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I have a personal and family history of autoimmune disease that would make it difficult to get the right meds after bypass (prednisone etc.). I also hate the idea of cutting out and rearranging my intestines. I know that removing most of your stomach is also drastic and unnatural but the intestinal chop-job and reroute is more than I want to inflict on my body. Lesser considerations: struggling to get adequate vitamins for the rest of your life with the bypass, strong possibility that you will have to completely give up several types of food and not even taste them again (asparagus, steak, bread, sweets -- I have read that all of these can cause major distress to people with bypass), greater risk of surgical complications with the bypass, stronger possibility of lingering unpleasant digestive problems with the bypass (gas, diarrhea, vomiting), the idea of a blind, inaccessible portion of your stomach floating around and possibly getting cancerous with no way to scope it and see what's going on, and the fact that the few people I know who have had the bypass did well with their weight loss but struggled with energy and health after. This is a sleeve board so likely you will get lots of people singing the praises of the sleeve and explaining the downsides (as we see them) to the bypass -- make sure you get lots of good info from all different kinds of sources before you make your decision. Good luck to you!

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

There's an autoimmune thread on this forum and the posters to that thread may be able to help as well.

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

It's an autoimmune disease that hypothyroidism is associated with. The other thing is - Biotin can increase TSH levels. Sent from my KFFOWI using the BariatricPal App

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

Autoimmune disorders are a contraindication for the surgery. Trust me, you do NOT want something foreign inside your body if your immune system is not at 100%. You may need to find another option...RNY? Sleeve?

In keeping with my rant about flying, does anyone have issues with their autoimmune when traveling? The airport and flight wore me out much more than I'd expected, and I'm glad I packed my pain meds, I definitely needed them the first night in the hotel. sent from mobile device

I have Raynaud's. It can be associated with autoimmune disease. I am under the care of a rheumatologist. It usually doesn't bother me unless I am super cold.

I stopped narcotic pain relievers a year ago. I have autoimmune disorder but I don’t take any meds that would cause delayed emptying and surgery should actually speed it up. It did start around 3 months. Could have been sooner and I just didn’t realize my issues were abnormal. My surgeon is at a total loss since developing it after surgery is so rare. I can’t even find studies or articles about it, just how a sleeve can cure diabetic gastroparesis. There’s only a handful of foods I can eat. The other day I had half an in n out burger wrapped in lettuce and I could feel it in my stomach and chest for about 6 hours. I see a specialist next week and there’s meds I can take but they come with some nasty side effects per my friend’s experience. We’ll see. I still think surgery was the best decision I’ve ever made. Officially down almost 80 lbs and hit the 180s today.

How low is low? Normal platelet counts are between 150 and 450 (thousand); a 130 is not something to be concerned about and can be within the normal variation of human condition (like some people run a temperature of 96.5 and some are at 100.4). A platelet count below 100 is concerning, below 50 is very concerning, and below 20 is critical. It may be a temporary dip due to other conditions, or it could be ITP (idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura) which is caused by an autoimmune tagging of your platelets and destruction by your spleen. ITPhappens for no known reason which is why it's called idiopathic. There are many more things that can cause low platelet count, and your doctor should explore which are likely for you. Your doctor will know how to figure this out, meanwhile don't stress yourself out by worrying too much. I hope it's something simple and eases your mind.

Thanks guys. I have an autoimmune that really keeps my mouth dry and parched. I always, always have something to drink. The thought of trying to eat and not having anything to drink with it is hard for my mind to grasp. I do want to "follow the rules" and not go against what is recommended. But I was wondering if I did sip something at a restaurant out of caving to my dry mouth, would there be an ugly scene at the table?

Well, they have thought for quite some time that I may have an autoimmune disorder... starting prednisone today. My lungs sound bad. I thought having this surgery I would get healthier lol

Kat, I had to take steroids too, I was already overweight,,,then an extra 57 lbs later and I'm checking out lapband. It threw me into an all time high and I remember the mood swings..oh how I don't miss prednisone.lol I have dropped 16 pounds but I'm still at 261 and have struggled so much since. I don't really have a problem getting the records of my weight history, that shouldn't be a problem. I'm more than 100 pounds overweight now, I also qualify due to co morbidities but I have myasthenia gravis, it's a rare autoimmune disease, I don't know if it will be a hurdle for me or not. I am disabled, I have UHC right now and will be getting medicare in April, should I wait and have the secondary or does medicare make you jump through hoops too? I'd almost rather pay some out of pocket than put up with the insurance company headaches. Thank you all very much for your advice and comments. I think I need to get a journal started.lol It's kind of nerve racking to think about it all. I think writing everything down and keeping good records is a very good idea..thanks again!

I'm also having problems with my band and I also have an autoimmune disease. Every time I get a fill enough to even border on restriction, my body goes nuts and epic hurling ensues if I try to eat food, good or bad. So for me it's all restriction or no restriction. I've had my band for a year now and not lost a single pound. Before I had by band put in, I asked lots of questions about my fibromyalgia and if it would be a problem and I was assured that it wouldn't. They lied. I am considering a revision to the sleeve and I am again concerned about the autoimmune disease aspect and will I end up even sicker? The sleeve can't be reversed, which makes me a bit apprehensive. If I don't lose the weight, there's a possibility I may go blind because the pressure in my brain is threatening to tear apart my eyeballs from the inside so something has to be done. Rock==>ME<==Hard Place

Per the Allergan website, there is NO warnings or contradictions for people with RA or MS. It is NOT all autoimmune diseases that have a problem with the band, in fact it's only a very small number of them: "You or someone in your family has an autoimmune connective tissue disease, such as systemic lupus erythematosus or scleroderma. The same is true if you have symptoms of one of these diseases." Here's the original text: https://www.lapband.com/learn-about-lapband/lapband-is-for-you

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

How long did it take for your blood sugar to go below 100 at morning fasting? I had my blood work done today. My regular dr is also testing me for the antibodies to see if I could be type 1 diabetic because autoimmune runs in my family. (My mom got type 1 at 75 years old just last year) my sugar is still running around 150 in the mornings. I'm keeping positive thoughts that it is just type 2 and will eventually go down to a normal level.

Ed, I think you are right, your info may be dated. The lap band is a very successful weight loss surgery and I can recommend a book or two (available from Amazon and most likely your local barnes and noble or borders store).... I got my band 8/29 and never had a moment's nausea or vomiting. HOWEVER (caveat) the point of the band is to FORCE Portion Control by restricting how quickly one can eat and how much one can eat. If you try to sit down with a plate of fried chicken or a big juicy steak and chow down like the "old days" (just naming 2 favorite foods of mine here) you are going, once your band is tightened, to be one very unhappy camper. food that can't go through your "stoma" (the small opening to your stomach that is formed by the placement and tightening of the band) will get "stuck". If it can't go on down, it goes back up! That is unpleasant because it involves esophageal spasming, gouts and bunches of thick mucous affectionately called "slime", and an enraged stomach. No bile or acid comes up so it isn't really normal "vomiting" but it is still mighty unpleasant. You can begin to see that, most times, this is caused by user error....if you don't chew at least 30 times before swallowing, if you take too large a bite, or if you are full but keep eating, BAM! up it comes. The big plus of the band, of course, is that you CAN eat steak (especially once you've lost your excess weight) and be full and happy (and healthy) with a much smaller portion that what used to satisfy you. Some people prefer their band super tight and so will be prone to PB and Slime (PB means "productive burp, by the way) Others, like me, will prefer to follow the rules, use a little will power, listen to the old body, and hope to avoid EVER doing that PB thing. Not all vomit, slime, PB. Just some. As to having it removed? Maybe in the early days. Bands are more kindly devices now. They slip less and rarely erode, but the first ones were larger and more rigid and had more concommitant problems. If you (god forbid) get a disease and need "more" nutrition, the band can be loosened (unfill, they call it) and in rare instances where you develop an autoimmune disorder of some sort, the band can be removed. (try that with another bariatric surgery!) Aside from any surgery being risky, the band requires one to change eating habits. (no drinking with meals; it washes food through and negates the positive effects of the band) No carbonated beverages ever (champagne, soda, beer, tonic water) because the gas they cause is misery and can in extremes do damage. If you eat out of boredom etc the band can't stop that; it only curbs true physiologic hunger. The "head" hunger is in your boat. So you can see it may be an effective tool for one to use to lose weight. I liken it to a hammer; it won't build the house unless you pick it up and use it. But for driving a nail, it's very very useful to have it!

Lisa: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/lung/other/sarcoidosis/sarcoid.pdf Here is an article that describes Sarcoidosis and how it affects the body and what organs it can attack. In the article it does not mention the Gastrointestinal system as one of the systems it affects. On page 8 of the document it states: "Some organs are affected more often than others. Sarcoidosis occurs most often n the lungs. It also most commonly affects the skin, eyes, lymph nodes, and liver. Less commonly, it affects the spleen, brain, nerves, heart, tear glands, salivary glands, and bones and joints. Rarely, it affects other organs, such as the thyroid gland, breasts, kidneys, and male and female reproductive organs." I can only speculate that Lopez banded you knowing about your autoimmune disease thinking that it would not affect your recovery since it does not attack the G.I. system. Other autoimmune diseases would be a major concern in that respect. Again this is only speculation on my part. The person to ask of course is Dr. Lopez or your current doc. Hope this helped.

What are your favorite meals? My dietitian is woefully underinformed about meat replacements, which I find surprising. I'm a vegetarian because I've found through elimination that it helps my autoimmune disorder, and also because I feel good about it! Just looking for some quick, high protein low carb, ideas. Sent from my SM-G965U using BariatricPal mobile app

Thank you all for the info. I went to the surgeon 1. for my first fill and 2. to discuss the liver biopsy results. The fill went perfect. Totally uneventful as she numbed me and I couldn't feel a thing. Also, I did discuss the biopsy results with the surgeon who did see my liver etc as BestyB suggested which was great! He assured me there was no mix up with the labs, however he has no explanation why the Path Labs came back with Low grade chronic hepatitis. ALL test results he reviewed with me all came back negative, viral, autoimmune and LFT's were normal, no fatty liver no cirrhosis etc....so he said he would call the Gastroenterologist and speak with him as well as a team they meet with monthly to discuss "special" cases. THANK YOU MrsFitand42 you are correct I was not looking at all to SUE anyone as redone tried to say in that post. I was merely looking to mitigate a 48 thousand dollar hospital stay as well as additional costs for MORE liver testing. I am satisfied totally and thrilled with my fill and Dr. I never had issues with them it was the hospital. BetsyB, they said a room was not clean so by the time I got to the room it was too late to evaluate me before I could leave. I will call the hospital to discuss, but fear I am stuck paying. THANKS ALL!

Every doctor is different, so you really need to stick with your doctors protocol. That being said.....I was taking pills w/in 24 hours. I'm on extended release medication for pain control & autoimmune diseases and the docs (primary, rheumy & surgeon) all agreed it was better to keep my on my regime. I'm 3 weeks out, had a leak test last week...all's good.

Not-Quite-Everything you Need to Know about Lap-Bands Diana Zuckerman, Ph.D. May 2013 When the governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, admitted in May 2013 that he got gastric Lap-Band surgery, many pundits assumed it was because he plans to run for president. But the choice raised questions about the governor’s judgment. Why would he chose a weight loss strategy that has become so unpopular that the major manufacturer of lap bands, Allergan, no longer wants to make them?[1] Most weight loss strategies don’t work for most people – usually they lose weight and then gain it back, and that can make it harder to lose again. But it is important to keep trying, because obesity can kill people by increasing the risk of heart disease, diabetes, and even some kinds of cancer. Lap-Bands help many people lose weight rather dramatically – some lose 50-100 pounds in the first 6 months or year. Unfortunately, Lap-Bands are often not a lasting solution to obesity. For example, an obese woman with high blood pressure will see her blood pressure go down in the first years after surgery, but will increase if she gains weight back after that. Even more controversial than the use of Lap-Bands to treat life-threatening obesity if the use for people who are not extremely overweight. The American Heart Association advises “bariatric surgery should be reserved for patients who have severe obesity” and only when medical therapy has failed and surgery is a safe option.[2] The FDA came to a different conclusion, and they approved lap-bands for people who are only slightly obese (with a BMI as low as 30) if the person has a serious health problem caused by their weight. If you’re thinking about getting a Lap-Band, here’s the information that can help you decide. Q: What is a Lap-Band? A: A Lap-Band is a silicone band around your stomach that reduces the room for food so that you feel full after eating very small amounts. If you eat too much, especially too much of certain kinds of food, you will feel nauseous or will vomit. That will discourage your from overeating and help you lose weight. It is a less complicated surgery than gastric bypass surgery, but most people with Lap-Bands don’t lose as much weight as patients undergoing gastric bypass. Also, Lap-Bands are reversible, and gastric bypass is not. Q: Whatever diet I use, I can’t keep my weight off. Will a Lap-Band help me lose weight and keep it off? A: Most people with Lap-Bands lose weight during the first year. Surprisingly few people continue to lose weight after that, despite the small amounts of food they can comfortably eat. After a year, people who have Lap-Bands usually stabilize at their new weight, or start gaining weight again. Some gain and lose weight just like they did when they were on different diets. Despite how difficult it is to eat solid food, many people don’t lose weight with a Lap-Band. Approximately one-third of the people with Lap-Bands have them removed and not replaced within 1-5 years. Q: If a Lap-Band makes it impossible to eat a large amount of food, how is it possible that some people don’t lose weight with a Lap-Band? A: There are fattening foods that people can eat large quantities of even with a Lap-Band, such as ice cream and liquids. If you enjoy ice cream, drink many high-calorie beverages, or eat small meals all day long, it is possible to not lose weight or not lose much weight. In fact, a company that makes Lap-Bands, Allergan, found in their research that some patients actually gained weight! Q: Can a Lap-Band be dangerous? Can it kill you? A: All surgery has risks, including Lap-Band surgery. Almost all patients will survive Lap-Band surgery, but the risks increase after surgery. We know that patients have died as a result of Lap-Bands, including some patients who were not so overweight that their obesity would have killed them. We don’t know how often that happens, but it is important for patients and their families to understand that there are serious risks that may be greater than the likely benefits for patients who are not dangerously obese. One of the risks of Lap-Bands is that weight loss after surgery can increase the risk of sudden death from cardiac arrhythmias. Research shows that the Lap-Band can deteriorate or causes a perforation in the gastro-intestinal tract, where acids and fecal matter can leak into the abdomen. Researchers at the European School of Laparoscopic Surgery found that more than one-fourth of Lap-Band patients had experienced band deterioration within 12 years.[3] It can take less than 30 minutes of surgery to get a Lap-Band, but patients can end up undergoing emergency surgery and staying in the hospital for days when something goes wrong. Lap-Bands do not last forever, so even if the patient has a good experience with a Lap-Band, eventually it will wear out and need to be removed (and replaced, if the patient wants it to be). The European School of Laparoscopic Surgery study followed Lap-Band patients for 12 years and found that half had their bands removed within that period of time.[3] Each additional surgery, whether to take a band out or replace it, is an added risk. Q: Why do people have their Lap-Bands removed? A: Some people never lose weight from a Lap-Band, so they get the Lap-Band removed a few months after it’s put in. Some have terrible side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, or perforation of the gastro-intestinal tract, mentioned above. In some cases the Lap-Band slips off or starts to deteriorate, requiring surgery, and the patient decides to remove the Lap-Band and not take that risk again. Lap-Bands can deteriorate after just a year or two, or possibly a few years later. These are some of the other reasons why people have their Lap-Bands removed. Some people just get tired of their Lap-Bands because they don’t like to have such draconian limits on what they can eat. They long to have a sandwich or a small bowl of Pasta, or to eat a regular meal with their family or friends. As long as you’re losing weight, the restrictions may be tolerable for many people, but may not seem worth it if you haven’t lost any weight in months or even years. Q: What are the health benefits of a Lap-Band? A: If a person who is overweight has the willpower to eat only the small amounts of food needed to feel full, a Lap-Band can help him or her lose weight and keep it off. How often does that happen? Most people who are obese don’t eat only when they are hungry, they eat for other reasons. There are no studies to tell us how long the average obese person will keep a Lap-Band, but we know that many patients have their Lap-Bands removed. The latest research shows that two-thirds of very obese people with Lap-Bands needed additional surgery over the next decade and almost half had their Lap-Bands removed because of complications. That doesn’t include people who had their Lap-Bands removed because they were ineffective or because the patients didn’t like them. Would less obese people do any better? On the contrary, it seems logical that a very obese person will be more motivated to keep their Lap-Band because they are more thrilled about losing 60-100 pounds than a slightly obese person will be about losing 30 pounds. We need better research to find out what the real benefits are. Here’s a good research study that someone should do: find 200 average height women who are 30 pounds overweight at the age of 25 and who want Lap-Bands. Then find 200 of the same height and weight who choose other types of dieting instead. Ten years later, how healthy are the women who had Lap-Bands compared to those that didn’t – and how much do the women weigh in each group? Q: How much does Lap-Band surgery cost? How much does it cost to remove a Lap-Band? A: It usually costs between $15,000-$30,000 to put in a Lap-Band. If there are complications, removal will cost at least that much and possibly much more. If you are considering a Lap-Band, find out if your health insurance will pay for the surgery and be sure to find out if it will pay to have the Lap-Band removed. Many insurance companies will only pay for one Lap-Band surgery, so they will pay to put it in, but not to take it out. Remember that Lap-Bands do not last forever, and we don’t know exactly how long they usually last. Some last just a year or two, and we estimate that most will not last more than 10 years even in the most ideal circumstances. Q: I’ve seen ads that say a Lap-Band can save your life. Can they say that if it isn’t true? A: It is possible that a Lap-Band could save a person’s life. That doesn’t mean it can save your life, and it doesn’t mean it will save the lives of most people who get them. It may not even improve the health of most people who get them. Ads by doctors are usually not regulated to ensure “truth in advertising.” Q: Lap-Bands have been sold in the U.S. for almost 10 years and in other countries for 15 years. Why are there no studies of people who have had Lap-Bands for 10 years? A: Some people think the companies that make Lap-Bands haven’t done the studies because they are concerned that the results won’t be good for sales. All we can say is that the companies haven’t published any studies, and the companies say that they have not done the studies. Q: What happens when Lap-Bands deteriorate? Will aging Lap-Bands cause even more serious health problems? A: A Lap-Band that deteriorates can kill or seriously harm a patient if it is not removed. We don’t know how long most Lap-Bands will last in the human body before they deteriorate and that is why the FDA is requiring Allergan to do studies to answer those questions. However, the FDA says Allergan can sell Lap-Bands to people who are only slightly obese even before those studies are started. Q: What is the scientific evidence that Lap-Bands are safe and effective? Allergan, one of the companies that makes Lap-Bands, provided two studies to the FDA. One is a 3-year study of about 178 patients from the ages of 18 to 55, with the original BMI criteria of 35 or higher. Those people were dangerously obese. The second study has only 149 patients from the new target weight group, who were slightly obese (BMI of at least 30) with weight-related health problems. All the patients were 18 to 55 years old and none had diabetes. They were all studied for only one or two years. Q: Isn’t 149 people a rather small study? Did the studies include men and women and different racial and ethnic groups? A. Yes, 149 people is a small study, and the study included only 14 men, 14 African Americans, and 16 Hispanics. There were even fewer Asians and Native Americans. The men had less success with the Lap-Band than women. We need better research to determine whether men don’t do as well when researchers control for confounding variables such as weight and illnesses. We need to study more African Americans and Hispanics to know if it is safe and effective for them. Q: Why was the new study only one year long? A: As stated above, one has to wonder if the company was concerned that a longer study would not have favorable results. That still leaves us wondering why the FDA did not require a study that lasted at least 3 years. Obviously, a one- or two-year study is too short-term to determine long-term safety. Implanted devices often work well for a few years, and then problems arise. Since Lap-Bands have been sold in the U.S. for almost 10 years, the company should have studied them for at least 5-8 years. Q: Are Lap-Bands especially risky for some people? A: In the study conducted by Allergan, none of the patients had a personal history or family history of autoimmune. That’s because of concerns that the implant could exacerbate autoimmune problems. For that reason, Lap-Bands should not be approved by the FDA for patients with a personal history or family history of autoimmune disease. Allergan proposed a “caution“-not a warning-for patients with autoimmune diseases or symptoms, and did NOT mention a family history of those conditions. That is risky, since the company intentionally did not study patients with either a family history or personal history of autoimmune disease because of concerns about the dangers. We don’t know if the FDA will require a warning for autoimmune patients and those who have family members with autoimmune diseases, but they should. We know that some doctors don’t know that Lap-Bands were not studied in patients with autoimmune disease, and don’t know that the company has cautioned against their use for those patients. As a result, some patients get very ill. Jessica Resas is one such patient, living in Texas. Jessica had an autoimmune disease and her sister had lupus when Jessica got her Lap-Band. She lost more than 100 pounds, but says she has never felt so sick as she does now. In a letter, she asked, “Please advise me of what I need to do to verify if my issues are due to a reaction to the Lap-Band, and if I remove it will the symptoms disappear? …I don’t want to become debilitated to the point that I can’t work or function. I have a 70-year old mother to look after.” Jessica’s autoimmune symptoms might be caused by her Lap-Band, or might not be, but we need research to find out for sure. If studying Lap-Bands on people with Jessica’s autoimmune history is too risky, then it is also too risky for doctors to put Lap-Bands in people with that autoimmune history. Q: Is there any reason to think Lap-Bands are less safe for African American or Hispanic women? A: African American women and Hispanic women are especially vulnerable to lupus and several other autoimmune diseases. There are also other racial and ethnic differences that could influence safety. Is the Lap-Band safe for them? We can’t answer that question because so few were studied. However, we think the risks are likely to be greater than the benefits for African American and Hispanic women because they are more likely to have autoimmune symptoms or diseases. Q: Should I get a Lap-Band? A: Are you addicted to eating? If so, a Lap-Band is probably not going to help you lose weight. Do you love ice cream or fattening drinks? If so, a Lap-Band is probably not going to be effective in helping you lose weight. Do you have auto-immune symptoms or family members with an auto-immune disease such as rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, MS, or scleroderma? If so, the risks of a Lap-Band are higher for you. Does your insurance cover additional surgery if the Lap-Band doesn’t work out? If it does, are you sure your insurance will be as generous a few years from now, when you are most likely to need additional surgery? If insurance or tight finances might be a problem for you, you should probably not undergo Lap-Band surgery at this time. Think about all the eating restrictions with a Lap-Band: no more regular size meals. (We don’t mean no more Thanksgiving dinners, we mean no more dinners that are one-third the size of a Thanksgiving dinner). No more pasta dinners – maybe four noodles will be ok, but not more. Before choosing a life of those types of restrictions, make at least one more serious effort to improve your diet and exercise habits, and see if you can lose weight without surgery. After you have made that effort, if you are still obese, check out what the latest research shows about Lap-Bands and talk to your doctor about your options. After you read this article, think about how you feel about your life. What risks are you willing to take to lose weight for what might be only a year or two? If you are dangerously obese or extremely unhappy with your weight, the risks might be worth it, but this should not be a quick decision. You might want to wait a year or more until better research has been done, to figure out how effective Lap-Bands are and if some types of gastric bands are safer than others. http://center4resear...bout-lap-bands/

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