Search the Community

About 2 months after my surgery, I went through hell with some autoimmune diseases (sarcoid, psoriasis, arthritis, eye issues). The surgery triggered massive flare ups for me even after I had been fine for years. I think my whole body was in shock and it reacted. I'm not aware of anyone else dealing with this, so I thought I would share my story.

Some surgeons will not band a patients with an autoimmune disorder such ad RA or lupus. The concern is that since your body's immune system is hyperactive then inserting a foreign body in to it may also cause an immune response...almost like when a transplant recipient rejects an organ....I do not know if there are studies proving it or if it's just theoretical.... Just something else for you to ponder! Good luck with your decision. (Oh, and your doctor is an ass,I'm a family practice PA and would never tell a patient something like this is a cop out,....even if I thought it was it's VERY unprofessional of him to have voiced it)

No, all my inflammation is gone since surgery. Sounds like you have some sort of autoimmune issue. Did they test your CRP?

My goodness, I'm so very sorry. Have they tested you for Lupus too? I know CREST is autoimmune, if it is what's wrong could your band cause problems?

I've decided to research GBS. I'm scheduled to attend a class in November. I want to compare both procedures. Also, I have a family history of RA and other autoimmune disease (like lupus) and worry about a lapband triggering autoimmune disease?

Only connective tissue autoimmune diseases and a few specifically listed gastrointestinal autoimmune diseases are contradictions to the Lap Band. This is per the Allergan website. Psoriasis isn't one and isn't listed so you should be fine.

Anyone here know how I can find out about the correlation between autoimmune diseases and the band? I'm curious because I'm sure I read somewhere that the band may not be good for someone with autoimmune disease(s). I have autoimmune thyroiditis, my immune system is attacking my thyroid and trying to destroy it. I'm seeing a specialist and getting my levels in the right range. I'm wondering though, would having the band placed make my immune system attack IT? Since it is a foreign object in my body, I wonder if that would happen. I don't know how to find out. I haven't consulted with a physician yet about the band, still doing my research. If anyone can help....Thanks!

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

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

I do have Lupus, and was sleeved just a week ago. So far, I'm pretty good! I had a bit of a flare for two days immediately after the surgery. Everyone kept saying how great my colour was, but it was just my malar rash! There are other threads on the forum about people with Lupus and other autoimmune disease. There doesn't seem to be any pattern to how people react to the surgery. But that makes total sense to me, because Lupus patients usually have such wildly different sets of symptoms, anyway.

I think much of the future of medicine will be in gene therapy and we are a long way from that. I think conditions like cancer, alzheimers, parkinsons, autism and the autoimmune diseases will likely require gene therapy for prevention or cure. So, too, I think will obesity, which is a disease. I envision a (far away) future where people will say - "What? they used to cut out 80% of your stomach or reroute your stomach to lose weight? So glad they don't have to do that now".

first be warned this is detailed and graphic..... so through out this my surgery date was 12/17/12 and with all the complications have had the flu, have had flare ups of my autoimmune disorder and now a severe infection in my jp tube where I such a high fever was projectile vomiting, foamies, because there is nothing in my pouch every 5 min and lethargic , sorry for being so graphic, so I could not eat or drink anything in my plan everything was too rich , well after god love my pcp finally gives me a suppository for nausea and sleep , I broke the rules yes yes I know but I became desperate... it is the only thing I knew from before that might work crackers and ginger ale. I'm not speaking bags of crackers and bottles , just a few here and there and a few sips, than worked up to broccoli cheese Soup and toast, and diffrent teas , tried a chicken veg soup and came back up chicken is a no no for my poor pouch right now even chicken stock!! so my question to you guys what do you do on your sick days? have you gone to "old" measures and if not how do you cope? the first time I just did Water and lemon and teas that did not help calm things as fast as the crackers and ginger ale and teas and this was day two and three but I am open to suggestions thanks everyone Cyn-shakiraa-*12/17/12*Sent from my mobile Rnytalk.

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

U mean over the 10 yrs u hadn't considered this at all? That was the first question my surgeon asked. I had contemplated this for 15 yrs an just figured my insurance wouldn't pay for this. Boy was I wrong! If u went to a seminar I would think in the back of ur mind u really were considering this. And maybe u just realy went with ur gut. My 15 yrs of thinking had to come to an end. I'd tried every diet imaginable to man, an just found out with many autoimmune diseases including hashis an insulin resistance I was just going up n weight. 2 specialist I see steared me this direction an I said this is the tool I needed..I was sick n tired of the yo yo dieting. I didn't require no preop supervised diet just 2 wks before 2 liquid an 1 meal then 48 hrs all liquid right before. If u really didn't want to do this u couldn't have just said no but I really think it was ur opportunity to change ur life. They asked me in preop you ready!?? I said most definitely! ! U will be happy with results...just follow protocol ur protocol from surgeon. Everyones I've noticed is different. ..hang in there I'm 40 down an on the mend..:)don't wonder or question the what ifs or question the could haves..it's done..wrk now an go forward leave the rest in past...ull drive ur self nuts. If ur like a lot of us obviously prior attempts we weren't so successful or we wouldn't have even put our toe in the Water to test it...with the seminar it was obviously for surgical wl help...ultimately. it wrks! An if we stick to it an don't cheat an don't do the things we are instructed to do we will b e successful for life. If we don't make the required behavior changes we will ed up right where we were before. ..now I eat to live not live to eat. Yes we slip up here n there..get back on the wagon...we must b mindful of everything. Ok wish u best an chk on here for support an help I luv this...helps a lot an I use myfitnesspal. ..

I was an emotional eater also. Didnt help hashis (thyroid autoimmune disease) insulin resistance. .thought I had a good marriage for 17 yrs...put up with it for almost 3 more he stepped out on me 3 times after the 3rd time I kicked his butt out. It was tearing me up emotionally an mentally so divorce came. I'm 15 yrs later took 2 yrs therapy got to bottom of my emotional eating suppressed trauma from teens developed PTSD an major depressive disorder major anxiety disorder. ..doing a lot better I'm finally at a good place now...this surgery is wat I needed for me. I want to learn more about the system u use for monitoring ur metabolism an calories. .I'm 40 pds down an loving it! Feeling free at last!!

I chose the sleeve because I have an autoimmune disease that requires me to use NSAIDS at times. With RNY, NSAID's are a never again. My doctor told me so long as I'm on a PPI, I can use NSAIDs with a sleeve. I'm also on other maintenance medications for bipolar, and I didn't want to risk my meds being malabsorbed. So sleeve it was for me!

I got my band removed on Tuesday. Still in a lot of pain but overall feeling much better. My surgeon told me that I had a lot of scar tissue around the band and port area. This was the reason why I felt restriction although the band was completely un-filled. They didn't find any infection. I suppose that is a good and bad thing cause I still don't know the reason for the flare ups (episodes). I guess this is why they don't recommend people with autoimmune get banded. In my defense, I didn't have any autoimmune conditions until after I got the band. My surgical nurse is convinced that the band is causing or triggering autoimmune disorders because she told me she seeing this a lot more often. I researched this for about a year before I got the band and never saw any warnings against banding people with autoimmune diseases. I only wish my doctor had been more thorough about my family history of autoimmune disease. Also, I would not recommend this for anyone who is anemic either. I was only borderline anemic when I was banded and every time I got the band filled and was restricted it made my anemia much worse. Overall, I didn't have a good experience with the lap-band but I have learned a lot about myself and my capabilities. It has forced me to live a healthier lifestyle. I know now that there truly is nothing more valuable than your health. I've lost 25 pounds without the band and I know I will reach my goal. I am recovering right now but I already can't wait to get back in the gym and back to feeling better. Good luck and good health to all!

I have had the same issue for about 6-8 months now. I also have had the same tests several times over and they cannot find the source of the pain. I notice flare ups but this last and most recent one occurred last Friday. I was rushed to the ER with bad heart palpitations, shortness of breath, nausea, migriane headache, dizziness, extreme fatigue and achiness all over. I was vomiting in the ER and BP and body temp were all over the place. My port area hurts all the time, not to mention I can feel like its hardened around the port. I also feel lumps in my abdomen and they are painful. They couldn't find the source and tested my blood for sepsis which came back negative. I felt like I was dying and I just can't get any real answers. I was diagnosed with autoimmune disease (RA, Hashimotos, Fibermyalgia) shortly after my band was put in Nov 2009. So they keep telling me that I'm having flare ups from that. I wasn't having flare ups before. I don't think the band caused my autoimmune but I do think it may be exacerbating it. I think I have an infection from the band and my body is probably rejecting it because of the autoimmune disease. We will find out for certain next Tuesday Sept 24th when they remove my band. I have had my band filled and unfilled 3 times and each time I became malnourished and it made my anemia worse. At one point it was too tight and I was having night aspirations. I haven't had my ban filled for over a year now. As crappy as I still feel, I am over-joyed to have this thing taken out. I am just lucky my insurance is paying 100% of the removal. The surgeon wanted me to do a gastric sleeve. I respectfully declined. Once again I will have to do this weight loss journey the old fashion way, diet and exercise. Please post any updates if you get any answers. I will do the same.

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

Thanks for the info! I have an autoimmune illness so I might can help you on the steroid gain. Yes steroids can put weight on you, change the shape of your face, eyes etc. I know because I was on them for brace yourself.... SIX YEARS.... it threw me into Cushings Disease. Fortunately I have been mostly off of them for the past 7 years but I'm still carrying that weight. Occasionally I have to take them for about a week or so and one off the things I have learned to do is prep my house before starting them. Get rid of ALL carbs and stick mostly to protein and veggies. Have plenty of green apples around for crunchiness in the middle of the night (they are lower in natural sugar than red apples). Drink plenty of water to push the fluid out of your body. These tips might help it be a 5 pound vs 25 pound gain... good luck!

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

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

It's common for autoimmune diseases to overlap. When you have 1 you will usually end up with more.

I dont understand the "calling authorities" part over testing positive bc of "adderall" but in your case was cold meds. I would def ask to take blood test especially for a job. Iv taken adderall for ADD an I wasnt addicted it does help. just felt the need to clear that on my end on the use of this particular drug. in fact I was suppose to take 2 daily an I did well to get 1 in daily. I couldnt feel the differance other then brain fog from the autoimmune diseases cause. Im sorry your dealing with the false positive hopefully this can get cleared up quick. if they really wanted to know the truth they could have checked on the drug list to see if your on it..anyone who is subscribed by dr legitimatly their name is on the data base for controlled substances. I know its stressful but the truth always comes out hang in there.. keep us posted ...I hope it works out for ya

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