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Your "friend" makes simply ludicrous claims in her blog, which are centered on her own appearance and self-loathing. She seems to believe that WLS is akin to an eating disorder, which leads me to believe that she has done her own research on the diet. Clearly she has no knowledge about the health benefits of this surgery. I had high bp, sleep apnea, high cholesterol and I have perfectly controlled Type I diabetes. (Which as close to cured as it can be.) I am off all medications (except for insulin and simvistatin for 2 autoimmune diseases) and I am off my C-Pap. So you are justified in believing these issues will be aided by your very brave decision. Your friend needs to work a little harder on her research. Her eating disorder was not monitored by doctors. Bloodwork was not done to ensure her health needs were being met. To be frank, she is worried your weight loss and beauty will eclipse her and that you would leave her eventually. She has done you a great service by showing her self-involved, selfish and petty nature now. You don't need her. But if I were you, I'd post a response on her blog. I wouldn't be able to hold back! The very best luck to you!

My husband had VGS surgery nine days ago. He had complications due to some of his comorbidities, and spent six nights in the hospital instead of one. While he is happy to no longer be hungry, I'm concerned about his unwillingness to follow the rules of his program. He refuses to walk. Even in the hospital, where walking every two hours was mandatory, he refused to budge. He walks to the bathroom and back to his recliner, and that's it. The rest of the time, he bellows out his demands, 24/7. Bring men Jello, bring me ice, bring me Water, come clean up my mess, get me a Protein shake. While I am sympathetic and want to be comforting, my suggestions that he could get up or even reach for something have been met with rage. He is furious that he feels so bad. My telling him to walk off the pain has generated more anger. He ridiculed the nutrition instructors and actually walked out of his post op class. Now he expects me to keep track of his needs. And those comorbidities that caused problems in the OR? He still refuses to handle them. I've been screamed at, yelled at, belittled, and cursed. How can I help him to get himself together so he can work on living with this new tool? And how do I protect myself? I have several severe autoimmune diseases, am a cancer survivor, and I live in constant severe pain. Normally I'm on heavy narcotics but right now I'm limiting my pain meds in order to drive him to his appointments. He is not supportive of my issues. Because I'm on a biologic drug for my arthritis, I'm susceptible to infection, so I worry about having to handle clean up when he gets sick. I do it, but I worry about the risks. His surgeon actually suggested he go to a rehab facility after he left the hospital. He refused. How do I get him up and moving again?

i have not heard this. i have heard that for most people, losing weight reduces the number and severity of flare ups. i think bypass can make certain autoimmune disorders worse because it affects the GI tract, where the immune system "resides." i have a friend with fibro and scleroderma and her doc has strongly recommended the sleeve over bypass, but the surgeon hasn't decided yet (based on his research) which procedure he thinks she should have.

Hi Heather! I have Hashimotos and PCOS as well. My surgery was 1/17/13. I started at 265 and I'm now comfortable at 184 (5'11"). Hashis and PCOS make for slow losses, but they were steady for me. I still have difficulty managing my symptoms so I've been trying to stay on the AIP diet (autoimmune protocol). A big source of support for me is the Hashimotos 911 group on Facebook. I'm available to answer any questions.

I have battled with this for going on 13 years now, only diagnosed for about 9. It is a very very frustrating disease! I was told for years I was crazy and nothing was wrong with me. I gained so much weight for no reason and was told I was lying about what I was eating so i gave up. They finally diagnosed me with it and it took 6 years of constant all over the place tsh readings. I finally ended up on 200 mcg. I am 18 months post op from my sleeve and just found out in severely hyperthyroid now( and still 20 lbs over weight wtf is that!?). I also just got tested for celiac's. There is a strong correlation between gluten sensitivity and autoimmune disease. The gluten causes inflammation . It also causes the hashimotos to flair up and not be well controlled. I wish someone had told me this 10 years ago and maybe I wouldn't have gotten to 260 lbs and had to be sleeved! Look into the gluten thing, I've been told by many it helps. I am removing it from my diet starting this week!

Hi JustWatchMe, I think it was my post you were talking about. Thanks so much for sharing your experience. Even though I started out at 210, I get what you are saying. For me, I spent most of my life only slightly overweight. When I started working at my current join in 2002, I was 149 pounds. Over the years, my weight crept up and up, and my heallth deteriorated due to many autoimmune issues. I'd watch the thin, healthy people I worked with stuff themselves with doughnuts, hamburgers, and pizza everyday while I ate cabbage Soup and worked out HARD with a trainer several times a week, to no avail. In the past few years I started to worry, for the first time in my life what people were saying about my weight. Who was judging me and what were they saying? It was a new experience for me, but very painful. So again, thanks for sharing, and I'm sorry if my post troubled you in any way!

i have no idea if this is okay to post here, but i could use a little feedback as i am overwhelmed and having trouble getting focused (nothing new there! lol) i am in the middle of becoming a certified personal trainer. i am saving money to become a certified health coach. i have a background in counseling (chemical dependency counselor for 7 years, family counselor and private therapist for 6 years), natural health and healing (managed health food stores for 3 years, among lots of other things i did/learned), and cooking for health (taught classes and did private consultations for special diets). i want to focus on helping people get prepared for surgery (or just lose weight) and adjust after surgery. what do you think would be most helpful for me to offer? currently i am working with 2 people on anxiety/emotional eating/autoimmune diets. we meet 1:1 and we plan ways to practice dealing with anxiety without food. i also help them plan meals to deal with autoimmune disorders and help one of them cook. they are friends and i do this to help them out and practice what i know. i want to figure out how to monetize my services, but am not sure what A.) would be most important for people and B.) what people would actually pay for. C.) or how to present myself to people. any feedback would be important for me to hear to help me with moving forward. thanks.

in the last five years i have done a lot of research on how to reduce inflammation in the body without drugs. i have issues, but managed to reduce my reactive C protein markers down into the normal range. my MIL has lupus and my good friend has both scleroderma and fibromyalgia.. all autoimmune disorders related to abnormal inflammation in the body. PM me your email or FB info and i will send you a few things. you can also like my FB page "whole health wellness" where i post a lot of things on reducing inflammation thru natural means.

Anyone who thinks I went on to be a success can have whatever they want from me! So I have lost in small increments throughout. Somedays 0.2, other days 0.4 and yet other days nothing at all. I know, I could have just weighed once a week but I've weighed daily for years of my life. Only times I didn't, was when I knew I was gaining weight and didn't want to confront that. I think I didn't appreciate before hand that there would be mostly days with NO change, followed by a few days of weight changes. So really long "stalls" followed by some weight being lost. This month I lost 1.2 lbs. Two months before that I lost 1.6 lbs. Yes a MONTH which are the losses that most people here have in a week. And just to be clear. I eat between 800-900 calories which I track religiously and I try to keep carbs at below 50 gms. All my carbs come from veggies, shakes and bars. Apart from a handful of days, I don't eat junk. Those were my cheat days and I didn't have ANY cheat days until 8 months post op. From hanging out on this board during the early days and observing my thoughts are that the following of us lose much much slower: 1. Women (compared to men) 2. Autoimmune disease sufferers esp those who have inflammation 3. Those close to menopause or already menopausal 4. Over 35 yoa 5. Have birthed children 6. Hypothyroid I'm sure there are other reasons but I notice those because they all apply to me. Last month I hit 160 lbs and then 30 days of just no losses. I went up and down between 164-161 and I kept thinking it was because I had increased calories from 700 to 900 because everyone told me I needed to eat more. (Honestly I wish I had never listened to anyone who told me that because now, I am hungry for 900 calories. I've been trying for days to get my caloric intake down and I can't but that's a whole different thread). But the bigger issue is you go crazy during such long weeks with no activity or at least I do. Am I eating too much? Too little? Too many carbs? Should I do shakes? Has my body decided to stop? I spent more time logging different meals to see which was "more perfect" than eating! And I'm a fat girl! How wrong is that?? I wish I could just once and for all accept that I do not control my weight. I only control what I put in my mouth. I'm a control freak in many areas of my life and this area is no different. I expect my body to follow my timetable. Guess what? It gives me the finger more often than not. I posted here once about calculating excess weight lost rather than total lbs lost and I had to dust off that formula once in a while to keep me motivated. After 30 days the scale moved two days ago and I guess I'm starting to think I might lose the last 8-10 lbs. And here's the kicker. So I reach goal. Then what? Apart from maybe being able to eat a few hundred calories more what exactly is going to change? I still have to get up the next day, weigh myself and log, measure and track all my food just as I am doing now. So nothing will be different. Am I putting all this pressure on myself to hit goal so I can eat a few hundred more calories? Now how stupid is that? The head games are what drive you crazy, I tell you. And this is probably more detail than you wanted

Here is my list: 1. I'm a stress eater with a child with special medical needs (rare bleeding disorder) 2. I had thyroid issues in my teens and that started my weight gain, this resolved with pregnancy, but the weight remained. 3. I did too many yoyo diets, and wanted to be Barbie when I was in high school, with thyroid issues that never works. 4. I have an autoimmune disease that causes soft tissue damage, I have had 2 knee replacements, 3 (getting ready for #4) rotator cuff repairs. And can't workout without doing major damage to my joints. 5. I spent 17 years living in Chicago, and the cold weather caused me so much pain I was a hermit for 7 months a year, just packing on the pounds. 6. I was raped when I was 16 by my former step father, and didn't tell anyone until I was in my 20's. I think I ate to silence the scared hurt little girl that was inside my head. food didn't keep me safe, but my mom always equaled food to love, that's why under my user name it says "Food in NOT love". I learned with counseling that feeding people, and overeating myself didn't fill the void in my life, or make me feel any more loved. That was a HUGE step for me. 7. Genetics just about everyone in my family is obese. My grandfather was over 400 pounds, my mom is the oldest of 10 kids, all but 3 are morbidly obese, and those 3 are still overweight, one has a lap band and is getting healthy, the rest seem happy just the way they are. *I was just diagnosed with the auto immune disorder, in the past my pain, joint damage and soft tissue injuries were ALWAYS blamed on my weight. When I lost the weight and still had issues my new doctor started looking for answers. She said weight doesn't cause rotator cuff tears, and that I shouldn't have been dismissed because of my weight. I started seeing a new doctor when my previous md was not on board with my being revised from band to sleeve. She said just remove the band and do it the old fashioned way.

I'm at goal, and unfortunately still have a size 22 skin wrapped around my size 2 body. I'm looking into plastics, but for now just cover it up. I was a pear shape, and all of my skin is tummy, lower back, and upper legs, but I hide it well. The plastic surgeon that I had my consult thought I was there for tattoo removal, he was floored when I opened my robe and he saw the excess skin. We will be submitting my paperwork in the next few weeks to see if insurance will help with payment at all. Like the others I wouldn't trade my new life, body, and confidence for anything. Because of a genetic autoimmune disease I have almost no elasticity in my skin, so I didn't bounce back at all in the skin department. But I'm going to take care of that very soon, with or without insurance, with would be better of course. LOL

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!!

Hi Miss M, Actually in the first few years after my RNY I had a couple bouts of hypoglycemea so am familiar with how it feels and it is not the same but had considered that prior too. I think I need to look into autoimmune disorders and the relationship to the gut and RNY etc...thanks, Brandy.

Hi I posted earlier about celiac and pain etc... I am 5 years post-op RNY and for over a year have been searching for answers to my physical symptoms and have seen many specialists and my bariatric group to no avail. I am trying to pinpoint things as specifically as possible so that an answer or diagnosis can finally happen and wondered if I had any company out there with similar symptoms. After I eat, doesn't matter what but after I eat a meal I start feeling ill, not like stomachache but like a virus or actually kind of like a Mono kind of feeling. It starts with a low grade fever usually 99.5 and then it starts to go down. I'm not having a hot flash that I know if because no sweating is involved it's just a feeling of being ill. I usually get a headache along with this and sometimes my throat is sore or irritated. I'm usually fatigued most of the day and that's probably the most annoying part of all of this. I was tested for Lyme and Parvovirus and they were negative and for Epstein Barr and it's in my system but not active for whatever that's worth! Don't recall ever having mono but that's how it feels to me now. I've recently seen an allergist, negative, had a colonoscopy and endoscopy and they did find some irritations or ulcers in the lower intestine where it connects to the new pouch and biopsied six of them for cancer and Celiac and also with the blood test and that was negative. I've seen so many specialists, including hematologist, neurologists, and rheumatologist and nothing. I haven't seen an actually immunologist as of yet but am starting to feel like it must be some type of autoimmune disorder. I've felt like completely giving up as it's such a difficult thing to diagnose and some doctors have been wonderful but unfortunately when you see the bad ones they tend to stand out more and knock you down making you feel like an crazy menopausal hypochondriac which if it were all in my head right now put me away forever because life as it is now is not pleasant! Also having an autoimmune disorder mixed in with RNY must also make it more difficult to diagnose at least this is what I'm finding out, I'm just pooped out in all directions! Anyway anyone have or know of anything similar please let me know, Brandy.

I have been overweight my whole life as well. I had jaw surgery 14 years ago and lost 60 pounds because my jaw was wired shut. So of course I gained that back. Lol. I guess most recently it has been a couple of things. I have an autoimmune disorder which I know would get better with weight loss. I also have worked with a LOT of celebrities and I like my work and don't wanna be the awkward fat girl at the party. And finally, my daughter. My 18 year old daughter is a model. A real life, gets paid to take pictures, has an agent, stops traffic Model. And I don't wanna be following her at an event bringing up the rear her fat, dumpy mom. I did that through childhood as my gorgeous moms fat, dumpy daughter. People tell me all the time that my daughter looks just like me, how could she? How could she? I don't see my beauty like I used to. I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired. I will hopefully be sleeved first week of May 2014.

To not be embarrassed to dance in public. To wear a bathing suit in public, with confidence. To finally learn how to swim. To be free of chronic pain, (back, knees). To experience some relief in my autoimmune disorder. To finally feel confident enough to flirt with the guy I like. To learn how to enjoy working out. To not be the fat friend. To not work so hard at being good at other things just because I am insecure about my weight. To enjoy being naked. To enjoy sex again. To feel sexy, happy, and free. I have been overweight my whole life, this exercise was very cathartic. I am looking forward to this journey. I'm scared, but I know that I'm doing the right thing. In about a month, I will be sleeved and on my way to being the me that I always knew I could be.

Hello! First off congratulations on your decision to have weight loss surgery! I am a 38 year old male with Lupus and Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome, both autoimmune diseases. I am now give months post op and feel amazing when it comes to the difference in my Lupus and APABS. My muscles feel better, I walk better, just feel better in general. Yes, I still have a low immune system and get sick, but my everyday life has really changed from the decision to have the surgery. I feel 'normal' for the first time in my life, and boy does it feel amazing! Hope this helped a bit and hope you keep us updated

When I started in February 2013 my pace was around 4.2. Don't worry about how fast you're running until you've been running for a year. My pace naturally started increasing as I lost weight and ran further distances. I'm still pretty slow at around 5.2/5.4, but I think I do okay for a 48-yr old with a bad knee and an autoimmune disorder. My only goals have been distance related (5K, 10K, and half). As you're doing the C25K program, if you're having trouble completing a day because you run out of breath, slow down! If you can't complete because you run out of energy, make sure you figure out what's best for you to eat before running. If you can't complete because your legs are sore, change your stride (look at Chi running videos on YouTube). Never be afraid to repeat a day or even a week. The key to the program is persistence. Even those of us that have been running for a year have bad runs. I had one on Sunday. I think it was the heat and over-dressing, but I bonked (couldn't run another step) at about 4 miles. My planned run for the day was 6-7 miles. I didn't beat myself up over it, I just kept on and walked the rest. I'll make sure next time to check the temp on the beach (it was 10 degrees warmer) and take clothes with me in case I need to change.

Hashimotos is an autoimmune disorder, so the TPO test actually test for TPO antibodies. Most docs will only test TSH and it can be normal while TPO antibodies are elevated. Other symptoms are losing the outer portion of your eyebrows, inability to lose weight, fatigue, puffy face, insomnia, cold extremities, and about 100 others. Research is now showing that over 90% of those diagnosed hypothyroid actually have Hashimotos.

I did Insanity 5x a week because I am in a deployed environment and that is all I could do as my schedule allowed. Also, as Fiddle will attest, my eating plan was flawless, as I am battling an autoimmune disease and must eat clean for reasons beyond weight loss. I did not gain on Insanity, but I did not lose, not one ounce. Liifting however, within the first week of heavy lifting I lost 6 pounds.

Many (but certainly not all) bariatric patients experience improvement of autoimmune diseases after surgery. What a wonderful side effect!

Advice for those researching Lapband: Ask what your doctor's experience is with removing lap bands. How long can I expect to keep my band before it needs to be removed? (Bands are being removed anywhere between 2 years out and onwards. I personally know of only 3 people who have had their bands 5+ years and one of those is on band #2.) What long term negative effects have your patients experienced with Lapband? Lapband is a high pressure system. The band creates a great deal of pressure on the lower esophageal sphincter. The esophagus, in attempting to move food into the pouch, puts tremendous pressure on the LES, as well. Over time this causes damage and the sphincter fails to open. This creates a feeling of being "stuck" but your food hasn't even made it to the pouch. This situation is becoming more and more common in the banded population and causes permanent long term damage that cannot be reversed. This is what is called "difficulty swallowing" on the disclosure. It's actually band induced achalasia. Often on the various wls forums or social media groups, people will speak of random tightness, difficulty with swallowing yogurt, liquids, etc, regurgitation of meals despite cutting their food, chewing thouroghly and eating only 1/2 cup meals. What's your practice's re operation %? (Re operation following Lapband is upwards of 50%) any claims of lower % might mean your doctors patients are seeking help elsewhere when problems arise. How many of your Lapband patients have reached goal weight? (Average EW loss is in the 40-60% range...if you have 100 lb to lose, you can expect to lose 40-60 lb.) What do you consider compliance? -attendance at support meetings? -weighing, measuring, logging food intake? -adherence to a particular diet? -steady weight loss? -monthly, quarterly, bi-annual or annual band check ups? -what is the protocol for fills? (Many doctors consider failure to lose 1-2 lb per week noncompliance despite their patients claiming to adhere to a strict protocol.) I hear a lot about certain complications such as: achalasia, gastroparesis, adhesions of stomach to liver, erosion, band slips, band tightening without a recent fill. What's your experience with these issues. (More and more banded patients are experiencing these complications starting as early as 1 year post op and as long as 9-10 years out.) Will you band someone with autoimmune disorders? (This is a mixed bag...my personal experience is that having a foreign object in my body exacerbated my IBS) Do you screen for contraindications using EGD, esophageal manometry and upper GI? (These tests should be done to evaluate your ability to tolerate banding) If I have a hiatal hernia, what procedure do you use to repair it? What type of sutures do you use? (Nissen fundoplication and pledgeted sutures are never used in conjunction with bariatric surgery to repair existing hiatal hernia). As a final warning, recently there have been increasing reports of cardiac issues following banding...irregular heartbeat, arrhythmias, palpitations, etc. The heart and the esophagus lie side by side in the chest. The vagus nerve(controls heart rate, breathing and GI tract) is also in the same area. Food retained in the esophagus puts pressure on the nerve and heart. This is not good. I'm posting this because although I lost over 100 lb while I had my band, I now have permanent esophageal damage, cardiac problems and I'm on additional medications to manage the complications caused by my band. I was compliant with diet and lifestyle changes. Part of the problem was that my hiatal hernia was repaired using a nissen fundoplication and pledgeted sutures. Also, upon removing my band it was found to be placed very high on the stomach. I didn't have esophageal manometry testing prior to my band placement. (My band doctor was recently named as one of Seattle's Best Bariatric Surgeons for 2013.) 3 years later I had 0% motility when tested. I never had swallowing problems before banding. I still have difficulty with many foods. Bands are a money maker for doctors who are still implanting them. They get paid to put them in, fill them, empty them and remove them, then revise their patients. Many reputable medical institutions will no longer implant a band and many who still do, consider it a short term device and remove within 2-3 years then revise to gastric sleeve before permanent damage is done. I thought the band was least invasive. I have 15 incisions on my belly I didn't have when I started this. 3 surgeries, dozens of diagnostic, invasive tests, $150,000 later and I don't have a WL tool. I have a cardiac condition I didn't have, esophageal dilation and achalasia + 3 new meds costing me $150/month out of pocket. There are risks with all surgeries. Hopefully the questions I suggested will help you make a fully informed decision. Do your research and be open to hearing the "negative" along with the positive...it might save you from years of suffering. Best of luck to you! Bandarella

Prednisone is hell! So glad I am off of it. Hi! I am Amy and I sometimes feel like I have won the autoimmune jackpot--type I diabetes, transverse myelitis, chronic hives, celiac, hashimoto's thyroid--the list goes on. What is AMAZING about this surgery is it affects the gut hormones that cause an inflammatory response in the body, and is the cause of many autoimmune conditions. My diabetes and insulin need has changed tremendously for the better, which will help my cholesterol too. My blood pressure meds have been cut, and I rarely need an allergy pill for my hives. (Let alone prednisone!) This surgery is a saving grace for many of us. Glad you have made this decision! You won't regret it.

I've been a silent stalker in this site on and off for about a year. I started seriously considering WLS for about a couple of years but just recently made the decision that it's the right thing for me. I went into this process thinking that I would only consider the lap band but after the info session and consult with my surgeon I've decided that the sleeve is the best option for me. I have my psych eval and first appointment with the nutritionist on March 5. I'm a single mom to a beautiful 3 year old daughter and also have multiple sclerosis, on addition to being morbidly obese. I'm starting this journey for myself, but also my daughter. I need to be the positive influence in her life that she deserves. I find these forums so helpful and insightful. I have learned that I'm not alone in my fears that ending my relationship with food and that it's possible but takes hard work. I'm ready for this and know I will do it. Just wondering - anyone else going thru this with MS or other autoimmune diseases? Did it affect you? Looking forward to making new friends and finding support on my journey, those with or without autoimmune issues.

I am trying to find the group, but I'm unable to do so. The group link has changed... try this: http://www.bariatricpal.com/groups/357-autoimmune-sleevers/