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I've read about a number of people bruising more easily (even with solid labs). Some people have dental problems, too. I'm still in my first month post-op, so I don't know. I got the surgery to combat autoimmune arthritis--WLS clears it up for up to 50% of people who get it--but it's too soon to know if it'll do that for me. Apparently arthritis isn't like diabetes, which sometimes clears up immediately post-op; studies seem to run for six months to a couple of years, on my particular type of arthritis. So I am trying to wait patiently, to see if I'm one of the lucky ones.

There are a couple of blood tests that have to co-inside for the diagonsis of lupus. also you have to have, I believe 5 systoms from a long list to be diagnosed with lupus. Leatha probably knows what I am talking about. Years ago when ever they could not figure out what a person had they called it lupus. Now they are aware of a whole field of autoimmune diseases. I for one have had 2 of the three blood tests quite elevated for the last 20 years but not the third one (double ss something or another) plus only 3 symtoms. I have been to 2 rheumatoidologists only to have them tell me I don't have lupus or any other autoimmune diseases. That 2/3 of the people with elevated blood test do not have a problem. Only one third will eventually get a AI disease. NO you cannot catch it . The reason they are concerned if you already have and AI disease is the chance your body will reject the band because with an AI disease your body fights against itself and does not have the good antibodies it needs to fight off inflammation or it will reject forgein things. You can miscarry really easy if you have an AI disease because your body rejects the fetus. So your body could reject the band with a AI disease. Which is different that having an allergic reaction. I have not read any where where the band could cause an AI disease. Also my DR refuses to band you if you have an AI disease. He looked at my blood work and said OK. I hope this isn't to long or confusing.

Do you think it may be the nicotine going direct to your mouth from the electronic cigarette- you think there is a difference there than smoking Read below for my weird thing w/ gums I have lichen planus which maybe Humming Bird can explain better...the conclusion is that most docs have not heard of it and know much about it but it totally got aggravated/worse after surgery for some reason. Supplements and drugs can make it worse. I went on steroid rinse for it and it got better and in discussing w/ my dentist I mentioned I thought the vit C made it worse and he said Vit C makes it better... so I started taking the vit C again and guess what.. after it was nearly gone it got bad again. Anyway this caused bleeding gums and it wasn't related to gingivitis but this inflammation that is an autoimmune thing it seems. I think its rare (not sure maybe it isn't that rare just that they don't seem to know a lot about it) but if you can't find any other causes look into that. I wonder if the the chewable C is irritiating to our gums - lichen planus or not - because its acidic. Hummingbird what do you think?

If your dr thinks you may have an autoimmune disease, you should start with a Rheumatologist. Your internist should be able to refer you to one. I am not sure about waiting or not waiting until after the surgery to do this. If you are started on some type of biologic you will have to stop it prior to the surgery and then after the surgery at your surgeons discretion. I will definitely do that but I think it's best to do it after surgery and after everything is calmed down a little bit with me. I couldn't get my surgery scheduled in time to take classes as a full-time nursing student this semester so I have to take a whole semester off as a break. I'm halfway through and it's not the end of the world but also not ideal. The good part is, I'll have this whole semester to get my health back in shape and will be completely free for doctor's appointments galore! I am also glad I get to have some down time while I adjust to another surgery and let me esophagus heal from the erosion caused by the first surgery. Maybe they will find something, that would be awesome..until then I'm crossing my fingers for a successful bypass!

You've lost 65 pounds!! You should be celebrating that! Stress and negativity will get you absolutely nowhere. You need to find things to Celebrate. Did you take your measurements? If not, start now. Even when I wasn't losing, I saw a decrease in inches. As to why you haven't moved to a smaller size, the larger sizes take a lot more pounds to lose out of. For example, when I started I was in a size 20/22 pant (and squeezing into them because I didn't want to buy anything larger!). Because I was squeezing into them, I didn't change to a smaller size until I had lost 40 pounds. Now, the sizes are much closer together. I can lose 10-15 pounds and move to a smaller size. I think if you accept from the start that you are going to have stalls and whooshes (times when the pounds fall off), you'll be a lot happier that you had the surgery. Are you seeing a therapist? I used food as a coping mechanism, as a pick-me-up when I was stressed. When I no longer had that as an option I started to feel anxious and a bit depressed. That coupled with the release of hormones that were stored in the fat that I was losing resulted in depression and anxiety. My therapist was able to help me find more healthy coping mechanisms. I was a slow loser and felt lucky if I lost 2 pounds in a week. I figured that I didn't gain it all at once, so I wasn't going to lose it quickly. I also have Hashimotos (thyroid autoimmune disorder), which affects my metabolic rate by about 10%. It also helps to look at the actual numbers for how you lose weight. I would guess at your weight that your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is about 1,800cal/day. If you are eating 600 calories, your deficit is 1,200 cal/day. Calculating that out for week would result in 8,400 cal deficit for the week. One pound equals 3,500 calories, so you would probably have around a 2.4 pound loss for the week. If the number is higher, that means you are losing Water weight. The first few weeks of the pre-op diet the majority of what you are losing is water. You can go for about 3 months eating 600 calories without it affecting your metabolic rate. After that you need to start increasing your calories. That happens pretty naturally with the surgery as after 3 months you can eat a bit more. I wouldn't factor in exercise unless you are really exceeding an hour threshold. For example, I ran 10K today, which burned around 1,200 calories. I may eat an extra 500 calories to compensate, but I probably won't see a huge loss from that. You also need to make sure you are getting enough Protein. My minimum requirement is 60g, but I try to hit 70-80. What happens if you don't eat enough protein is that your body will start using your lean muscle mass for fuel. That will result in fewer muscles. Muscles increase your metabolic rate, which is why you should make sure you get your protein for the day and why you should start some type of weight resistant training. That can be done at home using your body weight for resistance. For my program I have never counted calories. The only 3 things I ever concerned myself with were protein (60g+), water (60ou+), and exercise (60min). As long as I did those three things every day I had steady losses. Stalls are frustrating, but really nothing to stress about because we all have them and there's very little you can do to stop them. Lastly, here's a really good article on why we stall: http://www.dsfacts.com/weight-loss-stall-or-plateau.html#.Uu0i3X-9KSN It should be mandatory reading for all WLS patients!

I am 107 days tobacco free and about 25 free of the patch. I don't think about it anymore. Soda was hard, but I've done it before. I drink about 3 or 4 liters a day of water a day and 2 glasses of coffee with unsweetened vanilla almlnd milk. I'm planning on getting a deep freeze for my house so I can prep stuff for my husband...otherwise he would literally eat microwaveable or pre made junk all the time. I've been experimenting with recipes that are low carb. I've been also working on my sugar intake as my a1c is a 6.8. The drinking thing is going to be hard for me too. I constantly have my bottle of water with me. Working out will have to wait...i have autoimmune stuff that's been flaring since the hurricanes. I do stretch daily, but I plan on going to our local indoor pool. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using BariatricPal mobile app

Less than a day to go! YIP-E-I-O! Hospital called this morning and moved my surgery up from 11:30 to 10:00am, and need to be there by 8:00am to get the ball rolling with all the prep stuff. Did you get your surgery time? Pardon me with all the questions ^^, just want to get some bearings with whom I am talking. So yeah..., you can read my Bio (still haven't posted my story/background yet), but it'll come. In a nutshell - I am the heaviest person in my extended family on both sides. EVERYONE is tall and thin..., I am tall and large. I started putting on weight after my first child was born 20 years ago, and soon after the twins were born 16 years ago, it really started to show up. Went from a size 12/14 up to a 22 on one point. Had a personal trainer the gym..., did Weight Watchers..., did Advocare..., blah, blah, blah. AND THEN, my husband had an affair and moved out..., I lost 90 lbs in four months..., was in the hospital with gallbladder attack/removal in fifth month..., filed for divorce...., turned 40 years old a couple months later..., and then diagnosed with HYPOTHYROID DISEASE...,, and fast forward to a couple years ago when I get diagnosed with HASHIMOTO'S THYROIDITIS - the autoimmune cousin to Hypothyroid Disease. That's when the Eureka moment occurred ---- I will never get this weight off by strictly dieting and/or starving myself because my thyroid was all out of wack! So here we are..., the eve of "When Lauren Gets Her Groove Back"! And in 6 months I will get a Right Hip Replacement, due to Osteoarthritis..., and after it's all said and done, I will be ready to capture life again! Oh, and btw - I turn 50 this August and actually looking forward to it. 2nd Quarter really sucked and hoping for the 3rd Quarter Rebound!!!!

So just an update on my consultation for the ESG procedure. My day started by ordering a Starbucks latte for my hour commute, after paying the cashier, I drove away WITHOUT my latte. What a dope. My appointment was scheduled for 11am in NYC which takes me a little over an hour without traffic. I checked in at 10:45, and waited patiently for two bleepin hours. At this point my caffeine withdrawal is setting in and my tummy is A rumbling. The doctor was pleasant and I didn't feel rushed. She informed me that they had me scheduled for a 5 minute follow up appointment today. Fortunately, the doctor honored my consultation, and spent plenty of time with me. After my consultation, she gave me a Pre-Op Evaluation form. I will attach a picture of it below. I was able to complete my bloodwork at the office today, I figured what's another hour. They weighed me, which I have been dreading. I have gained 20 pounds over the last 8 weeks. So my official start weight is ..... 194lbs. Dr. Sharaiha asked that besides the bloodwork and H-Pylori test, that I meet with a nutritionist. While I was waiting to get my blood drawn, I scheduled an appointment with the Nutritionist (December 15th) . I attempted to schedule a surgery date but was denied. She said I could not schedule an appointment for surgery until the meeting with nutritionist was complete. I wonder if it's because when she asked me what I had for breakfast, I frankly replied, "a cupcake" and when she laughed, I said, "well since I'm being honest, I had two". Maybe it was a red flag that I have an eating disorder...yikes. I just assumed the majority of overweight people eat disorderly.... Dr. Sharaiha reported that they have 4 years worth of data in the US to measure results. She stated that the US has been doing the procedure the longest. I assume she does not equate the ESG to the similar procedure performed in other countries. She reported that most people do not need revisions. She compared the ESG revision to that of the lap-band. She said that some individuals needed a little tightening to increase their restriction. She warned against relying on possibility of future tightening as a crutch to possible slack.. She reported that in over 200 ESG procedures she has performed, she has revised(tightened) very few. She reported that the average amount of ESG's lost 19% of their total body weight compared to 30% of VSG's She stated that the part of the stomach that is "stitched off" from the rest is not susceptible to disease or ulcers. Comparison of complications to a VSG is, that leaks and ruptures can, and do occur with ESG, however it is rare. She was not concerned about my history of scar tissue and inflammatory disease associated with an autoimmune disorder. For me the food I eat negatively impacts my health to the degree in which surgery is worth the risk. My goal is to cut out sugar/flour/wheat/grains and eat 3 meals a day until my surgery. I want to get my weight down as much as possible to maximize the surgery assisted total weight loss. I'm sure I have missed some stuff but my brain is starting to putter out. I"ll be back.... I welcome any and all questions. If you are out there browsing this site and afraid to speak up in the forum...private message me. You are not alone, it takes a village.

Hi. I have been researching bariatric procedures for weight loss for a few years. I'm 45 year old woman whose weight fluctuates between 170-190 lbs. I have met with a couple of bariatric surgeons to explore the balloon and lap band. I'm not impressed with the balloon, and the complications associated with the lap band scares me. The ESG seems like a good fit for me, however, there are no long term studies to prove it's effectiveness and safety. My body over produces scar tissue, so that is my biggest concern with any surgical procedure. I have been struggling with an autoimmune disease which is exacerbated by my weight and poor food choices. I need to lose weight and I'm unable to do it on my own. In 2005 I was able to get down to 120 lbs and maintain it until 2011 with the help of phentermine. I was buying it online and the formula was very strong. I maintained the weight loss until the online phentermine was discontinued. The phentermine prescription I now receive from my doctor must be formulated differently because it has little effect. I want to lose weight and get off the medication. In 2011 I began suffering from various immune related ailments. The doctor's believe it is Burchett's disease. I'm prone to illness and infection. The foods I eat and extra weight I carry is literally killing me. I'm a single mom of two girls, ages 13 and 16. I need to be the healthiest I can be for them . I'm desperate and scared. I have a consultation next week with Dr. Reem Sharaiha at The Center for Advanced Digestive Care at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center. I will continue to post my experience through this journey to help those researching procedures. Thanks for all who share, it has been immensely helpful to read the process others have experienced.

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.

Do not get a lap band if their is s family history of autoimmune disorder's.

I forgot to write down the SED Rate, but my CRP was 5.46. I wasn't thinking of irritation from the band itself; I was thinking issues with reflux/aspiration. Could that create an underlying infection? When the nurse called, she asked me if I had a family history of autoimmune disorders. I don't. No heart disease or cancer, either. It's not related to BC. I had my uterus removed about 25 years ago.

I'm still new here & still reading some of the stories and still pretty new to the surgery part (I had surgery on August 3rd). I had a really hard time early on with food, and even still some days I find it very hard to eat anything without feeling disgusted. My weight loss has been steady (it has slowed but my dr said that that is normal). That being said I have worked at eating better, and being 4 months post-op now it is much easier on me as far as eating goes. Has anyone experienced a gain of just a few pounds despite not changing anything eating habit-wise? I had a small gain (3 pounds, give or take), and I figured at this stage is abnormal. I have recently begun exercising daily (walking on my treadmill, using weights). I have an autoimmune disorder that causes pain/stiffness in my lower spine/hips/knee that makes it so I cannot do strenuous workouts, so I have to stick to walking. Could the adding of exercise cause such a small gain? I'm sorry if it seems trivial, and I suppose to a lot it might be a petty thing to worry about, but in my mind 2 or 3 pounds can (and has) turned into 5 and 10 pounds if you get the idea. My next appointment isn't until February so of course, I will talk to my doctor about it, but what are some of your experiences at this stage? Thanks for any info/advice!

Thanks for everyones response. Bamaxpress78, yes I have comorbs. I have an autoimmune disease called Myasthenia Gravis, it's in the muscular distrophy family..complicated. Anyway, I do have sleep apnea and use a bipap for my MG but it also helps for apnea. I am prediabetic (would be diabetic if i was still on steroids), anemic, osteoarthritis and malacia, hashimotos thyroiditis..so on and so on... I also have a level of anxiety and depression due to my list of health issues. I currently carry a bmi well over 40 but if UHC has that requirement to be morbid obese for 5 full years, I fail that, I was just severe obese before that...how dare me! ldydrgnkpr, I did call them and they told me I had to be over 21, have a bmi of 40 or above, a list of 5 years 40+ bmi. No diet to follow though. I guess what I'm wanting to know is how strict that 5 year bmi rule is,,has anyone been approved without meeting it?

I had prenecious (sp) anemia diagnosed in 1999. It was caused by ????, but my immune system started going haywire. I now take B12 shots for this. I also developed fibrolmalgia, shingles, thryroid, etc. Sometimes anemia is the trigger for the autoimmune issues. I found myself losing memory, getting confused, staggering when walking, to name a few of the symptoms. I still have some when I get tired, but I feel much better now with less weight. The good news is that they can fix this. Sometimes its caused by a slow bleed internally. It is good to have your PCP to monitor this and make sure they get to the root cause. Feel better soon.

Doxieville Lilaclass, Sounds like we have lots of junk in common on this adventure of life. I feel like autoimmune queen. Celiac disease, rosacea, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, RA, and then OA on top. It all sucks. Pain pain! I'm hoping weight loss sends pain for a long exile where I'm concerned. I am keeping it real so far though because I don't have a choice. Lost close to 40lbs since August but no good relief yet. Also, didn't know Celebrex was safe. Have to consider that. I see my rheumatologist on 1/10 for a checkup so I hope we can make some type of headway until I can take meds or injectables again. Good luck to you both with VSG and Arthur.

Hi! I’m 62 and had the sleeve on January 2. I still have pain in my gut, but it’s not too awful. I still take 1 or 2 pain pills per day. I want to make it clear that I have autoimmune issues that have me feeling not so great too. When I first woke up in the recovery room I had regret because the pain was intense for me. The other issue I had was when I got to my room and i asked for pain meds I waited 1 1/2 hours until they were administered, which in my mind was totally unacceptable! (And it was not a case where it wasn’t time for them). This caused me unnecessary anxiety and more pain because it was not under control. I would think that because you walk daily you should have an easier time of it. Good luck on your journey.

Hi, I am set to have sleeve surgery 7/8/19. I was diagnosed with sleep apnea through the pre testing. It is moderate I believe. I am told the surgeon will not do surgery unless you comply with the cpap for a month prior to surgery. I have psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia so when I put the nose pillows on they irritate me as well as the face straps, I also move a lot with the arthritis pains and I am finding it near impossible to wear it. When I do manage to sleep with it on I wake up an hour later feeling like I am drowning or something. I don’t want to miss out on surgery but I cannot do this. I have a message for surgeon to call me but the assistant on the phone was pretty rude about compliance. Do you know of alternatives or if I can switch to a different surgeon and not lose my 2 months into this program? Feeling stuck. I am 5’3 and 201 at 53 years old. I need this for my autoimmune issues and hate to lose it.

Along with my surgery a year ago, I decided to remove the word "can't" from my exercise vocabulary and replace it with "why not". I am 48 yrs old and have a bad knee and several autoimmune disorders. My doc has diagnosed me with fibromyalgia. I had every excuse to say I can't. Instead, I decided to persevere and to always try. I started the couch to 5K training program one year ago this week. When I started I could barely run for 45 sec walk 90 sec repeat 5 times. I finally finished the program in August. This weekend I am part of a team that is running from Miami to Key West (200 miles). Three weeks ago I ran my first half marathon. None of this happened overnight and none of it would have happened if I continued to say I can't. I never planned or dreamed that I could do these things a year ago. For veterans, what are some things that you're doing that you never planned on or thought you could accomplish? For those of you just starting out, what are your fitness dreams?

I went on January 16 for gastric bypass. I woke up about an hour after being put under to a nurse in the recovery area telling me they did not complete my surgery because of complications. I have multiple adhesions and my intestines are stuck together so much that my anatomy does not look like it should. My surgeon did not want to complete the surgery until I could be told. He has given me the option to have him do a sleeve or for him to refer me out to someone who still does open bypass surgery. I cannot explain the mind f**k this was and the anxiety I am feeling. This is terrible. I knew something was going to happen or be found. I knew that I was right. Something was going to be found that would explain the symptoms I had had for years at this point. These adhesions do not show up on scans of any sort unless you have an obstruction. I have only had one other surgery in my abdomen and it was a laparoscopic appendectomy 10 years ago. He thinks it stems from chronic inflammation and autoimmune **** that I have. Has anybody had an open procedure for bypass? What's your experience? Or has anyone been opened up and not finished? Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using BariatricPal mobile app

I have had a few autoimmune issues since surgery. Not the symptoms you mention exactly, but they are bothersome enough that I posted here about it a while back. I now have a photo allergy (allergy to sun) as well as some other skin issues and a couple other possible things including face rash. I'm interested to see if there is anyone else. I have been suspicious of a link to sleeve, but it could also be that I'm into my 40s now. I am 3 years out from sleeve, first symptom happened at 6 months out. I haven't gotten sick in a long time, even with working at a school.

I have neuropathy as a result of an autoimmune disease I had. When I have pain in my legs it can be very hard to get to sleep and before surgery I was able to manage on Tylenol PM. After surgery, I asked our pharmacist and she recommended Children's Liquid Benedryl. It has the same effect as the Tylenol PM, but in a liquid form. Works for me and can actually use less than the pill form,

Me! I have an autoimmune disease called Ankylosing Spondylitis. My surgeon told me not to take my naproxen any more but I've been taking it anyway, along with my prilosec. I used to take it twice a day. Now, I just take it once a day. I also take Enbrel injections weekly. I have fibromyalgia too so I take neurontin and zanaflex for my muscle spasms. I wouldn't worry about it until after your surgery. I started taking my naproxen about a month after my surgery and it hasn't bothered me at all. I'd say the Coke Zero bothers my stomach more than the naproxen does. Depending on what kind of arthritis you have, there are a lot of options for pain control after having the vertical sleeve.

Hi! I don't have MS but I have RA. I know it's like comparing apples and oranges, but they're still fruit. They're both still autoimmune diseases. I've had umm about six surgeries since my diagnosis and I've never experienced a flare from surgery. I do experience flares still occasionally, so it's not that I do not flare, but surgery never brings them on. My rheumy attributes my lack of flares to be that my RA is pretty much in remission. My rheumy is my biggest cheerleader for getting revision to RNY. She says getting to a more normal bmi will decrease inflammation and make my disease even milder. She says if I do flare after surgery, no problem, she'll just administer a steroid injection. So your neuro cleared you for surgery, they must feel that the benefits of the surgery will outweigh the risks. If you have any doubt, schedule another appointment with your neuro and discuss it with them. Has your wls surgeon okay'ed you for continuing the celebrex after sleeve surgery? I stopped mine after committing to revision to RNY. I had to know I could survive without it forever. I wish you all the best!