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"Oh, and a history of autoimmune disease is considered a contraindication for adjustable gastric band surgery. " Jean thanks for the good advice and sorry about mine. Hun, what does the above mean. Is it a good thing?lol!

Thanks, Sandy. I can't imagine why a surgeon or insurance company would deny WLS to you because of fibroids in your uterus. I could be wrong, but it just doesn't seem possible that a gynecological problem (other than endometriosis) would have any bearing on a gastrointestinal procedure. Criteria for WLS is usually based on the patient's BMI and co-morbidities (obesity-related medical issues like hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, sleep apnea, diabetes, etc.). Criteria for insurance coverage depend on the individual policy. Oh, and a history of autoimmune disease is considered a contraindication for adjustable gastric band surgery.

Thanks Butta, it isn't fun...but I have to say ...the periodontist gave me some cream called Floucinonide to put on my gums and after one treatment..they feel better. The only draw back is the cream is petroleum based... therefore..I feel like I have an oil slick in my mouth, but my lips are going to be the softest in West Tennessee...so maybe there is a plus side to this! The periodontist said he could tell I take great care of my teeth...so it very well could be autoimmune which from the medical journal articles I am reading ..points to that!

Thanks OTR...it's really very weird...the gums on the outside next to my cheek are ulcerated above the gum line..brushing is a hurtful event but I do it anyway..I am a huge fanatic over my teeth...now here's where it gets weird...my gums that are on the inside where my tongue is...are freaking fabulous..normal as can be...so off to shave off some gum tissue I go! I feel really weird...well..that isn't a stretch ..at least I am healthier! Well ..except the gums..but we will get them fixed...maybe unless it is autoimmune and that I just have to live with!

I had posted I was having problems with my gums..well it has progressed and may be an autoimmune disorder...so this may or may not be coincidental with the sleeve...I have a gum biopsy Monday...so we shall see ...the periodontist feels the stress to the body the sleeve created ..weight loss, the surgery itself ..could have made the disorder appear...oh well...this will be managed and I still will be healthier for it.

I too am on medications to slow my immune system. I am on a low dose Interferon injection three nights a week. Ironically, when I was diagnosed with MS, I also showed the markers for Lupus in both my spinal Fluid and blood but haven't been formerly diagnosed with it. It's those factors that lead me to research the band and how it relates to autoimmune diseases and how I stumbled onto the info about Lupus.

That does make sense...I'm on medication to calm some of the autoimmune response. I guess that strategy is working...and long may it continue. My PCP did relate that a former patient of his that he was not totally informed regarding her medical history wanted a band, however he refused to medically clear her as she had Crohn's disease. Thanks for sharing the information...I did suspect that reasoning would be part of the logic.

I have been diagnosed with Lupus (SLE), and have a Realize band. I also have had psoriasis for many years. My physicians, specifically my PCP and surgeon knew of these diagnoses prior to my surgery. I've not experienced any complications or exacerbation with either of these medical conditions post band surgery which could be attributed to either diagnosis. I was never informed that the band would be contraindicated for someone with either of these diagnoses. I also don't see the logic why the band would be contraindicated. I would like to know more about this topic...as an aspect of lupus treatment does involve lowering the body's autoimmune responses.

From everything I have read, Lupus is the only autoimmune disorder specifically named as a disease you shouldn't have Lap Band with. Even then, I know of people with Lupus and the band with no problems. I have an autoimmune disease too. I have Multiple Sclerosis. So far the band has done nothing but help me tremendously. Best wishes to you

I have a question requarding autoimmune disorders and lapband. I found out from Alergan that the lapband is not for people with autoimmune disorders. I have psorisis a skin condition (it's autoimmune). I had my first dr. visit and nothing was mentioned, it was in the forms I filled out, but I did not mention anything cause I did not know yet. I know I still need to talk to my Dr. but I was just curious if anyone happen to know anything or maybe had the procedure and has psorisis or something similar

I have a question requarding autoimmune disorders and lapband. I found out from Alergan that the lapband is not for people with autoimmune disorders. I have psorisis a skin condition (it's autoimmune). I had my first dr. visit and nothing was mentioned, it was in the forms I filled out, but I did not mention anything cause I did not know yet. I know I still need to talk to my Dr. but I was just curious if anyone happen to know anything or maybe had the procedure and has psorisis or something similar

Jane, That is exactly my dilemma and I thank you for your honest and candid response. My doctor recognizes how little I eat but repeatedly cites that the sleeve will reduce appetite and cravings, but that is not my problem. He also states that recent research shows that metabolism slows with the band and metabolism will rise a bit with the sleeve. However, I already have an autoimmune thyroid disease and minimal metabolism as it is, so I can't bank on the sleeve increasing my metabolism all that much. I am having more and more discomfort with the band and feel that eventually I will have to have it removed either way, just not sure if I should go for the conversion. I feel very comfortable with my doctor, but I have to admit a part of me thinks he is just looking as the profit he will make from an addition procedure.

Have they checked your thyroid like done an entire panel not just a t4? For years I was exhausted all the time and unable to lose anything, turns out I had an autoimmune disease killing my thyroid. It took my gyn to figure it out the pcp didnt. Ask for a full thyroid pannel to make sure it's working alright bc if it isn't it knocks your metabolism way down

I have Multiple Sclerosis I wondered if I could have the surgery. From what I was told I wouldn't have any problem & my neurologist would have to give me the ok. Talked to my Neuro & he thought it was a good idea for his patient & said there shouldn't be any issues. I have been DX for 2yrs. I'm current stable. I do have concerns that I will have a flare up after surgery, it's a risk with any surgery & a autoimmune disorder. There is the option of putting the fibro or whatever autoimmune disorder on the back burner (hush hush) until after surgery. DX these type disorders can take mths or yrs & u don't want ur surgery put off till then. Also don't rush the DX or fibro. DRs told me it basically means they don't know. There maybe another autoimmune disorder that hasn't fully shown itself. Sorry for the book! Lol!

There are a few people on this forum with fibromyalgia and other autoimmune diseases that have been sleeved. It shouldn't prevent you from being sleeved. Sent from my iPhone using VST

What adjustments did you make to your medications before and after surgery? How has your weight loss affected your symptoms. I have rheumatoid arthritis and hoping weightloss will help my joints. Thanks!

Glad to hear!! I've been reading on it and it says that persons with autoimmune diseases should not get lap-band. I really want to get it though! Are you on medication for your arthritis?

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.

There are a number of reasons someone's liver can be enlarged. For us who are obese it's usually a nonalcoholic fatty liver, but it could be caused by hepatitis, autoimmune conditions, alcoholic fatty liver, cysts, gallbladder issues, mono.. It doesn't sound like she had any identified problem aside from maybe NAFLD. OP - I'm so sorry, I can imagine this is fairly traumatic. I do wonder if it's just the surgeon's level of skill, confidence, or just the liver size that determines a surgeon's plan of action. It does seem to vary widely - for example, I was 325 pre-surgery, 321 on surgery day, and only had a prescribed diet of Clear liquids the day before surgery, no pre-op diet. My surgeon didn't mention any problems with my liver. Do you have any comorbidities that might have affected it? I am surprised that on that low of calorie diet that you didn't lose more than 8 pounds. I really hope you hang in there and follow the diet again (You can do it!) and kick those 20 pounds to the curb so that you can get your surgery done. After this whole ordeal, you deserve to be dropping some weight and feeling great.

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

I had this conversation with my doctor this week because before surgery 800mg ibuprofen was normal for me to take for autoimmune pain. He said from time to time was fine but my 800mg days were over. This will be something I will have to talk to rheumatologist about.

I was told and read the same thing. It's because Lupus is an autoimmune disease and the body attacks the band, rejecting it. What I am unclear on is why that happens with Lupus but not RA or Multiple Sclerosis, both autoimmune diseases as well.

All I can say is I'm sorry for your experience. My father in law had an infectious colitis and it took him wasting away and getting very ill to get the correct diagnosis. It's been some time, but I believe a few rounds of antibiotics and he recovered fully. I can't recall exactly how long it went on but his biggest issue was actually diagnosing the problem. It's been a long time but he's absolutely fine now and has no problems. How far are you out from surgery? The only real issue with medication comes if you need it to spend a long time in the stomach or if it's something (like B12) that needs to be absorbed there. I've taken several rounds of antibiotics and many people take anti-inflammatory meds (we have a few folks here with lupus and other autoimmune disorders) without any problems. Wishing you the very best with your treatment and a speedy recovery. I know that your fear right now is gaining weight on meds, but if your case is infectious colitis it will clear up and go away, and you will only need the meds until it's gone. Colitis can be serious if left untreated, so I'd simply do what the doctor suggests (once your colonoscopy confirms what you've got going on) and worry about losing any possible weight gain once it's over and done with. Your quality of life with colitis will be crap. With a sleeve, there's no time limit on weight loss and you can easily take off any pounds gained on a treatment cycle afterward. Put your overall health first. ~Cheri

Tuesday 07-24-2012 6:41 pm So although I've been a member of VST for a couple of weeks maybe and really, started my journey to WLS on March 4, I am first finding myself type something out to be able to reflect back at all of what I've been through. My first thought is- for pete sake- I'm a licensed psychotherapist who has encouraged LOTS of people to journal and where the heck have I been? Lazy. Story of my life My second thought is that I must first comment on my experience on this forum and the VST peeps I've been getting to know through their own journeys. I cannot tell you how inspired I am by so many others who have either gone through similar walks of life or who are going through it. I don't feel alone anymore which is so relieving in and of itself. In this career, I hear many reasons why we choose the profession we are in. For me, it really was nothing about my personal life as it was my true desire to know the brain and study human behavior. So, because of this, I feel my family and friends have highly underestimated my strength at times. Sometimes, even we need a little extra support. I'm probably the biggest person who will dispute this so to put so much emphasis on what others this of me isn't fair really. But it's easier. So, again, I have no major underlying issues. Sure, we all have our "stuff" but I can tell you that I have been through therapy many times with my marriage and honestly, have benefited greatly. I check in with close friends and colleagues as I believe that's just part of my life now- I need to do that...for me. Back to how I got here. Well, I'm not exactly sure HOW I got this so out of control. I do know that I have always struggled with weight but I really have carried it well in my life. I have watched friends and family go through surgeries for weight loss and always believed I ddin't need to do that. Then one day I was dx with autoimmune disorder which really- the only symptom that I have is extreme fatigue and with that comes lack of ambition to do anything. The process of finding the right doctor was exhausting but after years of battling this, I did. But he wanted me to go on a medication that could cause blindness AND he wasn't guarenteeing that this would help fatigue as this is difficult to control. (Have you heard of Plaquinil? I know some have as I have read other's posts about it). Well.....I decided not to do it. So the next year I spent extremely tired; no.... exhausted. Heck, if I didn't know better, I probably would have dx me with depression BUT I WASN"T DEPRESSED. I gained probably another 30 pounds (that was my last straw- I could have cared less that I didn't clean my house like I wanted to or do more things...it was the weight)....So my husband convinced me to try the med. "Just try it". Wouldn't you know it- it was a matter of 2 weeks and I had some of that energy back. I was on it for about a year and I did lose about 15 of those pounds. Then I gradually took myself off. Dr. asked to decrease so I just kept forgetting and then before you know it, I'm off. Then I'm gaining weight again. One would think an educated person such as myself would put 2 and 2 together. Common sense isn't necessarily a subject in college or grad school I didn't want to go back on the med. My doc had told me that exericse was really good too. Yeah, I hate exercising and try convincing someone who has absolutely nothing to give.....to give. It wasn't easy. THEN it happend. I got a new job and found out insurance did not exclude WLS. I cannot tell you how elated I was. I had my appointments all lined up as soon as insurance kicked in. All they require is a 6 month professional weight loss program documented. R U KIDDING ME? I've been through EVERYTHING at LEAST 1,0000000000 times. But nothing recording for 6 months consecutively. So here I go. But who cares right? My benefits at my new job don't kick in until I'm there six months anyway so no worries. Well, I've hit the six month mark at work. My last NUT appt (actually with the PA) is August 13. I told her I have a date in my head of Sept 10. She was excited and told me that they will have everything ready that day so all they have to do is print out her note and send it on. Insurance has 14 buisness days to respond. That quite possibly will be the longest wait of my life. We will see (because these days are long as well). I can tell you I've gained weight at every single appt with the NUT. I'm trying things they say and I KNOW I will follow through after. Remember my energy level is nothing. I didn't have them document the autoimmune stuff (although they do know) as I don't believe it's life threatening- I went to have my fatigue treated and it was totally up to me and nothing more. My feeling is that I want to see how weight loss effects my health rather than relying on meds so I'm dealing. I was worried about the weight gain but the PA tells me not to be concnerned. I'm going to go with that because if I don't....I'll drive myself crazy...... So the countdown begins....to my new life....on this new journey... I know life will change for me drastically. I'm ready....for whatever that means. And I will journal through it---- because I know that it's helpful and I also know- I have a great support system with VST PEEPS. Thank you for listening..... Justine........

Great topic. Growing up, I was thin and athletic. I lived for my sports. Up until my pregnancy at 34, I had an amazing body and worked very hard at it. All was good until my last trimester when I gained an astounding 85 pounds. Our son was 2 weeks late and 10 1/2 lbs via c-section. As soon as I was healed, I started working out vigorously. I basically did the Atkins diet, and worked my way from 240lbs down to 165. That didn't last. Fast forward 14 years- I am at 250 ish. I want to keep doing my sports, but I have had 9 surgeries on my legs and my weight won't let me do the things I enjoy. I do think this experience has made me more compassionate towards others. I don't judge people as much. I have experienced the looks and I know people that have known me for a long time say "what happened to her?" I do have some autoimmune problems (Celiac Disease and Hashimotos), which make it a little harder. I am hoping this will give me the tool to get back to where I was. My son has seen pics of me thin, and I have a super supportive husband. I am lucky. I think this experience has been good in a way for me (sounds funny). This weight has taught me so many things and has made me grow as a person. If I had remained thin and not gained the weight, I wouldn't be the person I am today. I like who I am, I don't like this weight. It hurts my knees and doesn't let me do the things I enjoy. I am looking forward to this journey.