TDoern

First - I admit I have no read this whole thread - I have a bad back and before it gets worse just wanted to pop in and tell you a little about weight loss surgery.

My story started when I was 12 years old. Once my periods started my weight started to get out of control. With my periods being so irregular my mom took me to a gyn who told her I was just young, it would all work itself out and that my weight going up with the onset of the periods had nothing to do with each other. OH how I wish I had her name and when I was diagnosed and reality hit about everything I could have strangled her. I tried everything I was physically able to in order to lose weight. I hit 240 pounds about the time I turned 16-17 and stayed there until in 2000 I seriously injured my back and added another 40 pounds onto that. My weight had held steady at 280-290 after that. I tried every diet out there, and was always able to have some success with every diet involving low carb - but after six or so months the weight would come back with me doing everything correctly. I've done the soup diets, atkins, weight watchers, a cabbage soup diet, pills, soaps (yeah I was desperate the soap said it would melt fat away), and all sorts of other things, nothing would work long term. I saw a dietician who told me that due to my medications for pain, nerve pain, muscle relaxers, anti-inflammitories, add to that the fact that walking for more than 10 minutes and sometimes less sends pain shooting down my legs, then add degenerative disc disease, two ruptured discs that pinch nerves down each leg, and PCOS, and other crap the dietician said my loosing weight was like trying to climb a glass mountain in the rain. It wasn't going to happen.

Several doctors suggested weight loss surgery to me - but I saw that as the "cheater" method. Finally I realized I HAD to lose weight or I was never going to have a chance at carrying a baby, and my back was going to degenerate quicker than it already was. So I started looking into WLS (weight loss surgery). It took me two years to work up the guts and finally on Dec 6, 2007 (about six months ago) I had a gastric bypass Roux-en-Y done laproscopically.

Right now - I weight 180 pounds - I weighted 284 the morning of surgery. I fit into a pair of size 14 jeans yesterday and they weren't even tight. I'm having regular periods for the first time in my life - EVER. The dark patches under my arms and on the back of my neck are GONE. Yes I still have facial hair, but in my opinion it's coming in slower each time, but it could all just be in my head.

So yes, WLS does help PCOS. The thing is, weight loss helps PCOS, it's just some of us are able to lose weight the good old fashioned way, and some of us aren't. If I could have lost weight any other way WLS would NOT have been an option. However, I realized that cheating was ignoring I HAD to lose weight, surgery wasn't cheating. The surgery for me, has probably added years to my life, it's allowed my girly parts to start functioning like a regular womans should, it's also made me feel better.

The important thing is to know that WLS is not a quick fix, and it's not easy. For me the surgery was harder than any diet I've ever been on. WLS is tool - it helps you relearn how to eat, and depending on your sugery it has it's own "your eating bad" discipline worked right in. (With any surgery except the lap band if you eat the wrong food many suffer from dumping syndrome which is like the flu REALLY bad for hours). My surgeon's post-op diet involved eating nothing but clear liquids for two weeks, then for the third week I had all clear liquids with the exception of egg once a day. Have you ever looked at an egg and seen it as too much to eat? It was. Have you ever lived off of clear yucky liquids for two weeks? It SUCKS. It's not "EASY". WLS is also not something you can decide your going to skip for a weekend, or the holidays.

Also - you can gain your weight back after surgery. If you start making all the wrong food choices, or eating non stop, overeating and such - your weight will come back. The WLS is supposed to help you rework how you eat.

I hope this has given you some idea. Also, in the Diet/Exercise Buddies forum there is a thread titled WLS Diva's. It's a forum us WLS patients use to talk. If you are considering, planning, scheduled for, thinking about, having, or had WLS you are welcome to pop in and ask away. Also obesityhelp.com has a ton of information as well.

Good luck!
Feel free to stop and ask questions with us Diva's! There are girls there who have had all the surgeries, and quite a few who are soon to be mommies or mommies only because of their WLS.

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