don't need to feel guilty about eating. It is hard to explain, but the best I can say is that the voice inside my head that used to tell me "You love the taste of this food so eat it!" is almost entirely gone. Some explain it as a scream has become a whisper and that is pretty darn accurate. I would definitely say your tastes will most likely change but not all of them so pay attention to what your body tells you and if you know you have a weakness, use caution if you decide to give in to it because you CAN go back to craving things over time if you let it get away from you.

well, I just don't crave some of the junk I wanted before. fried food doesn't feel real good in my stomach, even if I take the coating off - so that is a no go, and I find I really want the lean Protein and veg.
before I would eat huge quantities of foods. now if I do have something (say it's someones birthday and I take a slice of cake) I might have a bite or two and not even finish the piece. before I'd have had a piece and if asked to take some home I would have said yes please. it's a whole different world.
for me, I used to be diabetic, and I think the diabetes drives a desire for simple carbs - and with that gone and normal blood sugars I just don't feel the love for it anymore. it feels great to have normal blood sugar all the time.
as for chocolate, when I want the chocolate - I have a Protein shake I like a really lot and a triple chocolate Power Crunch Protein Bar. so, there are some things you find an alternative that meets with your nutritional goals. as a bonus my chronically too thin teenage daughter likes them, and will often share an extra large Protein Shake with me on the way to school/work so she is getting some extra nutrition, Protein and calories too. better than her picking up my old coca cola habit!

Stick to the filling for now.

My fiance is a thin guy and really he can eat whatever he wants. I didn't do this surgery to make him change his lifestyle, I did it for my own. I just have to learn to respect that and he has to learn to respect what I am able to eat. If I say "no, we're not eating that crap tonight" then no.... we are not eating that crap tonight! There are times on occasion where I let my boys (fiance and son) have a pizza (they are pizza crazy) and I'll eat the toppings of one slice or find something else on the menu that is agreeable. If my boys want to go out and grab something then that's fine, but the menu HAS to have something edible for me as well. Most of the time it ends up being a salad with some chicken in it and they get pizza/burgers which honestly doesn't bother me anymore although, it definitely would have pre-surgery! I really feel in situations like that, there has to be some give because I personally couldn't stand eating tuna and eggs every day for the rest of my life either and I'm the one that actually had the surgery done! This is just MY opinion of course and I'm sure not everyone will agree.
Also, keep in mind, If your relationship has been long then he has probably gotten used to asking you if you want him to pick something up. Sudden change, especially change that he doesn't want to make himself, can be very difficult to get used to. Pre-surgery I would have had a royal fit if he would have gotten himself something to eat and didn't ask me if I wanted anything.

My fiance is a thin guy and really he can eat whatever he wants. I didn't do this surgery to make him change his lifestyle, I did it for my own. I just have to learn to respect that and he has to learn to respect what I am able to eat. If I say "no, we're not eating that crap tonight" then no.... we are not eating that crap tonight! There are times on occasion where I let my boys (fiance and son) have a pizza (they are pizza crazy) and I'll eat the toppings of one slice or find something else on the menu that is agreeable. If my boys want to go out and grab something then that's fine, but the menu HAS to have something edible for me as well. Most of the time it ends up being a salad with some chicken in it and they get pizza/burgers which honestly doesn't bother me anymore although, it definitely would have pre-surgery! I really feel in situations like that, there has to be some give because I personally couldn't stand eating tuna and eggs every day for the rest of my life either and I'm the one that actually had the surgery done! This is just MY opinion of course and I'm sure not everyone will agree.
Also, keep in mind, If your relationship has been long then he has probably gotten used to asking you if you want him to pick something up. Sudden change, especially change that he doesn't want to make himself, can be very difficult to get used to. Pre-surgery I would have had a royal fit if he would have gotten himself something to eat and didn't ask me if I wanted anything.

My fiance is a thin guy and really he can eat whatever he wants. I didn't do this surgery to make him change his lifestyle, I did it for my own. I just have to learn to respect that and he has to learn to respect what I am able to eat. If I say "no, we're not eating that crap tonight" then no.... we are not eating that crap tonight! There are times on occasion where I let my boys (fiance and son) have a pizza (they are pizza crazy) and I'll eat the toppings of one slice or find something else on the menu that is agreeable. If my boys want to go out and grab something then that's fine, but the menu HAS to have something edible for me as well. Most of the time it ends up being a salad with some chicken in it and they get pizza/burgers which honestly doesn't bother me anymore although, it definitely would have pre-surgery! I really feel in situations like that, there has to be some give because I personally couldn't stand eating tuna and eggs every day for the rest of my life either and I'm the one that actually had the surgery done! This is just MY opinion of course and I'm sure not everyone will agree.
Also, keep in mind, If your relationship has been long then he has probably gotten used to asking you if you want him to pick something up. Sudden change, especially change that he doesn't want to make himself, can be very difficult to get used to. Pre-surgery I would have had a royal fit if he would have gotten himself something to eat and didn't ask me if I wanted anything.

I had extremely poor eating habits pre-op. Most of my food was carbs. I ate tons of Pasta and most meat was breaded and a lot of the times it was deep fried. We also ate fast food quite often (multiple times a week). Not only were the things I ate extremely bad, but I usually only ate 1 - 2 times a day but in huge portions (you'd be surprised how much you can fit in when you wait too long to eat something!). I also ate very few if any veggies.
Today (2 months and almost 2 weeks out), I start my day off with a Protein shake, I may have a salad (with lots of added protein) for my lunch and then some kind of Protein with a small side of veggies for my dinner. If I feel the need to have a snack then I'll grab some cheese or something acceptable that will help with my protein intake for the day. None of these meals are large meals. About child sized or less I would say and I don't have any regrets. I never would have been able to make these changes on my own because I would have given up and went back to my old ways by now. Over 80 lbs lost in a matter of a few months so it is definitely working for me which makes me want to keep pushing forward. I would love to say that I changed on my own but my sleeve deserves a lot of that credit. If I can change my terrible eating habits then you can do it too! I'm not sure what the lady your mom met with was doing but I really don't see HOW you could keep your bad eating habits and still get the nutrition you need. With a little bit of willpower, I'm sure you will succeed if you really want to!

I am now 4 days post op but while I was in the hospital I had the dry heaves and nausea. My mom and sister talked on the phone and my mom told her I was nauseous. She said "Well get used to that! It'll be like that from now on!" (She is a nurse by the way).

Of course I'm nauseous! I just had a large chunk of my stomach removed and I'm on meds and just came out of anesthesia! Doesn't mean I'll be this way FOREVER!

Yup! I would absolutely do it again. As scared as I was pre surgery, it was mostly all just in my head. 2 months should be more than enough for you to be feeling better. As far as throwing up..... well it does happen and even now something may not sit with me well but it's usually something that I probably should not have eaten in the first place and I immediately feel better after. Even if I threw up every day, it would still be worth it for me. You have to be willing to take the good with the bad and weight the pros and cons for yourself.

I am now 4 days post op but while I was in the hospital I had the dry heaves and nausea. My mom and sister talked on the phone and my mom told her I was nauseous. She said "Well get used to that! It'll be like that from now on!" (She is a nurse by the way).

Of course I'm nauseous! I just had a large chunk of my stomach removed and I'm on meds and just came out of anesthesia! Doesn't mean I'll be this way FOREVER!

Yup! I would absolutely do it again. As scared as I was pre surgery, it was mostly all just in my head. 2 months should be more than enough for you to be feeling better. As far as throwing up..... well it does happen and even now something may not sit with me well but it's usually something that I probably should not have eaten in the first place and I immediately feel better after. Even if I threw up every day, it would still be worth it for me. You have to be willing to take the good with the bad and weight the pros and cons for yourself.

I would say find a surgeon that works with you. If coffee is really the deal breaker and you must have it then find a surgeon that allows coffee. There are so many different surgeons that have different requirements and different ways of getting you to where you need to be which is the important part of the whole deal. Everyone is different and has different needs. I'm not saying that you should get one that lets you do whatever you want and doesn't care but find one that works with YOU and doesn't try to fit everyone into the same category.

I would say find a surgeon that works with you. If coffee is really the deal breaker and you must have it then find a surgeon that allows coffee. There are so many different surgeons that have different requirements and different ways of getting you to where you need to be which is the important part of the whole deal. Everyone is different and has different needs. I'm not saying that you should get one that lets you do whatever you want and doesn't care but find one that works with YOU and doesn't try to fit everyone into the same category.

I would say find a surgeon that works with you. If coffee is really the deal breaker and you must have it then find a surgeon that allows coffee. There are so many different surgeons that have different requirements and different ways of getting you to where you need to be which is the important part of the whole deal. Everyone is different and has different needs. I'm not saying that you should get one that lets you do whatever you want and doesn't care but find one that works with YOU and doesn't try to fit everyone into the same category.

I threw up the day after surgery. I also had the dry heaves several times during my hospital stay. I won't lie, it hurt, but it wasn't as bad as you might think. At this stage, you really don't have a whole lot in your stomach to throw up but I was definitely worried about the dry heaves since I kept thinking how hard it must be on my new stomach. Apparently quite common though!

I threw up the day after surgery. I also had the dry heaves several times during my hospital stay. I won't lie, it hurt, but it wasn't as bad as you might think. At this stage, you really don't have a whole lot in your stomach to throw up but I was definitely worried about the dry heaves since I kept thinking how hard it must be on my new stomach. Apparently quite common though!

Yup! I would absolutely do it again. As scared as I was pre surgery, it was mostly all just in my head. 2 months should be more than enough for you to be feeling better. As far as throwing up..... well it does happen and even now something may not sit with me well but it's usually something that I probably should not have eaten in the first place and I immediately feel better after. Even if I threw up every day, it would still be worth it for me. You have to be willing to take the good with the bad and weight the pros and cons for yourself.