questions...pregnancy, PCOS and lapband

Hi yall..i am new to these boards..i am 32 years old, have one toddler (after 7 years of trying..finally conceived after surgery on bicornuate uterus and using Femara for ovulation and IUI) i am 5'3" and 265..  anyway my husband and I are finally seriously talking about me having this surgery this year..i am trying to gather information on lapband versu RNY....i really want to have lapband for some reason anyway... here are my questions for PCOSers.. **i feel lke i crave sugar more and more as my PCOS worsens...how have you dealt with that after WLS..i am scared to death of that.i know i have to give it up it is killing me but just eager to know if others of you have had the severe sugar sweet cravings and lived through that valley... ** your thoughts versus LB vs. RnY for PCOS ** PREGNANCY..i want to have another soon..i really want to lose the weight and then get pergnant because honestly yall i cant imagine being pregnant on top of my current weight AND chasing a toddler.i just dont think i can do it..BUT if i have lapband..will i have to wait 16-24 months to conceive?????  what has been yalls experiences with this...would you recommend doing WSL before or after??? *** and finally i think i was have thought for a long time that WSL just would not work because of the PCOS..that even if i dont eat my wacky still wont lose weight..this is how i have gotten where i am i think..it was so hard to lose the little bit of weight i needed to lose before that i just packed on more a "what's the point" mentality that i am now paying for..trying to wade through some of these mind issues before the surgery...  all of that to say that the very fact that i am discovering so many with PCOS have had success with WLS..well it is inspiring..there is hope.. and for those of you TTC...THERE IS HOPE>.i thought i would never conceive and i did (and i weighed 231!)  GOD BLESS YOU ALL. Holly http://shabbymama.blogspot.com

Hi Holly -  I'm sorry that no one has responded to your post yet.  I don't know if you've gotten the answers elsewhere or not, but I don't log onto OH very much anymore.  I happen to be cruising through today and thought I could provide some of MY reasons for choosing RNY over lapband.  I have had PCOS for several years, but diagnosed 8 years ago.  I had RNY on 9/19/06 - 7 months ago today actually.  I have lost 96 pounds. I was under the assumption as well that WLS wasn't going to work for me because of the insulin resistance that came about due to my PCOS.  After lots of research, and stumbling across several articles such as this one: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&d b=PubMed&list_uids=15946424&dopt=Abstract I decided that I was going to give RNY a chance.  LapBand doesn't re-route your intestines, therefore loses the ability to bypass the areas that effect insulin.  If you have insulin resistance and take any medication for it, I believe RNY to be a better choice for the reason alone.  I haven't taken Glucophage or Aldactone since the day before surgery.  I just got my 6 month labwork back and all my numbers were GREAT!  Insulin included - on no meds for it.  I think this surgery made ALL the difference in the world.  The thing with RNY though, is there are a lot more food restrictions than with LAP Band.  It's definitely a personal choice whether you think you can restrict yourself enough with LAP Band or if you need your body to tell you that those carbs and sugar are bad for you and make you "dump".  For me, it wasn't about what I was puttng in my mouth or the quantity, so I thought LAP Band would be a waste.  It was about how my body was processing it once it got to my intestines. I still have PCOS symptoms and I'm not sure if I'm ovulating at all yet, but I plan on waiting another year before trying to conceive anyway, so it's on the back burner for me.  Most surgeons vary between 12 months to 24 months only to let your body heal properly and make sure you're absorbing enough nutrients for a healthy pregnancy.  MANY women get pregnant in the first few months after surgery and have healthy babies though.  There is a lot of controversy over this. Anyway, hope this provides a little info for you to help you with your decision. Best of luck!

Hi there! I have a lap-band and PCOS - but I am a PCOS-er that doesn't have a problem loosing weight - it's not slipping back into bad habits that has me stymied! I have to say, there are times that I wish i'd gotten the RNY - because I'd lose weight faster, and I wouldn't be fighting my bad habits as much. At the same time, being preggers 7 mos. post op, it's nice to know I CAN eat more and get enough nourishment for a baby. And I've lost 50 pounds. Well, 60, but then I Gained 10 back... bad michelle! anyway, if you've got any question, ask em! Or send me a PM because I don't check this forum often :)