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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.

Hey guys! I've been on both sides of the thyroid- hyper with graves disease to complete hypo after RAI. My body has been through a lot in a few short years. I often wonder what it's role is in this weight loss mission i'm on. I definitely kept gaining weight as soon as I was hypothyroid and I'm on sinthrod forever now. I think my WL is mostly due to the quantity of exercise and effort I put into this. I barely scrape a pound off a week- barely. I Zumba 8x week, Bootcamp 2x week. Even if I have to work super hard at the loss part, in the back of my mind I tell myself- it won't come back on. Just keep moving forward. i think it complicates things, but I've got my eye on the prize. I've lost 50lbs and have about 40 to go. My surgery was in March 10, and post op I've lost over 30. Slow going. I also have 7ccs now.

I have been shocked over and over again by what I personally did not know. I studied this for two years. did research and watched videos and asked questions on here and to my team. I did not know: What to eat and when in detail. 64 oz. of Water..say what? I loved water..What I hate it now..Never heard of such a thing! I did not know any nutritional retraining I would need. I did not know that you can get a leak 18 months out. I did not know that you can get reactive Hypoglycemia. I did not know that when you gain muscle you get bigger. I did not know that you could really die from WLS. I did not know that people would treat you mean because you lost weight. I did not know that people would tell me I took the easy way out. I did not know that people can live without eating for 5.5 months... I guess I did not know a lot. But then I live in one of the the poorest Provinces. Not to mention the most backwards Province in Canada when it comes to health. I had no idea that most of the things that happened to me did.....I am shocked that more people are not aware of this life saving chance. And that more people die because they are not invested in the changing of lives.... I had no idea I would hate Tuna after my surgery and I when it was I would be able to finally eat at all....I had to learn to eat again..Who does that! I never knew that people sucked the chocolate off of peanut M n M's and thought they weren't cheating..They should have eaten the peanuts..you know! Or lick the cheese off Doritos and feel satisfied...Say what! I know this is a little off the best but you know what I think: there are still people who think you can't get pregnant the first time you have sex. For such a time of the information age. People are still eating boxed macaroni and cheese and thinking that it is good for you. For now I will try to answer as many of those questions as I can and when and if I do tire out..I will back off and call it a day! For now..nope!

I was never diagnosed with reactive hypoglycemia, but when I was pregnant, my blood sugar would drop to the high 40's (normal fasting is 70-100). I managed it by eating several small meals - every 3 or 4 hours - making sure I had good amounts of Protein in each. Which also cleared up my all-day morning sickness. Outside of pregnancy, I've had a few times where I got clammy and shaky and knew what it was and got some sugar on board quick. You can get glucose meters and supplies without a prescription, but a prescription is required for insurance to cover the cost. But it's important to be working with your doc and team regardless. I'm not far along enough to see if it's better or worse after the sleeve, but I'm on the lookout for it. This is a great topic, thanks for posting it!!

Synthroid for me won't absorb into the system at all. With Blood Tests I would be asked if I was even taking the Medication... Of course I was, but, it did not show up. So they put me on Generic Synthroid, and I felt terrible. So with the blood work, they now said I have both Hyper, and Hypo Thyroid. So I put it in the hands of a specialist, because it didn't sound good to me. He seems to be a good Dr., but if this up and down keeps up, then I have a feeling that this Thyroid will someday come out.

YES. HYPERthyroid. NOT HYPO. I know what I have(believe me-I've been dealing with this for over 4 years..lol..) and what I'm talking about. I realize that hypothyrodism is usually associated with the obese, yet there are more people than you think who are overweight and have hyperthyroidism.I REFUSE to take irraidiated iodine(which my doc NOW understands why I will not..) just to "kill" my thyroid and make me dependent on Synthroid for the rest of my life(also, I've seen and heard what can happen to a person with hypothyroid, who doesn't take their medication. I'll pass..) So, TRUST me guys, I KNOW what I have. I just wanted to know if anyone is dealing with it and what they've had to do to get their band. *sorry about the rather cranky tone, but it's frustrating that people assume I don't know my own diagnosis(and this happens ALOT..)just because they've never met an overweight person with hyper before.. tamp='1305766138' post='1615359'] HYPER? That is not normally associated with obesity, HYPOthyroidism or Hashimoto's disease is...are you sure that's not what you're talking about? I do have hypothyroidism, have the band, lost 30 lbs, and still have hypothyroidism....did you know you can take iodine for thyroid dysfunction? I think it's sold as potassium iodine....

Please contact your Dr ASAP. Some of it might be reactive hypoglycemia, or it could be worse but a Dr needs to be notified and you should be seen.

You will probably need to reduce your meds as your weight comes down so best see your GP and discuss! Might be you can step down to just the metformin initially which should not cause hypos.

I am getting sleeved on June 22. I am 51, strong family history of heart disease (my mom has had triple bypass, two uncles have had quadruple bypass, aunt had double bypass, two uncles have died of heart attacks, my grandmother had a few heart attacks), currently take daily 81 mg of aspirin per my cardiologist for prevention. I know you are not supposed to take NSAIDS once you have VSG. What does one do for prevention? I will be seeing my surgeon for my 2 week pre op on Thursday the 9th, I will ask him. Anyone else with this problem? I have had blood tests for C-reactive protein which is an indicator of future heart attack and my level was fairly high. This is one the my reasons for this surgery, to get rid of excess weight and changing eating habits and exercise to prevent heart disease. My cardiologist happily cleared me for this surgery. I did a 10 month weight management program through my cardiologist, and I lost 8-10 lbs. I did not think about this until this morning when I decided not to take the aspirin since I want to reduce bleeding risk from surgery. Any answers will be helpful for when I talk to my surgeon and cardiologist.

There are probably several potential causes for your condition - as others have said. These include: A lack of B12 vitamin. Orthostatic or postural hypotension. https://www.merckmanuals.com/home/heart-and-blood-vessel-disorders/symptoms-of-heart-and-blood-vessel-disorders/dizziness-or-light-headedness-when-standing-up Reactive hypoglycemia. https://www.ridgeviewmedical.org/services/bariatric-weight-loss/enewsletter-articles/reactive-hypoglycemia-postgastric-bypass Vertigo. Dehydration.

Some people get that with to much sugar or fats. It could also be reactive hypoglycemia I would contact your surgeon.

I still have restriction but nothing like I did. I used to eat 4 bites and then feel so full. Then around 18 months like 5 oz now I can eat a full burger. Not like a huge restaurant one but a fast food one. Eat pretty healthy. Mostly nuts, cheese, meat veggies but I do have whatever I want in moderation. It's just not my daily diet. It's def harder to maintain the further out I get I'm not hungry but I just can eat so my h more do I have to be more cautious of what I eat. I weigh every day because of this and try to eat dense Protein at each meal so I get full faster. I still do a protein shake each day for bfast. I also now have pretty crappy Iron levels. Just did labs Saturday. I also now have reactive hypoglycemia due to eating small amounts so I have watch my sugars. Y eating very balanced food not high sugar n not going too long without food

I have hypo as well. I am about 4 weeks out. About 22 lbs. just did physical and now my meds are off. Changing from 125 to 100 mcg. Doc said may or may not effect WLS. Said if i follow program should have not much of an impact. But each person is different.

I have had ups and down - sometimes I am very patient and not reactive at all. Others, OMG, I go off at the smallest thing.

Just deactivated all of my social media accounts with the exception of this group! I'm ready to start phase 2 of my WL journey. When I reactivate my account I'll be 50 pounds or more lighter!!!! I'm planning on having a big makeover and a full body profile pic as opposed to just headshots. Wish me luck, hold me accountable, whose ready to join my "Big Reveal Adventure"? Let's do this!!! Workouts start in the morning. Excited, no longer will food nor fat control Me!

I would agree, forgot about the Hypo....

It could be a Vitamin issue. For example B12. If your taking it using a time release tablet instead of a subliminal tablet or if you are taking the wrong type of B12 (it should be methylcobalamin). But I don't think that is the problem in your case. The clue is in the symptoms that you described. Low blood pressure reading, tired, lightheaded, fainting. Some patients after weight loss surgery develop a condition called "reactive hypoglycemia". Here is a link. http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetes/expert-answers/reactive-hypoglycemia/faq-20057778 and another link http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/060415p48tip.shtml If this is the cause, you want to become aware of the problem and the simple steps that need to be taken before it progresses to passing out.

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

What type of foods are you eating now? Are the gas pains gone? TIA Honestly I didn't have much gas pains. I stayed on water only for 2 days post op though. It was my choice to do so. I didn't feel hungry and water worked for me. I have bloating issues but I have had them since way before I had my surgery. I am Hashimoto's Hypothyroid and bloating, constipation and other gut issues are a norm for me. As far as gas, I get it on occasion but feel it is due to my hypo. As for food.....I am slowly introducing solids to my diet but only at night. I have a protein shake for lunch and breakfast and some type of solid soft food at night at home that way if my body doesn't like it I am where I need to be to deal with it. Protein drinks are a huge staple for me. Getting enough protein is pertinent and with just 2 a day, I am getting 86 grams of protein.

Look up RH reactivate hypoglycemia after gastric bypass

I went for my check up and my doctor realized that after several blood tests over the last year that my TSH levels were high. I didn't know what that meant but I realized that I am almost 7 weeks out and I am so tired that I can't even get up and walk around without feeling like I did a 5K run. I know my vit-D levels are low. I now have to take a 50,000 IU's of Vit-D once a week. My B-12 came back up to normal, now I have to take a B-12 shot. I have to also continue to take Calcium and Iron and I still feel very week. I was put on an anti-depressant which helps a little. The doctor then checks my last blood test and said to me " I think you have a thyroid problem. I replied " I thought high levels of TSH means high functioning thyroid. However, high TSH means low functioning thyroid. After the doctor goes back into my record and realizes that all my blood test from last year showed a problem with my thyroid I had to take another blood test to see if the TSH levels are still high. High TSH levels leads to the following You may experience chilliness or sluggishness or feel weak, depressed and tired, symptoms often labeled as chronic fatigue syndrome. You may have problems thinking and with cognitive functions, have difficulty breathing or experience muscle cramps with vague or specific joint pain. You may be plagued with uncontrollable weight gain, dry skin, constipation, menstrual problems, hot flashes, PMS, increased menstrual flow or have a miscarriage or be diagnosed with infertility. The list of common symptoms of high TSH levels includes weakness, fatigue, difficulty waking up, difficulty losing weight and/or weight gain, roughening of the hair and skin, hair loss, a pale or yellow tinge to skin, brittle nails, intolerance to cold, constipation, depression, mood swings, abnormal menstruation, decreased sex drive and memory loss. High TSH levels can affect a person's overall outlook and mentality. I had all these problems pre surgery. Now I thinking did I have to do this surgery at all. I hope this test confirms my worst fears so I can finally feel normal again. I don't have any energy. Read more: Symptoms of High TSH Levels | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/...l#ixzz23woxuHNH Read more: http://www.livestron.../#ixzz23woj9MJF

Nothing as severe as yours but I get horrible hypoglycaemia when I eat carbs/sugar. But it’s addictive and the world is full of it so October succumb - sometimes accidentally but often just through weariness! Anyhoo - for me low carb works. If I’m eating Keto I’m fine apart from cramps and palpitations. banana’s definitely spike my sugar and set off cravings - I try to stick to berries and yogurt. hope you get some help with this - hypo can be terrifying and feeling ill all the time is what we wanted to leave behind!!!

I had RNY so I know it is not the same, but I have Graves Disease so I had my thyroid ablated with radiation iodine in 2011 so I have no natural thyroid function and take Synthroid replacement every day. My med did not absorb properly post WLS (and my endocrinologist told me to expect it), so I was hypothyroid for a while and had to up my med. Synthroid can be particular so it would seem reasonable that the balloon could mess with absorption but it would seem odd that you would be enough hypo-thyroid in just 10 days. It could have occurred prior to your surgery and just now revealing itself? Also remember that you have to be consistent with taking your med and eating - i.e. at least an hour after the med, no Calcium within 4 hours of med (or if you do, just do It consistently), etc. Not sure if that helps, but I thought I would throw you what I knew...

Hi @@audaciousmarie! Hi @@Phoenix40! So last Thursday I went for my Nutrition/Surgeon/Coordinator appointment. I'll describe each appointment below: First you are weighed in and your height is taken Nutrition: The nutritionist is a very nice lady and she will ask you about what type of diet you have been on (I started following the 1200 calorie diet after orientation). You will have to describe what you usually eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, Snacks,etc. She also talks about Vitamins and what type you will need post op (this will depend on if you get the sleeve or bypass) and what to expect as far as diet goes in the first weeks after surgery (i.e. liquids, soft foods, etc) She also informed me about the different types of Protein drinks and answered any questions I had. Surgeon: Dr. Hahn was very patient. He went over my BMI, co morbidities, medications, etc to ensure that I would be a good candidate for surgery. He said it would be my choice whether to go for sleeve or bypass as I would be great candidate for either (I don't have acid reflux). We talked about the differences between sleeve and bypass (right off the bat he discouraged from the lap band so we were in agreement about that). He reiterated that regain was possible with either surgery and so is dumping (so it really comes down to the patient being willing to put in the work to not only lose the weight but keep it off). He went into detail about possible complications withe each procedure (ulcers, reactive hypoglycemia, reflux, etc). He then set a weight loss goal for me. Normally they ask the patients to lose 10% of their body weight but Dr. Hahn only requires a 7-8%, of total body weight, loss. For me 7-8% was 19 pounds (I had already lost 9 pounds since orientation and he credited me so I needed to lose 10 pounds to get a surgery date and 5 pounds to get a psych appointment). The only other requirements Dr. Hahn set out for me, besides weight loss, is attending at least one support group, and an EKG (I already finished my bloodwork). Coordinator: She was very pleasant. She informed of what my next steps to surgery are (support group, psych appointment, etc) and that to be sure I call monthly to update them on my weight and progress. Before the psych appointment each patient must fill out a surgery quiz (located in Chapter 9 of the Bariatric binder) and send it in before the appointment. Overrall it was an interesting yet quick appointment. I was told to expect to be there for 3 hours but for me it was more like 2 hours. Sent from my SM-G925T using the BariatricPal App Thank you for posting this! Your timing was perfect! I was struggling with one of my bad habits when I saw this and it helped me get passed it. Hearing about the appointment made me excited for my next step and reminded me why I am doing this.

Oh I get this condition also (although haven't attempted to get a diagnosis). I didn't know it was formerly classified as a medical condition. Mine came after running for long distances on my tread mill and doing cross fit. I found rolling and lacross ball mashing helps temporarily and is required almost every day. What really helps though is when I purchased the following reactivator shorts from Intelliskin: http://www.intelliskin.net/products-men.php I do not know if there are woman versions of these, but I think they might be unisex. It is designed to align and correct hip alignment and other flexor issues. The difference in how I feel when sitting all day or after working out where hips reflectors are used (eg running, squats, wall ball throws, Olympic lifts, kettle bell swings, etc) is night and day. As a bonus, my athletic agility and explosive performance is also way up because I am not constantly dealing with SI or psoa pain. Instead the hips function as they are supposed to. They are great. Kind of pricy though. Doing air squats with these on is awesome and they allow me to go really deep. Doing the deep air squats actually helps a lot in managing the symptoms. Plus they feel really good to do in a sensual way (endorphin release).