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Thanks for the study!! I guess I am just so nervous about gaining the weight back. I found out I have Hoshimotos (autoimmune disorder that attacks the thyroid) gained 93lbs in a year and have been trying to loose it ever since. I was able to loose 30, but I ended up gaining it all back after my grandmother died last year because of helping my mom with all of the stress/stuff that comes with that... What would you say is key after getting banded to keep the weight off? I'm not a huge fan of support groups (no reason, just not). Obviously the exercise and diet is a huge factor, but anything else? Maybe some good questions I should ask the surgeon when I see him? I am a teacher so I'd like to have the surgery over the summer when I'll know I'll have plenty of time off.

There are many people with autoimmune diseases and the band with zero problems- including myself. The contradictions that Allergan list are no different than any other drug or device on the market. They have to list all the possible issues to save themselves from lawsuits. It's no different than the birth control not be recommended for women over age 35. Hundreds of thousands of women over 35 take the pill without a problem but they have to list it in the warning for their own protection.

OD, have you explored alternative eating? I love meat, total coyote, but because of my autoimmune stuff, I am learning a lot about "raw" cuisine and it is incredibly healthful and tasty and has tought me that we don't have to miss out or deprive ourselves, just play with the ingredients! I mean heck, you can have truffles and cake for goodness sake, via Eggface's Protein recipes

I have psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis. This causes me pain each day, and makes exercise for weight loss (I have always had to do major workouts to lose consistently) very difficult. I have begun the process to be sleeved by September. Anyone else done this procedure with an autoimmune disease? How has it improved or worsened the symptoms? My rheumatologist tells me that the weight loss will help the medications work better (at lower doses), and my surgeon says they deal with AI issues regularly. He did say he would not put in the band, because that can exacerbate symptoms. Thanks in advance! Tina San Antonio, Texas

I have AS and use Remicade to help with symptoms, given by IV every six weeks. I'm just starting on my pre- surgery diet for surgery in late June (no date yet- just submitted to insurance). My rheumatologist told me they wanted my last infusion to be at least four weeks before surgery and I can restart Remicade two weeks after surgery. I have been very stable and almost no symptoms since starting Remicade and I'm so excited to be able to exercise after surgery- crew team here I come! I have also been told that the band is contraindicated for folks with autoimmune issues so it's good that you folks are switching to sleeve! Small silver lining about having AS, Lupus, RA etc is that we're already used to lots of pain- chronic, which can be worse than acute and we'll probably have a better pain tolerance right after surgery and that IV will be a piece of cake!

Actually no...I am not banded. My wife is scheduled to be banded this Monday. I have been heavily researching this procedure for her, and doing so from a review of the scientific literature as well as reading as many personal accounts of the procedure as I can find. This board is the first one I have found that seems devoid of all the politics, blatant dis- and mis-information, or "ads" for credit and crap. I have read journal articles and literature reviews of this procedure going back for about 3-4 years...and have based my opinions on that, along with taking personal accounts and considering their post-op behavior and expectations. I have read so much and asked so many questions of the surgeon my wife will be using that I probably am bordering on being a pest...but this is still surgery and I want to be completely satisfied with the choice we have made as she is the most important thing in my life next to our son and I had to be sure of all the details. I am completely comfortable with this procedure and we both understand the risks and rewards. As for my work, I direct a clinical trials laboratory that provides esoteric testing and development for pharmaceutical and biotech companies, focusing mainly on the immunologic impacts of their targeted therapeutics. Most are involved in monoclonal antibody or small molecule based therapeutics in the oncology and autoimmune disease corridors. So yes...I am a science geek...just look at my photo over to the left...

My surgeon won't perform the band on anyone who has any type of autoimmune disorder because of potential for band rejection. You might want to confirm with your surgeon before you proceed that he/she doesn't feel that's an issue. Having said that, I only have MORE MORE MORE energy when I lose. There was a brief time post op during which I only could have clear liquids (no protein) and frankly I felt bad. That only lasted 1 week and once I added protein in I felt better. However I have ALWAYS done better, energy wise, when eating foods that are high in protein and low in processed carbohydrates. I think your "energy" will depend partly on attitude and partly on what you choose to eat once you have the band. If you have protein, then healthy veggies, then fruit, and finally grains, you should be fine. However again with your CFS and other autoimmune issues, you may react to the band in a totally different way. That would worry me a bit, were I you.

Dear all I’m so glad I’ve found this site! This post may be a bit long, I’m very sorry in advance! My background in brief is this. I am 36 years old and live in the UK. I weigh 17st 12lb, and have a BMI of 39.16. I have had mild chronic fatigue syndrome since I was 15 years old. In the past 6 years I’ve also been diagnosed with an unstable underactive thyroid, and two other autoimmune diseases called ocular myasthenia gravis and premature ovarian failure. My eating history is one of comfort eating when stressed but not complete bingeing. I have had counselling for this and other stuff for a year and have made good progress but no long-term weight loss. I also NEVER get full!! Apparently, a combination of 3 autoimmune conditions and being obese also means that the risk of my getting diabetes is higher than usual. I was referred to a professor in Oxford who while treating me pointed out that losing weight will quite probably help me to alleviate some of my symptoms, but that the conditions I have mean that losing weight successfully would be much more difficult and so he recommended that I be referred for a gastric band. I met with the gastric specialist in Oxford last Monday, they’re really nice, and seemed to feel that I am an ideal candidate, and today I found out that I have been approved for surgery, potentially in January or February 2009. I want to apologise for the next bit. I’ve read a lot of posts today and I know that many people are trying to get a band but not necessarily able to get funding for the op. I really don’t want to appear ungrateful for the opportunity but I just don’t know whether to get it done, my doctors are infinitely more enthusiastic than me. To try and help me decide I’ve drawn up a list of pros and cons that I can think of so far for me of having a gastric band, which are, for me: Pros: Faster weight loss than I could achieve without it, greater chance of maintaining weight loss, decrease medical symptoms, reduce risk of diabetes, solves the problem of never getting full. Cons: Risk of procedure, loss of ability to eat normally with friends in restaurants etc, am already pretty prone to vomiting, can I still get enough nutrition/calories to do a substantial amount of exercise, will I get a loss of energy? The last 'con' is my main question. I was reading a crappy celeb magazine the other day and it had an article about (not an interview with) Fern Britton. It said that she has suffered from greatly reduced energy levels since the op. Now this could be total rubbish and not actually true for her but it really worried me. Having had chronic fatigue for so long the energy I do have is very precious to me. If it came down to a straight choice between the band vs. higher energy and ability to exercise I’d have to choose the latter. Even if you don’t have anything else to comment, please could anyone who’s had the band tell me their experience with energy levels and whether they've been reduced or not? I realise that I will feel puny to start with but it’s the longer term prospect that I am more concerned with. It would be sooooo much help, I’m just not sure what to decide at the moment. Thanks for being patient and reading to the end (hopefully!) x

I have hashis an several autoimmune diseases along with fibro,polymyalgia GERD, sleep apnea I have a CPAP, among a list of other things insulin resistance. ...my 2 specialist sent me to WLS. They both said I met criteria. ..bmi has hit 41 just the past 14 months I've gained 50 pds so now Iv hit around 250 or so...we are stopping this dead in its tracks before it goes any further. I take meds daily an one is capsule for GERD told me I didn't have to pull apart but I do take wellbuterin for depression an anxiety those I can crush for a bit...I've been in the st system for 3 months...once I finished all classes an labs an cleared from drs my insurance approval was in 48 hrs. ..I'm sick n tired of being sick n tired..I was on WW for 6 month didn't lose anything. ..I want my own self back an my hubs is supporting me all the way.he said it was my decision an what ever I decided he would back me up..being over weight like this is extremely fatigued, an no life. Iv been thinking of this for 15 yrs..I wasn't as big till the last yr low an behold it happened! With insulin resistance ur body doesn't use glucose for energy. I'm not telling my family an only a few close girl friends no..I don't want to hear everyone's opinions..diet an exercise has obviously not wrkd for me.I'm always hungry. Hope this helps...best wishes: ) for you to have went to a seminar you have been thinking about this... keep us posted!

So, I have promised to share my story with anyone who is interested. I’m not simply a bariatric surgery patient. Feel free to ask questions about what I have gone through. I am not shy about talking about my travails and have lots of experience with surgery in general. The photos I am sharing may be disturbing to some people. I am scarred and have an ileostomy. If you are squeamish, you may want to skip the photos. Here we go… Get your popcorn, this is a very long post. My name is Andy. I turned 52 in early July. I am single and live alone with my dog. I’ve been heavy most of my life. But, my journey is about my chronic illness and the effects it has had on me and my body. I have Crohn’s Disease. I started having symptoms when I was 15. It got really bad when I was in the Navy, but it was in 1990 that I was first hospitalized because of it. I was, at first, diagnosed with ulcerative colitis and started on medication. This seemed to help for a while, but it kept getting worse. In 1995, when my doctor said I had to start taking Prednisone again, I opted to have a radical surgery to “cure” me by removing the organ of choice for this autoimmune disease. On April 20, 1995, I had the first of three major abdominal surgeries at Northwestern University Hospital, in Illinois. I had my entire large intestine removed and an internal pouch was made out of my small intestine to take the place of my large intestine. The surgery took almost 12 hours to complete. It was done open incision; laparoscopic surgery of this type was not perfected until the early 2000s. (My youngest brother had this exact surgery performed in 2012 laparoscopically. Crohn’s disease runs in my family.) This pouch was connected to the exit and I had a loop ileostomy for three months while the internal pouch healed. Yes, I pooped into a bag hanging from my stomach for three months back then. Then, after the three months, I went back in for another surgery where they closed the ileostomy and dropped my intestine back inside. Things went well for a couple of years, then I got sick again. I moved to California and started a new job in 2002. When I found a new gastroenterologist in southern California, he did some tests and said I did not have ulcerative colitis, but Crohn’s Disease. (The difference between these two irritable bowel diseases is ulcerative colitis only attacks the large intestine, but Crohn’s disease can attack any part of the digestive system.) This doctor started me on an infusion medication called Remicade. This was the first medication that ever really worked. I took it for about 14 years until I developed antibodies to it. I kept taking it even though it was not working because the doctor never had me tested for antibodies. In 2014, I moved to Idaho. I found my current gastroenterologist, who is the best doctor I have ever had. He put me on Humira. This is a self-injectable medication that also worked for a while, this time about two years. When he saw that the Humira was no longer working, he ordered a blood test that would see if I had antibodies to it. This is when I found out that I had antibodies to both Humira and my previous medication, Remicade. I was then switched to Cimzia, which never worked. I just keep getting sicker and sicker. (The worst part of having Crohn’s disease is there are no outward signs that you are sick. I looked fine but felt like crap all the time. No one at work believed I was sick) One of the side effects of my surgery in 1995 was scar tissue in my small intestines where the ileostomy was. Because of this, I periodically have small bowel obstructions that usually require hospitalization. To date, I have had 17 small bowel obstructions. These usually clear themselves while I am in the hospital, by not eating anything (NPO) and having an NG (Naso-gastral) tube inserted up my nose and down into my stomach, to remove any contents using suction. Let’s jump ahead to last year – May 2017. I had yet another small bowel obstruction. I was hospitalized as usual, but this time it did not clear. I had been in the hospital for two weeks and then they decided I needed surgery to clear the blockage. When I was talking to the surgeon before the surgery, he said I had a 90% chance that I would come out of surgery with a permanent ileostomy. This was not the case. In this second major open abdominal surgery, the surgeon was able to remove scar tissue strictures from the outside of my small intestine and they immediately inflated and the blockage passed. I got lucky. The surgeon told me that if I had another small bowel obstruction, he would be forced to remove my internal pouch and give me a permanent ileostomy. In August of 2017, this is exactly what happened. A bit after 4 am on August 21, 2017 (yes, the day of the total solar eclipse – I’ll say more about this in a minute), I went to the emergency room and was admitted about 8:30 am for yet another small bowel obstruction. I had been up all night throwing up and getting sicker, so I was exhausted by the time I got to my room. About 10 am, the nurse came in and asked if I wanted to go out to the parking lot and watch the eclipse. I was so sick and exhausted that I said no and slept through the entire event. (I live in one of the areas where people came to view the event (eastern Idaho) and I missed the entire thing because of this damn disease…) When the surgeon came in later that day, he said that he had scheduled me for surgery on Wednesday, August 23, 2017,, for the removal of my badly diseased internal pouch and give me a permanent end ileostomy. So, again, I poop into a bag. So, on August 23, 2017, I had the third major open abdominal surgery. One thing to note here is this was the third time I had been opened up in the same place – from just above my belly button, vertically down into my groin. My wound had barely healed from the surgery in May and the surgeon was cutting me open again. This ended up being a long recovery. There were two issues with this surgery: the first was the placement of the ileostomy. The surgeon placed it in the scar tissue from my ileostomy that I had back in 1995. This has caused issues with the seal on my bag. The second issue was the surgical wound. While I got much better since the badly diseased part of my small intestine was surgically removed, the wound did not want to heal. I was in the hospital for over three weeks and eventually sent home on with a wound vac. This device keeps constant suction on the wound and removes any blood and body fluids from the wound, preventing infection and speeding healing. The problem with my wound this time is it was not closed properly and it took over four months for it to close enough for me to stop using the wound vac. I was able to finally return to work in January of 2018. Back to my gastroenterologist. I went to see him in Februar 2018 for a checkup and an intestinal scope, called a sigmoidoscopy. This is basically the same as a colonoscopy, but they use a much smaller device. It is about the same size as an endoscope. When this procedure was over, he said to me that I needed to lose weight. (He basically says this every time I see him, about every three months) This time, I was sick of hearing about it so I asked him for a referral to see a dietician to help me with my weight and my eating. About a month later, I get an unexpected call from a bariatric surgeon’s office near where I live and was invited to a seminar. I went and after the presentation, I went to ask the surgeon a couple of questions about whether or not I was a candidate based on my surgeries. She said that it was not out of the question, but she would need me to make an appointment to be sure. I was seen in late March 2018. When I met with the surgeon, she asked me to lift my shirt and show her my abdomen. She took one look at my scars and said she could do nothing for me. She referred me to a bariatric surgeon at the University of Utah, who I met with on June 29, 2018. Because I had already started the journey, according to my insurance, back in March, the doctor placed me on the fast-track to get everything done. Since June 29th, I have had 14 appointments in Salt Lake City, about 210 miles south of where I live. During this first appointment, I also talked to the bariatric surgeon about my other issues and he referred me to a colo-rectal surgeon, also at U of U. I met with him on July 20, 2018. We discussed revision surgery on the placement of my ileostomy and the removal of internal scar tissue around my small intestines on the left side of my abdomen. He said that these things need to be done and that he would coordinate with the bariatric surgeon. The bariatric surgeon was more hesitant and needed much convincing. I finally was able to talk him into performing both sets of procedures during the same operating room visit. I was finally approved for everything and am scheduled for surgery on September 6, 2018. In early August of this year, I was finally approved for yet another Crohn’s medication – Stelara. This, by the way, is the second most expensive medication in the United States, behind only Harvoni (which is used for hepatitis C). Stelara costs about $20,000 per dose and I have to inject one dose every two months. So far, it is working. So, to recap – on September 6, 2018, I will be having a vertical sleeve gastrectomy, performed laparoscopically (prepped for open, but he is going to attempt laparoscopically first) by Dr. Volckmann as the first procedure performed. While I am still under and after Dr. Volckmann finishes, Dr. Pickron will come in and perform a revision on the location of my permanent end ileostomy and attempt to remove as much scar tissue from my small intestines as he can. This will be performed open, through the same incision location and scar tissue that has been used now three previous times. I am also posting photos of what I look like without clothing, with privates blocked out. Since my surgery on August 23, 2018, only my doctors have seen me this way. And the last photo is of my "surgery" haircut. I hate to deal with my hair in the hospital so I just cut it all off before I go in. If you have made it to this point, thank you for reading my story. I have never written it all down before and as such, have never shared everything with anyone.

I have an autoimmune disease, Multiple Sclerosis, but I don't have issue rejecting foreign bodies.

Good luck, it will be interesting to see what he says. Having an autoimmune disease is listed as a contraindication to being banded on the lapband site. If he says he can't band you because of it then ask what your other options are. You may be able to get the sleeve or a bypass.

hi all, i am pre-surgery, just starting out in this process... i originally wanted to have a lapband done, but i have an auto-immune problem where my body rejects foreign objects inside it... any ideas?? i am thinking gastric bypass might be where i end up, but i was wondering if anyone on here has had the lapband done and also had any autoimmune issues.. i am on humira and methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis.. anyone have any ideas?? thanks!!

Having gastric bypass is my Gastroenterologist's last ditch effort to help treat my gastroparesis. I also have Crohn's disease, in remission right now. Also Hashimoto's, fibromyalgia, migraines, and a host of bizarre autoimmune problems. I'm barely eating and should weigh 90 lbs, but I continue to gain weight, even after having my thyroid out. Dr hopes the RNY will ease my stomach pain, nausea, and poor motility.

@@LisaMergs Inside comments/jaunty banter is simply a form of familiarity. Not to worry- we have all been new here That said- what kind of surgery you have also has a TON to do with whether you can tolerate carbs or not- the "bad" kind, that is. Five and a half months out, I still can not tolerate a piece of banana. Others can. It is always trial and error. And maybe one day I'll be able to- who knows? Sleeve patients don't always experience "dumping" - when the sugars hit your intestines and are not able to be processed like before surgery. That is part of the "accountability factor" associated with bypass. Now some sleevers DO dump- and there are a handful of bypass pts that DO NOT. Typically that is not the norm. Same could be said for fatty foods/greasy fried foods. The point is- GOOD SOLID nutrition is ubër important for ALL of us to not only be successful with the WL tool we now have, but ultimately, to be successful at maintaining our loss. There are ways to "eat around" your surgery- namely by not following the no drinking while eating or for 30 min after you finish eating. I, personally, try and follow a ketogenic diet. Not all NUT will agree with this diet. However, because inflammation is a huge issue for my body- cellularly speaking- and the autoimmune issues I have, my docs and NUT are fine with this- and I have been symptom free since surgery. How cool is that??? One thing I will say- not ALL WLS patients have ready access to a NUT. Some see theirs only before and maybe once or twice after surgery, so if they were unclear about nutrition, and can't find what they need to know here or elsewhere on the internet ( lots of conflicting information out there), then the likelihood is they may be confused or unaware. And because we here all see different doctors- again- conflicting information- and debates ensue. What you need to do is work with your NUT and bariatric team, take what you need from here, and make an educated decision. Hope that helps! Lisa Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Hi There! I just want to clear up one comment. Most gastric bypass patients DO NOT dump. Only 30% of bypass patients have dumping syndrome and many of that 30% clear up after around a year. Also, there are sleevers who dump as well although it is even less common.

Well, I wouldn't say I'm in the pink, maybe just in a positive headspace today because of my Zoloft, dealing with my diagnosis is a continuous trauma that just has to be dealt with. I am approaching this from the connection of neurological disorders as a result of autoimmune disease as a result of Leaky Gut and other GI issues. It will be most difficult to kick my chocolate habit and I LOATHE green tea, bleechhh.

Hello my friends, I have returned I was medevac'd to Germany (Landstuhl) for various reasons, I took my tablet along instead of my laptop, good for travelling light, bad for VST app! VST on the tablet SUCKS!! After much patience I could get to the page, but could never click over to another page. Anyway, it turned out that I did not have a hernia, which will be interesting because that was the reason I applied for worker's comp, so I don't know what they will say now that I didn't have to have a surgery ... And, it is now no longer a matter of weight loss vanity, regarding my diet, it is now a matter of sustaining my mental and physical health. Although I will still follow the timing of 5:2, I will now also be attempting to do something called the Wahls Protocol, which will be difficult to achieve out here but I will try. It calls for huge amounts of leafy greens, Omega fatty acids, as close to 0 transfats as possible, and concentrated amounts of B and D Vitamin. I need to eat some form of Probiotics every day, flaxseed or another Fiber every day, my B and Omega Vitamins every day ... Has anyone here ever heard of something called "Leaky Gut" Syndrome? It is on the cutting edge of discovery that is happening right now, connecting GI issues + autoimmune diseases + neurological disorders.

Contraindications: The LAP-BAND® System is not recommended for non-adult patients, patients with conditions that may make them poor surgical candidates or increase the risk of poor results (e.g., inflammatory or cardiopulmonary diseases, GI conditions, symptoms or family history of autoimmune disease, cirrhosis), who are unwilling or unable to comply with the required dietary restrictions, who have alcohol or drug addictions, or who currently are or may be pregnant. This is from lapbands site http://www.lapband.com/en/learn_about_lapband/safety_information/ I don't know if FM is inflammatory or auto immune, but I know that many have developed FM post-banding. Ask a lot of questions.

Oh my gosh I have so much to say about this! You're going to feel that way and it's not going to go away necessarily anytime soon. There are so many factors at play right now. You're going to mourn the loss of your old life comma the food used to eat, the drinks you used to drink, even the way you interacted socially with others. You're also dealing with massive hormone dumps for the fat loss. This is also very normal and I promise you it will get better over time! I am almost a year out I had surgery April 29th of last year. The first few weeks actually did not bother me it was after that after the puree stage and the soft foods and and all of that comma that I really started to have issues with morning my old life. Once I finally started going out to social events or going out to dinner with my family or my husband, that's when it really started to bother me. The best thing I can tell you to try to counteract that is go look in a mirror. You are not going to see it a lot yet but in two or three months you're going to see such huge changes in yourself that it lessens the blow. Even to this day, almost a year out from surgery I still get low comma I still get depressed and I wish I could eat that bowl of spaghetti or drink that glass of red wine but when I get upset and I get frustrated I look in the mirror or I go and I take a picture and I use an app to put a picture of Me 3 days before surgery next to what I look like at this exact moment and the difference is shocking. And it's shocking enough that I suddenly don't really miss it all that much anymore. The biggest thing for me is how much pain I was in prior to surgery. I have several autoimmune diseases and I live the last three years of my life on immunosuppressive drugs, Tramadol, Tizanidine, various other medications related to pain relief and management of my diseases. When I could get up and attempt to function in my life it was through the use of insane amounts of coffee period and that was only to be able to get me out of bed to be able to get me to work so that I didn't lose my job. I had literally nothing left at the end of the day for my husband or for my beautiful little boy. So whenever you get down and whenever this just starts to feel like it's too much remember what it used to be like remember how far you've already come and how much further you're going to go. Remember that this is totally worth it in the end. oh my gosh I have so much to say about this! You're going to feel that way and its not going to go away necessarily anytime soon. There are so many factors at play right now. Your going to mourn the loss of your old life, the food used to eat, the drinks he used to drink, even the way you interacted socially with others. Your also dealing with massive hormone dumps for the fat loss. This is also very normal and I promise you it will get better over time! I am almost a year out I had surgery April 29th of last year. The first few weeks actually did not bother me it was after that after the Sent from my SM-G930P using the BariatricPal App

I had my sleeve 7 months ago and have lost 106 lbs to date. I have felt run down of late suffering from a mouth ulcer and irritating cough also a Water infection and a rash that looks like a mild dose of shingles. My hair is also very thin. I suffer from Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (an autoimmune disease of the liver, sleep apnoea and fatty liver disease. I take Ursodeoxycholic Acid 600mg and Provigil 400mg for the PBC. I am on a Multivitamin plus Iron once a day. I only manage to eat about 10grams of protien a day. What additional supplements should I take to feel better and get back on track?

Knowing full well the contraindications for NSAIDS, bypass was the only WLS that showed remission in autoimmune disorders. My docs are part of a center of excellence, both with the University of Chicago and Northwestern University, and my rheumy is Duke- trained and one of the top researchers in RA and Lupus, so I felt pretty comfortable with their recs. Giving up ibu was mentally harder than anything else, considering I've not had to take more than 3 Tylenol since my surgery! Sucks about the MTX for you...wondering were you doing pills or injections? Pills had me puking and were much less effective than the shots. Plaquenil was useless, as were every other med...been there, done them all. My last drug, Actemra, provided a LITTLE relief- about 10%, which lasted a whole week after I was infused. It was the IV decadron that kept me going along with the daily pred. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App Yeah, my rheumy didn't talk about remission, but said that especially since the sleeve completely removes some of the stomach tissue that drives inflammation, it had the potential to help a lot. I'd not seen any of the research with complete remission. However, I don't think I would have gambled my ability to take NSAIDs and steroids. My rheumy hates steroids, so I haven't been on them in forever, but she does like to keep it as an option for really bad flares. I haven't had any NSAIDs since surgery, I figure the less I take them the better even though they're allowed by my rheumy and surgeon and I'm on a PPI. My rheumy wants to keep all treatment options on the table, because we caught this so early there's no joint degeneration. Right now 3 months post-op, my pain level is less with zero NSAIDs and less than max dose of sulfasalazine than it was prior to surgery with over 10,000mg of ibu a week. And my inflammatory factors are almost normal. We'll treat even with normal inflammatory factors since I'm seronegative and we're trying to fend off joint damage. I was on the mtx pills, and woke up with a rash all over, and a severe episode of pleurisy. A higher than normal dose of benadryl didn't knock it down, so I went to the ER (it was the one I worked at the time, so that was fun) and got some IV steroids and fluids and more benadryl. My rheumy wasn't convinced it was the mtx, but it wasn't working for me anyway so we stopped it. I have wondered since if I might have had a better response if I was using injections. But oh, well.

I'm so sorry you are going through this @Ashley Amari!! That is a LOT of hair loss. It is so shocking the things our bodies do when under stress. When I was in my early 20s I had an autoimmune flare and lost over 1/3 of the density of my hair. I've always had fine hair but a lot of it, that's no longer the case. In time some of it came back, but I kept having autoimmune flares and with each one I'd lose more and more. It has stabilized now that I'm on a biologic to stop the flares, and it is growing back now though I don't think it'll ever be as thick. But I am DREADING the shed from surgery. I had one after having a hysterectomy. It has all come back from that, it wasn't any worse than the autoimmune triggered ones, but at least it all came back from that! I have high hopes for you that while you have lost a lot for now, it should come back, and often comes back even healthier than before, probably because of all those vitamins we are taking! LOL There is *nothing* we can do to avoid this shed cycle, it is natural after a major surgery and serious weight loss, so don't worry it is something you did. It isn't. It will come back in its own sweet time and until then I bet you'll rock the hell out of that wig!! ❤️

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.

Let me start by saying this surgery works! However, I am defective. I'm very down on myself right now. My highest weight was 365 around 2006. I lost down to 305 and got pregnant in late December 2007. Had my precious baby in Oct 2008. I was around 310 after delivery...didn't gain much weight at all. I felt healthy throughout my pregnancy except for the end...she wouldn't come out! I was 42 weeks when I was induced and then had a c-section. So, the beginning was tough. I was still 300+ pounds with a colicky infant who refused to sleep. I didn't know what to do. I finally decided that enough to was enough. I had my sleeve in May 2009 and lost weight immediately. I had no ill symptoms following the surgery, not even reflux, for 3 weeks. I felt pretty good, albeit tired. Then the reflux hit BAD at 3 weeks. I started taking a PPI and it was controlled. But I was exhausted. Soon I realized I couldn't use food anymore (duh, wasn't that the purpose?). I started drinking too much coffee. Bad reflux continued. Then I started eating more. I would eat half a sandwich (or even less), wait until I wasn't full anymore, and eat more until it was gone. So, yes, for people out there wondering if you can overcome this, you can. I was still losing weight. But felt miserable. I did this to myself. I regret having my surgery. At surgery, I was 322. I am now 260. Not good. I should be under 200 by now. I did this to myself. I wasn't ready to lose the weight (psychologically). I still can't give up the foods that cause me to overeat. If I eat healthy proteins/fats and some veggies, I feel great. Yet, for some reason, I want to stuff myself with bread. My reflux is out of control, but my doc took me off the PPI because I am vit B12, folate, and Iron deficient (pernicious anemia). I am on zantac 150 mg up to four times a day to try to prevent esophagitis. Yet I keep killing myself with food. Why I thought this would be my answer, I don't know. I am a graduate student studying to become a physician assistant. I love health, medicine, and wellness. Yet I can't fix myself. If I would stop eating the crap that I eat and stop drinking the coffee, it's likely the reflux would be tolerable. I am really down on myself. I see a therapist who specializes in eating disorders, but I don't know what to do. I also have Hashimoto's thyroid disease (autoimmune) and my doc told me to stop eating gluten, but I still eat it all the time. Like I'm addicted to it. The simple suggestion to "just stop" doesn't work with me. I am a smart, educated, kind person. Yet I can't do these simple things for myself. As of now I regret my decision to have surgery. The reflux is awful. I'm finally now not so tired. For awhile, all I did was cry because I was so tired after the surgery. So I don't know what to do. "Just stop eating the crap" hasn't seemed to work for me. It's like I can't embrace what I've done to myself. I still haven't. Well, that's all. At least I got this off my chest. Congrats to all who've done well. I think I'm defective. I've been big my whole life and it's like I'm scared to be small. As a warning to those undergoing the procedure, don't think this surgery will change your core being. You need to be ready for it or quickly learn to embrace it. I thought I was ready. Obviously I wasn't. Shannon

kcsmicah and all, I'm glad I stumbled onto this forum. I'm 5'1. My surgery is also Jan 20, and I just found out about the surgery date yesterday. I'm not starting the pre-op diet until tomorrow, so I'll be on it for less than 2 weeks...why is a long story. I have an autoimmune disease that makes it very difficult to lose weight. I'm new to Bariatricpal and to this whole WLS process. I hope the latter works. I need to lose 70 lbs.