DisasterWalking73 Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 I am just going to paste in the email I just sent to Carolyn/Dr. Miranda - any advice? If I haven't lost all the weight, will Dr. Ortiz still do the surgery? I am nervous... Hi, Carolyn - I am experiencing some problems losing enough weight on the pre-op diet and I wanted to discuss the situation with you. I started three weeks ago and decided to do option #1 - atkins induction. It started off great - I lost about seven pounds the first week. However, the second week I only lost a pound (I'm supposed to lose a total of 12) - so I switched to option #2 - two shakes and a lean cuisine this week. So far I've gained one pound on that. I'm so frustrated, I've been drinking my water and exercising. There is something else though - I saw my OBGyn the day before I started my pre-op diet to get some bloodwork done and make sure there'd be no surprises when I headed down to Mexico. First of all, her scale showed my starting weight as 252 (not 248 as I'd originally told you) and she said my bloodwork has come back with hormone levels consistent with PCOS. She put me on birth control pills to try to correct it - but I am worried they, along with the PCOS are making it difficult for me to lose weight. I'm very worried that I'm going to get down to OCC and be denied because I haven't lost the full 12 lbs (I've lost 7 so far from my highest weight of 252 and I've got one week to go). The two shakes and a lean cuisine don't seem to be working for me - please advise - I don't know what to do! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magkai1 Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 Hey girl, I think full honesty is ALWAYS the way to go with medical care. Also, you can email Dr. Ortiz directly at drortiz@obesitycontrolcenterDOT whatever it is. I believe PCOS is one of the conditions greatly improved by weight loss, so I would be surprised if you were denied your surgery on that fact alone. You still have one more week on the diet option #2. You just may well lose that last 5 pounds!! I would be surprised if you didn't. Let us know how it goes. Margaret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawkchick75 Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 Work as hard as you can, but I know I didn't lose all mine and they still let me go ahead. Email Dr. Miranda and ask her for sure, but I showed what I did and made progress so they let me do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngieB Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 Disasterwalking- I don't think you should stress, stay the course and get as close as you can. I freaked out about my pre-op and it turned out fine. I actually lost all the weight I needed to. Even if you loose a few more lbs, the point is to lighten your liver for the operation. You would be able to knock me over with a feather if they didn't do your surgery. You have made an honest attempt and lost over 1/2 the weight required as is. You have one more week to drop more weight. It's do-able! Hang in there. You are nearing the bandster line! Yippee! Shelby - I have to say, you look soooo much younger. Looking at your initial picture and you in the racing photo, it is amazing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RevyD Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 Hi Deena. Don't get discouraged. Keep doing the best that you can . I don't think they will cancel your surgery once you explain the situation. Watch your sodium too as that will cause you to retain water and thus pounds. You can do it. I have faith it you ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DisasterWalking73 Posted September 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 First, let me just say, you guys are so great. I talked to the OCC and they've said pretty much the same things you guys are telling me - that I've already lost half the weight, so just keep trying and I'll be ok. Part of me knows I'm being really paranoid - I think this is my way of trying to deal with the uncertaintly of the surgery (and also this new PCOS thing) - just worrying about every possible thing. So, I'm gonna just keep trying, keep exercising, and keep drinking (water, though, not martinis! ) Thanks - and hopefully I'll be seein' y'all in bandland pretty soon! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawkchick75 Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Disasterwalking- I don't think you should stress, stay the course and get as close as you can. I freaked out about my pre-op and it turned out fine. I actually lost all the weight I needed to. Even if you loose a few more lbs, the point is to lighten your liver for the operation. You would be able to knock me over with a feather if they didn't do your surgery. You have made an honest attempt and lost over 1/2 the weight required as is. You have one more week to drop more weight. It's do-able! Hang in there. You are nearing the bandster line! Yippee! Shelby - I have to say, you look soooo much younger. Looking at your initial picture and you in the racing photo, it is amazing. Thanks so much!!! I've always looked way younger than my age, and now it's even worse! Now, mind you I don't complain about that i'll take it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamworthit Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 I am just going to paste in the email I just sent to Carolyn/Dr. Miranda - any advice? If I haven't lost all the weight, will Dr. Ortiz still do the surgery? I am nervous... Hi, Carolyn - I am experiencing some problems losing enough weight on the pre-op diet and I wanted to discuss the situation with you. I started three weeks ago and decided to do option #1 - atkins induction. It started off great - I lost about seven pounds the first week. However, the second week I only lost a pound (I'm supposed to lose a total of 12) - so I switched to option #2 - two shakes and a lean cuisine this week. So far I've gained one pound on that. I'm so frustrated, I've been drinking my water and exercising. There is something else though - I saw my OBGyn the day before I started my pre-op diet to get some bloodwork done and make sure there'd be no surprises when I headed down to Mexico. First of all, her scale showed my starting weight as 252 (not 248 as I'd originally told you) and she said my bloodwork has come back with hormone levels consistent with PCOS. She put me on birth control pills to try to correct it - but I am worried they, along with the PCOS are making it difficult for me to lose weight. I'm very worried that I'm going to get down to OCC and be denied because I haven't lost the full 12 lbs (I've lost 7 so far from my highest weight of 252 and I've got one week to go). The two shakes and a lean cuisine don't seem to be working for me - please advise - I don't know what to do! I wanted to let you know that I too have PCOS. I was diagnosed 10 years ago and have fought my weight my entire adult life. I tried every diet known to man and have never been a huge eater but I got progressively fatter as time went on... With that said, I was banded on 07/01/08 (not at OCC) and do not regret it for 1 minute. I have lost 85 lbs in almost 2 years. I had to do a 6 month pre-diet plan before my insurance would pay for my surgery so 25 lbs of the 85 is from then. I now weigh 180 lbs and wear a size 16 or 14 petite. I feel better than I have in years and on top of that, I feel like I may be "normal" again some day. PCOS is not something easy to live with and losing weight is a lot harder with hormonal imbalances that go along with PCOS, but it can be done. Also, losing weight will help your PCOS symptoms a lot. I can attest to that, for sure. Prior to this year I was lucky if I would get 1 or 2 periods a year. In 2009, I have had 6 - that in and of itself is a miracle to me. I don't think I will be able to have children as I am older but I would recommend this surgery to any young woman with PCOS who wants to have children because the weight loss alone is proven to help that. I am not a dr. so I wouldn't claim and medical knowledge; purely anecdotal. Don't worry about your preop diet - you'll get there. You just stick to your plan and follow the diet to the letter after surgery and you'll be fine. Take care and good luck with your decisions! It is an exciting time for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DisasterWalking73 Posted September 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Thanks very much for sharing your experiences with PCOS with me. I had a phone conversation with my OBGyn today regarding some lab results (FSH levels very low, LH levels 3 times what the FSH levels are) -- and she's decided to put me on Metformin. I am hoping this will be helpful - do you have any experience with this drug? I've decided to hold of on starting it until after my surgery (it's in - oh my gosh, 4 days!) - I want to minimize my surgery risks as much as I possibly can. I'm not too worried about the pre-op anymore - I have lost some weight and I've been following a very low carb diet. So, hopefully, my liver is plenty petite now! I wanted to let you know that I too have PCOS. I was diagnosed 10 years ago and have fought my weight my entire adult life. I tried every diet known to man and have never been a huge eater but I got progressively fatter as time went on... With that said, I was banded on 07/01/08 (not at OCC) and do not regret it for 1 minute. I have lost 85 lbs in almost 2 years. I had to do a 6 month pre-diet plan before my insurance would pay for my surgery so 25 lbs of the 85 is from then. I now weigh 180 lbs and wear a size 16 or 14 petite. I feel better than I have in years and on top of that, I feel like I may be "normal" again some day. PCOS is not something easy to live with and losing weight is a lot harder with hormonal imbalances that go along with PCOS, but it can be done. Also, losing weight will help your PCOS symptoms a lot. I can attest to that, for sure. Prior to this year I was lucky if I would get 1 or 2 periods a year. In 2009, I have had 6 - that in and of itself is a miracle to me. I don't think I will be able to have children as I am older but I would recommend this surgery to any young woman with PCOS who wants to have children because the weight loss alone is proven to help that. I am not a dr. so I wouldn't claim and medical knowledge; purely anecdotal. Don't worry about your preop diet - you'll get there. You just stick to your plan and follow the diet to the letter after surgery and you'll be fine. Take care and good luck with your decisions! It is an exciting time for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CindyLou Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 IMO you should not start a medication that will lower you blood sugar prior to a surgery that will decrease your food intake. Of course, your doctor has the final say, but I would not think it would be safe. Make sure your ob/gyn knows about your surgery and that Dr. Ortiz knows about the Metformin. Congrats on your upcoming surgery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamworthit Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Thanks very much for sharing your experiences with PCOS with me. I had a phone conversation with my OBGyn today regarding some lab results (FSH levels very low, LH levels 3 times what the FSH levels are) -- and she's decided to put me on Metformin. I am hoping this will be helpful - do you have any experience with this drug? I've decided to hold of on starting it until after my surgery (it's in - oh my gosh, 4 days!) - I want to minimize my surgery risks as much as I possibly can. I'm not too worried about the pre-op anymore - I have lost some weight and I've been following a very low carb diet. So, hopefully, my liver is plenty petite now! I took Metformin for several years; I didn't really have a great result with it though. My blood sugar was never extremely high; usually around 110. It did come down but it never regulated the other issues I had. I remained infertile and never really lost any weight. I have a thyroid disorder too, so that doesn't help either. I stopped taking the Metformin a couple of years ago and wasn't on it at the time of surgery. However, I think you need to be very careful about it if you take it during surgery. They will make you go off of it I am sure. I can't remember the reasons but I know they warn of that. I wish you luck with the Metformin. I know woman who have had luck but it just never worked for me. I am not sure if your periods are regular, or not, but mine were not. Since losing 85 lbs, I am more "normal" than ever. Other symptoms have subsided as well. Let me know how your surgery goes! I really think you will be happy with the results. The first month is the hardest. My dr. signed me out of work for 4 weeks which was nice because I focused on me 100%. I struggled mainly the first 2 weeks after surgery but after that it was smooth sailing. Don't get hung up on the scale. I didn't weigh myself the first month because I didn't want to be obsessive about it. I am glad I did that too because I never knew when I was down or up once I started food. The first month, after surgery, I lost 12 lbs. I was really happy with that number. Since then, I have lost on average 3 lbs a month. Good luck and let me know if you have other questions for a fellow PCOS'er. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DisasterWalking73 Posted September 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Thanks for your replies, ladies - yeah, I was nervous about taking the Metformin during surgery, so, even though I have the prescription, I'm not going to start it until a few weeks post-op. I'll let everybody know how it goes! - Deena Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CindyLou Posted September 27, 2009 Report Share Posted September 27, 2009 Thanks for your replies, ladies - yeah, I was nervous about taking the Metformin during surgery, so, even though I have the prescription, I'm not going to start it until a few weeks post-op. I'll let everybody know how it goes! - Deena Be sure you are eating regularly before you begin taking it. Did your ob/gyn know you were having lapband surgery when he prescribed it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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