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Hi, My name is Karen, I'm 45 years old and have struggled with my weight my whole life. I'm 5'6" and currently weigh 261 pounds, my highest was 277. I've tried every diet, under the sun. I've tried fad diets, weight watchers, taken pills and supplements, tried hypnosis..etc..nothing ever works for long. I am now disabled and can no longer do alot of excercise so just dieting is not really working..once over 40 I can't just go without eating for a few days and lose 5 pounds like I did as a 20 year old. You have to work harder as you get older and without being able to really excercise,,it's been almost impossible for me. I have several conditions that have limited me but I feel if I get some of this weight off, it might help. My neurologist is the one that mentioned I might try Lapband. I have not been to a seminar, spoken with a surgeon or taken any of the steps for the surgery yet. The only thing I've done is try to educate myself,,reading alot. I called my insurance company and they will pay most of it but I will also receive medicare in April so I'm hoping I will have little if any out of pocket expenses if I qualify for the surgery. Anything I need to know financially? I guess why I'm here is that I'd like to know where to begin and what to expect. What's it like for others? I'd like to hear from anyone about anything since I know nothing. I'd especially like to know how long it takes from the time you begin the whole process till you have surgery. How hard is it to qualify? I have an autoimmune disease, will this hinder me from being able to get the surgery? My illness is stable right now, I feel like if I get some of this weight off, it might help my condition. I'm sorry I have alot of questions. I'm scared and excited at the same time. The thought of being able to walk a steady pace and play something other than cards with my kids and grandkids is so appealing to me. I hate the way I look and feel, I really want my life back.

I woul see an autoimmune specialist doctor. If not RA there are a lot of other similiar autoimmune diseases that have similair symptoms. I have several autoimmune diseases and could not be diagnosed until I saw a specialist. I hope they find out what it is quickly for you! I just had the band a week and a half ago, and it did aggravate my symptoms, but with you being 2 years out, I would guess it is probably not related. Good luck! God Bless!

Welcome Swan! I hope you are up for a lot of advice and tough love here. That is how we all stay on track. Have you started your pre-op diet? Get a pedometer and start walking. It will really help you heal after surgery........moving after surgery helps get rid of the gas. You will do great. I am so glad you have taken control of your weight issue before you get older. The band is a tool to help you lose. I is the magic pill that will fix all your weight problems. If you have questions there are plenty of seasoned banders here to help. Julie, you poor baby. I hope you get to the the rheumotalogist soon. That is a painful condition. Xanax helps calm the nerves. I sometimes take it when the weather is changing. I took it everyday for 10 years for my gut until my doctor sent me to a psychiatrist. I was having panic attacks caused by the Savella. Now I am on Lexapro and Savella (for FM). If you have an autoimmune condition the doctor will have to give you meds to treat the condition for you to get relief. I hope you get in soon to see him. HUGS! and I am praying for you too. Cher, so many hard decisions to be made for your parents. I think organizing and getting rid of their "stuff" they don't use would be a first step. I am going to go do that for my mother soon. So many of us at our age are dealing with the same issues. My inlaws were in the country when they both got cancer. He refused to move. They both died in the hospital so we didn't have to deal with moving them. My mother..... when she was still able moved to a retirement home . She will soon need to go to assisted living. That is why I need to start clearing out her "stuff". Can you sister who is the doctor talk to them? HUGS! for you and all of you faced with this ordeal. I am going to Water aerobics this morning. It is freezing outside, but I gotta exercise. I will CBL.

Here is a medical study on autoimmune disease and weight loss surgery... http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/112152.php

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

Hi - I am in the process of a revision from band to sleeve. It would seem that my body does not want to accept the band, but I am hopeful about the sleeve since it does not require any "foreign" parts to be added. I was wondering if anyone in this forum - or any other forum - has had problems with the band that seem to be associated with an autoimmune disease. I have Lupus / Lupus Nephritis, which is typically a dis qualifier for wls but I was lucky enough to find a surgeon willing to take a chance. My body began to reject the band approximately 3 - 4 months after the surgery. I vomit after eating anything with density...and the problem is becoming worse. I am down to liquids and even these must be thinned out. For example, I have to use Water or milk to decrease the density of a Protein shake. It's just awful. I was hoping to find someone to dialogue with regarding autoimmune diseases. I would welcome insight from people who know people, too Cheers

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

Hi Friends, I haven't been on here in a while, but I've run into a little problem. OK, it's a pretty big problem. I have an autoimmune form of arthritis called AS. I had the LAP band done two years ago in order to reduce the strain on my joints. Though I was at the lower end of the weight continuum, I needed to lose weight permanently in order to slow down the crippling effects of my AS. The pain from the AS causes me to lose sleep at night, so my rheumie prescribed me Cyclobenzaprine. It has been a God send, and it has changed the quality of my life. I now do not need 10-12 hours of sleep at night to be safe while driving to work the next day. The only side effect is a big one, though. I am waking up from this reflux/vomitting in my lungs sort of thing that happens. I don't know if it's from the medicine or if my band is too tight (5.5 cc in a 10cc band) or if the reflux comes from one of the other meds. I suspect it's the Cyclo, though, because I've tried to isolate it so that it's the only variable. I'm wondering if it's possibly getting caught in my pouch and dissolving close enough to the esophagus to cause the reflux. Cyclo's not supposed to work on the muscles like that, but taking a half a pill one time, the cut side rested against my tongue long enough to make it numb in that little spot. I know this is odd, but does anyone out there have any experience with this or a similar situation?

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

Wondering if any of you have autoimmune hepatitis and have been banded? Was on the phone with Bariatric nurse and when I mentioned I have autoimmune hepatitis she indicated I may not be a candidate for the band. That my body may reject it or I'd have a greater risk of infections. I've had HBP and high cholesterol for years but the autoimmune disease for only about 3 years. It has been under control for over 2 years and I take a very mild dose of immune suppressent. My liver doctor indicated I need to be very careful not to develop diabetes and a large weight loss would help to prevent that. I mentioned the band and he was for it, said he'd not seen many complications from bands at all. Told him I'd been trying to figure out how to pay for one since I'm self pay, But I didn't specifically ask him if I'd be a candidate for it with my autoimmune disease. I feel like I've had the rug pulled out from under me.:smile2: I had made up my mind that I had to have this tool to get control of my weight problem to be healthier and be here for my young children. I had even figured out a way to pay for the surgery and now I'm scared it might not even be an option...:tt2::sad::crying:

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

Current research has implicated Vitamin D deficiency as a major factor in the pathology of at least 17 varieties of cancer as well as heart disease, stroke, hypertension, autoimmune diseases, diabetes, depression, chronic pain, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, muscle weakness, muscle wasting, birth defects, periodontal disease, and more. Vitamin D's influence on key biological functions vital to one's health and well-being mandates that Vitamin D no longer be ignored by the health care industry nor by individuals striving to achieve and maintain a greater state of health. I know I feel 100% better since I raised my vit D level from 30 up to 80. One of the benefits from having a higher level of Vit D is being deficient in this causes cravings for sweets.

I am sorry that you are experiencing this terrible situation. There is a contraindication on the band that says that those who have a family member with a particular type of Lupus or those with Lupus are contraindicated. That is because you have a higher probability of rejecting the band. But there are still people with that type of Lupus that get banded. I saw a rheumatologist due to my concern that my sister has Lupus and I had an autoimmune disease when I was young (guillian barre syndrome). She advised me that there are no known links between getting the band and triggering an autoimmune disease. Plus, the extra weight is a definite risk for so many things, whereas the unknown of perhaps triggering something is just that, an unknown. If there were multiple instances of what happened to you, it would have emerged within the 10+ years people have been getting the band. That is the scientific thinking. Be well and best of luck to you. But don't blame yourself for getting the band and making you sick. There doesn't seem to be any proof that the band causes autoimmune diseases.

This is kind of long... I suffer from autoimmune disease and have heard that the band can be good or bad for it. Some docs won't touch you if you have it. The only article I can find linking it to autoimmune disease in a quick search is the one below http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.ezproxy2.library.drexel.edu/sites/entrez We report 2 patients who developed sarcoidosis after the implantation of adjustable silicone gastric banding (GB) in Germany. Before implantation, no pulmonary diseases were evident in the medical history of either patient. The 1st patient suffered sarcoidosis 12 months after GB. He has been treated at a hospital specialising in pulmonary diseases. Because of the treatment with corticoids, the patient has regained weight after the initial weight reduction. The 2nd patient developed signs of pulmonary infection on the 7th postoperative day (after GB). Pulmonary sarcoidosis was diagnosed 4 months later after consultation with a pulmonologist. On the other hand- this article states that it helps: Bariatric Surgery Improves Asthma, Autoimmune Disease WASHINGTON, D.C., June 2008 — Obese people with asthma, osteoarthritis or autoimmune diseases who undergo bariatric surgery may be able to say sayonara to their steroids and/or the other immunosuppressing drugs they use to treat these diseases within about 18 months of their surgery. This is according to new research presented at the 25th annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic amd Bariatric Surgery. And that's a good thing, as long-term use of these drugs can have harmful effects on health. Precisely how bariatric surgery can help resolve or improve these diseases is not fully understood, but losing weight may decrease certain inflammatory markers that are known to be elevated in autoimmune and inflammatory disease, according to study author Elizabeth A. Dovec, MD, a bariatric surgeon at Western Pennsylvania Hospital, a teaching hospital of Temple University School of Medicine in Pittsburgh. The new study comprised 49 morbidly obese people who were taking steroids or other immunosuppressive medications to treat co-existing chronic autoimmune diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), myasthenia graves (a neuromuscular disease characterized by weakness of the skeletal muscles) and lupus, or inflammatory diseases like asthma. In autoimmune diseases, the body engages in friendly fire against its own organs or systems. More than 50 percent of the study patients were able to discontinue or significantly reduce the use of oral steroids and immunosuppressive agents within 18 months. Specifically, 89 percent of people with asthma who underwent bariatric surgery were able to discontinue their steroids. What's more, 33 percent of patients with the inflammatory skin disease psoriasis and 25 percent of those with myasthenia graves were able to stop taking their medication. In addition to improvements in autoimmune and inflammatory disease, the study participants lost 65.2 percent of their excess weight, and 80 percent of the study participants showed improvements or resolution of many of their other obesity-related diseases, including type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea and high blood pressure. "Patients with compromised immune systems [such as occur with autoimmune disease] or taking steroids for chronic inflammatory disease [like asthma] may have been excluded from bariatric surgery because they are at higher risk for complications related to their disease or immunosuppressant medications," said another study author, Daniel J, Gagné, MD, director of bariatric surgery and laparoscopic and minimally invasive surgery at the hospital. "However, this study shows not only that these patients can safely have bariatric surgery, but they can achieve significant improvements or elimination of many diseases." — Denise Mann

I haven't seen any peer-reviewed research linking the band with autoimmune disease, so I'd be inclined to view it as coincidental. I'm very, very sorry that you're experiencing these distressing symptoms, though--and hope you get to the bottom of it quickly.

I agree that seems most logical. Anything that stresses your body can trigger an autoimmune disease. You probably already had the autoimmune disease and it just now showed up. Edited to add: I've read that if you have an autoimmune disease then YOU ARE NOT a candidate for banding.

Hi David. This reminds me of a friend who, within a week of getting gastric bypass surgery, was diagnosed with ALL (bone marrow cancer). We know that the surgery did not cause him to have cancer, but we do feel the surgery caused his body to be weak and stressed, and the symptoms of his disease ALL to come out.... so perhaps that is the case with you. Maybe you already had an autoimmune disease, and the lapband surgery just caused the symptoms to come out sooner? Just a thought. I hope you figure out what's going on soon, so you can feel better.

David, I've never heard of the band causing an autoimmune disease, but who knows what the last straw was when someone's body turns on itself. I hope they find the answer for you soon! .

I'm glad she's doing well, but she's an exception. Also, my symptoms started within a couple months of having the procedure done. A bit hard to discount it as being a coincidence, don't you think? I've already read that there's an ongoing investigation about whether or not gastric banding causes autoimmune diseases. I read it at some surgeon's site. -David

Well, it's just that dysphagia is a hallmark symptom of scleroderma. But then again, what do I know...I hadn't even heard of such a thing as an "autoimmune disease" prior to having the procedure done. Compared to other areas of study, I've never been particularly interested in biology/anatomy and didn't start educating myself about our inner workings to speak of until earlier this year. Thanks for your response. -David

Autoimmune means your body turns on it's self. I wouldn't think a band would cause that. It may just be a coincidence that symptoms started around the same time. I know a lady who is 50 and has had Scleroderma and Lupus since her 20's. She is still fine and still working full time.

Hi, I'm a 28 year old male with a Realize Band. I was banded in Nov. 2009 (weighed 274) and now weigh approx. 222. I lost about 12 pounds from the initial liquid diet, and the rest of the weight loss has been from dysphagia that has been occurring with no fill in the band. I've lost about 35 pounds over the last couple months. I had a bit of fill toward the beginning (a few CCs), but that wasn't enough to cause much restriction. In the early summer, when my left sternocleidomastoid (neck muscle) became inflamed, I had my fill emptied. Most of my weight loss has occurred since that time. Here are my symptoms: -Neck muscle (sternocleidomastoid) inflamed and hurting -Pain in knees and elbows...sometimes in various other bones/muscles/joints -Pain in various places in my abdomen -Dysphagia (hard to swallow even a couple bites of soft-serve ice cream...have to gag myself to get it out) -ears hurt (have already been checked for ear infection; there is none) -often have back pain -Unusually dark urine -heart stometimes feels like it starts beating too fast -Blood pressure has been all over the map lately -Massive headaches I've recently had an upper GI. Also CT scans of my neck, pelvis and abdomen. I've also had an x-ray of my chest. Everything has came back normal. I'm in so much pain that I typically don't want to get out of bed. I'm a college senior, but am not taking classes right now because of this. I almost blew my near 4.0 GPA (on a 4.0 scale) due to taking classes this summer. I'm concerned that I have scleroderma and will die in my 20's or 30's due to complications related to that. They say not to assume the worst, etc., etc., but my symptoms do seem to match up with scleroderma (AKA systemic sclerosis). I've also read that even though much more women have it than men, more men die from it. I hope that I haven't ended my life before it even starts, but we shall see. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? Has anyone here been diagnosed with autoimmune disease(s) as a result of the procedure? I have an appt. w/ a rheumatologist on the 1st. Regards, David

Hi there and welcome. I cannot give you my results yet, but I can tell you why I chose the sleeve. Based on current medical research the sleeve provides almost comparable results to gastric-bypass and in many cases, surpasses that of the lap band. I prefer the sleeve because there is less tinkering with the small intestine, and I have an autoimmune disease that impacts my small intestine. Tiffy's response provides great information on moving forward once you've had the surgery. I know I'll listen to her...she's been so successful with her journey and generous with her knowledge. To our good health! Fit

I am new and would like to comment on this thread as maybe my first. I have been a diabetic for 31 years. I attended in 31 years over 150 classes and seminars on diabetes. I have done thousands of hours of research on my disease. I have been involved with the ADA for 20 plus years. I am involved to the highest level with my disease. I keep up on R and D on my disease and the lastest and greatest research, including stem cell, pancrease transplant, pumps, and outside pancreae variations. This just a bit of my knowledge on my disease. I am a type 1 insulin dependent juveniile diabetic. The reason it is primarally called juvenille is because this is the time that this autoimmune disease is triggered...during the baby, child or young child age. I became diabetic at age 10. The type of diabetes I have is an autoimmune disease. I will never ever again produce insulin...period. I became a diabetic through that process and my pancrease does not nor will it ever again produce insulin. My body's cells attacked it. Now that being said, type 2 diabetes is different. Some people develop this form by various ways and to different levels. Example, excees weight, age, other diseases or illnesses not allowing pancrease to work well. The key here is that it does still produce insulin, although to different variations. Now that being said....these forms of diabetes are completely different and should not both be called diabetes, in my opinion. There are way to many variations, and circumstances for type 2er's. Type 1's do not have ANY variations they do not nor will they ever produce insulin. Now that being said..can both develop insulin resistance...yes. Reason because eithier natural or synthetic we all need insulin or we will die..this is a different issue. Can every type 2 have a possibility that they will be cured...yes most definately. Can every type 1 juvenille have a possibility that they will be cured...NO. It will not ever happen. That is a scientific fact not my opinion or a guess. Hope this helps and by all means if you have questions I am happy to answer.