24 Years Old with PCOS, from 400 Lbs to 195 - Grand Rapids, MI

I'm a few days post-op, but I feel surprisingly "great" compared to how I thought I'd feel. I haven't seen many cases like mine so I thought I'd post a review now, even while I'm a little drowsy, to help others in my position. I have been morbidly obese since childhood (I remember having an "apron" even as a kid in elementary) and I also have a severe form of PCOS. There were many years of struggle, pain, and tears until I eventually found a surgeon who I trusted to give me the vertical sleeve bariatric surgery. Through a lot of hard work, following extreme diet rules and working out (sometimes twice a day for 2+ hours!) I went down from 400 lbs to 195 in two years. This was without taking meds for PCOS! Please note that my results were extreme, and that I had very unique circumstances, so any amount of weight loss would have been great. The only complications I had from the sleeve were severe hair loss and random nausea.

I was ready and prepared to have a circumferential abdominoplasty after my weight was stable for a year. I was also scared because my body still looked "obese," and knew that no amount of work could fix that. Unfortunately, as many sufferers know, PCOS weight gain is unpredictable and I ended up gaining 30 lbs despite working out and dieting as always. I tried every diet, and worked out two hours a day, I tried my hardest but nothing would budge except the scales kept creeping up and my new smaller clothes were getting tighter.

I was so depressed and irritated because I was still more fit than anyone I knew. I could run and lift weights with the best of them, but the pounds kept creeping up. I went up about two dress sizes from my lowest weight. Regardless of what size I was, I always had a massive amount of wrinkled belly skin that would get in the way and cause rashes/infection. I knew that it had to go no matter what I weighed in order to keep up with my healthy lifestyle.

I found surgeons who made me cry and feel like a failure for not being able to lose more weight, despite literally revolving my whole life around counting calories and working out. I couldn't believe that after losing almost 200 lbs, some doctors expected me to weigh 160 lbs. It's as if they don't understand how human bodies vary or they expect that women should strive for a golden arbitrary number.

I have large breasts, a smaller waist, and hips that I didn't want to lose. Sure, I've never looked "skinny" but I thought I looked good! I also felt very healthy (low cholestrol, low blood sugar/pressure, low heart rate) but I still wore a size 16 at 5'8 due to my tummy and arms. That is the "curse" of PCOS which unfortunately many people still do not understand.

I was blessed to find a surgeon who made me feel accomplished and beautiful. He was so kind and supportive, I knew right away that he was the right doctor for me. So I went ahead with the surgery, despite being 30 lbs over my post-op appointment weight, as I was still very active and eating healthily. My surgery went very well, thankfully. I was able to walk, get up on my own, and use the bathroom from the first day. The 2nd day was worse, but I am feeling better now. I am so amazed by how supportive my friends and family are about this.

I could not believe my eyes when I looked into the mirror, and for the first time in my life, saw a beautiful pubic area. My body looked the way I imagined all those times I'd stared into the mirror sideways and lifted up the excess skin to see what my "real body" looked like. I no longer feel like I'm drowning in skin. My emotions were pretty stable until that point, but that's when I lost it. All my life, through childhood, puberty, teenage years, and college years, I have had to carry this burden...and now, it was gone. It still feels like a dream.

I will post some pics and write more when I'm not so woozy, and let you know how my post-op appointments go. I hope as the weeks go by that I will find new friends to talk to about this. :) But so far, I absolutely think it was worth it, I would just like to wait a few more weeks until I can truthfully make that claim.

I think I'm still doing very well! I am able to get up and walk around on my own, as well as make a quick snack and take my own meds. I definitely get winded easily so I take my time and try to sleep as much as possible. I also had my first post-op shower yesterday - it was a terrifying experience! I kept getting light-headed and freaking out over my body (it was the first time I've seen it without the binder). I had a hard time putting the bandages and binder back on with the incisions in the way.

I really love my results now, so I can't imagine how they'll look like in a few more weeks. I'm not in much pain since I keep taking my meds on schedule, but I do get sharp tinges that hurt from my back stitches if I move too suddenly. I am really looking forward to taking the drains out next Monday so that I can start taking care of myself easier! I am lucky that my caregiver has been absolutely wonderful. (She even washed my hair for me yesterday when I was too tired to stand in the shower).

The only complications I've had so far were an extreme allergic reaction to the tape used on my eyelids - they are more puffy and swollen than my tummy! Luckily a few days of antibacterial soap + ointment seems to be healing them up pretty quickly. I'm going to try to take another shower tonight, hopefully it goes much better! I'm very thankful for all the support I've been receiving. ^_^ Hope to post some pics next week!

I've waited a long time to share these pictures. I am so amazed by the results, but also embarrassed by how bad the "before" pictures are since I haven't seen many cases like mine. I decided to finally share them because my life has been positively turned around by this surgery. I have lost 25 extra points and one dress size since the surgery. I am able to engage in all the activities I've dreamt of doing my entire life, that my weight/hanging stomach has prevented me from doing. I finally feel like my age.

I don't update often because I'm very shy to publicly talk about such a personal problem, but I hope this will inspire and assure people in my position to get the surgery done.