taylor2021

I have PCOS, and after either bleeding non stop, or not bleeding for a while, I finally had my first normal period in a really long time last week. I am 3 months post op tomorrow. I can feel my body working in a way I haven’t felt in a long time :)

I'm only halfway through the six months of visits I need before a request can even be sent to insurance, but I decided I wanted to tell my story so far anyway. I'll update here as things go on.

I just want to give a bit of a warning, however. For those of you with triggers, there is talk of mental health and suicide.

On with the show, I suppose.

I've been heavy since I was a little girl. Big boned, yes, but also more than my fair share of baby fat. But at the time, it was nothing too concerning. "It'll disappear when she gets older," people would tell my parents. If only that were true.
By the time I was about 12, that baby fat had turned into even more fat. My mom, who had also gotten heavy after the birth of my younger brother, decided it was time for a change. She and I started Atkins. But that didn't last long. Sure, we both lost a little, but a long stall coupled with cravings made us stop.
As a teenage girl, I became a lot more conscious about my weight. I started trying everything. Weight Watchers, counting calories, Atkins again, even starving myself. But nothing worked. I would lose a little, then regain it and more. It was rough being a 200+ lb girl, especially one that ended up gaining three big issues. The first issue was that I became a boredom eater. The second was that I had become a binge eater. This compared with the first was a problem meant when I got bored, I would binge. But there was yet another problem under all of this.
I wanted to die.
Failures in my weight and other unrelated areas of my life such as school, caused me to spiral into a deep depression. I slept most of the day and had almost no friends. Not even the voice in my head was a friend of mine. Whenever I started a binge, I would hear it.
"Yes. Eat, little piggy. You're so fat and ugly, and a failure. You deserve nothing, not even love. No one likes you, so just eat yourself to death."
I wanted to commit suicide not by any normal method, but by slowly destroying my body. Eating until I was so big I died of any number of issues. I knew a few people cared about me, my parents and at least one person at school. That was another reason for trying to die slowly. I wanted them to become so disgusted with me, that they wouldn't care if I died.
This carried on into my first two years of college. And then I had a psychological breakdown. I won't go into what happened, but I ended up seeing both a psychologist and a psychiatrist. Together we started to work through my issues, silencing the voice in my head, dealing with my depression, treating anxiety, getting me to be a functional part of society.
I was seeing an OBGYN during this time as well, and I was diagnosed with PCOS and the insulin resistance that came with it. That seemed to be a lot of the reason why I couldn't lose weight. But what was left for me to try? Another diet? I felt like nothing worked. I tried Nutrisystem, but the food was gross and I was unhappy. But due to the psychological help and a name to what's been plaguing my weight (and the love of my fiancee, who I met after receiving help), I no longer wanted to die. I wanted to live. I wanted to see 30. So two years ago I turned to weight loss surgery.
I planned to have the bypass done, but right off the bat, I wasn't too fond of my surgical team. I felt like a number to them. My surgeon I would only see for maybe a minute each appointment if I saw him at all. But still, I stuck with it until my sixth appointment got canceled. It was late December. He had gone on vacation. My PCP, who I had been able to see for some of the check-ins, had a full schedule so I couldn't see her. No one would do the check-in.
I had to start all over again.
It was at this point that my mom suggested I try Keto. It worked for my Uncle. It was working relatively well for her. I decided why not.
The reason why I shouldn't have was because I gained an obsession with numbers. In Keto (at least the way I understood it), the general maximum grams of carbs per day is 20. I felt guilty if I went over 5. In a sense, it worked. I lost about 30 pounds. But at this time, I also started to abuse laxatives because I wanted to keep seeing that number on the scale go down. Still, much like everything else I had tried before, I hit a stall then started to regain.
Frustrated, I gave up. I went back to my old ways, figuring that I had screwed my body up too badly to be recovered.
Then, three months and a change in insurance ago, I got curious. Would my new insurance cover bariatric surgery? I checked and saw that it would. That day, I made a decision. I would get on the path to surgery again. And this time, I would complete it no matter what. I found a new surgeon with a new group. It's one that actually specializes in obesity medicine. Half of my six appointments are actually with the surgeon, and he explains things in more detail than I got before. The other half is with a nutritionist who is actually knowledgeable about the dietary needs of bariatric patients.
I feel like a person, not a number.
I feel actually informed.
I feel more ready for this surgery.
In October, a week after I get married, I will be having my last check-in with my surgeon. Then everything will go to insurance.
I'm ready.

Hello. I also have PCOS and I don't ovulate therefore I'm hoping wls will help me in that area so i may eventually become pregnant. If you don't mind me asking, what surgery are you getting and where are you getting it done? Thanks!

personal post, but whatever, we’re all adults here.

my surgery is on 7/25, but on 7/19 i had unprotected sex. i didn’t really think anything of it, but my friends have me paranoid. i have PCOS and just stopped my birth control a month ago (in prep for surgery- i’ll be continuing it after) so i really didn’t think anything of being unprotected and he did not finish inside me, but now they have me all nervous. do you guys think i’ll be okay???

Hi, I'm in the UK so think the rules may be different here but my BMI is 32 and I've just had a band fitted. I wasnt able to get this on the NHS (our miracle healthcare system) because of my low BMI so I took out a bank loan to pay for the op myself. Here if your BMI is over 30 you are eligible but there has to be genuine reasons for you wanting to go down this route. For me, I was similar to yourself and have tried every diet in the book to no avail. My weight yo-yo'd for around 15 years and once I turned 30 I just got heavier and heavier despite my attempts to lose weight. I know my problem is my relationship with food so for me the band will eventually allow me to eat what I want but I will only be able to physically eat so much of it before I am sick. I need this kind of control. I had to sign a consent form as this wasn't a medical referral but a medical choice. I have recently been diagnosed with arthritis and believe if I don't take my weight under control that my condition will get worse. I'm also leaving myself open to diabetes and this is something I don't want in my future. My doctors accepted these as valid reasons and I was able to get the band. I'm sorry I really don't know too much about US healthcare so I'm unsure if any of this is helpful! Best of luck x

Sent from my HTC U11 using BariatricPal mobile app

lol why are you so upset though and now name calling? I don't mind advice if you've seen the rest of the comments on here I've been very thankful to those sharing their opinions with me (because I did ask) but your delivery is rude and the other commenters have noticed, so i know its not just me! lol so maybe go work that out with yourself. Good luck to you Please stop talking to me now if you're going to be hostile. Thanks!

You're right. It is ultimately my choice, and I don't have to listen to anyone. No one knows my situation quite like I do. Thanks for the advice!!!!!
Take care!

Thank you for all the info! I'm gonna definitely look into this!

I'm in the valley, but I went with Dr. Rabkin in SF because at the time, Dr, K wasn't working in So Cal (he was up in the Central Valley) and no one else down here had that much experience with doing sleeves, and my wife had a DS performed by the Rabkins several years before so we were already familiar with them and their program. They also had a local-ish support group and office in Ventura where they used to work before moving north and there are several of Dr. K's patients in that group. Dr. K now sponsors that group and often shows up with his family when his schedule permits (it's a dinner group held at a restaurant.)
IIRC, at the time, the Rabkins self pay rate for the sleeve as about $17k complete; I don't know what it is now, or what Dr. K's self pay rate is, but I would expect it to be in the same ballpark.
Good luck in getting this done!

Www.endobariatric.com Dr. Alvarez specializes in the sleeve. He has many books and YouTube specials as well as an insta and sc account that he gives information on.

Will do! Thank you so much for your response!

I had a fantastic experience with Mexicali Bariatric Centre . They were so excellent in their service and the hospital was top notch. I wrote about it if you want to review you can view my activity log or look in the Mexico forum

Hi!
Thank you so much that's incredibly helpful especially because I'm fairly close to Glendale so that helps a lot when looking into doctors. If you don't mind me asking Who and where did you get your operation done? and how much did you pay if you paid out of pocket?
Thanks again I really appreciate it

Mexico! Mexico! Mexico!
Howdy everyone! .....Or should I say HOLA
So, I'm new to this whole thing, and I'm currently in the process of looking for places to have my desired gastric sleeve performed and people keep mentioning MEXICO to me! One because of the attractive price tag and two some say their surgeons are more advanced in bariatric surgery then we are here in America. I'd like to know what your take on this topic is? If you've had your operation done in Mexico PLEASE! tell me about your experience and PLEASE! don't leave out any of the juicy details.
1. Who was you surgeon?
2. What Facility were you in? City and state
3. What was your recovery like?
4. How many post OP appointments did you have to go back for?
5. Did you feel safe? (out of the country medical procedures can be nerve racking! Not just Mexico)
6. What type of WLS did you go with?
7. and the golden question we ALL want to know..... How much did you fork over? also did insurance cover anything for you?
I'm doing a bit of research myself and idk maybe Mexico might end up being an option for me, so I'd really appreciate your guy's input.
Bonus question: I've heard AMAZING things about Dr. Ariel Ortiz from the Obesity Control Center do you guys know anything about him or that hospital?
Thanks guys!...... or should I say...
ADIOS AMIGOS! (i hate myself)

Mexico! Mexico! Mexico!
Howdy everyone! .....Or should I say HOLA
So, I'm new to this whole thing, and I'm currently in the process of looking for places to have my desired gastric sleeve performed and people keep mentioning MEXICO to me! One because of the attractive price tag and two some say their surgeons are more advanced in bariatric surgery then we are here in America. I'd like to know what your take on this topic is? If you've had your operation done in Mexico PLEASE! tell me about your experience and PLEASE! don't leave out any of the juicy details.
1. Who was you surgeon?
2. What Facility were you in? City and state
3. What was your recovery like?
4. How many post OP appointments did you have to go back for?
5. Did you feel safe? (out of the country medical procedures can be nerve racking! Not just Mexico)
6. What type of WLS did you go with?
7. and the golden question we ALL want to know..... How much did you fork over? also did insurance cover anything for you?
I'm doing a bit of research myself and idk maybe Mexico might end up being an option for me, so I'd really appreciate your guy's input.
Bonus question: I've heard AMAZING things about Dr. Ariel Ortiz from the Obesity Control Center do you guys know anything about him or that hospital?
Thanks guys!...... or should I say...
ADIOS AMIGOS! (i hate myself)

Kim I like,the way your surgeon thinks . I hereby dub HIM Dr Does things right.

Maybe this is just me, but some of the questions I asked my surgeon when I first met him are:
-"How long have you been doing this?"
-"Around how many surgeries have you done?"
-"About how many patients are successful with this program?"
These questions will help you get a feel for the surgeon and the program that they follow.
At least in my experience, I've noticed that different groups seem to do their programs slightly differently. For example, the first surgeon that I was going to only did the bare minimum for insurance. However, the surgeon I'm going I'm going to now requires three extra nutritionist appointments as well as three support group meetings both before and after surgery.
Also, if the surgeon you're thinking about going to has an introductory group meeting, even if it's optional, I recommend going to it. Even if you've done a lot of research, you may still walk away having learned something new!

For the sleeve, I like to look for surgeons who also do the duodenal switch, both from the perspective that the DS is a fairly complex procedure in the bariatric world, so it tends to attract the better surgeons to it, and as it uses the sleeve as its basis (and adds a malabsorptive intestinal rerouting) most of the DS surgeons have been doing sleeves longer than most other bariatric surgeons (the sleeve has routinely been done for about the past 5-8 years, while the DS has been performed for around 25 years.)
Here in CA, Dr Ara Keshishian in Glendale is well worth looking into if you are in So Cal, and in the Bay area there is Dr. John Rabkin (I traveled up to SF for my sleeve as Dr. K wasn't working in SoCal at the time) and there is also Drs. Greg Jossart and Paul Cirangle who are also well regarded.
Certainly go to whatever support group or introductory meetings that they have to get a feel for the practice and personalities involved, Ask questions learn what you can ahead of time so you aren't surprised later. As a bonus for most of these DS oriented surgeons, they generally don't impose any significant pre-op diets that many struggle with - they know their way around in there well enough that they don't need whatever extra help those are supposed to provide (personally, I would avoid any of those guys the impose multi-week liquid only pre-op diets.) They also usually have fairly rapid post-op progressions (as tolerated) so you tend to get back to normal-ish sooner.

My surgeon had a group meeting with about ten of us. He went over both surgeries, the differences, what to expect, the actual anatomical changes, the possible risks. He then consulted with each of us separately after this to discuss which surgery we wanted and why.
He did not pressure us either way which I liked.
The good thing is information about these operations is so easily available on the internet.

Good Day,
Could we get some updates to the app please? Specifically could we get all the profile options we have on the webpage added to the app? So App only users can add or update their surgical status, progress, etc?

Thanks!

Victoza isn't the first drug of choice if one merely wants to lower their A1C. Metformin will do the same thing and is much, much safer... and used daily by millions. Your endo will determine what is right for you. The most common dose is 500mg 1tab/twice daily.
My bariatric surgeon told me that after my surgery that I no longer need to take Metformin. (I am not diabetic, btw; and my A1C never rose above 5.8 ... thanks to the Metformin I took pre-surgery.)
Metformin also affects hunger. Many people lose weight from it as a bonus. It's not the reason why doctors prescribe it, though.

Taylor
One other suggestion, based on your family's history with diabetes, and your low BMI.
You might ask you doctor about taking a weight loss drug such as Victoza.
It will lower your A1C, and will reduce hunger. It also slows food movement through stomach. There are different dosage levels, the higher are used for weight loss.
I've considered it when my weight loss on the band slows done, but haven't felt the need to go that as of yet... however, it an alternative to surgery. There are medical weight loss forums on Bariatric Pal.

@taylor. We mothers can't help ourselves. We have a compulsion to (s)mother anyone young enough to be our own.
I'm glad my info helped in some small way.
Now... go to your room, young lady! It's getting late, and you need your sleep.< /em>

@taylor. Two of my sons are medical doctors, so, yes, it helps. You can imagine all the medical support I get from my kids.

@taylor. Don't give up easily if your insurance tries to put up a roadblock for you. Also, not all co-morbidities are created equally. Some have life-long consequences while others may fade away after surgery.
Don't rely on your insurance company's website. Talk to a real-live someone (on the phone) and have them explain your benefits to you. Ask questions. Have them email or send you your benefits so you can see them in print. If you don't get satisfactory answers after you call, call back. And keep calling. Ask for a supervisor. Be a squeaky wheel if you have to. Involve your primary doctor. Have him/her be an advocate for why this surgery is necessary for you. Your big gun, of course, is your endocrinologist. S/he is the one who's a specialist in PCOS and diabetes. If Kaiser turns you down, appeal it. Have your endo intervene on your behalf. It's in your insurance company's best interest to frustrate you; they want you to give up and go away. It saves them thousands of dollars.
Do your parents have an H.M.O. or a PPO?
My daughter is a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) and understands her PCOS from a medical viewpoint. Because I also have a medical background and because she was diagnosed as a teenager, it's a disease known to us for years. My daughter is in her 30s now.