Don't worry about the spelling, once I got through "ankylosing Spondylitis", I was so blown away you could have spelled "hello" like this "movjkdjvhkndfgm" and I wouldn't have noticed!:smile2:
I don't know if the actual autoimmune aspect would be a problem but, LapBand™ would definitely be of benefit with the arthritis.
Have you ever heard of "Butyoudon'tlooksick.com" or "Healingwell.com"?
They both have large and very informative autoimmune forums so you might want to poke around there for some guidance. I found them when I had ulcerative colitis and some other problems which my doctor suspected might have been Lupus. I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and they are a wealth of information for any autoimmune disease.