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Gamergirl, are you sure you don't have Hashimoto's? It just means autoimmune disease of the thyroid, rather than some other cause of thyroid failure. As you are diagnosed with one AI condition (RA), it's highly likely you'd have more, and Hashimoto's is the most common one. I believe Hashimoto's, Coeliac disease, Diabetes and RA share a genetic profile... Involve the same gene/s. You need to have a biopsy of the thyroid to confirm there are auto antibodies in the thyroid tissue. I don't think it makes a jot of difference to the way your thyroid function is treated, but can be useful for doctors to know if you have a single AI condition or a "systemic" one. I don't really know. I will ask my PCP next time I see her. I do know that my levothyroxin dose has been reduced twice since the surgery, so if the gland were well and truly dead, I'm assuming that wouldn't happen? Good point though, I should ask.

That's simply not true. My weight gain was a DIRECT result of high doses of oral prednisone as well as IV decadron combined with lack of movement due to rheumatoid arthritis for 9 long years. It completely destroyed my adrenal function. I ate very healthfully with an occasional snack. But nothing in crazy excess. I simply lacked metabolism, my RMR was zilch and physically I couldn't move. The only way I could lose weight after many consultations, crying at different docs offices, was WLS. Coupled with some of the studies showing that some people with autoimmune disorders were showing signs of remission, my decision was made. And it was the best one ever! I was in some form of extreme pain almost daily for 9 years. Since surgery- one flare that lasted 2 days and was very manageable.

Hi everyone! I am doing some of my own research on this and will also go back to my doctors with the same questions, but wanted to throw it out here as well. I have always had slightly elevated liver enzymes, but the last 4-6 months, they keep elevating every time they do labs. I am now seeing a hepatologist and she is testing liver enzymes every 2 weeks to keep a close eye on them and may end up doing a liver biopsy if this continues. Has anyone else here experienced this over a year after surgery? I don't even know if it has anything to do with surgery as I also have some autoimmune issues going on. Could it have something to do with increased protein intake after surgery? I use a lot of protein shakes and mixes as I do not eat meat and try to make sure I am supplementing my diet with enough protein, but don't use more than has been recommended by my doctor, so I'm not overdosing on proteins. Does using soy or whey protein make a difference? Any input from any of your experience would sure be appreciated.

I don’t have a BMI over 40 and I am “only” 215lbs. That’s a lot of weight for me. Ive had Rheumatoid arthritis since I was 17 (I’m 43 now) and all these medications and up and down depressing anxiety fits made me put on 80lbs. I had tried everything to lose the weight to no avail. Exercise is getting hard for me and last summer I barely could hike up a mountain. I couldn’t breathe and my knees almost gave out. There are so many things I want to do and I never thought WLS was an option because I was told I wasn’t “heavy enough”. But between the RA and my family’s history with obesity I went on a journey that started with helping my anemia first. I got a hysterectomy in March and now I am period free. Next I went to a clinic that does both surgery and medical weight loss. He explained he would do everything he could to help me and ordered tests. He told me that my quality of life and my joints would benefit greatly from WLS. I knew this but still thought I was not eligible as autoimmune disease do not count towards your approval. He ordered a sleep test and it turns out I have sleep apnea which has me getting an excellent shot at approval. I feel humbled and blessed to have this option. So my tipping point was last year and it’s been a slow crawl but I’m here waiting for a surgery date. For the first time in a long time, I am hopeful.

Here is a medical study on autoimmune disease and weight loss surgery... http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112152.php

Wow M, Sounds like you're getting much closer to this than any of the tons of doctors I've seen yet have! I just have a couple of questions of you don't mind when you get a chance. So I too revised from lapband but went to RNY and that is my final surgery as of now and don't plan on changing to a third but if I need something fixed I need to know and would want it done. So my first question was why 3 surgeries was the 3rd one to RNY due to the short bowel with leaky gut syndrome? Also who diagnosed you with this was it a different specialist other than your bariatric surgeon? I've read up on some of these stomach related autoimmune disorders and on leaky gut syndrome but mainly it was information pertaining to people who did not have gastric bypass or a DS etc...do you have any links to information that would relate the autoimmune disorders with the RNY or other WLSs? I've searched a lot on line and have read some interesting things but finding a doctor/specialist to deal with my issues and put it all together the fact that I could have some autoimmune disorder and the relationship to the RNY is really difficult to find to say the least! I don't know if it's because I'm in more of a rural area or if it's not something studied and possibly the bariatric people are kind of in denial and it's not really their forte to work with people like us. Also another question is what kind of symptoms were you having that lead to your diagnosis if you don't mind me asking? Every time I've seen a new specialist I get my hopes up thinking they will have the answer for me only to be let down. I'm getting my hopes up a bit now just after reading your post and it does make sense I just need to put more info together in order to search out the right person to help me in my area. Thanks again, Brandy!!

On the Inamed website, the information about the band it clearly states that ANYONE with an autoimmune disorder, as well as other issues listed, should not have the band placed. This was veryinteresting to me because being on this site I am more of a reader then a poster, and I was getting very discouraged about some members that had had so much trouble with their band and did nothing but slam the Mexico docs for their troubles and retroubles. Recently I found out from another memeber that this member infact has an autoimmune disorder. This bothers me since the thought of band erosion just scared me to death. I think the band is a wonderful thing, but yet maybe those of us that have it didn't realize that maybe preexisting conditions existed and that is the sad part. Luckily mine is working great and steady as she goes. Hope everyone has a great day. Paula

Hmm.. lol. Okay.. So what does this mean?? "Contraindications The LAP-BAND System is not right for you if: You have an inflammatory disease or condition of the gastrointestinal tract, such as ulcers, severe esophagitis, or Crohn's disease. You have severe heart or lung disease that makes you a poor candidate for surgery. You have some other disease that makes you a poor candidate for surgery. You have a problem that could cause bleeding in the esophagus or stomach. That might include esophageal or gastric varices (a dilated vein). It might also be something such as congenital or acquired intestinal telangiectasia (dilation of a small blood vessel). You have portal hypertension. Your esophagus, stomach, or intestine is not normal (congenital or acquired). For instance you might have a narrowed opening. You have/experienced an intra-operative gastric injury, such as a gastric perforation at or near the location of the intended band placement. You have cirrhosis. You have chronic pancreatitis. You are pregnant. (If you become pregnant after the BioEnterics® LAP-BAND® System has been placed, the band may need to be deflated. The same is true if you need more nutrition for any other reason, such as becoming seriously ill. In rare cases, removal may be needed.) You are addicted to alcohol or drugs. You are under 18 years of age. You have an infection anywhere in your body or one that could contaminate the surgical area. You are on chronic, long-term steroid treatment. You cannot or do not want to follow the dietary rules that come with this procedure. You might be allergic to materials in the device. You cannot tolerate pain from an implanted device. You or someone in your family has an autoimmune connective tissue disease. That might be a disease such as systemic lupus erythematosus or scleroderma. The same is true if you have symptoms of one of these diseases. "

One of the nurses that works with my surgeon just told me that people with auto-immune disease should not have the band placed because their body will reject it. I said, "But I have an autoimmune disease, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, and no one ever told me that meant I shouldn't have the surgery. Do you think that's why I had so much pain and swelling and had to have the band removed?" Nothing but silence so far from her and doc. Anyone else ever heard of auto-immune disease being a counter-indication for band placement? I'm sure feeling pissed if they let me go ahead with the surgery when they shouldn't have. I told them I had a thyroid condition, and I don't believe anyone ever asked what it was. Considering the two most common thyroid conditions are both auto-immune, this sure seems negligent to me. Any thoughts?

I had heard something like this--but I guess I was thinking it was more severe autoimmune disorders that would prevent one from getting the band--not that one is easier than the other. I have hypothyroidism, and my doctor did not say anything about it. I even asked him directly. "I have hypothyroidsim. Can I still get the band?" His answer was YES. I don't have any allergies--that I know of--except I swell really badly after a bee sting. My husband, however, has terrible allergies, eczema, etc. He might react adversly to a foreign object in his body. I think everyone probably has a slight autoimmune thing going on--even if it's a slight allergy of some kind. Anyway--I'm willing to take the risk to be able to lose some of this weight.

There are many kinds of auto-immune diseases. some are indeed contra-indications for banding. I think the nurse did not mean EVERY one is - but caution still must be used becuase lots is still not known about the band. Some of the people here have rejected their bands becuase of autoimmune disorders they did not reveal before surgery. Hashimoto's is sometimes ok, if it is very well-controlled and you are stable. I think It is up to your surgeon and family doctor to decide if you are a good risk for banding. Renee

This is very interesting to me, since I also have RA/PsA. When we started discussing biologics, I asked my rheumy's opinion of WLS. She was enthusiastically behind it, citing WLS as many times reducing the inflammatory factors. However, she and my surgeon (and my research) all said that the bypass was NOT a good option for someone with auto-immune because of the complete contraindication for NSAIDs and steroids, where the sleeve only has a relative contraindication for those meds. Not criticising you or your docs, just find it interesting how there are so many differing opinions in the medical community. BTW, biologics are now off the table for me for the forseeable future. My inflammatory factors are down, and we still have dosing room on sulfasalazine and we haven't tried plaquenil yet. Mtx failed and I developed an allergic reaction to it, so at least I don't have to give myself chemo anymore! LOL. So the sleeve has worked amazingly well for me. Not remission, but meds are working better and we're able to avoid the real heavy hitters indefinitely. 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

This isn't the exact same thing, but I have an autoimmune disease and was put on steroids approximately 10 days after my last appointment for my medically supervised diet, and I have gained weight - like 5lbs - since I was last in. Because I'm ravenous because that's what steroids do. I think it's up to you about lifting weights, but I know my friends who have had the surgery have said that they should have conditioned their core and back a little more to be able to support just how weak you are after abdominal surgery! Maybe do just bodyweight exercise?

So here is my question for you. (And before ANYONE starts a battle on @@LisaMergs behalf -- she and I are groovy, we can discuss like adults without intervention.) Clearly you have had awesome results with the bypass. Why did you doctor suggest it? Was is malabsorbtion? As I stated earlier, that makes MUCH more sense than the people who say they never overate but who choose the sleeve. Did he/she think this would "reset" your metabolism? More importantly, are you off all those awful meds that made you gain the weight? I've seen your pics and you look AH-MAY-ZING. I know you can clear up some of my confusion about this. My whole purpose for having bypass was based solely upon anecdotal evidence showing that people with autoimmune disease specifically rheumatoid arthritis were going into remission after bypass. There was no evidence shown for patients who had the sleeve. My feeling was it was worth a shot. Worst case scenario oh would be that I would be able to drop some of the massive weight I had gained from all the medications there by alleviating the pressure and extra weight put on my already damaged and painful joints. I was one of the fortunate who went into complete remission after my bypass surgery. I know coming off all the steroids had a huge impact on the significant amount of weight that I was able to lose so quickly. But let's face it there was still plenty that has had to come off with Hard work determination and a commitment to the tool and for lack of better terminology life altering life saving gift I was given. Two things- Forgive my lack of proper sentence structure I'm dictating this into the phone as I'm driving to pick up a child from school, and lipstick lady is right we are super groovy and big girls and don't take anything each other says with anything other than the intent in which it was stated. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I read the posts about sleeve vs bypass for people with RA a few pages back and wanted to comment. I have non progressive autoimmune disorder and I test positive for RA have a few flairs a year with long emissions. My liver reached max tolerance for acetaminophen in 1993 and my kidne us actually failed from years of ibuprofen use. I had serious side effect from methotrexate and both biologics I tried. Because there weren't any better options I have been on narcotic pain medication for most of the past 12 years. And yes, prednisone is my best friend and my worse enemy. I have a gastric sleeve and am now just past 5 weeks post op. The pain was reduced within a week, though it took two more weeks to Tauber down from 20 mg of long-lasting oxytocin and 24-30 mg of dilaudid (4-12 mg every 4-6 hours) i have been completely off narcotic pain meds for over two weeks. I was aware that a bypass was more likely to improve my autoimmune disorders blut it was just too drastic of an alteration for me to wrap my mind around and my surgeon believed that the sleeve would give me some improvement. . In any case I think some of the improvement is because of the high Protein diet as my pain impoves when ever I up my protein and severely decrease carbs, but there is something more going on because I feel better every day. Sorry about the length. Hopefully this thread will survive the recent "kerfluffle".

I am about 6 weeks out. My surgery went well, however my recovery is impeded by CFS/Fibromyalgia. My sleeve is healing and I am introducing new foods each week. It is very difficult right now as I cannot function properly and exercise (other than walking) is out of the question due to severe arthritis. These issues are the veryreasons I had the procedure in the first place coupled with hypertension and pre-diabetic condition. I felt that these conditions would improve if I got the weight off. My weight is slowly but steadily coming down. However, I am exhausted, having difficulty focusing and I am having a hard time with short term recall. I purposely came to this forum to see if anyone else with autoimmune issues was having similar occurrences. My blood work has come back showing my vitamin B,and D are high so it’s not a malabsorption issue. I began to wonder if the anethstesia was impacting me this far out—or, a possible blood clot/TIA. I literally was knocked for a loop when I had to leave my successful career due to health problems and file SSI disability. At Christmas we had a house fire,7 days later my father died from heart failure, my surgery was about a week and a half after his passing. My doctor prescribed an anti depressant but I am not tolerating it well as it makes me more nauseous. I continue to take my thyroid medicine which helps a bit. I supplement my protein with protein bullets which have 42 grams — trying to stay hydrated and taking bariatric vitamins. This has GOT to improve—it’s hell. Having to move to corporate housing this week—will take 6 months to renovate the house. What a way to start 2018.

My surgeon spoke with my Rheumy. He wanted to make sure the autoimmune wasn't an issue with my organs. The hesitance you may feel from the surgeon may be stereotyping that Fibro gets sometimes. Don't be discouraged or take it personally people that don't walk your path may never understand. Best of luck!

I agree 100% and seriously meant NOTHING judgmental or harsh by my statements. I honestly thought I would be on opioids for the rest of my life as I could barely function but for now, I'm off them. As my autoimmune disease progresses I might have to go back on opioids. Hopefully, by then I'll be able to use medicinal marijuana. For now, my career goals don't allow it. I'm glad they offer you some relief.

While "fantastic" wasn't the first word that came to mind, I am still appreciative that they are both treatable! My doctors did test me for thyroid but not the Addison's until I went to a cardiac doctor then got referred to an endocrine doctor. But I also didn't know that with one usually comes another, so thanks for that. Hopefully things will turn around for me soon. Niki, I too have thyroid issues. I have been diagnosed with "Graves Disease". In 2007 I had my thyroid ablated because of hyperthyroidism. Now I take synthroid to regulate things. They can give you synthroid and your blood pressure and heart rate will rise and you will feel so much better. I was hyper so I my BP and HR were too high and that is why they had to kill it. So now I have a dead gland in my throat! lol You having hypothyroidism, it is easily fixed and with meds. I hope that is the case. Graves Disease is a autoimmune issue as well. Wishing you the best. I know you are on the road to recovery. You will feel better once they start giving you meds. Did the Dr. say they would start you on synthroid? Hi Lisa...they actually haven't technically told me what the disease/disorder is but that's because they're putting it on the back burner until I can get the Addison's disease and the blood pressure issue taken care of. But they did tell me that when they do they'll start me on Armour. So I don't know much about any of this until my docs appt on the 11th. Right now I'm just trying to get out of this hospital. Thanks for the well wishes! You're welcome! I'm not doctor but I would think they would start you on those meds now to help your BP and HR. Armour is good as well. Actually heard the sides effects are less and it works better for some. I'm sure you are ready to get home. I would ask the Dr. about this though if I were you. Just a suggestion. It may help you get out sooner if they can get your BP up. Looking forward to reading your post that you are home! Take care Yeah I'm sure I would feel better if they could get my bp up too! Also, a little side note, it seems as if my kidneys are shutting down now...no urinating and they hurt and they've taken a urine spec but no word on it yet...also, we have a major storm coming in tomorrow so if I don't leave sometime in the morning/early afternoon I may not get to until Sunday evening. Which is fine but not optimal...I'd take well over not well any day i just miss home and wish I was there. Plus my daughter is with me and she needs to go home to her own family. My husband is having to work because I've taken all of his vacation days this year and he has none left. He worries about me too while I'm here and he's not. Oh well, I rant too much these days in the hospital...I'm sorry! Like I said before, I'll just take it one step at a time...

I have a strong family and personal history of autoimmune disease. Because of that, my surgeon agreed that sleeve would be better because of potential issues with medication absorption after the bypass. If not for that, I probably would have gone with the bypass. I know people who have had it and done great, it does have better stats than the sleeve. I tend to be a pretty rational person who tries not to make decisions based on emotions, so the "it makes me feel ooky to think about re-routed intestines" was not a factor for me. Well, rational is probably not the right word, I don't want to call other people irrational -- but I try to put aside my initial emotional response to situations and make decisions (particularly medical/health decisions) based on science rather than emotion. If you haven't, you might want to go to a support group and meet people who have had these surgeries and are at least a year out and see what they have to say. Sometimes it can help to talk to and see people in person to get a real sense of what their experience has been like. Good luck!

Hi there I just sent a message to Missy. Im sure she will respond as soon as she is able. I dont have MS however I have Fibro, Raynauds and Lupus. Which is another autoimmune disease. However i was diagnosed after my band placement. My surgeon says if I had been diagnosed before banding he would not have performed it. Because of inflammation an organ involvement. Like I said I dont have MS. So maybe its different.

You are right, ESR (erythrocyte sedimentation rate) and CRP (C-Reactive Protein) are VERY non-specific tests. Basically, they determine whether there is inflammation anywhere...hs-CRP is also a very non-specific indicator of possible CE's, but it's not used much because of the lack of reliability. Oh, and some forms of birth control can actually make a CRP positive, IIRC. The chance of you having cancer, something autoimmune or something major like that is very low, but I don't have your family history in front of me, so I can't tell you for sure. Would some inflammation around the area of your band cause that? I suppose it's conceivable, but I'm not 100%. I'm hoping the best for you, though! Keep us updated! Do you have the exact figures from your test, by the way?

GERD actually is considered a comorbidity but just not for my insurance company. DJD is a comorbidity for a lot of companies, but not mine. Of course they don't consider RA as obesity related since it's autoimmune, but all I know is that if I weighed less I would definitely feel less pain! I left a message with my PCP today to ask for a referral for a sleep study. That's the only other thing my insurance will cover that I haven't been tested for. It's unclear if I even have symptoms because my husband has severe sleep apnea and uses CPAP which is kind of noisy, plus my pug bunks with us and he definitely snores...loudly! LOL But I agree-----stupid insurance companies! Argh! I know it would help my pain so much which would allow me to decrease some of my *expensive* meds! Oh well..........apparently, while my insurance company *does* require going through the weight loss program they don't require the 5% weight loss. So it'll be a fine line!

I am seeing a bariatric surgeon in my town tomorrow. He usually does not take on patients with bipolar disorder and I am hoping he will make an exception as I have met with him previously about my gallbladder. If it is a no, I have set up another appointment with my original surgeon but it isn't until April 18 and I would get a surgery date then. I also tried to get on with another office that does open surgery that is 4 hours away and after the surgeons had a meeting and reviewed my files, they decided that they would decline me bases on my surgeon's report from the day of surgery. I am not sure if it is caused by my autoimmune stuff, but I think it is chronic inflammation that has caused these adhesions. It has made my head and heart hurt too much to be on here or Instagram because everyone is moving and growing and changing. And here I am, stuck in limbo and on pause. I just sent this to biddynz. Also, why are you talking about something that is not related to my OP ? There are multiple forums and boards that could answer your question rather than this post about an aborted surgery and adhesions. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using BariatricPal mobile app

Sounds like it. I can walk a bit, being off my med's (several autoimmune diseases) has made it really hard to exercise. I can grind some med's but not all. I'm getting there slowly but steady.