pcos, a terrible thing it is but it has become a part of me that i try to learn to deal with the best way i can. let me see how i can help you with this nasty thing you are referring to. first all, im 38 almost 39 yrs old. I have been fairly heavy most of my life averaged about 200, 205 from the time i was 18 until i was 30. i never really exercised and i pretty much ate what i wanted to and always stayed the same weight. well when i was about 30 yrs old, i started having these horrible periods, mood swings, hot flashes, grouchy, i mean all kinds of strange stuff started happening and I also low and behold started putting on serious pounds despite the fact that i was not eating any different. i gained 50 pounds in about 1 year. i got up to 252 and said lordy lordy i gotta go to the dr, so off i went to a gynocologist and what do you know. I have pcos. so in turn, they tell me that my weight is going to be very hard to control and they give me some antidepressants , metformin and some progestrin, well, me being me, i took the meds for a bit and they didnt help and i just faught threw it and kept doing what i always do and kept eating what i always eat until i started getting dizzy, sweaty, sick feeling and yada yada yada, i go to my primary dr and this is about when i was 34 now at 265 lbs and he says well kristy you have diabetes and my hgb a1c was like 7.4, so he tells me take the metformin and if its not better in 4 months we start insulin unless you can control by diet. well, i didnt take the meds and i didnt really try to diet and i really didnt go back to the dr. and Im a registered nurse, so yeah, im pretty stubborn. LOL well in 2010, i had enough, i couldnt walk, couldnt do anything, im 5'3 and i was 272 lbs and my blood sugars were ranging from 325-400 a day. so, i went to a seminar for lab band. decided it was what i wanted to do, turned in my papers and had to see my dr for 6 months on a supervised diet. dec of 2010 i weighed 272, seen my dr once a month for 6 months and some how got back down to 254 in like july of 2011 and i really think it was because i was taking the metformin and insulin injections because my blood sugars were still so crazy and they told me they would not operate unless i had my blood sugars under control. i got approved for the lap band, i did one week pre op diet and day of surgery which was aug. 31 2011 i weighed 249. 7 months ago i was banded and i am now down to 225. now during that 7 months, i didnt not exercise nor did i count calories but i did make better choices of food. i started exercising 2 weeks ago and i also joined weight watchers to keep myself more accountable of what i eat and i have lost 3 lbs a week for the past 2 weeks as to where i was only losing about 1 lb or .8 of a lb prior to exercising and weight watchers. now during the times that i have my menstrual cycle i dont weigh because for 2 weeks i hold about 4-6 lbs from the pcos. but after it settles my weight goes back down. i also now have blood sugars from 85-130 so my diabetes is very well controlled and i feel 100 percent better. i even mowed grass yesterday. so the bottom line is. yes the lap band will work with pcos if you work with it. now it might be slow but hey, the turtle still finishes the race. if you have any other questions, pls feel free to email me and im sorry i wrote a book but i wanted you to understand how much this lap band surgery has been good for me with diabetes and pcos, for 8 yrs i couldnt lose a pound, couldnt exercise or even walk around in walmart, couldnt get my blood sugar under control without medicine and insullin, now im doing all those activities, still slowly losing weight and im not on any medications except for antidepressant. good luck to you and i hope you make the best choice for yourself. Kristy

Dear Kristy,

Well the book that you wrote..lol..was the "STORY OF MY LIFE". I mean to the letter. I am very similar to you..I am 39, diagnosed with PCOS 8 years ago, and have gained every year to a total of a 225lbs.. at 5'3 as you know, anything over 200lbs is hard to move.

I am on all the same meds you were on, and after an increase of Metformin and staying on a strict Insulin resistant diet I am now down to 200lbs..

I finally decided to seek Lap Band help after a breakdown of frustration in my OBGYN office, and he said that maybe I should look into it.

I am in no rush to loose the weight overnight, but I am affraid if I dont see results after surgery I will go crazy.. I am even having a dream that I GAIN WEIGHT after surgery.

I am going to a support meeting tomorrow for pre-op, but no one suffers from PCOS. Thank you for your understanding and sharing your story..its crazy how similar we are, and I have hope now that I know it worked for you.

you keep your head up and just remember that its all about what you are willing to do for yourself. you are already on the right path with a insulin resistant diet the band will only make it easier to follow that diet. now do remember that the band is slow in the beginning because right after surgery you will be very swollen and healing so you wont be able to eat much for about 2-4 weeks but after that when the band heals, the stomach goes back to normal and you can eat like a pig again. lol but be patient and keep on your diet until you get the right amount of restriction which took me about 5 months to finally get in the green zone and then dieting becomes much easier with the help of the band. i wish you the very best and im going to go to the gyno myself here shortly about this pcos because no matter how much weight we lose it is still so frustrating to have pcos. good luck and god bless.

Hi Kristy..I am ready for the slow and steady road as long as i see a loss..even if its a pound a week..something is better than nothing. Thanks again for your feedback. I am thankful for your help