Insulin Resistance/Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome

Does anyone have these ailments, and were the symptoms improved after you had WLS?

Hi Whitney! I too have PCOS/insulin resistance and would like to know the answers to those questions too. I am wondering if it is harder to lose the weight even after WLS due to the insulin resistance/slow metabolism issues. I know that it is very hard to lose weight now and my metabolism is practically nil. Any info anyone can give about this would be greatly appeciated. Tammy

I have PCOS and there is a message board just for PCOS on here. I am 7 weeks post op down 25 lbs. I am diabetic but I'm off all medication and have been since surgery! My doc said just today that I'm right on track as to where I should be with weight loss. My doc says the more you way to begin with the faster you lose in the beginning! My surgeon is pleased with where I am. I work out and I think that helps! I really am sticking to the things I should be eating and not cheating, that helps as well! Even women with PCOS/Diabetes can make this work and lose the weight but you must stick to the plan. However, my cycles are all off and I think that is directly related to being off the pill the month of my surgery and also the rapid weight loss. Hope this helps! Good Luck!

Where is the MB for PCOS? I would really like to read it. Did you have any other symptoms of PCOS, and have they improved? Oh, and congrats on your success! I hope it continues well for you!

I'm a year post op with PCOS and insulin resistance. Prior to surgery I had maybe 2 or 3 cycles a year. I was on a high dose of glucophage. I lost weight post WLS quickly and steadily. In fact, surgeon says I lost slightly faster than my peers and I was a relative light-weight to begin with at 233 lbs on surgery day. I don't believe that all heavy-weights lose quickly and all light-weights lose slowly. You work your tool very hard, you'll lose what you want to lose. I was down to surgeon's goal of 150 lbs by 9 months post op. At just about 2 wks shy of my 1 year anniversary, I'm a healthy 135 lbs!!! And I have a candy bar a few times a week, to be honest. Since 3 months post WLS, my cycles regulated themselves and I get one every month! I'm off the glucophage. ONE CAVEAT: I jog 30 minutes at a clip 5 or 6 x a week!!! And I've been jogging since 2 wks post op. It helped the weight come of rapidly. And I'm certain it helps me regulate my blood sugar/insulin more efficently. I wouldn't be surprised if I end up back on a low dose of Glucophage some day in the future. My fasting blood sugars are running about 103ish. As I'm able to eat more, the levels are rising. I did that 3 month control test (forget what it's called) recently and that result was perfectly fine, but.... I still have PCOS. You don't shake that with the weight. It's just far more managable and less overwhelming. I'm back on medication for high blood pressure. I was seeing a Nephrologist who was fine with me being off all medication especially as long as I continue to jog (which mentally I'm adjusting to the idea that I will need to exercise briskly nearly EVERY DAY for the REST OF MY LIFE!) even with my numbers running on the low side of high. I pushed to go back on medication because I just wanted to make sure my heart and arteries are protected long-term. Now I'm on the lowest dose of Cozaar and my numbers are fabulous. Can't do Cozaar if you're still thinking of having babies. The medication will harm a fetus. BTW- I'm 34. I've been tortured by PCOS and its effects since I was 17. You have every reason to be hopeful.

Wow that was some great info!!! Sure makes things look better down the road!! Thanks!

I too am unsulin resitent with PCOS that has bloomed to full fledged diabetes. My A1C before surgery were around 8.9. I just had a test done on Monday and my A1c is 6.3 and i have only had teh surgery just under twon months ago. I have lost about 55 lbs so far and hope to be down to 60 this monday which is my two month surgery anniversary. I am off my insulin and all other medication for diabetes except glucopahge. The glucophage helps with hunger as well as addresses the insulin resistance. I think the glucopahge is actually a help even after the surgery... there is no way i can get intestinal blockage on Glucophage. Those of you who are one it know what i mean. I too was worried about losing more slowling or not at all because of the PCOS and IR. But it was in vain. At this point even if all i lose is the 60 lbs it is worth it. My sugars have not been this good for years. Paula

Color me ignorant! Please explain to me exactly what PCOS is, symptoms, etc. I will be a year out from RNY WLS in exactly 3 days. Here is a brief scenario of my history (well maybe not so bried-sorry)...can anyone tell me if this is PCOS? I had gestational diabetes in my 4th trimester (with my 2nd child). I was put on insulin until birth of baby. GD went away but I was told that 90% will get Diabetes back later down the road. About 2 yrs later I did...and the weight just kept increasing. I never went back on insulin but did require various oral meds for the diabetes II. Since the birth of my child in 91 (and at the age of 37) I have had very irregular periods, ovarian fibroids, and a huge weight gain (although I have always been heavy since I was around 10 yrs old). When I was around 5 yrs old the doctors gave my parents a "tonic" for me to take because I was underweight...Oh lucky me!!! Good God what is wrong with some of these MD's? Anyway...of recent I have had a vaginal sono to see if my "fibroid cysts" have gotten larger in size. They have not. I had all bloodwork done and my levels are all good. Even my sugar levels. But...since July of this year I have not lost any "extra" weight. I keep losing and gaining the same 6-9 pounds over and over again. Is my body telling me that It just does not want to lose anymore...that this is where I am doomed to be for the rest of my life even after WLS? Yes, I have lost aprox. 160 Lbs (remember those 6-9 that I have been dealing with for months) in 12 months, but I want to lose at the very least another 50. I can't see this happening since what I have been experiencing the past 4 months. Here is a post I put up two nights ago...maybe this will help, and someone MAY have an answer for me...thanks for anyone *****ads this and can shed some light. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ have come to a complete halt now for over 3 months. I have gained and lost the same 6-9 lbs for the past 3 months. Where I was down 160 lbs, I am now (back up to) down only 156lbs. I tend to retain a lot of fluid. No matter if I weighed 90 lbs or 590 lbs, I retain fluid. I do take a fluid pill every day (prescribed, of course). When I ran out of my diuretics, boy did THAT show on the scale. I was without them for nearly 3 weeks and now I am really paying for it. I exercise, eat my protein, never missed not one day of vitamins or H2o...I do not take the B-12, caltrate or whatever that others say we need, but my labs all turned out fine. In 6 days I will be at my 1 year anniversary from WLS. I have not lost one (extra) pound in over 3 months...I hope this isn't the last of my losing any more weight. Before WLS I was a Type II diabetic on glucaphage @ 2000mg daily. This had increased over the years to the 2000mg per day. I now no longer need any diabetic meds nor high blood pressure pills. Thank God! BUT...my question is this. I guess you could say I am in what???---remission??? from the diabetes since WLS? Anyway, since I WAS a diabetic, does that mean that for the rest of my life I will produce carbs, sugar, etc. in a different way then a non (ever) diabetic would? Any info here might help me to get a handle on what to totally eliminate from my diet for the long haul---LIFE! Thanks in advance for your help. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thank you for reading, Audrey

I don't know much about PCOS, but I believe one has facial hair growth, which I do. I saw my GYN a few months back and had blood work done. I do not have PCOS and also have not yet gone through menopause. I am now 54 and was hoping to have gone through it and not know so I breezed through it. I always was getting hot so I didn't know if I was getting hot flashes or not. My periods were quite regular until I started taking the Depo shot 4 years ago and now off Depo, but still no period for over a year yet, another reason I thought maybe I had been through menopause. I too had gestional diabetes and did develop full-blown diabetes several years later. After only two months after WLS, I am off all insulins and off all diabetes meds. BTW, I was told that Glucophage would not work on our newly formed pouches and intestines so it is useless to take. My hgb A1C was 5.6 two weeks ago on labs. I exercise just about every day at Slender Lady (like Curves you go in a circuit and exercise for 1/2 hour). It seems to be working great as I am losing inches a lot (just going for 3 weeks now). I was told that once you stablelized after WLS, diabetes is gone. Now we are just like people who have never had diabetes and yes must still eat minimal carbs and minimal sugars. I do not dump so I hope I can follow protocol for life. Not sure if I answered your question. Hope you work it out. Karen

I had once thought WLS was my only option to loose weight, but I knew there HAD to be medical reason for my weight gain- so I kept looking. After getting better medical insurance one of my new doctors discovered that I had IR, and then was promptly put on a special diet tailored for that medical condition. Its not easy, but I've lost 55lbs this year without any surgery of any kind- in fact this is the very first diet I have ever had any success with! I had posted a Q+A many years ago here, and today I posted an update after 7 years (better late than never!): http://www.obesityhelp.com/morbidobesity/information/question.php?N=e934314811 Here are some good resources for IR and PCOS that I found along the way: http://www.pcosupport.org/ Dieting with obsticles IR/PCOS: http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=70 I myself do not have PCOS (though IR is common in women who have PCOS), but I do have IR so there are many similarities. In my experience, it has been literally impossible to shed weight with IR WITHOUT proper medical guidance from experienced professionals. Sadly most doctors out there are quacks who immediately dismiss an overweight patient as an "overeater" if their thyroid tests come back negative- yet they never think to test for IR! IR/PCOS has nothing to do with the thyroid, so those tests won't pick it up. What you need is a "Glucose resistance test". You are to fast for 12 hours before you do this test. Blood is drawn, then you are given a very sugary drink. Over the next two hours the nurse will take blood samples from you periodically. What is being measured is your body's ability to absorb glucose in the blood. If this function is shown to be impaired you have "insulin resistance", IR in a nutshell is cellular insensitivity to insulin- not as severe as full blown diabetes but IR is considered the "stepping-stone" to diabetes. Your cells are unable to respond to insulin's message to open its doors and soak up the sugar in your blood. The following things happen as a result: 1) Your cells, being unable to soak up glucose easily, become "starved" despite plentiful glucose in the blood 2) Brain responds by producing more insulin to try and get the cells to absorb the glucose 3) excess surges insulin only makes cells even more resistant to it, while I cannot remember the exact references it has been mentioned that excess insulin in the body negatively affects organs and hormone cycles. 4) Excess unused blood glucose (since your cells can't absorb it well) gets siphoned away and stored as fat. The cells are still left hungry since they were unable to get their "refueling" of glucose before it was "packed away" into fat. This is how it is possible for people with IR+PCOS to GAIN weight while on a diet + exercise. I've had great success with a low-carb diet (very different from atkins), however this was under strict and experienced medical guildance by professionals who specialize in treating PCOS/IR. I would not recommend doing something like this on your own, it's far too easy to make mistakes and then you're back to square one. Find a nutritionist who knows IR inside-out, and how much carbs you can eat without triggering the IR downward spiral so that you can finally loose weight while dieting. I fear that many who choose WLS actually have IR/PCOS, only they don't know it because their crummy doctors have misjudged them. The weight continues to build without any explanation, and soon it seems WLS is the last untried solution. This is certainly not to say that all WLS patients have IR. Everyone is different. It is possible to loose weight if you have IR, but without medical guidance it's like being lost at sea.