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Prednisone is hell! So glad I am off of it. Hi! I am Amy and I sometimes feel like I have won the autoimmune jackpot--type I diabetes, transverse myelitis, chronic hives, celiac, hashimoto's thyroid--the list goes on. What is AMAZING about this surgery is it affects the gut hormones that cause an inflammatory response in the body, and is the cause of many autoimmune conditions. My diabetes and insulin need has changed tremendously for the better, which will help my cholesterol too. My blood pressure meds have been cut, and I rarely need an allergy pill for my hives. (Let alone prednisone!) This surgery is a saving grace for many of us. Glad you have made this decision! You won't regret it.

I've been a silent stalker in this site on and off for about a year. I started seriously considering WLS for about a couple of years but just recently made the decision that it's the right thing for me. I went into this process thinking that I would only consider the lap band but after the info session and consult with my surgeon I've decided that the sleeve is the best option for me. I have my psych eval and first appointment with the nutritionist on March 5. I'm a single mom to a beautiful 3 year old daughter and also have multiple sclerosis, on addition to being morbidly obese. I'm starting this journey for myself, but also my daughter. I need to be the positive influence in her life that she deserves. I find these forums so helpful and insightful. I have learned that I'm not alone in my fears that ending my relationship with food and that it's possible but takes hard work. I'm ready for this and know I will do it. Just wondering - anyone else going thru this with MS or other autoimmune diseases? Did it affect you? Looking forward to making new friends and finding support on my journey, those with or without autoimmune issues.

I am trying to find the group, but I'm unable to do so. The group link has changed... try this: http://www.bariatricpal.com/groups/357-autoimmune-sleevers/

I can't recommend one or the other but here are my thoughts: Advice for those researching Lapband: Ask what your doctor's experience is with removing lap bands. How long can I expect to keep my band before it needs to be removed? (Bands are being removed anywhere between 2 years out and onwards. I personally know of only 3 people who have had their bands 5+ years and one of those is on band #2.) What long term negative effects have your patients experienced with Lapband? Lapband is a high pressure system. The band creates a great deal of pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter. The esophagus, in attempting to move food into the pouch, puts tremendous pressure on the LES, as well. Over time this causes damage and the sphincter fails to open. This creates a feeling of being "stuck" but your food hasn't even made it to the pouch. This situation is becoming more and more common in the banded population and causes permanent long term damage that cannot be reversed. This is what is called "difficulty swallowing" on the disclosure. It's actually band induced achalasia. Often on the various wls forums or social media groups, people will speak of random tightness, difficulty with swallowing yogurt, liquids, etc, regurgitation of meals despite cutting their food, chewing thouroghly and eating only 1/2 cup meals. What's your practice's re operation %? (Re operation following Lapband is upwards of 50%) any claims of lower % might mean your doctors patients are seeking help elsewhere when problems arise. How many of your Lapband patients have reached goal weight? (Average EW loss is in the 40-60% range...if you have 100 lb to lose, you can expect to lose 40-60 lb.) What do you consider compliance? -attendance at support meetings? -weighing, measuring, logging food intake? -adherence to a particular diet? -steady weight loss? -monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual band check ups? -what is the protocol for fills? (Many doctors consider failure to lose 1-2 lb per week noncompliance despite their patients claiming to adhere to a strict protocol.) I hear a lot about certain complications such as: achalasia, gastroparesis, adhesions of stomach to liver, erosion, band slips, band tightening without a recent fill. What's your experience with these issues. (More and more banded patients are experiencing these complications starting as early as 1 year post op and as long as 9-10 years out.) Will you band someone with autoimmune disorders? (This is a mixed bag...my personal experience is that having a foreign object in my body exacerbated my IBS) Do you screen for contraindications using EGD, esophageal manometry and upper GI? (These tests should be done to evaluate your ability to tolerate banding) If I have a hiatal hernia, what procedure do you use to repair it? What type of sutures do you use? (Nissen fundoplication and pledgeted sutures are never used in conjunction with bariatric surgery to repair existing hiatal hernia). As a final warning, recently there have been increasing reports of cardiac issues following banding...irregular heartbeat, arrhythmias, palpitations, etc. The heart and the esophagus lie sued by side in the chest. The vagus nerve(controls heart rate, breathing and GI tract) is also in the same area. Food retained in the esophagus puts pressure on the nerve and heart. This is not good. I'm posting this because although I lost over 100 lb while I had my band, I now have permanent esophageal damage, cardiac problems and I'm on additional medications to manage the complications caused by my band. I was compliant with diet and lifestyle changes. Part of the problem was that my hiatal hernia was repaired using a nissen fundoplication and pledgeted sutures. Also, upon removing my band it was found to be placed very high on the stomach. I didn't have esophageal manometry testing prior to my band placement. (My band doctor was recently named as one of Seattle's Best Bariatric Surgeons for 2013.) 3 years later I had 0% motility when tested. I never had swallowing problems before banding. I still have difficulty with many foods. Bands are a money maker for doctors who are still implanting them. They get paid to put them in, fill them, empty them and remove them, then revise their patients. Many reputable medical institutions will no longer implant a band and many who still do, consider it a short term device and remove within 2-3 years then revise to gastric sleeve before permanent damage is done. I thought the band was least invasive. I have 15 incisions on my belly I didn't have when I started this. 3 surgeries, dozens of diagnostic, invasive tests, $150,000 later and I don't have a WL tool. I have a cardiac condition I didn't have, esophageal dilation and achalasia + 3 new meds costing me $150/month out of pocket. Do your research and be open to hearing the "negative" along with the positive...it might save you from years of suffering.

I had the gastric sleeve on Monday . . . . everything went great. I originally was looking into lap band but due to autoimmune disease the drs discouraged it and also told me I made the right decision because they're having lots of "issues" with the LapBand. I think the sleeve is the way to go!

Along with my surgery a year ago, I decided to remove the word "can't" from my exercise vocabulary and replace it with "why not". I am 48 yrs old and have a bad knee and several autoimmune disorders. My doc has diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. I had every excuse to say I can't. Instead, I decided to persevere and to always try. I started the couch to 5K training program one year ago this week. When I started I could barely run for 45 sec walk 90 sec repeat 5 times. I finally finished the program in August. This weekend I am part of a team that is running from Miami to Key West (200 miles). Three weeks ago I ran my first half marathon. None of this happened overnight and none of it would have happened if I continued to say I can't. I never planned or dreamed that I could do these things a year ago. For veterans, what are some things that you're doing that you never planned on or thought you could accomplish? For those of you just starting out, what are your fitness dreams?

Wishing you all the best Donna. I understand chronic pain...was on all of that stuff as well...Tramadol, Percocet, Oxycodone... I had to have both hips replaced because of osteo-necrosis and the rheumatologist feels it also is autoimmune based though he cannot diagnose the exact type of disease. I will need both knees replaced at some point and now I have to get xrays and MRIs for all my major joints to monitor them in the hopes that I don't get as bad as I was. As others have said, please keep in touch with us so we can help you with your journey no matter where it takes you.

You've lost 65 pounds!! You should be celebrating that! Stress and negativity will get you absolutely nowhere. You need to find things to Celebrate. Did you take your measurements? If not, start now. Even when I wasn't losing, I saw a decrease in inches. As to why you haven't moved to a smaller size, the larger sizes take a lot more pounds to lose out of. For example, when I started I was in a size 20/22 pant (and squeezing into them because I didn't want to buy anything larger!). Because I was squeezing into them, I didn't change to a smaller size until I had lost 40 pounds. Now, the sizes are much closer together. I can lose 10-15 pounds and move to a smaller size. I think if you accept from the start that you are going to have stalls and whooshes (times when the pounds fall off), you'll be a lot happier that you had the surgery. Are you seeing a therapist? I used food as a coping mechanism, as a pick-me-up when I was stressed. When I no longer had that as an option I started to feel anxious and a bit depressed. That coupled with the release of hormones that were stored in the fat that I was losing resulted in depression and anxiety. My therapist was able to help me find more healthy coping mechanisms. I was a slow loser and felt lucky if I lost 2 pounds in a week. I figured that I didn't gain it all at once, so I wasn't going to lose it quickly. I also have Hashimotos (thyroid autoimmune disorder), which affects my metabolic rate by about 10%. It also helps to look at the actual numbers for how you lose weight. I would guess at your weight that your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is about 1,800cal/day. If you are eating 600 calories, your deficit is 1,200 cal/day. Calculating that out for week would result in 8,400 cal deficit for the week. One pound equals 3,500 calories, so you would probably have around a 2.4 pound loss for the week. If the number is higher, that means you are losing Water weight. The first few weeks of the pre-op diet the majority of what you are losing is water. You can go for about 3 months eating 600 calories without it affecting your metabolic rate. After that you need to start increasing your calories. That happens pretty naturally with the surgery as after 3 months you can eat a bit more. I wouldn't factor in exercise unless you are really exceeding an hour threshold. For example, I ran 10K today, which burned around 1,200 calories. I may eat an extra 500 calories to compensate, but I probably won't see a huge loss from that. You also need to make sure you are getting enough Protein. My minimum requirement is 60g, but I try to hit 70-80. What happens if you don't eat enough protein is that your body will start using your lean muscle mass for fuel. That will result in fewer muscles. Muscles increase your metabolic rate, which is why you should make sure you get your protein for the day and why you should start some type of weight resistant training. That can be done at home using your body weight for resistance. For my program I have never counted calories. The only 3 things I ever concerned myself with were protein (60g+), water (60ou+), and exercise (60min). As long as I did those three things every day I had steady losses. Stalls are frustrating, but really nothing to stress about because we all have them and there's very little you can do to stop them. Lastly, here's a really good article on why we stall: http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html#.Uu0i3X-9KSN It should be mandatory reading for all WLS patients!

thank you everyone for all your kind words of wisdom and suggestions. This decision was made by me and talking it over with my mom. My problems all started when I had my band put in. I'm not sure if my body doesn't like that its a foreign object in there or if I'm Vitamin deficient which I've had loads of blood work done recently. My surgeon is against NSAIDs and besides I would have to live on them all of the time, seriously. He is also concerned about if I truly have lupus and the connective tissue that the band is is around and affiliated with. I have toenails falling off weekly and toenail infections and having to deal with that and podiatrist said that is related to autoimmune compromised ppl so I feel that by me having the band surgery either flared up an autoimmune disease for me and like I said I live in daily and nightly pain, constant pain. As I type this I cannot sleep cause I hurt so bad, I've had 2 Tramadol's, 2 Tylenol's and some liquid motrin and nothing is knocking the pain. It is too late in the night for me to take anything stronger or I will be asleep till tomorrow afternoon. I just think this is the best decision for me right now is to get my health back.

Well my journey began June 2012 and since then I haven't felt good the entire time, knew something was wrong but just couldn't pinpoint it. First 6 months was nauseated and vomiting then Dec '12 had my gallbladder removed, kept losing toenails and getting infections at toenails along with other health issues. Dr's did blood work and finally came back positive for autoimmune disease. I am currently being treated for undetermined lupus right now. With all this said, I am taking narcotics around the clock for constant pain in joints and muscles and I may say getting addicted. It has come to me that my health is more important to me than the band and for me to be able to take NSAID's on a regular basis along with other drugs that are out there that are restricted from taking while having the band. My surgeon is concerned about my diagnosis anyway of lupus cause that alone with the connective tissue can cause slippage and errosion. I have an appt next Thurs to discuss removing my band. This is bittersweet for me but like I said this is a foreign object in my body and my health comes first. With discipline and my mom whom I live with as the food police as she is now anyway I pray I can keep the weight I've lost off and who knows maybe lose the addt's 40 lbs I need to lose to get to a good weight for me, a realistic weight for me. This will cost me as I will be self pay as my Anthem BCBS has stopped paying for any bariatric anything starting this Jan, '14, sigh. You guys have been my lap band family and my rocks to lean on when I neeeded you the most and from the bottom of my heart I thank you for that.

I am currently a lap bander and am having some health issues with it and I am inquiring about the sleeve. What are the do's and don't's? If you are self pay how much is it? I do know I will have the cost of removing my band. Like for me now with the band we can't or I'm not supposed to drink with meals or an hr after meals so that I stay full in my small pouch of a stomach till food passes thru to the larger stomach. But my health is my number one concern right now and this is a foreign object in my body and would appreciate any insight on the sleeve anyone could give me good or bad. I've been banded since June 2012 and until last month I had lost 73 lbs. Then in December I had blood work come back positive for an autoimmune disease. As of right now I'm being treated for undetermined lupus, that's only because the Rheumatologist isn't sure its lupus or not. I do however with that said have mainly all the symptoms of fibromyalgia. I have gained 9 lbs since being on meds for all this and trying my hardest to get that off now. sigh. thanks guys. Donna

there must be very "special" dynamics in a person's life that allows them to reach 600 pounds... not just severe food addiction with entrenched denial, but an extensive system of enablers. having worked in addiction counseling, esp working with families for many years... this isnt going to change overnight or at all without really extensive counseling and each enabler having their own recovery program. my husband's stepdad is a food addict. not 600 pounds by any stretch of the imagination... but his addictive nature of eating, omg! despite advanced liver disease, cancer treatment and high blood pressure, i have never seen him change his eating habits. but why should he when my MIL gives him whatever he demands? he wants a pizza or huge fish fry when his liver enzymes are sky high? she runs right out and gets it. doc says low fat food to rest the liver? nope, she runs off to get him ribs and cheese dip at the store... not saying its her fault he's food addicted, but until she learns to not enable him, his incentive to change remains low. the family is a system and while one can change without the rest, its really really hard, nearly impossible. when my FIL dies, my MIL might look at her codependent behavior, but probably not. the worst thing is, she has chronic autoimmune disorder that causes her lots of pain when she eats poorly. so she is in pain every day because of her inability to say no. she is as ill as he is, maybe more so.

I was 210 when I had surgery. I lost 18 pounds the first month, and I plan to be weighed again this coming Friday. (I refuse to buy a scale!) It is currently week #5 for me, and will be my 3rd weigh in at the center. In terms of success beyond weight loss, my Type I diabetes has improved tremendously! The surgery has lowered an inflammatory response my body had, and I am hopeful this means no more autoimmune conditions. (Half a dozen has been more than enough!) Looking forward to more success! Good luck to you! So glad your insurance is covering surgery #2!

My daughter is celiac and I have 3 autoimmunes myself. It is amazing at the things that contain wheat you would never think. Like you can't lick envelopes and certain toothpastes. I buy the gluten free bisquick also and we like that. Walmart carries a ton more gluten free products. I will say for us it was trial and error with consistency and taste. Not everything you make tastes good. When baking you will have to try and see what tastes best to you. Gluten free is definitely a lot less moist usually. It took us years to find bread she would eat but schar makes a good bread but she always toasts it. As far as food you can make almost any meal gluten free pretty easily now a days. Feel free to ask any questions you need to.

i have a friend who was just (tentatively) approved for surgery with fibro and another chronic autoimmune disorder. at this point they feel the 150 pounds of excess weight is doing her so much harm, she has nothing to lose by having the surgery. the thing is, you have to find a surgeon who feels comfortable with doing the surgery. start with that. get a consult with the doc. go over your history and lab tests. discuss possible outcomes. my friend went right to the chief of surgery at the hospital who also does 80% of the bariatric surgeries there. (seek out a center of excellence). if you feel you have no other options, the excess weight is killing you, you have nothing to lose by having the surgery... AND you can find a good doc who will do the surgery, then you'll have to decide for yourself. (PS i highly recommend a paleo autoimmune diet. it works wonders for many people with autoimmune diseases)

i would recommend a paleo autoimmune diet, and a trainer who has experience working with bariatric patients. you may want to read a book called "ultrametabolism." it explains how hard it is to lose weight when your body is having an inflammation crisis. (which it sounds like it is based on your symptoms) feel free to PM me for more info.

I have Hashi's. It's an autoimmune thyroid disorder that can affect the whole body. I agree with the other poster. You need to get a full thyroid panel + antibodies to get an accurate idea of what's going on inside. Current studies suggest an elimination of gluten can significantly improve Hashi's. Google Hashimoto's Thyroiditis for more information.

Your experience sounds awful! I have osteoarthritis and fibromyalgia as well as several autoimmune disorders (Hashimotos, PCOS, and lichen planus). A year ago I was in excruciating pain all the time and so tired I slept 12 hours a day. I have gradually been working on improving my health and losing weight was just a part of it. I am even running my first half marathon on Sunday! With your fibro, slow loss, and depression, I would highly recommend getting tested for Hashimotos. Make sure your doc tests for thyroid antibodies, and not just a TSH test. Since you mentioned that you have not seen an endocrinologist, that would be my first recommendation. Check with your pharmacy to see what endos in your area prescribe Armour thyroid, Cytomel, or other T3/T4 thyroid meds. The endos that only treat with T3 (Synthroid) are usually not the best docs for improving your health. If you get this done and find out you have Hashis, read the book "Stop the Thyroid Madness." Second, get your Vit D levels checked. Low Vit D levels can cause a lot of pain. You need to get your levels to an optimal level, not just in range (80+ is optimal, but 35+ is considered in range). I hurt all over if my level is below 50 and once over 80 I start feeling a whole lot better. After you get tested for Hashis, I would also recommend trying the AIP (autoimmune protocol) diet. In addition to reducing inflammation, which will help you feel better, it will help repair your gut. Your gut is the main immune system for your body and if it's not healthy then you're going to feel horrible.

I have just about every co-morbidity on the list, most caused by metabolic syndrome and auto-immune disease. SO...I told them I was having surgery to combat my wacky immune system. Most have commented on my weight loss (I haven't weighed myself lately) and I explain that the weight loss is helping reset my metabolism and deal with the gut hormones, which it is hypothesized is responsible for most autoimmune issues. I give the whole story to those who won't judge, but will also spread the word in the staff room so I won't have to! There is a stigma about WLS no matter how much we benefit. We just have to accept it was the best choice we could make for ourselves--and they are all pea green with envy!

Thanks! I did use the C25K app on my phone. I am the least likely of runners. I have an issue with my knees (chondromalacia and osteoarthritis) as well as several autoimmune disorders. Many days I run in spite of the pain (although a lot fewer than when I started). I do a lot of icing and Epsom soaks to get through it and although controversial with some, I still take anti-inflammatories (but with lots of Water and a snack to get them through my stomach). I really feel better than I ever have and am thankful that I have doctors that will work with me to help me stay active. I'm 48 and when I started running I was about 240lbs. I started about a month after surgery in February 2013. I followed C25K and ran/walked a 5K in May. I was sick and traveling most of June, so in July I started back at week 3. I progressed pretty quickly and was running 5Ks in training in August. I struggled with knee pain in September, but figured out that if I shortened my stride and switched to zero drop shoes it relieved a lot of the pain. I decided to start training for a half in September and signed up for the Disney Princess Half, which is in February. I ran a 5K Disney in October and a 10K race in November. I started a modified Hal Higdon half marathon training plan around then as well. I was able to run 8 miles in December and 10 miles the beginning of January. So from the start of C25K to 15K took 10 months. The miles really started adding up fast in Sept-Dec as my weight wasn't hindering me as much. I am pretty addicted to running, but can not run on consecutive days. I'm also struggling with balancing my nutritional needs for running and being able to lose the last 6 pounds. My race (and I use that term very loosely! I'm usually in the last third of runners.) schedule for the next 4 months is pretty busy: Maui Oceanfront Half 1/19 Best Damn Race 10K 2/1 Disney Princess Half 2/23 Oklahoma City Memorial Half and Half Relay 4/27 (They let you run a relay concurrently with the half. I'm running the relay with my cousins.) After April I'm getting Orthovisc injections in my knee and hoping to get plastic surgery (TT, arms, and boob lift).

Sorry to post so late on such an old thread. I went into the hospital with pretty mild type 2 diabetes. I had had it for about 7 years. I was managing it extremely well with diet and metformin and my A1C (3-month average blood glucose level, which is measured by counting the number of hemoglobin in a blood sample that is damages by high blood glucose) was always between 5.7 and 6.0. My fasting blood glucose was usually around 5.5 mmol/l (99 mg/dl) which was considered very good for a diabetic. One of the things that tipped me over the sets to get surgery is that I started sometimes seeing two-hour post-meal glucose readings over 9 mmol/l (162 mg/dl). Not often and not enough to raise my A1C but enough to make me feel worried and insecure. Without surgery I did not have the self control to keep my carb load low enough to ensure this would never happen. I left the hospital the second day after my surgery. Since my surgery I have never taken metformin and never seen a fasting glucose level over 4.7. I have never seen a two-hour post-meal glucose level over 4.5. This was not a gradual thing but happened immediately after surgery. It may not be permanent. I am almost 8 months post-op now. I eat about 1000 calories a day and have about 100-120 grams of carbs a day. This is extremely common with the sleeve (which I have), the bypass, and the DS. I don't know about plication but as far as I know it doesn't happen with the band. There are some theories about why it happens and about why it stays around at least for a while. The science is not definite yet. Why it happens (maybe): 1. You are basically in a fasting state from 8 hours before surgery to two days afterward. Even when you do eat again, the calories and carbs are so low that there is virtually no load on your pancreas. 2. There are tons of hormones and chemicals that get produced in and act on your stomach and intestines. Surgery may temporarily or permanently disrupt some of them. 3. Maybe this happens because your body is in a bit of shock. Why it stays around at least for a while (maybe): (bandsters would also get this part of it) 1. Your calorie and carb intake stay very low for a significant amount of time. Your Protein intake is probably the highest it has been in your life if you are following the rules. This type of diet makes your cells more responsive to insulin and also reduces the load on your pancreas. 2. Fat produces estrogen, especially belly fat. Even in men. Estrogen and insulin are related. As your estrogen levels get lower, your cells also get more responsive to insulin (less insulin resistant). This means it takes less estrogen to do the job. Less insulin means it is harder to store fat and easier to burn it. This sets up a virtuous cycle. 3. As you lose weight, you are more likely to be physically active. Exercise also makes your cells more sensitive to estrogen! Having diabetes at all means that your pancreas is not perfect. That is why some people do re-acquire diabetes later on. But any respite is great for your health, and losing weight can also "cure" some type 2 diabetics. If you get it again later, it doesn't mean you did anything wrong. If you don't, you are fortunate. By the way, bariatric surgery won't ever cure type 1 (autoimmune) diabetes. But it can make heavy type 1s lose weight, and make their bodies less resistant to insulin too. That means they may be able to reduce the amount of insulin they need to use, which means that they may find it easier to stay slim!

fiddleman, my friend with a degenerative autoimmune disorder and fibro (no NSAIDs) discovered a combo of tylenol, turmeric tea, low inflammation diet and anti inflammatory juice combo really did wonders for her.

since I am following a strict autoimmune protocol I do live life sugar and flour free and it is easy peasy! *white* sugar, and *white* flour are pure poison to my body and the effects are immediate and painful. Instead, it's all about the stevia, the coconut sugar, and ground flaxseed/hemp flour or almond meal or ground chia. Not only do I never have to give up my cakes, now I also don't have to deal with refined white food coma!

Thanks Hoosier! @ Fiddle - I absolutely agree with you! The flood of endocannabinoids after I lift cannot be replicated in a pill. I have begun week 3 of Insanity and we just completed a fit test and I haven't improved all that much. People are fond of saying that ultimately weight loss comes down to calories in, calories out, meaning thaf if your burn exceeds your intake for long enough, you will shed weight. I am living proof that this is not the case, as I average about 650 cals a day and do Insanity + weights 5x a week. My eating is very very clean because I must follow a pretty strict eating plan for autoimmune issues. Day 12 Insanity: frustrated but haven't given up, working hard enough to have sweat drip freely off my face. Am interested in opinions regarding weights, before or after Insanity. I am currently doing them after.