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at least your's was for a legitimate reason. i was just stupid! although now i am being told that it may be an autoimmune response and i am swollen with Water. that i should restrict what i eat even more by removing almonds, eggs, and nightshade veggies. ugh.

wow...I have read the comments and I tend to agree ...I have a question or 2 IF you dont mind me asking or sharing I dont want to get into others business but since this is a learning question/answer support forum Im diving in...you can either answer honestly or just say its none of my or our business..1. you mentioned you have PCOS. I do have a niece with this also..it does an can contribute to the weight issue alot bc its hormonal. are you seeing a gyn or endocrinologists for this or being treated? and are they referring you to a WLS to have this done? have they mentioned maybe having a hysterectomy to remove/resolve this hormonal issue an then take supplimental hormones in replace of the ovaries? Is your dr treating this with bc pills..etc? Im sorry..I dont mean to pry...theres reasons why I am asking. I had PCOS from a very young age...I started gaining weight at 17...used bc pills several yrs..it took me a yr an half to get pregnant with both of my kids. I started getting soo sick in my mid 20s. Im over 50 now. I have had my share of yrs of yo yo if you wanna call it dieting..the more I dieted the bigger I got. my weight was up an down over 30 yrs. yrs ago when I reached 200 I had myself convinced I still looked good. but my body was breaking down fast. I didnt think I looked bad. I had a total hysterectomy in my middle 30s. then menapause them issues...then I couldnt hardly move joints, stiffness etc...15 yrs down the road I had developed over 12 differant dx...autoimmune disease, thyroid disease etx..now thyroid med for rest of my life.....2. is this not YOUR choice to have this WLS bc if not Im kinda confused of why your here? Im not being mean or judging just trying to help you ...with the top 2 issues you mentioned to begin with I get the idea it almost sounds like your limitaton of amount of food you would be able to eat BOTHERS you or you use food as a security blanket which most ppl do but there is also underlyning reasons WHY ppl eat an thats to calm oursleves down with comfort...but yet you made another comment you dont eat MASSIVE amounts...am I missing something here? and I have heard of plus size women wanting to stay plus size not only for their security blanket AND their hubs security. (not saying this is you guys) but let me tell ya something from my journey..I agree with others..I had myself convinced I wasnt that over weight for yrs! it was ok...this past yr I put on 50 pds from not eating what I thought wasnt much calories...WRONG!!!! I was brainwashed..I did it to myself..but I had to make my own personal desision I didnt ask my hubs or worry about him..this was MY health at severe risk an obese WILL cause BAD health issues if you dont have them now it will happen. I woke up one day an said IM DONE! NOT carrying around this FAT suit any more. trying clothes on was exhausting! clothes getting from 1x to 2x almost to a 3x..yes I was 100+ over weight! I am 5 months out an over 80 pds down now..I thought I knew myself. boy was I wrong..I am seeing my true self for the first time in my life. an I am loving it. I had been thru 10 yrs of therapy (talk therapy) I got to the underlyning issues..I knew it was my time and ready. you MUST be READY for YOU an NO ONE ELSE. an as far as loose skin..hell yea it might happen. but to me I told the hubs listen if I am doing this an I need a little help with some parts you bet Im having it done. thats not my worry for now. later I'll deal with it...one step at a time. but ya know, I want to be around to live with my hubs for as long as possible. this is your decision be absolutly sure going in ..if its others steering you here then it sounds like its something you dont really want. I made up my mind an with 5 months out I eat sensible I use the myfitnesspal an for my stomach size I do fine. I dont NEED food for comfort anymore. I eat to live not live to eat. plz dont get offended thats not my goal. best wishes hope you make the right choice for you an you only...but until you get the PCOS an hormones starightened out first an fixed Im not sure if this is right for you ...my thyroid had to be working right in order to have this done an work properly or it would have been useless...I got it addressed an fixed an it works appropriatly now.

Puberty and PCOS started things, drinking and partying and stuffing feelings during my teens-20s added onto it and then pregnancy followed by an autoimmune disease and 2 years of steroids to treat it put the nail in the coffin.

Lap Band - I did some preliminary research and didn't like what I saw in terms of weight loss rate statistics. When I met with my surgeon, he told me he would not do the lap band for me because my starting BMI was too high - he says that people with a starting BMI over 40 tend to really struggle to lose all their weight with the band. He won't do it for people as heavy as me, and only on lighter people if they absolutely refuse to consider any other kind of surgery. I also didn't like the idea of all the fills/adjustments. I work full time, who has time for that? Finally, I wanted a permanent tool, not one I could opt out of if the idea of pigging out on vacation was tempting. Bypass - I strongly considered this surgery. I know a fair number of people who have had this surgery and have done great! But I have a strong family and personal history of autoimmune diseases and my surgeon and I agreed that it would be good to leave as many options for future meds on the table as possible, and that therefore the sleeve was the better overall option for me. I know some people say things like "I didn't want my plumbing re-routed" -- that didn't concern me. For me, I wouldn't make a medical decision based on emotions regarding anatomy that I am never going to see. I also considered Duodenal Switch and might have opted for it, but my insurance requires a minimum BMI of 60 before they will pay for it. At a BMI of 59.9, it was just barely off the table! Make sure to discuss all of your options with your surgeon and you will come to the right decision for you. Good luck!

I have had every allergy test known to man. Scratch test, blood and urine. I'm pretty sure I have chronic autoimmune. The doctor said that there is a small percentage of people who get hives like this despite nothing showing on the test. They have me on Zyrtec D daily. It lessened them but they didn't go away completely. The only thing that has made a difference has been the surgery.

You should have your allergist do a blood test for chronic-autoimmune hives. I have them too. They went away after surgery, but returned over the summer, then went into remission again. I take OTC Allegra everyday, and unless I am having a flair, it keeps them at bay. There is also a shot that used to be used only for asthma that is now being used for hives too. The name escapes me, but your allergist might know.

Surgeon did the peer to peer...still denied!! I'm appealing it myself and doing all the leg work as we speak. I even am getting my old before lap band records so that they can see what my weight was.....a letter from my rheumatologist saying after time my autoimmune disease (RA) could start attacking the band...again.....my pain management doctor about extra weight being bad for my degenerative disk disease and a letter From my primary with, hopefully, her approval for the sleeve! I was a little upset that my doc when doing the peer to peer did not use the most recent weigh in from 2 days prior....he had a BMI of 31 and it should have been 33.3. It's a bunch of hoops to jump through but I'm jumping because I want this!!

I haven't heard about the band being linked to RA. However, having RA is what kept me from pursuing the band. My insurance said they wouldn't approve the band due to my existing autoimmune disease (my immune system would eventually attack the band), so it was sleeve or bypass. I am going to be sleeved this month. Good Luck with your appeal.

I had hypothyroidism and hashimotos, an autoimmune disease due to thyroid. I ended up having to have a thyroidectomy 2 years ago and boy!! I packed on the pounds! I'm hoping the sleeve helps. I have read articles are the subject and from what I understand, stalls ate very common for people living us. Did you loose normally at first?

So I recently got my first manicure in, like, 20 years. I decided to do something pampering for myself that didn't involve eating or buying clothes. I don't like to draw attention to my hands because I have vitiligo, which is a loss of pigment, and my hands are quite blotchy. But I did the manicure anyway. I started getting compliments on my nails from coworkers and friends. So I've been polishing them regularly myself now. Feeling all girly for the first time in ages. So of course I develop a new skin problem. Why not. Flaky, dry, red, burning eyelids. Day after day after day. I google this. The apparent diagnosis says get to the eye doctor. So I go to the eye doctor and he says nope, your eyes are fine. Get to the dermatologist. So today I see my dermatologist. She hasn't seen me since oh, about sixty pounds ago. She asks how much I've lost. I tell her 101 pounds. Congrats and compliments ensue. Very nice. So, Doc, what's going on? Did I develop yet another autoimmune disorder to add to my arthritis and vitiligo? My stress levels have been through the roof over the last four months. I filled her in on my crazy life situation. Oh, no. It's your nail polish. What? Yes, you have contact dermatitis of the eyelids and almost all of the cases I see are an allergic reaction to nail polish or artificial nails. I'M ALLERGIC TO MY ONE CALORIE FREE AFFORDABLE LUXURY?! Yes, yes I am. Fortunately, there's a doctor approved polish I can use. Pricey, but not as pricey as a weekly foot massage. So that is my rant for the day.

I was feeling so good recently and yesterday my arthritis began another flare. I hate this autoimmune s@&t. Top that off with a bad night's sleep and a stiff and painful neck today and I'm not the most pleasant person right now. Food is clean. I have to get rid of the feeling of unfairness I have when my food is clean and therefore I expect all my health problems to go away permanently.

There are two good Facebook groups for AIP diets. "Hashimoto's 411" has good information in general, but also has information for Hashimotos (thyroid autoimmune disorder) patients. "Elimination/Provocation Diet: Hashimoto's 411" is more recipe and diet specific. Pinterest is also good for finding recipes. I've tried eliminating gluten and am just not getting the results that I want. I'm thinking that dairy and soy may be the problems.

I've just started on the anti-inflammatory protocol diet this week and bone broth is a recommended item on the diet. I have 3 autoimmune disorders. I'm having a major flare up and my inflammation levels are extremely high. I'm going out of town this weekend but planning on making it next week.

@blondebomb Thank you for sharing. Right now, I take plaquenil, prednisone, eliquis, and cellcept for my autoimmune diseases. I don't ever take nsaids. I can't tolerate them, now. WL surgeon did an upper GI aleady. So that's taken care of. When I first saw the rheumy back in May, I asked her about it. She shut me down quickly saying that "you're only Xlbs. You're not big enough to need surgery for this." So, then I had my appt with the WLS in June. He was super supportive. But, that he wants the rheumy on board and wants to work with rheumy on my surgery plan. Meaning med management leading up to and immediately following the surgery. So I spoke to the rheumy again later in June or Maybe early July. She said that she thinks I shouldn't do it right now because of my current-flare. I told her that my surgery wouldn't be till the end of the year anyway because of the insurance requirements. She said "ok, then. In a couple months we can discuss it again." I've seen her a couple of times since then. I saw her nearly 2 weeks ago and asked her about sinus surgery. ENT wants to fix my nose. She said to give this new med a chance to get in my system (the cellcept; she took me off Imuran that day). I said "Ok, so how long should I wait?" her reply was "about 4 weeks". My follow up with the ENT is on Oct 21st, so no big deal. I didn't bring up the WLS to her that appt. I go back to see her in 4 more weeks. Meanwhile, my last nut appt is in 15 days. So, then the surgeon's office can get it into Cigna for insurance approval. I go in to see my primary care dr in two days. I wanted to talk to him about phentermine. I've taken it in the past with great success. And I am struggling so much with these steroids. I'm going into this with my eyes wide open. I don't expect it to help my AI issues. But, if it's one thing I can control about my body, I want to do it. I don't want to add gasoline to the fire so to speak by being morbidly obese. I have a special needs son and I want to be around as long as possible for him.

Hello, I'm Kim Harris and I've had the band since early 2010. Althouh I loat weight, I've had nothing but problems from the get-go. A year and a half ago I was diagnosed with a Sjogrens, an autoimmune disease similar to lupus, which causes joint pain and fatigue 24/7. I just received word today from my surgeon that insurance has approved the removal of my band. I am praying that removing the band improve my health with respect to my autoimmune condition. I considered having a revision to a gastrectomy but metal staples would be yet another foreign object permanently placed in my body for my body to reject and continue the autoimmune response. When I saw your poat about how you had just had your band removed and you feel so much better (and weight loss on top of it) I had to ask what you were feeling and problems you were having that prompted the removal of your band? And did you have any revision surgery? I'm wanting to know if there are others who developed autoimmune conditions after lapband placement, and if they chose to have the band removed, did it improve their autoimmune symptoms/conditions? Thank you for sharing your post-op improvement; it gives me hope that I haven't had for many months now. I wish you continued improvement in your health. I am interested in knowing what problems yiu experienced with the band and what has improved thus far. I'm new to this site, so if you have posted this info elsewhere, I would appreciate a link. And by the way, my daughter in law works for an attorney and we were juat discussing this very topic yesterday of lap band compllications and how they are so hard to prove for a jury to actually have enough concrete information to find in favor of a patient. Her attorneys won't even look at medical cases unless there has been loss of limb or life. So, don't be too optimistic on finding an attorney for lap band complications (I have no idea what your situation is; you may have something an attorney would consider.) Kim

I have several autoimmune diseases lupus being one of them..its not up to the rhumatologists to make that desicion for you if I was you I would make another app to see her ...I dont know how lupus is affecting you or the meds you take an so on an so on..but when I brought it up to my rhumey that I was going thru the process an I just asked her for her opinion shes kinda a large women herself, but she said she does have a pt who had it done an losing the weight was good . thats all she commented on. thank goodness I didnt need release from all my drs, my biggest one to release was psych an my endocrinologists. I was insulin resistance an prediabetic an hashimoto, she told me this is the reasons why she referred me to have it done bc my weight would do nothing but go up!! losing weight might help your joints..however I have been in major flair since I had this done. my lower back has locked up on twice now. just prepare yourself. it could happen. I belong on a lupus support group an thres a few of us that has had it done. if you dont mind me asking why is your rhumey not being supportive? hope all goes well. keep us posted.

I am researching medical marijuana to help with nausea, and side effects I am experiencing due to being newly diagnosed with MS. I know some. Peoples have had success, but feel strange about if since I have not experimented with anything like this since college 30 years ago. BTW- medical marijuana was recently legalized in any form with the exception of smoking it in NYS. I'm so glad I was diagnosed after being sleeved or I would have been unable due to an autoimmune exception in the policy without a long fight.

I'm 50 an have multiple autoimmune diseases. ..the benefits outweighs the risk! Best decision or should I say one of the best I have made for myself. I had 2 specialist refer me to surgeon. My weight was not going anywhere but up up up! I am 9 wks it An 60 down...its hard first month I'm not going to lie. My surgeon told me if u can make it thru first 4 wks you'll be good..he was right. I struggled a lot..mentally emotionally. .but I worked thru it..I did this for me my health. I didn't tell my family. I have thought about this for 15 yrs..it was time for me to get my life back. So I took control. .maybe u have tried to help them understand this is for your health I'm sure..it's a complete lifestyle change an I would just have to say they can be on board an help an support or well...I'll let you fill that in..lol... hang in there! I wish u the best!! Keep us posted!!

Thanks @@JustWatchMe - I really appreciate it! I can't have lap band because not recommended with autoimmune disease (and definitely no NSAIDs).

I was in your place 9 wks ago..I did all the prep over the yrs an this spring 2 of my specialists referred me to the surgeon. I guess I was in denial bc I never dreamed I qualified for insurance approval. But with my hashis an several autoimmune diseases I had put on 55 pds in 4 months...ugh. .sure enuff I went thru all preop requirements. .my last 2 wks I was on protein shakes 1 balanced meal a day then 48 hrs of strictly protein shakes..I have been thru several brands of protein by my wk 3bc I was gagging! Over th www thought of another protein shake..I seen some options on here an one I tried was the nectar brand..(I believe) it has different flavors u can get a variety pack an I ushered it to help get my 64 oz water in an the flavors aware packed with protein. ..their w not thick. .just like drinking water but u get it all...oh..I also used the chike protein brand also...an of course I had the pure protein. .I turned tried the Atkins an it to me it was nasty..it upset my tummy needless to s aww y I threw them out! I remember myself being in a ball of nerves my few days before. .my anxiety got to me..I was over thinking everything too! I was more then ready or I wouldn't have gone thru all the preop requirements. I trusted my surgeon, my drs, I new the protocol an I knew the risk. It was like well I'm not going to have much of a life fat..so I'm doin this! My surgeon an specialist all said the benefits out way the risk...surgeon told me just get thru first month..u will do great . The head will play games...hang in there...call ur surgeon if u need to..I stayed 2 days I couldn't get much water down. So I stayed to get Iv fluids. ..by that second night I was ready to go home..just take one day at a time. Ur preop staff are experts also postop staff..they'll take excellent care...they fix you up in preop an when u get relaxed it'll b over an wake up... u got this! ! Hang in there..I gained 8 pds from surgery an fluids. .don't b alarmed! It will come off!! I did stall for several wks at 3 wks out..don't get discouraged. .ur body is trying adjust to major surgery. ..be easy on yourself. .come here...luv this site. .be sure to take it measurement. Pics. .try not worry..this is ur new second chance. ..I'm 8 wks out an 62 down...I'm not even caring anymore just strictly stick to ur protocol. .trust. .it work!!!! Keep us posted!!

I understand. .I have dealt with chronic fatigue for 25 yrs..I am 8 wks out..most calories I get in so far 700...I have hashis autoimmune, lupus, polymyalgia, fibromyalgia an the list goes on..it doesn't matter wat I eat by early afternoon I'm so tired an fatigue I stay close to home,or home or let others drive. I take armour thyroid. .u mentioned u just had ur testing done..I hope she is running more then a tsh test...that's incomplete. I'm getting ready to go back Tuesday I've got the proper thyroid test I'm telling her I want ran. Its out of protocol. .tsh, T3, T4 an reversed T3..although u may realize all this already. .but she's going to have to raise my dosage as well. Sythroid never wrkd for me. Have u also had ur adrenals chkd? I am 8 wks out..I just added plums an melon this wk..for me even with complex carbs they do opposite on me..they played havic on my insulin so I am very choosey about carbs. I did try a teaspoon or so of quinoa this week..I hope u get feeling better..

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

50 260 44 bmi Have more then 5 major medical problems an around a dozen diseases an several autoimmune diseases. .I'm 8 wks post today an 59 pds down..hang in there!

Nychkole2, oh my gosh!!!! Same here! All of a sudden, after 9 years with the band, I have these weird symptoms similar to autoimmune disorder and lupus. Crazy pain in my joints, tiredness, dizziness, unable to sleep. It has been awful. A few of my doctors have actually suggested in the past that this is due to the band and have encouraged me to have it removed. I am not looking forward to going under to have it taken out, but I know this has to be done soon if for no other reason than to see if these mystery symptoms go away once it has been removed.

I would participate in a lawsuit because I had many of the same complications as others, and then some. After having the band in for more than 10 years, I began having symptoms similar to lupus, and the doctors could not figure out why this was happening to me. I had a full blown autoimmune response where my body began attacking itself. It pushed me into Grave's disease and almost a thyroid storm. I had pain in my body all day, and it would wake me up out of my sleep at night. I was taking pain medication round the clock...and all of this ON TOP OF THE "USUAL" complications. I had the lap band removed, sleeve gastrectomy, and hiatal hernia repair on 8/5/14, and I haven't had to take my pain medication or sleeping pills since then. The sad part is, after surgery, my surgeon told me that it was a good thing they went in and did this surgery right when they did because everything was much worse than he anticipated. Those complications were NEVER explained to me, and frankly I am pissed that I went through so much with this. That was NOT what I signed up for. And yes I've done my homework, and I'm well versed in the medical field (I'm a nurse), so I knew my stuff before I got on the table the first time. What happened to me wasn't ever a disclaimer.