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My PCOS story............ written LONG ago but I copy and paste it a lot. :Angel_anim: Hey there: Kick up your feet and stay a while, as you read my PCOS story. Hello, I'm Tracy... I was first diagnosed with PCOS while undergoing infertility treatment during my early 20's. (Mid 30's now) ..... Period at age 9, Birth Control pills at age 16-18, Married at 18 no birth control, no babies... finally at age 22 I sought treatment. I was told that I had the thyroid of an 80 year old man, and that I had PCOS.. he put me on synthroid for my HYPO-thyroid, and told me that it was just my body type that caused me to have PCOS... no offer of help or anything... just to accept it. Since I had PCOS, I wasn't able to ovulate.. my periods had NEVER been regular except when on birth control pills...... Treatment didn't work: charting, pills, shots... nothing could budge my follicles to pop out any mature eggs..... so I went on with my life, childless.... then fast forward to 1999... I was surfing the net and came accross an article "Losing Weight With an underactive Thyroid" Well, this peaked my interest, and from this article they mentioned Low Carbing and Dr. Atkins..... I was like "What the HECK" is low carbing???? Well anyway, on my lunch break I went to the book store and bought Dr. A's book, I started to read, and read, and read.. and that night I threw away the nasty slim fast, and made myself a bunless cheeseburger.... I had been starving myself on Low Fat Slimfast shakes and GAINING weight....... I would cry because I was hungry and then to get on the scale and actualy GAIN weight... life just wasn't fair..... ok.... so I took dr. A's advice and decided to devote 2 weeks of my life to the diet.... I did... meat, cheese, eggs, and Water.... I started dropping weight like crazy.. 14 lbs during induction.. my husband was shocked... but as the pounds came off and the sizes went down... everyone soon became a believer. OK...... so, I was about 3-4 months into the program when I realized by looking at my weight chart that my period was starting a pattern of every 28 days... I couldn't believe it.... from the first month my cycles had reset themselves to be just like a regular person!!!! THIS WAS A MIRACLE... my cycles were SO regular that I could set a clock by them... so I suspected that I was ovulating too.... my hopes of being a mom returned.... and BAMM, a few well timed whoopee sessions and I ended up preggo... unfortunately I suffered 3 miscarriages right in a row. So here I was down 80 lbs, PCOS symptoms were non-existant, and I FINALLY saw the little pink link on a home pregnancy test all with out meds or dr's... but life was unfair and I lost 3 precious babies.... all at about 7-9 weeks... one after I even saw the Heart Beat... that one killed me, and I went into a deep depression.. and I started feeding my sadness with High Carb things... I really feel that I was sabbotaging myself..... Lots of other Life events followed... got caught up in a corporate meger/layoff... so my job of 12 years went bye, bye.. and so did my husband my best friend since age 15.... had replaced me with someone who he said was "just like me" just 10 years younger...... so ok..... divorce, heartbreak, money issues... yada, yada, yada..... life goes on! Get your butt up and live life!...... ok so time passed... I hooked up with a new guy... technically my "rebound" guy from hell.... we both started LC'ng, the wieght had returned and my periods were slipping to sporadic bursts at no particular time.... PCOS had taken it's hold again.... anyway I told him, If I start LC'ng I might end up preggo........ he didn't believe me.... but ONE month after starting to eat right again.... I ended up preggo... and now I have a son who is the light of my life! April, 2004 I rededicated my eat life to Low Carb.... it may not be for everyone.. but it is what keeps my PCOS in check and I lose weight as a side effect! Edited August 11, 2005....... my little Low Carb miracle has now turned two years old. It was funny, that during my first Low Carb journey where I had 3 misscarriages.. no one wanted to believe that a formerly infertile woman could get preggers, simply by changing her diet. I had started seeing articles in the Atkins Center magazines for open calls for women with PCOS that had noticed changes in their cycles or had gotten pregnant because of this WOE... I called and told them of my experience.. as so many had done... NOW, in 2005... every PCOS website will lead you to a Low Carb way of eating, also they've developed drugs to help with the symptoms... .I feel proud to have been "IN" on the discovery of this phenom...... you will see LOTS of women popping up pregnant all over the Low Carb Friends website, and many threads where the gals are pregnant and doing a maintenance level of LC'ng to help control the amount of weight they gain during pregnancy.... IT IS AWESOME! I feel like broadcasting to the world.... I AM FINALLY A MOM!!!!!!!!! All thanks to the Low Carb way of eating.

can i just say that thing is driving me crazy. I have turned the sounds off and everything and everytime I change pages it reactivates. I even tried logging out and the chat was still there.....

So this is VERY serious! Start taking them again asap. Only quit them when you're working with your psych! Dayum!!! Quitting cold turkey can send you into a reactive phase that will literally double you over with bone/muscle pain. It makes all your neurotransmitters get proverbially locked up! In general, it takes almost as long to taper off meds as you've been taking them -- kinda...such as for every month you were taking them, it takes 1 week to 1 month to step down the dose depending on the individual. It's too late now, but honestly this stuff should have been reconciled pre-surg!!!! It's part of why we have so many hoops to jump through and so many doc appts! Your meds in general should only be crushed if they aren't enteric coated or time release. Psych meds need to be switched to non-time release. Think Effexor is one that can easily be changed. In addition to this, what @dreamingsmall said!! Truly magical thinking to think otherwise. ((hugs)) and get some meds into your system asap. Make an appointment with your psych asap and formulate a plan!

Had my surgery 11/20/12 and was 315 the day of surgery. Most people don't believe me because I am 6' tall. I carried my weight well, but at the end of the day I was morbidly obese. I did get down to my lowest of 175 but that was short lived. Insert a bad relationship, holidays and a breakup and you have an increase up to 185-190. I am over it. And it is waaaay too close to 200 for my taste. That allll being said. I need help from my fellow veterans. What are you all doing to get to target and maintain? I need some guidance and I'm not afraid to try new things. I had to stop Crossfit due to an injury that is finally appearing to have healed. I would dearly love to hear as much as I can from you guys. I may not post as much but I do read what you guys share. Oh by the way, I also am experiencing reactive hypoglycemia and I'm trying to address that as well. Thanks in advance!!!!!

I had my first fill on 7/3/13. I went to Jamaica for a week, 7/21/13 thru 7/28/13. I did not gain or lose weight. I ate almost within the guidelines. After my fill, I am starving most of the time, 4 ozunces just does not seem to do it. Thanks to support groups like this, is how I obtain information. How do you get in the required daily protein requirement? Should you still drink a protein shake? I was banded on 5/24/13 and have lost 45 pounds. I practice eating slowly and notice I do not get heartburn as much. I found out if i drink at least 64 ozunces of water it sometimes help with the hunger. Prior to surgery, I was taking insulin 4 times a day and oral medication. Now I take one dose of long acting medication and oral medication. sometimes i experience hypo-glycemic episodes. I planning to call my surgeon's office today. I do not have any idea how much is in my band. I have started to impiement an exercise program. I do have more energy. I appreciaate any thoughts or advice. I am so thankful/grateful for this site. My grand-children are happy,their grandmother can do things with them.

Rapid heart rate and dizziness could be a sign of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar), specifically reactive hypoglycemia. Symptoms occur generally within 4 hours after a meal. When you ingest too much sugar, your now smaller stomach does not digest it properly so your intestines absorb and deposit too much of it into your blood stream. Your body compensates by releasing more insulin which makes your blood sugar drop.

Thanks you guys for responding. I was over at OH reading the bypass patients' accounts. Then someone suggested reactive hyperglycemia and after reading what that's about, it scared the snot out of me, talk of seizures, etc. OMG, how do those folks survive that stuff?! Scary, very scary. I had to keep reminding myself that I HAVE a stomach, just a much smaller one. I never reacted to sugars before. I don't eat high fat foods. This whole thing took a new turn when I had the honeycomb and yes, little pieces of cheese. Tonight I had a low fat "taco soup" which is mainly proteins (recipe from WW old time), and was OK after dinner. Of course I was watching my watch and timing things to SEE IF anything would happen. I got myself so worked up by "sensing" heart rate, etc., that I had to go take a Xanax to come down from the ceiling where I was putting myself. No dumping occurred, but the anxiety about whether it would occur is enough to set off an adrenaline rush all on its own. I don't want to be having these problems whatsoever. I stick pretty much with the Medifast diet plan and eat their healthy snacks, etc. I get that the combination of the cheese and honey was not a winner. I just want to KNOW that I'll be OK, no seizures or anything of that nature in the future. Thanks for talking me through this; I PRAY that I am over it.

No, you don't come on too strong. You are straight forward, and I appreciate that. My first surgeon gave me his rules: Protein shakes for 2 days after a fill, then soft foods, like soft scrambled eggs and sugar free pudding and Jello. Then I can work up to fish and soft veggies. The last doc said nothing but Water for the first day (clear liquids) no milk, then the 2nd day Protein Shakes, and the 3rd day soft foods. Told me I shouldn't be able to eat much, but I can eat an entire 12 in Subway sub (toasted ham and cheese). You are right. I have to get back to basics. I do drink when I eat. I will work on that this week. No more bread, rice or Pasta, either. What about coffee? Can I still have my coffee? The dietician said I had 3 overlapping issues with sugar. She said I may be having dumping syndrome, reactive hypoglycemia, and pre-diabetic hypoglycemia. She said that each of these things can mess up my sugar, but can be controlled. Also, when I had my gallbladder out, I get the Worst case of burping! It doesn't matter what I eat, I burp.

Yes, Tess...thank God for air conditioning!!! That is great that you have some input about your schedule. You have been there for long enough, I"m sure you are well respected and hopefully they are willing to work with you. My school has been very understanding. I have one more year until I can retire with 25 years. They are letting me work flexible hours, some from home using my computer. I'm actually the reading specialist, I do mostly training for teachers, test data, etc. They are helping me get to my retirement without having to go the disability route. I"m just not able to teach full time in a classroom anymore. I REALLY miss it though. But I am thankful. I've been at the same elementary school for all my teaching career. THis last setback really caused me to not be able to walk. REally hit my left side from head to toe worse than usual. Whole body is still very weak, but can not walk. the steroids really helped. The doctor was trying to avoid the use of steroids with me, because it can reactivate some hystoplasmosis I had occur in my eye when I was a teenager. So I have center vision in only one eye. But things could be a lot worse. It's just so scary to wake up one morning with complete loss of part of your bodily functions. I'm so use to thinking whatever is wrong, if I work hard enough I can get past it and recover. It's hard to accept I have not got the full control of this one. I"m sure you know what I mean. Sorry for misspelling and typos. Some days just too much effort. YOu understand, I really do know better...ha! Hugs, Friend

I had the same symptoms as ms.sss. At 3 & 1/2 months on Thanksgiving, I tried Ben and Jerry’s lactose free ice cream. I had 1/4 cup and it hit me half an hour later, maybe less. I’m finding any sugar/carby food can trigger it, or sometimes it’s a reactive sugar drop a few hours later. Air popped light salt popcorn triggered it last time. I was never diabetic. I find dumping does keep me on the straight and narrow which is good! If you do want to try new foods, it helps to be at home with a time block of a few hours and a protein shake to counter the sugar lows. For those who think dumping is a get out of jail free card; there’s no weight loss. There may be a slight loss sometimes, but it’s water from the both ends pushing it all out. Mostly I find I still gain weight and trigger an asthma attack from all the inflammation. I have even measured my ankles and found them to be 2-3 centimeters bigger the day after a carb incident.

I have hypo thyroidism and I hope this surgery helps my condition. I had surgery on 12/15/10 and I am still on 200mcg or levothyroxine. I will be having some blood tests soon and I hope The weight loss has helped

I'm looking into having the lapband surgery next month and am wondering from most of you out there, is it really worth it and will I be happy with the results? I've finally convinced my husband to let me have the surgery. I've lost some weight on my own, but can't seem to get the rest off! It's been 2 years and I'm slowing creeping back up. I need to lose about 80 pounds and have tried everything. The doctor finally said that he would do it. I have hypo thyroid, so my metabolism is very sluggish...I just look at food and gain, if you know what I mean. Will I throw up alot? There are just so many questions. Please advise. Thanks so much, Luisana

They only gave me like 5 Protein shake options for preop and asked me to stick to those. Premier is reserved for post op for some reason. Of those preop shake options, two of them contain way too much actual sugar (I have reactive hypoglycemia) and caused me to have dumping syndrome. I have broth once a day at most because the shakes are pretty filling, and I don't so any sf Popsicles or Jello because I hate artificial sweetener and there's enough of that in the shakes as well. I haven't looked into the sodium in the shakes, though. I was thinking that once my Atkins supply runs out in two days, I'll make my own for the last 5 days and just use the muscle milk powder I already have. I can put lemon in my water. I'll try that. Maybe I just have an oversensitive system lol. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Have you done yours? What did you use? Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hello, I can understand what you are going through, I was diagnosed with Hyperthyroid in 1993 while pregnant with my daughter, after given birth I deceided to have the surgery to remove my thyroid-Graves Disease (just got tired of going to the hospital, seem like everyday) But i did enjoy the weight loss ( went from 180-130 in two months) I know not healthty. No one told me that the thyroid that was left was going to disappear...Well long a behold I am now Hypothyroid with other auto-immune diseases and taking thryroid meds for life....thanks. 270lbs later i cant seem to lose no more than 15lbs then there goes the scale. I am 41 years old and want to cross my legs when i sit down!!!! this decision was not an easy one (to independent) for me to make, but I finally did. Although I am only in the middle of the requirements..i should be banded sometime in Feb (I hope). People will not understand why we want to do this..and that will have to be there problem. I found that hypo people's bodies doesnt allow them to burn the weight, so I will use this method as a tool and not as a excuse.. Good Luck

I have been fighting a cough since January. Got rid of it before my appendix was removed, and then it came back. Made it thru that surgery ok, but did not have a cough then. My doc put me on a steroid dose pack, KETEK (been on it for almost 20 days now), and Albuterol when needed (using it now). He wants to make sure it does not develop into pneumonia like before. Cold seems to set off my cough. I can breathe fine most of the time, but when the air conditioner kicks on at night I start to cough. Dr. is thinking that I am developing asthma or "reactive airway disease", and says that they may not do my surgery if it does not go away soon. X-ray is totally clear. My hubby says it is allergies because I have a sneeze sometimes. Even though I am a bit scared of the whole surgery thing, since it is so close, I don't want them to cancel it. Anyone have experience with Asthma and surgery? Will they still do it? Should I tell my surgeon? Any advice?

I also, have hypo thyroid problems. Can this effect surgery and being approved?

food Allergies Are Making You Fat 4/7/09 Study Confirms: Your Hidden Food Allergies Are Making You Fat Medical researchers from Dubai reported in the April '09 edition of the Middle East Journal of Family Medicine (The Effect of The ALCAT Test Diet Therapy for Food Sensitivity in Patient's With Obesity) that patients unable to achieve goal weight loss by calorie restriction alone were significantly aided in their attempts when they avoided foods that had been shown by a unique lab test to excite their immune response. The authors, led by Dr. M. Akmal of the Dubai Specialized Medical Centre, pointed out that hidden food allergies, or food sensitivities, are unique to each individual and can cause inflammatory diseases, and an inability to lose weight. Food sensitivities often provoke delayed and chronic symptoms, like IBS, migraine and arthritis, that are not as obvious as the dramatic and immediate onset of "true" food allergies, such as peanut anaphylaxis, but, over the long term, can be just as devastating and are more difficult to detect. In the course of the 12 week study, the 27 refractory weight loss patients underwent a single treatment: avoidance of foods that were shown to be immune reactive according to blood testing through a system known as the ALCAT test. The study participants showed an average weight loss of approximately 37 pounds plus an average drop of six points of BMI (body mass index) and an average decrease of 30% of body fat. Dr. Fred Pescatore, former Medical Director of the famed Atkins Center and a pioneer in the study of the hormonal and immune system effects of foods, reviewed the findings and said, "I'm not surprised by these results, dramatic as they may appear. I've used the ALCAT test with my difficult patients time and time again, and it always works." Other studies based on the elimination of food sensitivities had previously been reported. In a Baylor Medical College study 98% of subjects also displayed significant improved body composition and/or scale weight following an ALCAT test-based food elimination diet within four weeks. A matched control group that followed calorie restriction alone actually became fatter. "When I first began to lecture to health professionals about how avoidance of food sensitivities helped the weight loss process, people looked at me like I had two heads," says Roger Deutsch, co-author of the book, Your Hidden Food Allergies are Making You Fat. "Now we know that chronic inflammation, caused primarily by exposure to incompatible foods, is at the root of metabolic problems like diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity. The immune system chemicals block insulin receptors; so, guess what happens to the sugars we eat? - they get stored as fat. Cut the inflammation, cut the fat storage." Along with avoidance of food sensitivities, Deutsch and other experts also recommend paying attention to the quality of food eaten, getting adequate rest, exercise, and a healthy lifestyle. About Cell Science Systems Cell Science Systems (CSS) is a life sciences company and the worldwide market leader in food sensitivity testing as the maker of The ALCAT Test. ALCAT identifies cellular reactions to over 300 foods and chemicals. These inflammatory reactions are linked to chronic health problems like obesity and diabetes, as well as skin, heart, joint, and digestive disorders. Located in Deerfield Beach, Florida, CSS is a FDA-inspected and registered, cGMP medical device manufacturer and operates a CLIA-certified laboratory. Source: Cell Science Systems

Hi Coops, Well, here is what I would try if you are interested, and remember, it's never too late and I believe you can do it. Let us know how you do. Good luck! Kickstart yourself with 2 or 3 days of just liquid Protein shakes. I found this sort of "reactivates" my sleeve and gets my head back on. It's hard to do after eating somewhat normally, but it does get the restriction fired up again (at least for me). Start writing everything down again - MFP or other Measure your food. I have started eyeballing things, not a great habit to get into... Get that Water in! 64 oz minimum, you know the drill. The same old routine: firm protein first, then vegs, then carbs. Plan out your exercise regime. Maybe split your time between cardio and strength training. Cardio will burn fat, strength training will build muscle, which will raise your metabolic rate over time.

I've now been diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia from my GB surgery. It's not really a big thing to me but I have to eat more often, just little meals with complex carb included. I'm lucky that my PCP's mother had the surgery when he was a little boy and knew all about it. I found out when my blood surgery was dropping to the 40s and 50s after I was eating sweets, (dumb I know), and I could really feel the symptoms. I've been playing with the clock now to see my time I need for meals and how complex carbs affects it. I was amazed at how little was required to stop my shakes when my sugar was low. As of now I can go without a meal for around 4 to 5 hours but it depends on my activity level too. My doctor's mother had to eat every two hours and drink a complex carb mix before bed. Luckily I'm not there yet. For everyone out there that has this or will experience low blood sugar you'll be forced to a strict diet and fined out sweets aren't your favorite friend any longer. Best of luck on your journey.

I have it too. I was told that it is reactive hypoglycemia. When I eat, my body responds with too much insulin and then I crash. There's really nothing I can do about it. Carbs and sugars make it MUCH worse. Irarely have this on pure protein. The hope right now is that it will normalize as I lose weight, as it is a pre-diabetes symptom.

I started my weight loss loss journey in may. All of ny pre op paperwork is done and approved. Im sad because I have gained weight instead of loosing. During the exams the doc found out im hypo thyroid.Dont know if weight gain is due to hypo or me not really eating.

I figured out that my night sweats were being caused by reactive hypoglycemia. I have to be really careful with what I eat close to bed time.

I have hashimoto's disease but my thyroid levels are still showing normal. Although, I have most if not all the symptoms of hypothyroidism. I go yearly to my endo for blood work but he has not put me on any medication since it always comes back in the normal range. I figure it's a matter of time though. Is this the same thing you have and are your levels normal or hypo?

The silicone is non-reactive, I've never heard of anyone having a reaction to it. It wouldn't be the material of choice for medical implants if that weren't the case. And just last night at a new patient seminar, someone asked about having an allergy to titanium. The doctors were surprised--evidently it's HIGHLY unusual for someone to have a reaction to titanium. But evidently Inamed makes a band without titanium in it, so if you know you have a titanium allergy there is another kind they can order for you.

Hi Julie, My band is very reactive to stress. When my stress level goes up, my band with tighten, to the point of being too tight and throwing up at every meal. I went through a period when I wasn't following up with my dr. and when I did it was because I was so miserable. I now know the signs and will gladly pay the $40 copay to get my band where it needs to be. Awesome job on your weight loss!