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It's an autoimmune thyroid disease, causing hyperthyroidism. It's controlled with medication, and sometimes radioiodine treatment. There are many other treatments, but I'm not up on all of it. An old client's daughter had it, and that's when I became aware of the disorder. I have Hashimotos, which is also an autoimmune thyroid disease. With that, comes the opposite issues of Graves; hypothyroidism. I always joked that I wish if I have to have a thyroid disorder, that it was Graves......because with being hyperthyroid, comes weight loss But it's just a joke......because the issues of Graves disease can be very serious. I hope your DIL has a good doctor, and gets the proper course of therapy to get it under control. An endocrinologist would be the best option.

You just don't know until you get to see a band surgeon. The liver is very close to where they will be working, both with the lapband or gastric bypass. They may want you to go on a pretty strict diet immediately prior to the surgery to help 'shrink' the liver and get it in a healthy state. This makes your surgery much less risky. As far as health concerns. I have had several episodes of DVT(deep vein thrombosis - blood clots in the extremeties) and one episode of Pulmonary Embolism (blood clot in the lung). I also have Systemic Lupus which is a chronic autoimmune disease. Luckily, I don't have severe symptoms with that, but it's always a concern. You can go from healthy to dying before you can blink an eye, so I hear. I was the first ever to have a vena cava filter implanted at the same time as I had my lapband done in order to prevent any possible clots from moving to my heart or head or lungs. I was turned down by the first doctor I chose because he didn't want to take the risks with my health concerns and the fact that I had to take blood thinning drugs for the rest of my life. Luckily, I did find someone who had already banded someone else with the exact same problems as me and my surgery was successful. Will I ever have complications due to these issues? Maybe. Will I be better off having lost my excess weight if I do? You betcha! We can only live for today, right? Today, I choose to be banded and to fight the good fight where my health is concerned. Tomorrow, I may have to change my focus. Good luck!

So, surgery date is 10/23 and the anxiety is already overwhelming me..... I'm 59 and worried that I'm too old to have the surgery. I have autoimmune arthritis and my doctor tells me that losing weight will help with the joint pain (already sort of knew that) but also will help with the inflammation..... Anyone else feel like they were making a mistake to have the surgery. Thought that this one last time a diet would work? I feel like my brain is doing cartwheels......Maybe I should be in a medically induced coma until the surgery so I stop fretting about every little thing (that was a joke) Feed back needed and appreciated.... Thanks

Autoimmune disorders like RA are considered a contraindication for the adjustable gastric band. I had 5 happy years with my band before having it removed in April 2012 (due to stenosis from 20+ years of silent reflux). I had the vertical sleeve gastrectomy in August 2012. I'm having a hard time adjusting to my sleeve, but I'll to list the pros and cons as objectively as I can. THE BAND Pros: Adjustable Reversible Reduces hunger & appetite Provides early and prolonged satiety No malabsorption of macro or micronutrients Cons: Slower weight loss (average 1-2 lbs/week) Small, gradual fills can delay weight loss until enough saline is put in to create optimal restriction Contraindicated for people with autoimmune disorders Risk of esophageal and/or stomach dilation, slippage, and erosion Risk of reflux, especially if the band is too tight Need for frequent aftercare visits (fills, unfills, checkups) Certain foods can be difficult to eat SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY Pros: Faster weight loss Greater weight loss (but it's really too soon to trust the stats on that) Reduced need for aftercare visits Supposedly eliminates hunger (due to reduced production of grehlin, the hunger hormone), which has not been the case with me Supposedly makes it easier to eat a wide range of foods (again, not the case with me) Cons: Not adjustable Permanent - not reversible Can cause malabsorption of miconutrients (vitamins & minerals, especially Iron, folic acid, B12) Reflux is so common that PPI's are routinely prescribed to sleeve patients (and long term use of PPI's can also cause anemia) Risk of dumping syndrome (from rapid gastric emptying) Risk of staple line leaks (very painful, can be life-threatening) The good news about my sleeve surgery is that I've lost 20 of the 30 lbs I regained from losing my band. The bad news is that since surgery, I experience extreme spikes and dives in my blood sugar, which is apparently the cause of the ferocious hunger I experience about one hour after I eat, no matter what or how much I eat. So far no one has been able to fully explain or resolve that problem, and it makes my daily life a misery. Also, I experience dumping when I eat anything with more than 5 or so grams of sugar in it. I've become very anemic and have to take an iron supplement every day. A hemoccult test showed that I have some kind of a gastric bleed, so tomorrow I'm seeing my gastroenterologist in the effort to find out if the anemia is caused by the PPI I'm on (omeprazole) or the gastric bleed (from ulcers, a perforation, or something else). I can't take it lightly because my mom had colon cancer, so I'll probably have to have a colonoscopy to identify the source of the bleed. Now, having said all that (and clearly not being a happy camper), I do know many people who've been sleeved and are delighted with their weight loss and the lack of side effects and complications. I just wish I was a member of that club. Jean

Hello, I need a lapband mentor...I have so many questions even before I go to the seminar, but want to actually talk to someone...is there anyone who wants to be my lapband mentor? I just have so many questions and want to talk to someone who's “been there done that”. I also have MS so if you (unfortunately) have an autoimmune disease I think we could relate more. Either way...I just want to talk. I promise I'm not a creep, I’m a happily married women etc. . Thanks everyone!!! Send me a message and I can give you my number.

I am one of those people who has not had any success with the lapband. I know it is my fault because too many people lose. My question is how many lapbanders have come down with an autoimmune disease after the lapband implant? It wasn't six months after that I was diagnosed with psoriatic arthritis. I am now on Embrel and Methotextrate injections every week. Doctors keep telling me NO NO NO this cannot cause thiese kinds of problems but it seems so wierd how right afterwards I started getting sick with this disease. Waiitng for replies. Cheryl

Everyone's experience is different. The anesthesia put me in a lot of pain and nausea. I also ended up spending hours in recovery because my blood pressure went crazy high. My family was told I would be in my hospital room after about 2 hours and they ended up waiting about 10 hours so they were freaking out. The first 4 or 5 days my body was in shock and I was alternating between feverish sweating and violently shivering. My oxygen was low so I had to wear a mask and my mouth was so so dry. That was worse than anything. And then two weeks after surgery, my body had this weird autoimmune sarcoidosis thing so I had to go and spend another week in a hospital. I've been on prednisone for two weeks which is not something you want to try and lose weight on! But then I jump on these forums and see other people sail through the surgery with no complications. So, it's hard to prepare! But I would just go in with a good attitude.

I have Celiac Disease. For those of you who do not know what that is, here is a basic description: Celiac disease is an autoimmune digestive disease that damages the villi of the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food. What does this mean? Essentially the body is attacking itself every time a person with celiac consumes gluten. So, eating gluten free is hard enough considering it's everywhere! But, trying to make good food choices while avoiding gluten is even more difficult. I eat a lot of lean meats which fill me up, but sometimes eating a simple piece of meat over and over becomes a bit, well, to be honest, nauseating. A piece of chicken breast, a broiled, ground turkey patty, sliced deli meats. We all know that what we decide to eat is a big deal because what we pick is pretty much going to be all we get in. So, if anyone out there who has had the sleeve also has Celiac Disease, let me know what your meals look like. There may be something in your meal plan that I'm not thinking of.

I am officially 12 months post op as of Saturday. I have lost 121lbs so far and have about 25 to go to get to my ultimate goal. I have definately noticed a lot more joint pain but it has changed. Before surgery it was severe in my ankles and knees. I also have it in my hips, spine and shoulders. I no longer have joint pain in my ankles and knees unless I go really crazy and over exercise. My shoulders, hips and spine however are much worse. I do however have Psoriatic arthritis which is an autoimmune disease that I have had for years so I don't really know how much that is impacting me at this point. I will say to Jame's point, from month 2 on, my behind is actually extremely painful. When you lose this much weight your tailbone begins to stick out.i no longer have any padding in my rear, in fact my husband keeps laughing at me because my butt is completely flat. Jokingly, I will say I went from fat ass to flat ass! I cannot sit comfortably with using a A pillow designed to provide relief. I bought mine on Amazon, it is called a Coccyx pillow. I have not tried a gel cusion but may have to give that a try. I know the tailbone thing is a big issue for many on this site.

I am pre-op and the sipping Water is the thing I most dread. I can eat tiny amounts of food -- I have been doing so a long time. Without surgery I am down from 330 to 240 but I got down to 215 and then with my insulin regimen, I would pop up 30 or 40 pounds, starve down, pop back up so I surrender and am going the surgery. So I have been taking the post-op supps a long while - was schedule to have the surgery last Jan but I had lsot so much weight I cancelled it. then I got my diabetes diagnosis changed from Type II to Type I -- that also discouraged my interest in the surgery cause the surgery is not going to put Type I into remission Type I is an autoimmune disease unrelated to what I weight. I can eat very small amounts of food, even just starve and have actually gotten used to being hungry a lot. But water is my best friend. I drink a ton of it -- at least a gallon, probably more. Now I have started sipping, to prepare myself for my proably-Jan 2014 surgery -- but sipping is hard. You have my empathy,

I have talked to my surgeon he feels like taking a medication like prilosec would help there not be any ulcers. Unfortunately my condition will not improve after WLS as it is autoimmune, my only hope of getting off the pred. is going into remission. That being said I do know that my weight isn't all attributed to the pred, but it has contributed to about 50lbs in the last year, that and overeating and the fact I had a sternotomy and was down for three months. Also due to my condition there is no way I could stop the pred before surgery.

I am not an expert on Graves, but I had a hyperactive nodule that was treated with radio-iodine. I now take levoxyl daily. It had no impact on my lapband. You'll want to be sure you tell your surgeon. I don't believe the autoimmunity disqualifies you. Are they thinking of giving you radio-iodine treatment, or are you just goung with drug treatment for now? You'll probably need to adjust your dosage more often as you lose weight.

I have PsA - think RA with psoriasis, it's an autoimmune system arthritis. Since my sleeve, I have stopped the methotrexate I had been taking for almost 10 years and halved my Enbrel injection. I have no swollen joints for the first time in years and my arthritis is officially in remission after 30 years. This started immediately post op. No one can explain what's happened. But I am taking it day by day and feeling grateful.....

I have fibromyalgia and I know it's an autoimmune disorder. Not disease, but disorder. I was wondering if I can still get a lapband? I have not been to my first appointment yet but if there is no chance, I will cancel the appointment. I'm hoping it won't matter. If there's anyone that has had the proceedure done and they have fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome please share with me. thanks Ms.Jules

Hey girlfriends, So of course, as my surgery date draws near, I've been thinking a lot about my upcoming "sleevization" and all my previous weight loss attempts. My last big weight loss was in 2010/2011. I worked HARD dieting and exercising (sometimes for 2 hours a night 3 days a week) and went from 270 to 187lbs. Size 22 to 14 (and some 12's). It was SUCH a struggle and such a victory. I've battled with weight my entire life and had REALLY made a lifestyle change. I became a beast in the gym and truly evolved from an exercise hater to an exercise lover. Right towards the end of my journey, I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease and got pretty sick. Couldn't really exercise anymore and thus, my healthy lifestyle went right out the winda! After a few months on prednisone (the devils choice pharmaceutical), I had gained a whopping 50lbs. Once I got there, I just said "FML" (f*** my life) and spiraled into a pity party complete with cakes, ice cream, donuts, Cookies, etc. Shortly after that, a bipolar II diagnosis came along. Perfect timing right? More meds, more weight gain and here I am at 279lbs. As I gained the weight back, I furiously put ALL of my cute little clothes into plastic bin exile because looking at them was even more excruciating than my disease. As I've now made the decision to try to end this lifelong nightmare by having VSG, I have new hope for myself and my life. So, last night I pulled those bins out of the closet in my spare bedroom. I smelled and touched them. I imagined myself back in those clothes. I remembered how cute and sexy I was. I began to really, really miss the girl who used to wear those clothes. I broke out into full on sobs holding those clothes in my hands. I cried for the loss of who I was. I cried because a bunch of things beyond my control started my descent back to this place. I cried because instead of getting back on track after getting off prednisone (which I will NEVER go on again), I gave up on my healthy lifestyle AND I gave up on myself. I cried because I MISSED working out IMMENSELY but felt too much shame in my fat body to go back to the gym. Lastly, I cried because I knew that soon, I'd be making my way back into those clothes. That vision moved me very deeply. It was much more of an emotional experience than I expected. I'll be back in those clothes again. It's the most empowering, assuring feeling I think I've ever felt. Have any of you had experiences like this or am I the only assclown sitting in the closet and crying while clutching clothes I can't even stuff a calf into?

I know someone who had psoriatic arthritis(it is autoimmune like rheumatoid arthritis)and they had no problem with being approved. I also have an autoimmune disorder (psoriasis)and had no issues. Good luck ~~~Stephanie

I had posted I was having problems with my gums..well it has progressed and may be an autoimmune disorder...so this may or may not be coincidental with the sleeve...I have a gum biopsy Monday...so we shall see ...the periodontist feels the stress to the body the sleeve created ..weight loss, the surgery itself ..could have made the disorder appear...oh well...this will be managed and I still will be healthier for it.

As always, talk to your doctor about your medical needs and history to be safe. The only diseases that are noted as contradictions for the Lap Band are connective tissue autoimmune diseases- not all autoimmune diseases. This is directly from their website: "You or someone in your family has an autoimmune connective tissue disease, such as systemic lupus erythematosus or scleroderma. The same is true if you have symptoms of one of these diseases." Rheumatoid Arthritis should be fine with the band but again, double check with your doctor. Btw, I have Multiple Sclerosis which is also an autoimmune disease. The band has actually helped me tremendously.

I'm Hypothyroid - diagnosed with Autoimmune thyroiditis. Antibodies are attacking my thyroid. My levels have been good since January of this year I take 100mcg of Levothyroxine and 5mcg 2X a day of Cytomel. That helps my energy level. I'm losing weight pretty good too! Good luck. Thyroid takes time to get under control. I felt like crap for 10 years until I insisted on going to a specialist. My GP kept saying my levels were good. The specialist said I was too high. Figures!! I'm glad I insisted on getting the referral to a specialist.

Hypothyroidism is nothing to mess around with and if left untreated can cause serious complications or death. If I were you I would schedule an appointment with an endocrinologist as soon as possible. I would not take my surgeons word for it and weight loss is not going to kick it back in gear. In fact, taking thyroid meds will probably jump start your weight loss. Hypothyroidism is not caused by being overweight. Your surgeon has no idea what he is talking about. It is an autoimmune disease. If your thyroid is that low, it's any wonder you have any energy at all.

I'm sure hoping it's not going to be an issue for me, Sonia. I have Sarcoidosis, which is an autoimmune disease -- very rare, where the white blood cells form granular lesions in various parts of the body (in my case, my lungs). It's possible to react to anything -- I mean, I react to hypoallergenic metals, go figure -- but the band (and other things put into people's bodies) is supposed to be non-reactive for the vast majority of people. What I seem to remember reading on the Inamed site is that it's contraindicated for people with connective tissue autoimmune diseases like Scleroderma. Here's what I found at their site. It's contraindication number 18. "You or someone in your family has an autoimmune connective tissue disease. That might be a disease such as systemic lupus erythematosus or scleroderma. The same is true if you have symptoms of one of these diseases. " My assumption -- and based on responses from surgeons I've talked to it's correct -- is that it's only some AI diseases that are the problem. I suppose it's possible that anything we do to the body can cause a flare up of an autoimmune disease, and I'm prepared for that. But it's my thought that in my case, shedding weight will make dealing with my Sarcoidosis much easier. Wish I had more information for you, Sonia. I'm interested, though, in whatever you can find out.

Hi all! I'm getting sleeved tomorrow and I'm nervous. My rheumatologist, primary care doctor, and surgeon are all on board with me having the sleeve done. I'm nervous that I'm going to go into a lupus flare or have complications from it. Does anyone here have an autoimmune disease and also had the sleeve done that would like to share their story?? Thanks! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Yes, it is a major threat to my health because I'm immunocompromised. If I got it I could very easily land in the hospital. To overcome it I just rarely leave the house. And when I do I mask up and try to keep my distance from strangers. No, I was not vaccinated because I'm immunocompromised and when I asked my doctor if I should get the vaccine she said, and I quote, "Absolutely NOT". She said that there isn't enough testing for her to tell me if it's safe for me to take nor the side effects it would have on someone like myself. So she said not to get it. My gastroenterologist who deals with one of my autoimmune diseases also agreed that it wasn't safe for me to take.

Hi! I am new to this forum and hoping to get some opinions from all of you. I am 44 years old and have an autoimmune thyroid disease called Hashimotos thyroiditis. I have a very hard time losing weight I can't seem to get under 200 lbs no matter what. I usually follow an autoimmune protocol diet which is very strict due to my disease. No diary, Beans, nuts, seeds, nightshades, grains, gluten processed foods of any kind. The list goes on! This is because my immune system is eating my thyroid and I have a host of other issues stemming from this disease including inflammation. I am seriously considering banding because I have grown tired of the weight loss failure. I currently weigh 217 lbs and would like to get to a healthy weight which would be about 155 or 160. My Bmi is 33.8 and everyone tries to say I am not heavy enough. But I hold my weight well under clothes lol. I am too heavy! And my joints are screaming and I am plain uncomfortable. I just want to feel healthy again. I have not been under 200 lbs since before my kids were born my oldest is 22 almost 23 and I have 2 grand babies! I just want to know what you all think. Thanks! Heather Sent from my SM-N920T using the BariatricPal App

Hi Debbie, Yes, no crocs here, on the Gold Coast, humid here though too now, thank goodness for air conditioning! I lost most of my excess weight in the first 6 months. I have been in a long stall lately, same weight but my measurements are still changing, shrinking .... I basically had a pretty good recovery, with few issues that were caused by my Graves Disease (autoimmune thyroid disease). If not for Graves, my journey would have been very easy. I like my new lifestyle and results. All the best to you!