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I have an incredible tempurpedic with a bajillion pillows. But I also have a joint autoimmune condition so it’s probably a shitty combo of less padding and my ankylosing spondylitis. It sucks but I’ll take it over being fat and sweaty 24/7 lol

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.

My surgeon has a LOT of surgeries under his belt, and people travel to see him from a long way. I'm only 1 1/2 hours away, but.... his protocol is ONE WEEK liquid diet. Well, 6 DAYS of full liquid and one day (day before surgery) as clear liquid. Everyone I know who's had this surgery (on another group, and one person my husband works with) has given me dark and dire warnings about that. I'm scared because of it, and the surgeon and dietitian are unconcerned and say my Dr has always done pre-op diet one week out. Prior to my seeing my doctor the first time about WLS, I was diagnosed with NASH (Non-Alcoholic Steatohepatitis), basically fatty liver with inflammation. I was also diagnosed with Autoimmune Hepatitis (not contagious... my body just thinks my liver is a foreign invader). I'm in remission for the AIH, and i've lost a little weight too... but I'm still spooked and wondering if anyone else has only had to do a one week pre-op diet....

Well, I was just diagnosed with this yesterday.....I've been having some serious aches and pains in my hips, knees and shoulders that I thought was just weight related..... Turns out I have an autoimmune disease called Polymyalgia Rheumatica. It's a form of arthritis. Treatment is prednisone. I had an intermuscular injection yesterday to start working on the inflammation. Not a fan at all of prednisone. It can and does increase hunger and can cause swelling and weight gain. Yay! I sort of had a feeling that something wasn't right but I didn't think is was something like this. My Rheumatologist (yes, I have one of those now) says I need to postpone my surgery until we can get this in remission. I cried all night. I have come so far, listened to people say I was taking the easy way out, have had very little support from my family but I continued on the journey to get healthy. Now my own body is fighting against me and telling me I can't have the surgery........

My BMI was 38.5 and my HW was 238. We did the surgery to try and help my gastroparesis. I’m an odd case, and my surgeon and gastroenterologist decided to give it a try because my gastroparesis symptoms were so bad. I also have Crohn’s, scleroderma, Hashimoto’s, fibromyalgia, and a bunch of other autoimmune issues. Surgery was 8/9/17 and finally today I hit Onederland (39lbs total lost so far). Weight loss has been slower than most people because we’ve been focusing on reducing gastroparesis symptoms. I have to continually remind myself not to compare my weight loss to anyone else’s. My husband had the surgery a while back and lost over 150 lbs- the weight just melted off effortlessly. For me, each lb has been a struggle. I also have to remind myself that I did this to help my horrible gastroparesis, and the weight loss is a nice side effect. Overall, my stomach pain has been reduced, and my stomach emptying is pretty good. But I’ve still got terrible nausea, almost 24/7. Surgeon says to be patient, which is hard!

Holy crap judgmental much? I was never an overeater and have had on and off bad head hunger. I gained weight because of various psych meds and autoimmune disease. Sounds like you need to get your judgmental ass into therapy more than the rest of us.

I mean lung disease is a vague term. For example many bariatric patients have sleep apnea, which is technically a lung disease. And theyre encouraged to get bariatric surgery to improve it. I think the severity of it will play a part too. Its certainly not completely contraindicated. I have had patients who came in for lung surgery with plans to come back for bariatrics later in the year. Just an educated guess, but I would think the major determinant would be if bariatric surgery will impair your ability to successfully treat your autoimmune lung disease in the long term (ie frequent use of steroids). But I think the odds are it wont be much of an issue

I have been overweight for as long as I could remember. Like most of us here, I would go on crazy diets, or severely restricting diets and lose some weight, but I would get sick and then fall back into old habits. Every time I would work out and get into a good pattern, I would end up sick as well. I had an extremely hard time giving birth with my son and had Hellp syndrome. Finally, I lost all the weight from that and was under 200 pounds for the first time in 10 years. I started to get chest pains and was told to stop exercising until they figured it out. The weight crept back on even though I was eating in moderation. Finally, they determined nothing was wrong with my heart. The past time, I joined the Y and I ended up in the hospital with pleurisy. They gave me dilaudid for the pain and it caused a vasovagal reaction and I went into cardiac arrest and died for 3 minutes. I found out through this experience that I have lupus, hashimotos thyroiditis, and antiphospholipid antibody syndrome. Pretty much a syndrome of autoimmune diseases. I was told that I would never be able to lose the amount of weight that I needed to naturally. So weight loss surgery was suggested and I got into a great program that takes it very seriously and considers it a lifelong lifestyle change. I read a lot of books and blogs and vlogs and posts on here. Finally, while I know due to my thyroid I may never hit my goal weight, I will be a lot healthier and my joints will feel a lot better. Surgery is tomorrow and I am so excited to start this new journey.

I need a schedule for eating. It makes me sound like a lazy POS but I’m currently not working since I got diagnosed with autoimmune + sleeve + hernia repair once BMI is below 30. I have insomnia and stay up really late and can sleep till 2-4pm. Messed up, I know. I end up eating one snack, 2-3 protein shakes and dinner around midnight. I wake up and feel so behind on my day.

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

Everyone's experience is different. The anesthesia put me in a lot of pain and nausea. I also ended up spending hours in recovery because my blood pressure went crazy high. My family was told I would be in my hospital room after about 2 hours and they ended up waiting about 10 hours so they were freaking out. The first 4 or 5 days my body was in shock and I was alternating between feverish sweating and violently shivering. My oxygen was low so I had to wear a mask and my mouth was so so dry. That was worse than anything. And then two weeks after surgery, my body had this weird autoimmune sarcoidosis thing so I had to go and spend another week in a hospital. I've been on prednisone for two weeks which is not something you want to try and lose weight on! But then I jump on these forums and see other people sail through the surgery with no complications. So, it's hard to prepare! But I would just go in with a good attitude.

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 never ever have mine because I take my BC back to back with no gaps. Was sleeved on the 23rd and it sort of started on the 22nd and definitely did the night after surgery. I still have it and I'm taking my pills. I also have tons of mouth ulcers related to my autoimmune disease. I think my body is just totally thrown off and pissed at me.

I agree 100% and seriously meant NOTHING judgmental or harsh by my statements. I honestly thought I would be on opioids for the rest of my life as I could barely function but for now, I'm off them. As my autoimmune disease progresses I might have to go back on opioids. Hopefully, by then I'll be able to use medicinal marijuana. For now, my career goals don't allow it. I'm glad they offer you some relief.

HI Everyone, New on this site. Would love to have a weight loss buddy. Someone to talk to or walk with here in the area. Some history. Had a RNY on July 11th this year. I was a revision from sleeve to bypass due to chronic GERD. My highest weight was 340. My lowest weight 165. Regained some weight over 10 years, but kept 2/3 off. Reflux, menopause and having a chronic autoimmune disease with lots of fatigue plus eating too much due to reflux caused the gain. Back to the basics again and hope to get to an all time low. HW 340 LW 165 CW 207 Goal: 145

Hi All! I've been thinking about this for 3 yrs. I finally cleared all the tests (for the last 2 yrs, i was unable to do it because i had bowel problems. We now know i have an autoimmune disorder). Now, i put my deposit down and have a date (one month out). I came to this site to find people like me. People who can understand what i'm going through. I know there are a lot of you out there who have been through this! I'm a 40 yr old mom of 3. I'm so scared that me not being able to control my weight has lead to the surgery and now im putting myself at risk. Negativity begets negativity - so i desperately want to get to that positive place where i don't go online to read about blood clots, horror stories! GOsh, not to mention friends & doctors who think i'm nutz. Have any of you felt like this? Should i go to a therapist? Do yoga? Find local support groups? Thank you for listening to me. Thank you to whoever responds. I appreciate you!

Hi All! I've been thinking about this for 3 yrs. I finally cleared all the tests (for the last 2 yrs, i was unable to do it because i had bowel problems. We now know i have an autoimmune disorder). Now, i put my deposit down and have a date (one month out). I came to this site to find people like me. People who can understand what i'm going through. I know there are a lot of you out there who have been through this! I'm a 40 yr old mom of 3. I'm so scared that me not being able to control my weight has lead to the surgery and now im putting myself at risk. Negativity begets negativity - so i desperately want to get to that positive place where i don't go online to read about blood clots, horror stories! GOsh, not to mention friends & doctors who think i'm nutz. Have any of you felt like this? Should i go to a therapist? Do yoga? Find local support groups? Thank you for listening to me. Thank you to whoever responds. I appreciate you!

Hi everyone! I used to be much more active on this board about 5-6 years ago when I had my sleeve. I am returning in hopes for the same support, insight and information I got back then relating to my current circumstances. I have a sleeve, it was done in May 2013. At that time, my high weight was 460, I lost about 150, getting to my "low" of 310 in about a year. Things were going well, and then I unexpectedly got pregnant in September in 2014. During my pregnancy and post partum time, I gained back about 60 lbs. I did a reset diet and started losing weight - from August of last year to January, I lost about 40 of the 60 lbs I gained. I felt like I was in control again, after feeling so out of control since I was pregnant! Then, the unexpected happened. In January, I went to the ER with severe chest pains. It was intense and I had a hard time breathing - the pain was on my right side, otherwise I would have thought I was having a heart attack. I was admitted, and after lots of testing, I was determined to have pneumonia, and another infection in the lining of my right lung. I had a bedside aspiration that took 2 LITERS of fluid from my lungs. It was not enough. I was prepped for surgery, a thoracotomy (which, if you don't know, is one of the most painful surgeries you can have!). During the surgery, I aspirated, surgery had to abruptly end before treating me. I was on a ventilator, in ICU, for several days. A second surgery was needed, I had a chest tube, two tubes coming out of my right ribs. I went into septic shock. My kidneys shut down and I had dialysis. I had terrible dreams while being sedated, that I was dying and would never see my son again... it was the worst time in my life. I'm grateful to have survived it. The underlying cause of this episode is achalasia. My esophagus is not swallowing correctly, the sphincter at the bottom of my esophagus into my stomach is closed tight and doesn't open correctly to empty food into my stomach. I likely aspirated food and/or fluid into my lungs, which lead to the nearly fatal infection I suffered in January. This condition is rare, and the causes are not known. There is a thought that there is an underlying autoimmune issue that causes it. The treatment is to open that sphincter with a Heller myotomy. Normally, people have this myotomy (or a similar procedure with a pneumatic balloon) and are fine. However, my sleeve puts me at great risk for terrible reflux since the sleeve creates high pressure and this myotomy will essentially keep my sphincter open all the time. Therefore, it is recommended that I convert my sleeve to a bypass. Bypass creates a low pressure GI tract and will greatly reduce the possibility of reflux. The added benefit is that I will lose more weight, hopefully getting closer to my original goal. I'm currently 330, and I'm so curious how much I will lose after my bypass. My questions for a knowledgable bypass patient are: What is your post op life like at a year post op? What are you able to eat? Vitamins: Do you have to space your vitamin intake out throughout the day? What do you take and when? Dumping syndrome: is it only caused by sugar, or are there other triggers? What do I need to know about malabsorption as it applies to taking medications? How is an oral antidepressant affected by having a bypass? And if there are any people who started around the 330 mark, how much did you lose in 6 months? or a year? Did you make your goal? How long did it take?

Having gastric bypass is my Gastroenterologist's last ditch effort to help treat my gastroparesis. I also have Crohn's disease, in remission right now. Also Hashimoto's, fibromyalgia, migraines, and a host of bizarre autoimmune problems. I'm barely eating and should weigh 90 lbs, but I continue to gain weight, even after having my thyroid out. Dr hopes the RNY will ease my stomach pain, nausea, and poor motility.

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!!!!

Hi Dave- I'm so happy for you that you've come so far! Not just in your weight loss- which is fabulous!- but even just having the fortitude to get to Tier 3, qualify for tier 4 AND come here to look for more information, education and others' advice is so, so brave! Please pat yourself on the back for us all and know that when we say encouraging things like this- we mean every word- we have all been where you are- in the "researching" the phase. We came through it with as much info as we could stand at the time- and eventually a feeling- or change in perspective hit us. We just knew it was the right thing for us. This will happen for you too- just be open to this whole experience- it's a journey- not a destination even though that's what brings us all to the table. Just keep researching, asking tons of questions, reading, asking more questions- even when you think you're asking too many- you're not- we're here to help each other- were all at different stages of the game so we can help wherever you are in yours. You're on the right path- and as we all know- dipping our toes into a brand new pool that we don't know is intimidating! But you just keep going- keep doing what you're doing I've amassed a bunch of quotes and tips along the way because I'm always researching still [emoji849]- but my favorite has been "Courage is taking those first steps to your dream even if you can't see the path ahead" As for my story - I was always chubby- "thick" as some people told me- and just plain bigger than I needed to be- after the birth of my second child I never lost ANY weight- I was at 240 lbs and I never came back down- it was horrible! I didn't even look like myself- I didn't know who I was- this was 10 years ago. During that pregnancy I was told I had to have surgery at 20 weeks pregnant to remove what they thought was ovarian cancer- they took out my uterus with our daughter in it, removed what was left of my right ovary, tube, and a bunch of other tissue- the surgery was a success- out daughter was fine and after 4 horrible days we got the pathology back that it was "only" endometriosis- what a relief! What the surgery put me into preterm labor and I ended up on meds and bedrest for 17 1/2 weeks! Not that we counted- lol- I ended up with other major complications and toward the end my kidneys and liver kind of shut down and my body stopped making platelet- not a good scene- so we delivered at 37 1/2 weeks- she was perfect! And still is [emoji5] The problem though is that all this "trauma" left me with autoimmune diseases, chronic infections, insulin resistance, PCOS, metabolic syndrome and migraines every month-even though I was on 13 meds (!) I could not get it together- I just kept gaining and losing multiple times- I couldn't walk well and definitely couple exercise because of my fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis- it was a never ending cycle or so it seemed- I asked my PCP and he said to start looking at it more seriously- so I started the phase that you're in right now- I was desperate for answers on how to get back to a healthy weight which I hadn't been since high school (I'm 43 now)- I found the best doctor and a Center of Excellence- in the US this is like a special designation for programs of different specialties that are vey highly rated and most importantly that have passed rigorous qualifications set forth by accrediting bodies that look over medical centers, hospitals, clinics, etc- So basically, a Bariatric Center of Excellence is one that has a multidisciplinary team of at least 3 board certified bariatric surgeons, a psychologist, an exercise physiologist, nurse practitioners or physician's assistants, registered dietitians and therapists that work with patients' food issues (God knows we all have those!)- I would think in your health system they have the same types of practices though I don't know- if your practice doesn't include all of those specialties please find these specialists individually- each one of them plays a huge role in patients' successes- Hang on a sec- I have to start a new page- I've written too much at once- I'm sooooo sorry! I'll finish in a sec-

Hi Dave- I'm so happy for you that you've come so far! Not just in your weight loss- which is fabulous!- but even just having the fortitude to get to Tier 3, qualify for tier 4 AND come here to look for more information, education and others' advice is so, so brave! Please pat yourself on the back for us all and know that when we say encouraging things like this- we mean every word- we have all been where you are- in the "researching" the phase. We came through it with as much info as we could stand at the time- and eventually a feeling- or change in perspective hit us. We just knew it was the right thing for us. This will happen for you too- just be open to this whole experience- it's a journey- not a destination even though that's what brings us all to the table. Just keep researching, asking tons of questions, reading, asking more questions- even when you think you're asking too many- you're not- we're here to help each other- were all at different stages of the game so we can help wherever you are in yours. You're on the right path- and as we all know- dipping our toes into a brand new pool that we don't know is intimidating! But you just keep going- keep doing what you're doing I've amassed a bunch of quotes and tips along the way because I'm always researching still [emoji849]- but my favorite has been "Courage is taking those first steps to your dream even if you can't see the path ahead" As for my story - I was always chubby- "thick" as some people told me- and just plain bigger than I needed to be- after the birth of my second child I never lost ANY weight- I was at 240 lbs and I never came back down- it was horrible! I didn't even look like myself- I didn't know who I was- this was 10 years ago. During that pregnancy I was told I had to have surgery at 20 weeks pregnant to remove what they thought was ovarian cancer- they took out my uterus with our daughter in it, removed what was left of my right ovary, tube, and a bunch of other tissue- the surgery was a success- out daughter was fine and after 4 horrible days we got the pathology back that it was "only" endometriosis- what a relief! What the surgery put me into preterm labor and I ended up on meds and bedrest for 17 1/2 weeks! Not that we counted- lol- I ended up with other major complications and toward the end my kidneys and liver kind of shut down and my body stopped making platelet- not a good scene- so we delivered at 37 1/2 weeks- she was perfect! And still is [emoji5] The problem though is that all this "trauma" left me with autoimmune diseases, chronic infections, insulin resistance, PCOS, metabolic syndrome and migraines every month-even though I was on 13 meds (!) I could not get it together- I just kept gaining and losing multiple times- I couldn't walk well and definitely couple exercise because of my fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis- it was a never ending cycle or so it seemed- I asked my PCP and he said to start looking at it more seriously- so I started the phase that you're in right now- I was desperate for answers on how to get back to a healthy weight which I hadn't been since high school (I'm 43 now)- I found the best doctor and a Center of Excellence- in the US this is like a special designation for programs of different specialties that are vey highly rated and most importantly that have passed rigorous qualifications set forth by accrediting bodies that look over medical centers, hospitals, clinics, etc- So basically, a Bariatric Center of Excellence is one that has a multidisciplinary team of at least 3 board certified bariatric surgeons, a psychologist, an exercise physiologist, nurse practitioners or physician's assistants, registered dietitians and therapists that work with patients' food issues (God knows we all have those!)- I would think in your health system they have the same types of practices though I don't know- if your practice doesn't include all of those specialties please find these specialists individually- each one of them plays a huge role in patients' successes- Hang on a sec- I have to start a new page- I've written too much at once- I'm sooooo sorry! I'll finish in a sec-

I know this conversation started a few months ago but I thought I'd add my piece. I recently got diagnosed with spondyloarthritis. It's basically ankylosing spondylitis but they couldn't diagnose AS officially because my lumbar spine is fused. I started humira about 5 weeks ago and it isn't helping yet. I also have autoimmune thyroid but we aren't sure if it's hypo or hyper because my test numbers are all over the place. I could possibly lose the weight on my own because I workout like a total maniac but losing weight will help my joints and reduce my other symptoms. Plus, I'm borderline on several other diseases and my GI thinks I'm basically "pre-crohns". I also have a worsening incisional ulcer that my doctor can't fix till my BMI is below 30.

Hello all. I have an autoimmune disease called autoimmune hepatitis. I also have vitiligo. My overactive immune system attacks my liver. I take 100 mg of mercaptopurine daily. Prednisone if there is a flare up. Thank God that hasn't happened for a while. My doctor was excited when I told him I was considering the surgery. He actually did my medically supervised weight loss. I had to stay off my meds for 1 month before and after surgery. I had RNY 3/8. Things worked out fine for me. 5'8" HW 330 SW 306 SD 292.8 CW 233.4 GW around 180 Sent from my Z981 using BariatricPal mobile app

I second core power. It's the best protein shake I've had. I had my friend with a feeding tube and no stomach (autoimmune) recommend it. You just have to make sure you get the 42 G protein one or it has a ton of added sugar.