PCOS/Insulin Resistance and the band?

[leknigh 0]

Hi - I'm just wondering if there are any ladies out there that have (or had) PCOS/Insulin Resistance prior to having the band surgery, and how your weight loss has progressed since having the band.

I don't know about any of you - but every diet and exercise program (or lifestyle change) I've tried either doesn't work, works VERY slowly, or my weight piles back on extremely quickly the minute I fall of track. Do you find that the same is true since having band surgery - or has it truly been the tool you needed to change your life?

I'm just tired and completely disheartened by the constant uphill battle with PCOS/IR and hope I'm making the right decision to get this surgery.....

[TracyinKS 7]

I have PCOS.. LOW CARB EATING has ALWAYS helped get my cycles back on track and reversied my formerly infertile status.....

[TracyinKS 7]

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.

[bekafina 0]

I too have PCOS and it's a pain in the but, well I should say it was a pain in the butt!! I am a slow loser and with the IR trying to lose was hell, I decided to get the Lap Band and change my health once and for all, well here I am 10 months in and 50 lbs lighter!! I knew going into this that it wasn't going to be my "cure all" and I was going to have to work at this, and I have had my struggles, mostly with the head hunger and only eating when I am hungry and not bored, but it has worked, I have stopped taking my Metformin, and my periods have been normal for the past 4 months, I feel so much better and I would recommend the band to anyone. There is hope for women with PCOS, it is called the band.

[Jami Victoria 0]

I have PCOS and wasn't diagnosed until I was 33 (I'm 37 now). I had band surgery on April 14th and I have lost 32 pounds so far. Granted, the last 4 weeks I haven't realy budged on the scale, which is becoming extremely frustrating. I just look at it this way..at least I haven't gained! My OB-GYN was actually the one to suggest the surgery in the first place. I am so glad that I did this. It was pure hell for me the first month after surgery, but well worth it. My band was too tight right after surgery and had to be readmitted and recovery took a while. And other than the fact that I have PCOS and am overweight, I have no other health issues.

I think this surgery is going to save my life and hopefully bring me back to where i want to be. And don't get me wrong..you have to change just about everything in your life to get the most out of it. You can do it. Just think about your son. Thinking about my kids help me tremendously. And I'm not going to lie..thinking about wearing smaller clothes and feeling great about myself didn't hurt either! Good luck and go for it!