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Best surgery option for PCOS patients



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Hi,

I am 37 and I started my weight loss journey on July 28th. I attended my first nutritional visit on 8-11-16, and i had my psychological visit.

I am a new vegetarian. I weighed in at 5'4, 234 with the surgeon, and 241 with my nutritionist.

So far I've only lost 3 lbs with this new lifestyle. I have PCOS symptoms of acne, weight gain, irregular periods, mood swings. I'm so frustrated with all of this!

Which surgery option is best for my situation? Is there anyone out there with success with PCOS and weight loss surgery?

I'm also thinking of going to another surgeon, because every time I call or email them, I get their live voicemail and they won't return my call or email.

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@@teedsg Many people have had WLS with PCOS and have been successful. I would speak to your Team about what one is best for you - especially being a vegetarian. I would think the malabsorption with Bypass would be more of a problem with a vegetarian - but I don't honestly know for sure. It will depend also on your eating habits and medical history. The best people to help you make this decision are your surgeon and nutritionist.

Congrats on the steps you've taken to get healthy! PCOS sucks - I'm pre-op sleeve and hope that many of my PCOS symptoms resolve with surgery.

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Thank you! I'll try not to get discouraged. ☺

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I have PCOS and I got the gastric sleeve. I've already lost 23 pounds in 3 weeks. I stopped my birth control and I was a month late on starting my period; I started yesterday. I think this WLS will help your PCOS. I'm hoping it helps mine.

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@hiareth

Thanks for your response. How long have you had PCOS? I just recently got diagnosed about 6months ago. But, I've suspected symptoms since December 2015.

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@hiareth

Thanks for your response. How long have you had PCOS? I just recently got diagnosed about 6months ago. But, I've suspected symptoms since December 2015.

I think I've had it since I started puberty at age 11. The reason is because, my periods have always been so horrible. The cramping is almost like a knife going into my ovary. But, I started gaining weight and getting a lot of blonde hair above my lip at age 16. The hair isn't that dark, but it's noticeable because I'm kinda pale. I think my PCOS reached its peak when I turned 17 and has been just as bad ever since.

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@@Hiraeth geez! I feel your pain. I'm glad of your progress though. I haven't been able to lose that much weight in 5 years. But, I feel more confident in my decision knowing that some one else has gone through a similar journey with success. ????

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My doctor didn't recommend one surgery over the other due to my PCOS. Losing weight should help a lot. I do know some skinny people with PCOS, but weight loss typically helps regulate your hormone levels. (After the rapid weight loss phase at least).

With being a vegetarian, make sure you get some one on one time with the nutritionist. We have a vegan lady in my group. She counts Protein grams, but doesn't worry about carbs like many post-ops do.

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Hello! I have pretty severe PCOS and have suffered virtually every symptom possible of it since right when puberty started. I don't think one specific surgery is particularly better than the other, especially when you aren't supersized. I think your bmi is low enough that you could have success with either, unless there is some medical reason your doctor finds that would indicate one would be better for you than the other. As for my own experience, I had the bypass a little over a year ago and I'm down 182 pounds since the day of surgery, and I've had great success. The darkened skin, the intense cramping, the irregular or simply missing periods, the skin issues/acne, the fatigue, even the extra hair growth have all lessened or completely resolved. I am still on a hormone-containing birth control and spironolactone, but I honestly don't mind even a little. I would do anything to retain this kind of normalcy and health that I've been dreaming about for most of my life. All worth it a thousand times over!

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@@daniotra,

That's good information. When I meet with my nutritionist again, I'll bring it up. At my first meeting with her, all she said was to follow the 2-1-1 rule. Make sure I pay attention to the food labels and get foods with at least 2 digit Protein, 1 digit fat and 1 digit carbs. And, I've been following that.

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@@Cervidae,

Congrats on your weight loss. You have given me hope that it will work for me too. I do have a concern about mild, regurgitation.

Sometimes I have that in the back of my throat after I eat. This is a new symptom for me. And, my body aches real bad after I sit or lay down for a while and then get up. My body is changing and it's weird because I'm not that old, but I feel like I am.

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      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
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      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
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