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I had this happen (I'm an inch shorter than you and at one point had gotten down to 91 pounds, unfortunately.). My situation was caused by an autoimmune condition; among other things it made it so that my enlarged spleen was pushing against my sleeve, reducing my capacity to nearly nothing. It was awful because I could FEEL that I was hungry and I wasn't able to eat. I ended up resorting to, at my dietitian's advice, drinking part of a shake intended for people needing to GAIN weight (Ensure Complete, I think is what it's called, the bottles have about 300 calories). As I am someone who gets dumping syndrome, I had to break it up into very small portions (about 1/3 of the bottle) and I would drink that portion 30 minutes after my meals. It helped; I'm back up to 103 now which is where I feel most comfortable. Another really dense food that shouldn't mess with your blood sugar or macros would be peanut butter. It's one of the highest calorie things you can eat, but it's also full of healthy fats and protein, especially if you choose a low sugar variety. I know it's hard, and it's a hard thing to talk about to most people because no one really understands how distressing it is to suddenly find yourself underweight when you spent years struggling to lose (I got a lot of "Exactly why are you complaining?" even from people who meant well.). You're not alone. I know it's a real problem that is really upsetting, and it's OK to have feelings about it.

In 2008, I had surgery for the lap band. I never really did lose that much weight with it - I started off at 220 or so. I think the lowest I got down to was 140 or so. I also had reflux before I had the band, so as you might imagine, the band made it worse. In 2017, my band slipped; I couldn't even drink water, nothing could go down, so the band was removed immediately. The surgeon who removed it is a bariatric surgeon, so I mentioned my real concern about gaining the weight back. He then suggested the sleeve. One year almost to the day, I went through surgery for the sleeve. My doctor also fixed the hiatal hernia that had developed from the band. I knew the sleeve surgery had its risks, particularly since I already had scarring from where the band used to be. However, all went well, and I am so happy that I went through it. I feel fantastic, no more reflux, no more antacids, and I lost approximately 105 pounds from when I had the band. I fluctuate between weighing 112 to 115 pounds. I haven't been this weight in 30 years. Part of my concern about the band removal was the prospect of needing to take prednisone in the future. I have a autoimmune disorder (sarcoidosis) that is mostly dormant but flared up once, and I needed to take prednisone for six months in order to function. I must have gained about 50 or 60 pounds while on steroids - my appetite was voracious. I was afraid that if I didn't have something like the band or the sleeve to curb my eating, I could really gain weight if I needed to go back on prednisone. I hope your surgery went well today!

I’m scheduled to have a sleeve in August and have RA, which is an autoimmune disease. I’m just curious if anyone with RA has had any complications or healing issues? I’m 52 y/o. 5ft 7in. 235lbs. I’m confident in my decision to have this procedure and having it at BariatricPal MX, I’m just nervous about being off my RA meds and having a compromised immune system.

What about getting approved? I am at 36 and change. I am 5'4 and have no co-morbidities. I have 2 autoimmune diseases and have had 0 success with diets, "lifestyle changes" and so on. I even took weight loss meds that had me injecting myself. Obesity runs in my family and at this point, 8 family members, including my sister and niece have gotten the surgery. My grandmother's cause of death was obesity. I went to an information session and they looked at me like I had 3 heads. Losing 80lbs at my age (43) and shotty joints is nearly impossible and I am having a hard time enjoying my life. I see the GI doc soon, as I have bouts with Gallbladder issues and I am hoping this is the deciding factor. What did you all have to do to be approved for this surgery? Any information would be helpful! Thank you.

New to this forum and I just wanted to pop in and say this particular thread was very encouraging to me. I had my lap band surgery Dec. 16, 2010, so 5 mos. ago and I've only lost a net of about 18# so far, which I lost by Feb., so nothing really since Feb. despite two fills, the second being just last month. I'm still eating more than a cup of food but if I don't, I get hungry quickly between meals. Also, I have Hashimoto's hypothyroid with a gluten intolerance so there are some things I don't eat anymore at all and with my autoimmune condition, it's advised that I don't "graze," but instead simply eat three meals a day and one snack. I've been doing really good with that so I think it's just my particular condition that's going to make it slower for me. But I'm only 5'1" and I'd LOVE to be in a 14/16 right now and out of my snug 18s. I was in 20s that were getting tight pre-surgery! But I'm remaining hopeful that this will finally work. If anything else, it's forced me to really be careful about what I eat and that I have to take an extra Aleve or two to get through my workouts because of my really, really bad knees. Oh, and just a few days after I started exercising again I was diagnosed with asthma so now that I'm on two inhalers, my workouts are going more smoothly because I can breathe. But anyway, don't lose faith! You're doing great!! And remember, stress can cause weight gain so if you stress over it, you may impede your progress. I know that from experience. That's what I told my husband too, so I haven't measured myself and I've stopped literally counting calories. I'm eating healthier than I ever have and I'm not over-eating, and now I'm exercising regularly - 1 hr. a day so I think my body just needs to catch up to what I'm doing. Glad to have found you all here!

I am not sure the surgery is going to help my metabolism, but I am hoping that if I can get some pounds off, I will have more energy. My energy levels are so low given my age (42). Also, I found out only in the past year (after having it for 10 years) that I have Hashimoto's. It's an autoimmune thyroid disease. Most long-term hypothyroidism is Hashimoto's. In any case, I've been trying to give up gluten and when they removed my stomach, part of what they removed was irritated. I am thinking it was gluten damage. My former endocrinologist did not think telling me I had Hashimoto's was significant because to him it was synonymous with hypothyroidism. However, my primary care physician said that in many auto-immune disorders, giving up gluten and possibly dairy and sugar improve the condition. I knew I would not be able to give up dairy, especially now. They say you can drink soy milk, but it's not as much Protein. Prior to surgery, when after many months of not eating gluten, I would have something (pasta, etc), I DID notice that it made me crampy and I was more prone to diarrhea. But, giving up gluten did not help with my energy and that has been the main thing bugging me.

GradyCat I actually really the the Caulipower pizzas- I have an autoimmune disease that makes eating gluten a risky affair for me (HIVES suck) so I used to eat those pizzas before I had surgery. I really like their Margherita and I recently bought a buffalo chicken pizza by them as well (haven't tried it yet) If there's any piece of advice I can offer is that sometimes you have to cook the cauliflower pizza a touch longer just to get a nice crispy crust. Hope you like them!

I have had lupus for over 30 years. I am over 50 years old and I am considered high risk. My surgery went well and I am losing weight. I was wondering if anyone here has lupus or any other autoimmune disease to deal with while going through this sleeve process. How are you doing with taking your medications and dealing with the fatigue and pain that comes along with the disease? I have never had trouble with my meds until after the surgery (Feb 25, 2015). I always took my bedtime meds on an empty stomach, but find that now, I must have a few bites of food or some thick Protein drink on my stomach before I take them or my stomach hurts and spasms all night. I am wondering how someone who is maybe a year or so out from surgery is feeling now and have your lupus symptoms lessened.

I have a few autoimmune diseases as well as gastroparesis. I was told before my surgery that I would get better if I proceeded. Since, I am unable to eat or drink anything without vomiting. I've now learned from one doctor that I should have NEVER had the surgery with my gastroparesis. Anyone else with gastroparesis? How are you able to manage your symptoms? Sent from my LGMS550 using the BariatricPal App

Hi Tammy, I have lupus, too, along with other autoimmune disorders, like Reynauds, Sjogrens, Fibromyalgia, Grave's Disease, etc, and I am 52. I have not have my surgery yet. I am scheduled for July 27, 2015, so I can't give you the answers you are looking for. But I am glad to find someone else in the WLS community in a similar situation. I will let you know how I do with taking my meds (and there are a lot of them!). I chose the sleeve procedure over the bypass specifically so that I could continue to take my lupus meds and hopefully not have problems with absorption (since losing weight won't mean I get to stop taking those). Has your experience been that you are able to absorb your lupus meds successfully? Good luck with your weight loss adventure! kbpaulie

I was just talking about this--the pain, not the chance I'll let it deter me from the surgery--with my spouse today. I'm ready to have 3-4 very bad weeks after surgery. I don't want it to go down that way, and I'll follow every direction I can to prevent it, but the first few days could be nearly unbearable: I don't honestly know that any pain meds work on me (I recall continuing to feel the pain, but just, falling asleep despite it ... and they won't let you sleep that long while you're in the hospital, I've been told). I hate hate hate vomiting. I hate being in pain. So I am aware that I might be in agony, at first, and in hard-to-deal-with pain and stomach discomfort, for a while, and I'm still set on going through with it. But then, I have autoimmune arthritis pain to deal with if I don't go through this. My already painful joints will likely continue to deteriorate slowly but inexorably. I already can't walk much distance, due to plantar fasciitis, knee and hip pain, and pain in my lower back. I could lose even that distance and end up in a powered wheelchair when I have to leave the house. My hand and shoulder joints could get enough worse that I can't do the crafting I do for fun, or the typing on a keyboard I do for a living. (This could happen even with the surgery, but it has good odds of preventing it.) Aside from the arthritis and asthma (which I've had my whole life, at every weight), I'm healthy. Yeah, even at 300+ pounds. It really pisses off some doctors. But the arthritis has decreased the exercise I can do and the amount of time I can spend preparing healthy foods for myself, which means I can't look forward to staying healthy, if I don't go through with this. Without the arthritis, or another equally bad comorbidity, I wouldn't go through with it. That's real talk about me, not advice for you. You should weigh the pros and cons for yourself and decide if you're willing to endure one really bad month (could be more, could be a lot less, but that's kind of what I'm building myself up to deal with) or not.

Does your Mother, by chance, have to take methimazole (three times per day)? If so, it's probably the frequency that makes it difficult for her. Have you tried adding her meds to her food? I'm sure you've tried everything, so I apologize if I'm asking dumb questions. Sometimes when a person has a problem taking meds, there is some anxiety associated with the feeling that they will throw up or worse, whatever worse is. What if you try adding it to her food without her knowing? Maybe, psychologically, she's making matters worse by thinking that she'll be unable to keep her meds down. It's an old trick but it might work. I was never able to get down my recommended fluid or protein. Not even close to optimal. I know some people advise others to force down their fluids and protein no matter what. Be tough on yourself, big-girl panties, and all that. I disagree. Listen to your body; it's talking to you. It's trying. You can only do what you can do. It takes months before malnutrition kicks in. Your Mother will be fine. I'd concentrate on trying to get her meds down and worry less about the fluid and protein. I had an abysmal time with my fluid/protein intake, yet when my 3-month labs came back post-bypass, I aced them. My visit to my endocrinologist last week (I have the autoimmune thyroid condition known as Hashimoto's thyroiditis), also revealed stellar lab results. Excellent A1C, excellent blood pressure... and no meds for either anymore. I also take anti-depressants. I was lucky, I guess, since I could down any size pill immediately after my surgery. Horse pill size, no problem. Even several at once. I think I'm rambling here, moving from one topic question to the next without making any sense. Your Mother's experience with suddenly thinking everything tastes too sweet, etc is extremely common. Post-surgery most everything smells and tastes differently. I'm still noticing this at 5 months out. My main point is: continue to support your Mother by NOT contributing to the chorus of other people telling her that she needs to do this or that and if she doesn't do it "right" then she's a failure. Posting this comment on behalf of your Mother says a lot about you. She's lucky to have you in her corner. Keep helping her by reminding her that her body will sort things out (eventually). She's healing. Keep being positive even when she's struggling. And keep us posted! We care about you and your Mother.

Holy crap judgmental much? I was never an overeater and have had on and off bad head hunger. I gained weight because of various psych meds and autoimmune disease. Sounds like you need to get your judgmental ass into therapy more than the rest of us.

I had my band placed in 2005. In 2009 i was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis which is an autoimmune disease. I have never been able to get my thyroid regulated completely. Finally a month ago I saw an endocrinologist who told me that the band was probably causing absorption issues. I am having my band removed next month.

Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome (APS) is an autoimmune disease. It is a sister to Lupus. "APS is associated with recurrent clotting events (thrombosis) including premature stroke, repeated miscarriages, phlebitis, venous thrombosis (clot in the vein) and pulmonary thromboembolism (blockage of an artery found in the lung due to a clot that has traveled from a vein). It is also associated with low platelet or blood elements that prevent bleeding. Recently, however, even more disease states have been linked with APL including premature heart attack, migraine headaches, various cardiac valvular abnormalities, skin lesions, abnormal movement/chorea, diseases that mimic multiple sclerosis, vascular diseases of the eye that can lead to visual loss and blindness. APS is an autoimmune disorder in which the body recognizes certain normal components of blood and/or cell membranes as foreign substances and produces antibodies against them. There are two known forms of APS. APS may occur in people with systemic lupus erythematosus, other autoimmune disease, or in otherwise healthy individuals." (From the APS Foundation of America, Inc. Welcome ~ APS Foundation of America, Inc) My local hospital does this surgery & Gastric Bypass both via lap and they will NOT do it on me because of my APS and my lupus like symptoms. They are afraid of surgical complications - ei. stroke, PE, DVT, bleeding, etc. They are worried about healing issues. They are worried that I will reject the band as well. (Knowing my body rejected the IUD after 24 hours and I got a nice flare and infection and it is made out similar materials. They are right.) They are concerned how I will be able to maintain my INR due to restricted diet, etc. I have gotten a strong no from every one of my doctors. Logically, I know they are right. Disappointed as heck, yep. So, no, I do not think you would be a candidate. Of course, I am sure you could find someone who would do it anyway. Me, I am not going to risk it. Come close to death too many times from APS to know better.

I'm on plaquinil an several other meds. .my meds for autoimmune diseases an prednisone when I need a burst..but had to wait a month out to start the pred. .he wanted tummy to heal before I started them again. No nsaids. Here. He gave me a script topical lotion I use when needed. An I have already ended up at my pcp office she had to give me anti inflammation shots..my sciatica has been given me fits the past few months. Now my feet..my heel spur an tumors under my toes are at it again. .looks like it's time for shots again in my feet. Its been 15 yrs..so it's time. I just don't get nsaids thru tummy..arthritis Tylenol if needed. I've never crushed my meds. I take a gummy multi, b12 shot wkly an found a sublingal b12 melt under tongue..I'll start it tomorrow. .calcium chews. .sorry..this is my regimen an back up...

I decided to post here since some of the new folks may have alot of questions they need answers to. I'm no expert, mind you, but I am over 10 months having my sleeve. I have been through most of it..had a leak, a stricture and have had my share of heartaches during this whole process. To date I've lost 91 pounds. Keeping that in mind, I'll tell you I could be much better off by now if I had done what I was told. If you think the sleeve will fix emotional eating,,you are very wrong. I met the Labor day challenge but have not met the halloween challenge and here is why. I'll get the excuses out of the way..had family problems, a very defiant and stubborn but much loved special needs child, had serious illnesses in my family including a tiny newborn who developed IVH and a sister who was involved in a bad car accident (lost my parents in a car accident so this was especially stressful), have 2 sons in college we are struggling getting through school due to my husbands layoffs from work, my stepdaughter got pregnant,,,again and she's only 18 and alone..there's enough drama with that one that caused alot of sleepless nights so insomnia sets in, losing my hair by the hands full, still can't buy another house since we lost the one we had when I became disabled with an autoimmune disease,,recently went to a sleep study where not only did I find out my sleep apnea has not improved but they found issues with my heart. So off to the cardiologist I go..waiting on the tests results. My whole body aches and I went into deep depression which I've struggled with for years but it has gotten bad. So there is a starting list of reasons for screwing up..the list could go on and on. I turned to my favorite fixer,,food. I've eaten out at fast food restaurants, drank sodas, eaten pizza, candy, ice cream..living that lifestyle like I didn't ever have surgery. What I got was more depression, anxiety and only 8 pounds of weightloss since Labor day. You may think,,well hey you still lost weight but that's only because my stomach is not quite large enough to hold alot..if I was further out who knows how much I could hold and how much I could gain. I spent 3 hours at the bariatric center yesterday having melt downs and they rushed me into see the psychiatrist as well as the nutritionist. After talking to them and saying everything out loud..I woke this morning as it is a day of reckoning for me. I WILL start over, I will succeed and accomplish what I set out to do. Please hear me people, if you have emotional eating problems..get help. I've been in therapy for years but have talked around relating my problems to eating and vice versa. I knew I had the problem but always have excuses and that just doesn't work. You will not succeed if you do what I did. You will not be happy with the results. Take charge and do this thing full force and keep in mind that you have to make lifestyle changes. You cannot continue to eat whatever you want and expect good results. I am usually a positive person and try to keep upbeat and laid back. I pat people on the back and say it'll be ok but I just can't do that anymore. So if you decide you want to have this surgery you need to prepare yourself and make the changes that come with it.

I’m sorry for the long rant but I want you to see the full picture: sleeve vs. sleeve + behavior modification/commitment. You’re 2 weeks out. Don’t be so hard on yourself or doubt your decision. What is done is done. No regrets. This could be the beginning of an amazing healthy future. No looking back now — only ahead... Here we go: I am 7 years post sleeve and I’ve regained all of my weight back and some. Highest weight before sleeve was 210, Surgery day weight was 193 (done in Mexico). I got down to 147 and maintained that for about 2 years and then started regaining. I’m 214 now. According to my current U.S. surgeon (Dr. Stanley Klein), my Mexico surgeon (Dr. Ariel Ortiz) completely blotched my sleeve in 30 minutes (surgery report information) making it look like an hourglass instead of a banana. BUT, I regained not because of my “bad” sleeve but because I changed my eating habits. I have A LOT of restriction still, more than a friend who’s 4 years out. I also became very anemic which caused me to pass out and get into an accident in 2014. I’m terrible about taking my Vitamins, so that’s also not my sleeve’s fault. I then received multiple infusions over the years, had my esophagus dilated twice because I wasn’t eating enough (mostly GERD pain related) and developed a grazing eating style (probably the biggest contributor to why I regained). Having GERD since day 1 (couldn’t keep any liquids down/stayed on IV till I was literally kicked out - started putting my stuff outside - to get room ready for next patient), a hiatal hernia and two ulcers, I am now revising to the RNY (surgery date TBD 8/1/19). My malabsorption/malnutrition is because I don’t take any vitamins. I’ve become “nutritionally crippled” as my surgeon put it which makes my body crave carbs for immediate conversion to energy. It’s literally biologically driven at this point and he told me not to blame myself for the regain — he’s so nice but I do blame myself because I got myself here! Due to the malnutrition, I’ve developed some metabolically induced issues: thyroid problem, autoimmune problem, multiple infections that antibiotics do nothing for (or maybe I’ve become prone to the antibiotics) and lately, small Fiber neuropathy (worst feet tingling and burning ever). I’ve now started going to CBT and support groups that are super informative and fun. Last time they had a practical activity for us at the end where we pretended to be at a restaurant, were given real menus and we discussed why some choices are good and why some are not so good — keywords to lookout for, etc. I’m considering pushing my surgery date as far out as possible to be better prepared through these new resources. I realize the problem is not my sleeve. The problem is my head — my food abuse issues, my food addiction issues, my head hunger, my emotional eating... The list of “synonyms” goes on! But in essence, all of us are here because we have these issues plus obesity/genetically related comorbidities or else, we would have not resorted to surgically modifying our anatomy. We need to fix our relationship with food if our surgeries are ever going to help us, and that’s why I’m trying to work on that more than anything this time especially because I didn’t have any pre or post care before. I’d love to get rid of my GERD and the other problems but I’d really hate to fail at losing weight, again. Not out of vanity but just to prove to myself that I can triumph over years of using food to feed disease instead of health. Summary and awesome thing to keep in mind: “You get out of it what you put into it.” Thank you @Macy6! I love that... Great motto! Take this opportunity to change your relationship with food. You are in the “honeymoon phase” where your body is not ready to accept food (it’s all head hunger), so use this time wisely to identify your emotions and cravings, knowing you can’t act on them now with your healing stomach. Later, this will really help you... when you can map your behaviors to their origin in thought (triggers) and stop the unwanted behavior right in its tracks! You’re in control! Your taste buds may also change so what you’ve liked before, you may no longer want to eat, so this is also a great opportunity to try new healthy things and learn to like those instead of our old ways that hurt us in the end. I really wish this was helpful. I’m being as transparent as possible to give you vision into what the sleeve is and what it’s not, because I went into this initially thinking the sleeve will stop me from overeating and I’ll always have an accountability buddy, but you can drink and eat your way around any WLS out there and gain weight, not to discount the RNY for the additional malabsorption component... You can do this!! You can use your sleeve to change and become a new person INSIDE (head/habits) out (health/body). I wish you complete healing and all the best for your future.

The reason I mentioned second opinion is there are many causes of myopathy, and it is imperative they find out what is causing it early on so it can be treated properly. It can be congenital, even an infection past or present, rheumatoid arthritis, electrolyte imbalance... Etc. One of my siblings has it due to rheumatoid arthritis and gets monthly steroid shots and treatments to help with his autoimmune condition. Another had it due to being in a long term off and on state of dehydration. Both had significant improvement from their treatment.

Don't forget about Graves Disease, which is autoimmune. That is what I had. I was very thin.

PdxMan - thank you for your response. We provide our nutritional information on each product (on the individual labels). Also, if you click on any 12 pack flavor (on our website) the ingredients will be listed as well. Actually, only two of the four flavors have caffeine - The French vanilla Latte and the berry Boost. The Berry Frost and the Milk chocolate shake do not have caffeine (my favorites) - I don't want the caffeine either... The propriety blend of Protein in our drinks contains collagenic, whey, and casein. Clinical studies regarding the collagenic protein have shown the improvement in moisture content of the skin, decreased joint pain, and increased bone mass density. Additionally, through studies, it has been claimed that hydrolyzed collagen may promote lean muscle mass through and the burning of fat rather than carbohydrates and Proteins, lessening the symptoms of arthritis, toning and thickening skin, joint rebuilding, arterial strengthening, increased energy, organ rebuilding, alleviate osteoporosis, high blood pressure, bladder weakness, chronic fatigue, shallow breathing, autoimmune, skin problems, and splitting nails. I appreciate your input - we are always looking to improve our products and welcome any and all opinions. Feel free to provide any other questions that you may have. Thanks again. Derek

I don't have a thyroid and take synthroid. I have no issues losing weight (the issue is usually keeping it off). I think the reasons why someone is hypothyroid may impact how they lose weight. If someone has autoimmune thyroid disease etc......I think it may be more challenging. I do fine because my TSH is consistent on my dose of synthroid.

I posted on another forum on this site a few days ago. I was trying to get a support group together for RA and other autoimmune disorders. I'm pre-op and am very happy to see that you seem to be doing better post-op. I typically take about 1800mg of ibuprofen daily (I know, I know), and it terrifies me how disabled I might become if I can't take NSAIDs post-op. Any advice, encouragement will be greatly appreciated. I have decided to have faith that as my obesity decreases, my inflammatory levels will decrease, and my hands and feet will not be as swollen and painful.

Hello Everyone! I started my journey to get the gastric sleeve. I have to do 4 months of classes. My questions is I have RA and fibro and scared of the possible complications due to my conditions has anyone had any complications and not able to take meds? I'm on a fb support group and get freaked out. I was sure this is what I wanted until I started reading some of the complains. Horrible acid reflux, nausea,vomiting, losing teeth and so on. So I'm a bit freaked out at the moment. Lol, any info from anyone with a autoimmune disease will be helpful. Thanks everyone!

I consider myself an expert when it comes to autoimmune rheumatic diseases. First- let's talk your prednisone: See an endocrinologist. Pronto. I was taking 60 mg of pred a day for years. There was no weaning off, because any time I got down to 20-25mg, I literally could not function. In any capacity. Enter the endocrinologist. Because the prednisone does just as much (if not more!) damage than good, my adrenal function was gone, I had prednisone induced glaucoma as well as prednisone induced diabetes. I needed off the meds ASAP. She prescribed me ORAL hydrocortisone. It mimics- and tricks- your body into believing it is prednisone, and is MUCH easier to wean off of than the prednisone. It took a total of 2.5 months vs over a year or longer if it were the prednisone. Do this. Again, ASAP. Ask for it. Second- methotrexate, either by pill or injection: pills made me sick, puking, typical chemo side effects. The shots did not, and they actually work much more effectively than the pills, so if given a choice, it is a once a week teeny tiny needle. Side effects- don't bother paying attention to them. The benefits far outweigh any possible adverse effects. You will need regular blood work to monitor your liver enzymes. Again, I have been on a very high dosage, so mine were often screwy. Third: I can't imagine any surgeon doing WLS or ANY elective surgery while you are on either of these meds. I had to "wash out" before I could have my surgery, meaning get all traces of the meds out of my blood system and stored reserves. Both drugs make you more susceptible to infection and the prednisone especially makes healing hard. And keeps weight on. Again- seeing an endocrinologist will get you off the pred by using oral hydrocortisone pills. Usually PMR goes away after a year or so. I wonder if you don't have true rheumatoid arthritis? The tests- a sed rate and C-reactive Protein screen are used for PMR as well as other autoimmune arthritis diagnosis. Just a thought. So- don't worry about side effects of the methotrexate and get off the pred!!! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App