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I agree with your husband, that is one on the reasons I decided that I didn't like the band as much as I did in the beginning. Also I found out that I had an autoimmune disorder, so the band is not a good procedure to have. Some doctors will not do surgery at all, so when I found out that I could still have the sleeve I was so happy. I really have learned alot about the sleeve and so many people say good things about the results. I wish you all the best!! I have been approved for the sleeve, and surgery in Dec.2.

Thank You everyone for your thoughts and prayers!!!!! I have some very good news, I have been approved by Medicaid here in Kentucky for the SLEEVE and I have a surgery date, December 2. I will be having my surgery done right here in Somerset. I am so excited, I was in tears today, but it was tears of joy.----- I have had so many setbacks along the way------ I was told in the beginning that Medicaid would approve the band or duodenal, but not the sleeve and Dr. Husted wanted to do the sleeve. I was only for the Band in the beginning. Also I was told that I had Lupus, which later I found out it was not Lupus. I found out I do have an autoimmune disorder called Mixed Connective Tissue Disorder, and I was so afraid that I would not get to have surgery. But then I found out that I could still have surgery, but the Band is not usually done when people have an autoimmune disorder, so I could still have another procedure. Then when I had the testing done, I found out that I tested positive for H-pyloria, and then I had to go on the antibiotic Prev-pak to try to clear up my stomach infection, which I did not know that I had. Thank God that I was trying to have bariatric surgery or I could have ended up having ulcers or cancer as a result of untreated H-pyloria. But this delayed everything for awhile, because I had to be retested to see if the tests came back negative and they took the wrong blood test, so I had to be retested with the right one. It did come back negative, so then I was on my way again. After finally getting all the information turned in, I was told two times that I needed more information. But all things do work for the good, because now after waiting all this time, now the Sleeve is an approved procedure. Now I have so many thing to do to get ready for the big day. I am going to be starting my two week Pre-op diet of Protein milkshakes on November 18. Next Wednesday. Also I have to be weaned off of all my medication, which I take 14 pills each day. I know this will all pass, but right now it seems so overwhelming. I have been going through so many emotions since I found out I am approved. It is so real now, not just a hope. My family is so supportive of me having surgery, but everyone still worries about me having any complications from all the risks of having this type of surgery. But I keep in mind what my daughter told me, If I don't have the surgery, I could possible die from being so overweight ( MORBIDLY OBESE). In July my weight went up to 266 pounds, and anything over 100 pounds over the ideal weight is considered being morbidly obese. Even though some people do not seem to think I am, I know the facts and the scales tell all the truth, also my ongoing health issues let me know that my being overweight is a big problem in my life. My mom passed away June 20 last year, and she had many health problems related to her being obese. I wish she could have had the opportunity to have this surgery. She has also been alot of my inspiration to hang in there and not give up, so that I can possibly live a healthier, happier longer life. I hope to spend many more years with my family and friends, I am just beginning to enjoy life more and more now that I am losing weight and have the possibility of the sleeve being a tool to help me keep the weight off this time for good. Thanks again for being here for me just when I needed you!! I need all the support I can get at this time!!

Thank you very much! I was having trouble all day yesterday and today getting my doctor's office to fax my monthly weigh-in office visits and my thyroid test results to the bariactric center. They told me it would be sometime next week when they would fax them and I decided to finally go their office and sign a release form for the information to be given directly to me. She was not happy about it and made some strange comments, then told me that she would try to get them done but I would have to wait. I told her that I would wait. She realized that I was not going to leave, so then she got them done and it did not take her very long. I left and hand delivered them to the Bariatric Center, which they faxed it right then to the woman who takes care of submiting it to the insurance to try to get the approval. She called me immediately to let me know that she received them and that she had submitted them and she should hear back from them by Friday or the beginning of next week. I had been trying to get those records for over 2-3 months. I am hoping that they do not need anything else so that there is no more delays. I started weigh-ins in Feb. of this year and at that time I was told that I had to have 6 months weigh-in supervised by my family physician, which would have put surgery date sometime in August, then I was told that insurance increased it to 7 months weigh-ins. After all that I went through finding out I had H-Pylorial positive test and had to take antibiotics and be retested and finally it came back negative. Also I found out during all this time that I also had an Autoimmune disorder and thought that it might prevent me from having the surgery because they told me that it was Lupus, which after several test they found out that it was "Mixed Connective Tissue Disorder" instead. I got confirmation that it should not prevent me from having surgery. So after all of that, when my family Doctors office was not cooperating with us to get those papers faxed, I really was losing my patience. I am glad that I was able to get it taken care of today. It could have delayed surgery until possibly the beginning of next year, also it would have been that much longer that I would have to wait to see if I would get approved and then I would have had to wait for a surgery date. Now there is a chance that if approved, I may be able to have the surgery in Nov. I have really tried hard to hang in there and not give up. It has really been stressful this year, But I am hoping that it will all be worth the wait, if I get to have the surgery. As they say it is easy to put on, but hard to take off.--- SO TRUE!!.-- I am so happy that people on this forum do really care and understand what we are going through. Thank you. I will let you know as soon as they let me know if I am approved.

Hello, Everything you have said sounds similar to my story. I have learned so much here on the forum from all the posters. I also had my mind set on only the Lap-Band, but after reading all the information on here, and finding out that I had an autoimmune disorder, my plans are to have the Sleeve. I found out that sometimes problems arise from having a foriegn object in your body such as the band, if you have an autoimmune disorder. I don't understand how the staples are any different, but I have not been told about any problems which might occur with them. I had surgery on my knee last year and the knee replacement involved having a metal device put in my knee and it has done ok so far, but at the time I was not aware that I had an autoimmune disorder. Also the other thing I did not like hearing about the band was the need to have to go back all the time to be stuck in the port for any adjustments. It sounded like there would be alot of aftercare. That right there was enough to change my mind to have a VSG instead of a Band. I wish you the best on your upcoming surgery.

Hello, I am here to tell my story. I decided to have surgery almost a year ago. I went to one of Dr. Husted's seminars and began the process of my weigh-ins, tests, and learning about the surgery procedure. I have completed all my tests. If the last test results come back "ok" Thursday, then I will be ready to turn them in to the surgeon. I am also waiting for my phyciatric evaluation to be turned in this week or next. Right after they receive this information, they will submit it to my insurance to see if I am approved for the VSG surgery and if I am, I will receive my pre-op packet with my surgery date. I will begin my pre-op diet of milk shakes. Dr. Husted told me that I would be on the pre-op diet for two weeks before the surgery. I started my weigh-ins the month of Feb. 2009 and my weight was at 253. I have lost and gained several times. My weight reached upwards to 266 and I weighed in at 244 this month. I am hoping that I will lose some more with the pre-op diet. I have sleep apnea, high blood pressure, arthritis, fybromyalgia, mixed connective tissue autoimmune disorder and some other health issues related to my obesity. I have had a total knee replacement last year, now I don't have to walk with a cane! I am waiting, hoping and praying that I will be approved for the surgery. I want to have the surgery and lose weight to live a longer healthier life. I am learning many things from all the people who are posting on these forums, and I hope one day soon that I will be able to help others from my experience. Thank you all for being here!!! I will try to keep you updated on my surgery date, and my progress.

Not a food but my Dr and nutritionist both said GUM. they said if I swallow it I could cause a blockage that is harder to clear than food. However, I have Sjogren's syndrom, and autoimmune disease that causes dry mouth, eyes, etc... I have to chew gum to get saliva, otherwise my mouth dries out so bad that my toungue cracks. I haven't chewed anything yet because with teh sipping every 15 minutes I have been able to handle the dry mouth, but when I am cutting my liquids to normal servings instead of constantly drinking I am sure I will need gum either gum or hard candy works but I know gum is much better for me losing weight.

Hello everyone. I've been overweight my whole life and recently have started seriously considering starting the process to see if I can be banded. I've definitely got both the BMI and co-morbidities to make me a good candidate for the surgery. However, when I was first diagnosed with PCOS & insulin resistance about 7 years ago, I was also diagnosed with idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP), which is a fancy way of saying my body is currently allergic to my platelets and destroys them for no known reason. It's an autoimmune disorder and there is no "cure". It can supposedly come and go at a whim, but in my case I've persistently had low to very low platelet counts since my diagnosis. Has anyone been able to undergo the surgery despite having a low platelet count or specifically ITP? It is the only thing I can foresee keeping me from being able to get banded. Before I go in even for a consult, I was curious to know if anyone else had a similar issue and whether or not it could be dealt with and how. When I had to have oral surgery to get my wisdom teeth out (all 4 impacted, yay...) my dentist literally would not touch me, he only took x-rays and referred me to an oral surgeon. We all consulted together along with my hematologist to figure out if and how I could get my wisdom teeth out. My hematologist was prepared to put me on steroids to try to boost my platelet count in case the oral surgeon was uncomfortable with the risk of performing the extractions when my platelets were so low, but fortunately it did not come to that. Obviously I survived the ordeal without bleeding out (it was horrendously painful for other reasons, but at least my platelets weren't the issue!) My ITP hasn't caused any life-threatening problems so far and my hematologist has never seen any reason to try to treat it. Other than having a persistently low platelet count, bruising easily and bleeding a bit longer from wounds than is normal, I've not had any major health problems or life-threatening occurrences because of it yet. I'm sure I could get my hematologist's cooperation to try to raise my platelet count with steroids or whatever else might work so I could undergo surgery, but my concern is that a surgeon might not even want to consider me as a candidate in the first place or that insurance might deny approval for the surgery citing the ITP as a contraindication for treatment. If anyone has had any experience either way, I'd be grateful to hear about it. I just want to be prepared, whether to advocate strongly for myself in case I run into some resistance or prepare for disappointment if my ITP is too big of a red flag. Thanks.

I am too far away to consider going back to Mexico for fills or even a post surgical check up.. I live in SW VA and am 5 hrs from any major airport.My complication thoughts, in truth, were ones years down the road, not soon after surgery. Seems as if when there is a rare complication I always seem to get it. I also have a lot of autoimmune issues so I am a little leery. I read, I think on his site that Dr Aceves only does people 56 or younger. Anyone know about that and if it is so?

Depending on where you live in the country Vitamin D is very common in not only obese people but in people that might see the sun 5 days a year. LOL not really but it seems that way in upstate N.Y. The deficiency has been linked with everything from cancer to autoimmune diseases. Take your Vits and give yourself the best chance at a healthy life!!

My doctor and I discussed it, but that is also because I have an autoimmune thing that makes me prone to clotting. I do have a history of DVT and my rheumatologist wanted me to be on lovenox for a week post op. But in the end I did not get the filter, nor did I have to do a week of lovenox. I just had 3 shots while I was in the hospital. Of course I never quit taking my aspirin either though, even prior to surgery. I have never heard of the requirement of being over a certain age or BMI to get a filter though and 10 days on Lovenox seems awfully long for this procedure, but I guess that is why I am not the doctor. There are so many different opinions on pre and post op dieting that I guess it stands to reason that there will be diff opinions by the surgeons on this matter too...LOL. Good Luck either way you chose.

Hypothyroidism is nothing to mess around with and if left untreated can cause serious complications or death. If I were you I would schedule an appointment with an endocrinologist as soon as possible. I would not take my surgeons word for it and weight loss is not going to kick it back in gear. In fact, taking thyroid meds will probably jump start your weight loss. Hypothyroidism is not caused by being overweight. Your surgeon has no idea what he is talking about. It is an autoimmune disease. If your thyroid is that low, it's any wonder you have any energy at all.

Why did you remove what fill you had if it wasnt causing you problems? It was causing me problems. There was just enough fill to make eating healthy food difficult but not enough to prevent junk food (mostly sweet stuff) from getting through. My nutrition went downhill during those 4 years, which probably contributed to my illness. Now is probably not the time to really push it though, until such time as you are feeling a bit better. The autoimmune problem is chronic and has remained steady at the stage I described in my first post. There have been no remissions, no stretches of "feeling a bit better." ..... I wish you luck in getting this sorted. Thanks. I appreciate your responding. parakeet

Hi all, Long story short: Banded Feb. 2004. Through bad doctoring (have since changed doctors), difficulty getting frequent fills, and inability to hit the sweet spot, I not only didn't lose weight, I gained 30 more pounds over the next 4 years. Got fed up with trying; had fill completely taken out Jan. 2008. Ironically, weight has stabilized since then. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune illness in 2007. Stiff and sometimes painful joints; extreme fatigue, depression. One side effect of treatment -- increase in appetite. Fill doctor talked me into trying band fills again 2 months ago. Got first fill (again) then. Did well, not hungry, lost weight for first 3 weeks, but then was able to eat nearly anything again. Appetite raging. Next fill scheduled at end of July. Same crappy scheduling again. Rheumatologist is after me to lose weight and exercise. Weight loss almost impossible because band is not working (again). Exercise almost impossible because of obesity, joint stiffness and fatigue. I'm talking about the kind of fatigue where you do the grocery shopping for an hour and have to lie down the rest of the day. Rheumatologist is getting fed up; he thinks I'm not trying hard enough. Band doctor is getting fed up; even with band too loose and my appetite going strong, he says I should eat tennis-ball size meals. If I could do that, I wouldn't need the band. Yet the doctor spaces my fill appts. 3 months apart. My husband is getting fed up; he thinks I can't possibly be as tired as I say and thinks I should be able to limit myself to tiny meals though band is not doing its job. Very depressed (being treated for that, too) because of medical and weight problems as well as feeling that no one seems to understand the severity of my situation. Does anyone have a similar situation? and if so, any advice about how to proceed? I'm talking end-of-the-rope frustration here. Thanks for listening. parakeet

Most people dont have to have them after surgery. I am not sure why the original poster did. I happen to have an autoimmune disorder that makes me prone to clotting, so my rheumatologist wanted me to take them for a whole week post op. Luckily my surgeon talked her out of it (explaining how we are made to get up and walk right away) and I only had to do get the one before surgery and I had 2 more during my hospital stay.

Does anyone here suffer from psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, rhuematoid arthritis, etc? What do you take for your arthritis pain that does not hurt your stomach? Is anyone on MTX or celebrex or anything like that? I'm fishing for suggestions on medications that don't cause stomach problems. I wouldn't want to burn a hole in my pouch from medications sitting in it.

I think some people with autoimmune issues (like scleroderma, lupus, to name two) run that risk and therefore may not be candidates for the band. For the rest of us? It is not an issue. The material is considered inert...we don't react to it. That's one reason they do all the blood work etc pre banding; to make sure you don't have a medical issue that would cause you to reject it (or have other issues) down the road.

Good day ladies, It's been a long time. We just melted out from 56" on the weekend of the 18th to get sprinkled on to the tune of another 5" last night. Oh, well it's our snowy season. Decided to update my forum stuff. Hope you enjoy. The sweet face is either my pup Ruth Ann Magilicutty or my husband. Son just got a new automated glucose monitor to compliment his insulin pump. I guess it attaches like his pump does and monitors his levels constantly. Being young (27) and getting an autoimmune disease like Type 1 diabetes sucks big time, but son Ted is a real trooper. His endocrinologist is now through with him and has turned him over to his GP unless things change drastically with his sugar levels. Guess I had better take some time and see what the rest of the crew has been up to. Later,

i can empathize with you there. I ended up in the hospital 3 years ago with a clot in my arm that went from my elbow to my shoulder. That was without any surgery or anything, come to find out I have an autoimmune thing that makes me prone to clotting. So for this surgery I had to take extra precautions. I had the usual heparin dose that everyone gets when they go into surgery and then I also had Lovenox injections the whole time I was in the hospital and as soon as I came home I was to start taking my aspirin again. Well I wish you good luck and a speedy recovery. Coumadin for 6 months is no fun. I am hoping that the aspirin works for me or I have to do coumadin for the rest of my life and that would really suck.

Hi everyone, I have been thinking of getting lap band on and off for a while, but have always been too nervous. I have autoimmune hepatitis and the combo of steroids/imuran has caused me to gain about 60 lbs in the last 3 years. I am off steroids but will have to continue my other medications for who knows how long and after all efforts on my own, I do not think I can do this without help. Finally after being told by 2 different dr's of mine that it is something I should really consider I went and meet with Dr. Luckey of Scales in Thousand Oaks. He was very nice and I have the first group meeting on Tuesday. I am still very nervous about having surgery and hope that I get insurance coverage (I do have bariatric coverage but I need the pre-service review). I am very glad that there is this board available.

Molly, That kind of sucks. Have they told you that you cannot do the surgery now? I too have an autoimmune disease, not the same one though, I have Antiphospholipid syndrome(causes increased risk of blood clots, miscaraiges and even posibley strokes). I told my rheumatologist that I was looking into the Lapband and she did not say that I could not do it only that I needed to be on full anticoagulation for an entire week after surgery. And I told my surgeon about it and he did not seem concerned except about the week of full anticoagulaion. So my surgeon is planning to talk to my rheumatologist about it too. But so far no one has told me I could not have it done, and from what I have read about autoimmune diseases and lap band it is mostly thyroid related. I hope that helps. Jen

I am early in the process of pre-op Lap Band preparation and was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis and sjogren's disease. :thumbup: Besides being chronically tired, and my labs being out of wack, I don't have any GI symptoms, etc. I am in the process of being seen by GI md and rheumatologist. Does anyone have any experience with this? It figures that when I finally made a decision to do this-another glitch appears!:laugh: Any advice?

thank you justarose, initially my lapband surgeon was extremely leary in doing the surgery - till he had a conversation w/my gastro. i have been off meds since surgery in 1996, and i may have had 2-3 flair ups a yr. since it's an autoimmune disease affecting the ileum, bowels, & digestion - banding doesn't sound like a "good fit". i'm pretty cautious of any "tummy" issues and honestly i've not had any negative issues since being banded. i'm guessing this would be a case by case issue - but by all means, it's worth a shot at getting a consult. sorry about the insurance!!

She Smiles, until you can get into the dentist, try some Midol, it helps more than other OTC pain killers, not sure why, but was given that suggestion years ago, and it works! My ex was abusive, and knocked my teeth a few times, and the Midol seemed to help with the throb where Ibuprofin and all didn't so much. My DD....what an ordeal it has been. She began about a month ago, the glands under her ear swelled up. She saw the Dr. was given antibiotics, and sent home. About a week later the ear itself began swelling. Not the lobe but the cartilage part of the ear, got HUGE....I am talking a girl with small ears, and the thickness of the cartilage area was easily an inch or an inch and a half thick, and it was purple! They changed her antibiotics, and it only continued to get worse. They thought it was cellulitis, and treated for that, with no response. All the while the lobe remains normal. Eventually it swelled to a point the skin split, and she had open sores. All the visits to the Dr, and the ER, she ended up with MRSA in it! So they admitted her to the hospital, and began the IV meds for that. No change. They inserted a PIC line, so they could use stronger meds. Finally her tests for the MRSA come back good, but the ear is worse than ever, it is not even resembling an ear any longer. They operated and removed the carotid lymph node under her ear to biopsy and test. They made an incision about 3 inches long, and only sutured it in 3 places trying to allow it to drain, it never even bled. The surgeon said cutting into the area was like sawing wood. Very tough. The communicable diseases Dr. of our local hospital called the family together to tell us she thought my DD had a disease called Relapsing polychondritis. Which is an autoimmune disease, that begins in the cartilage of either the ears or the nose, and disfigures, then moves to the cartilage in the joints, causing disability, and eventually either collapses the trachea, or destroys cartilage bands at the base of the arteries in your heart--causing death, usually in the neighborhood of 10 years from onset. We were totally devastated. She is 27, has a 4 year old DD herself, and is a beautiful, otherwise healthy, vibrant girl. Then while we are trying to deal with the Dx, suddenly the ear lobe swells---and the glands all swell again. So whatever infection she has is worsening, BUT the RP does not affect soft tissue, only cartilage---so that goes against the diagnosis. So while she is getting worse, in our own way we are celebrating! With this change the Dr.'s here give up and transferred her to a larger hospital in Albuquerque. She got there, and the infectuous diseases Dr. said almost immediately it was not the RP, but it was similar, it was an affliction that mimics the RP, called pseudomonas aeruginosa perichondritis. Which is an infection of the cartilage, and it is a one shot thing, it is not going to spread to the other parts of the body, nor is it fatal! They got the proper antibiotics going in, and the change was drastic and almost immediate! She was in the hospital for over 2 weeks, but is home now and will be on IV therapy through her PIC line for minimally 6 weeks. When that is done, they will excise any remaining dead tissue. She will likely need PS to restore normal look to her ear. But that is nothing! It has been an emotional roller coaster! One I am totally glad to be off of! Thanks for all your support--some of you both here and on FB. Y'all are great! Kat

Hi This is only my 2nd post. Again I so appreciate the wealth of info on this site. I too have RA & fibro both autoimmune diseases. My Rheum didn't have any concerns re: the surgery. Also at my initial consult I gave them a full medical history & no one mentioned that it would be an issue. I am in the early stages of the process, no surgery date yet. I meet with the nutritionist & psychologist next week. It started giving me 2nd thoughts about how well I will heal and also my body's reaction to the foreign body. So I will definitely discuss this more with the surgeons. I have gotten PM from someone who had surgery where I am going & he had a horrible experience & had his band removed. Although I appreciate hearing the good & bad I was taken back since he was so adamant against it. I know his threads haven't always been popular in looking back at his threads. I am scared being obese but I definitely want all the information to make informed decision re: lap band surgery. Jazz:confused:

I don't know about the seizure disorder but if it helps, from the seminar I went to, my surgeon's biggest issue was people with autoimmune disorders, so if I remember correctly, that won't pertain to you! I too have done WW....I've lost 40 pounds about 10 times! LOL Always gained it back plus plus until I topped out at 405 and realized I had to have more in my arsenal than what any current "diet" offered. So welcome and good luck!