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Hi all mass bandsters I was banded at the Faulkner Hospt. in Aug. 2005 I haven't had as much success as I anticipated. Only lost 40lbs. I had the bad luck of coming out with an autoimmune disease right after surgery and my treatment is steroids.:cry If you are aware of this type of medication it makes you gain weight:mad: I didn't gain but I stopped losing. Thats my story I hope you all have better success with your journey. I live south of Boston.

I have AIH autoimmune hepatitis. This is a non viral form of hepatitis. My immune system is trying to take out my liver. I was diagnosed in 2004 and have been on prednisone since then and will be for the rest of my life. My question is - has anybody been on long term prednisone and had the gastric sleeve? The dr. Says I will get ulcers from it after the surgery. I will be talking to my hepatologist about this but maybe someone here has the same or close to the same problem. Thank you for your in put and congratulations to all of you that are having a successful time with the sleeve surgery.

I've had 100+ hours of therapy at http://mocsa.org a few years ago. I was of "normal" weight then. My weight gain took off after I fell down some steps and mangled my right ankle. I had one unsuccessful surgery on it. Later, two ankle reconstruction surgeons told me there was nothing more they could do. I was sedentary and very depressed after that. It doesn't help that I have an autoimmune thyroid condition. I'm not suggesting that more therapy might not help me but a sedentary lifestyle really derailed my ability to walk or do much in the way of weight-bearing exercise. It's been 10 years since I injured my ankle. Morphine is the only thing that even gets close to taking the edge off the pain. (And I tried many other non-narcotic meds first, plus holistic treatments. My PharmD daughter finally explained to me that being dependent on a narcotic for actual pain relief is different from being addicted to a drug when no physical malady is present.) Taking 300mg of morphine per day doesn't give me a "high"; it just helps me move around without writhing in pain. I also take oxycodone for breakthrough pain. Believe me, nobody WANTS to rely on powerful meds like these. It's weird to say, but I often welcome competing sources of pain (gallbladder surgery; lipoma removal, or even my knee replacements) to help keep my brain confused about where the pain is. I expect my bariatric surgery to be no different. There's nothing that my surgeon can do to my body that can overtake the pain I live with everyday. Boo-hoo me.

Now the button in the top right corner that shows a little envelope indicating your messages, is gone. So I guess I have no messaging capacity now? gah. Yesterday was a fast day, I love how salad greens are still sticker foods for me, making me feel full for a really long time. Cheri - I have had shingles, it sucks!! Perhaps you could try going on an autoimmune protocol for a few weeks? OD - I'm glad to see that you made a list of why you shouldn't be with that guy, post it where you can see it, bathroom mirror, fridge!

For the ones that has had the leaks, do any of you have autoimmune problems? Or on any medications that may cause you not to heal as well? I have autoimmune disease and take predisone. I am terrified of having a leak, but the dr saids since I stop other medications I should be fine. Just wondering if they said why you imparticular may have had a leak.

I was born normal size, but never lost the baby fat. I have pix of me at 3, 6, 9, and i was still waiting to loose that baby fat. Most everyone in my family is overweight. not just 10 pounds but atleast 50. I have a autoimmune thyroid problem which nothing i do except surgery will fix and the doctors dont want to remove it as my thyroid works sometimes. Im not Lazy, i eat on the run and with my job have done it for years. Im Geneticly overweight (NOT FOR LONG)

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.

I was on cellcept for about 3 weeks and it was the worst time in my life. I was taking it for an autoimmune disease and was already banded at the time...

I have an autoimmune disease too so I totally get the weird/unfortunate symptoms they cause. I'm glad that you have been given a tool to help you lose! And for "slow" weight loss, I bet your surgeon is happy with your progress, especially given the circumstances.

Jodi, Have you been tested for autoimmune(sp?) disorders? They can be anthing from APS to Will's, but there are a couple types of arthritis and Lupus that can cause the symptoms you have, including the kidney trouble and depression. The only problem is that they can be tricky to find. Alot of Dr.s will chalk it up to being overweight and not look for underlying causes. And the blood test are not always accurate. For example the test for Lupus (ELSA panel) will come back negitive for 30% of people who have the disorder. If you can, take the time to see a good endocrinologist, and surf the web and see if the symptoms sound like you. Good Luck

I tried to post yesterday but don't see my comments. Oh well. My story is that I'm now 6 years out as of Jan 9. I don't struggle with weight at all. I started at around 240 and am now 136/137 at 5'7. I wear a size 4 with no changes. I have even been through menopause during this last few years with no weight gain. I don't kill myself with exercise but I do lift weights and have for 20 years and do light cardio. It's just not necessary to do more to maintain. Also, I eat a plant based diet so the majority of my intake is carbs. I've also had 2 rounds of plastics. The first one was 4 1/2 years ago and the second a year later. I just think this is where my body wants to be. I do suffer from autoimmune arthritis and osteoarthritis and need knee replacements but I'm not ready for that yet. I'm actually afraid I'll lose more weight with a big surgery. Laura

Hi Guys I'm a newie thinking of having a lap band - I have an appointment for the beginning of December. I have had hyperthyroidism and am currently in the realms of normality. I have had my thyroid eradicated with radio active iodine and will eventually fall into hypothyroidism. Lucky me, two autoimmune diseases for the price of one! The problem I have is that my weight is spiralling out of control and I need to do something to bring it back into line. Has anyone else with a thyroid problem been able to get a lap band done? On some doctors web pages they won't do lap band ops on people who have an underactive thyroid problem and on other sites they don't even mention it. I went down to 71kgs with hyperthroidism only to stack on weight at a rate of a speed train. I jumped two dress sizes (size 12 to 16) in two week. Stayed at a 16 for a couple of years only to fall out of control and everytime I walk into a cloths shop I have to get bigger sizes. I would love to hear from anyone else who has a thyroid problem and has a lap band or is currently scheduled for one. Regards Shimmycat;-)

I have gerd and an autoimmune disease that effects swallowing. I'm almost 5 months out and my reflux was pretty bad at the start but it has gotten better. I've been taking nexium for several years now and zantac since surgery. I take them twice a day. Per my surgeon,,getting ready to cut back on the zantac, don't need it anymore. So for me, it has gotten better.

One part is an autoimmune deal, but it should have resolved with the steriods already. I think I've stumped them.

Thank you everyone, I can't believe I let that toxic poster affect me so, and I actually had a really great day the rest of that day! To anyone who was curious, it is Lipstick Lady who trolls me, I don't know what her issues are and I frankly don't care, I have enough to deal with. Happily, others have come forth on that thread (thanks CG!) and recognized that we must be careful about assuming what the "tone" of a post really is, it is so easy to misconstrue the tone of email, text, etc. My face has been puffy lately and I don't know why except that it might be the new MS drug I'm on. I want to say that I enjoy "hearing" from you guys, it doesn't matter if it is in response to something I posted, I save the 5:2 group for last when I'm going through my notifications and I settle in with my tea to enjoy the gabfest Chimera, glad to see you back! We've all talked about Thanksgiving and holiday food, it got me to thinking that "traditional" turkey day foods don't have to be calorie laden packets of evil; turkey, roasted vegetables and tubers, jellied fruits and pies made of squash. It is probably the view from my autoimmune protocol island but when you switch out all the "poisonous" ingredients, the white sugar, the Karo syrup, the vegetable oil... you have some pretty nutritious and delicious fare. Turkey is a wonderful moist protein, all the classic Thanksgiving side dish veggies like yams, brussel sprouts, green beans, are so nutritious. And we don't have to give up the sweet glazed yams or the ubiquitous green bean casserole, just get creative with the ingredients. use applesauce instead of sugar in cookies and breads, sub in chia seed for a jelly thickener, gluten free stuffing ...Did you know that pumpkin has more potassium than bananas? thank god, because I cannot choke down bananas, they remind me of slugs :/ http://alldayidreamaboutfood.com/2013/11/spicy-sausage-and-cheddar-stuffing-low-carb-and-gluten-free-freshfestive.html

I have Myasthenia Gravis, not MS. It is an autoimmune disease that attacks the muscle receptors. And I have a sleeve. My neurologist was very supportive and has been with me every step of the way providing information and support. My surgery was a team effort by the VSG surgeon, my neuro and my PCP.

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.

From what the doctor told me the foreign object like the lap band doesn't cause autoimmune diseases like Lupus. However, people with Lupus and the other immune diseases, the patient doesn't show signs of the disease, or it the disease just goes undiagnosed, till they get the band and the disease reacts to it.

Give or take a symptom that's how I feel when I'm dumping. How is your eating, plan wise? It may behoove you to, and I hate saying this, keep an honest food log to see if there are any consistent types of food that show up. Post nasal drip may be both a symptom and a cause. Usually this is in relation, for me, to not eating. Often related to stress or fatigue. There are several intestinal issues that can result in your symptoms. Heck, constipation can do it. Now that I ponder it, give or take a symptom it sounds like a psoriatic arthritis flare. Just about any autoimmune disease can have these symptoms. I wouldn't take a chance. I would be talking to a medical professional, perhaps more than one if the cause doesn't jump out. Don't give up until you have an answer and resolution.

Good to know. I have an autoimmune disease called Sarkoidosis. I don't know much about it, but I think I'm quite sure I'll suffer from osteoarthritis. I should start taking GC now. I had my dog on it for awhile, so maybe we'll both share.

Both glad to hear that it was not cancer and sad to hear that it is an autoimmune issue. We all wish you the best on your continued treatment.

Hi Gamergirl – I'm glad you started page for people with autoimmune disorders but when I went to the lake, it was different then the normal threads/pages… I couldn't see a way to post and it didn't look like there were any bows to begin with. I would appreciate any guidance you willing to offer. Do you think that they would consider opening one under the special circumstances thread or something like that? I don't know exactly what it's called but I can find it.

This is very interesting to me, since I also have RA/PsA. When we started discussing biologics, I asked my rheumy's opinion of WLS. She was enthusiastically behind it, citing WLS as many times reducing the inflammatory factors. However, she and my surgeon (and my research) all said that the bypass was NOT a good option for someone with auto-immune because of the complete contraindication for NSAIDs and steroids, where the sleeve only has a relative contraindication for those meds. Not criticising you or your docs, just find it interesting how there are so many differing opinions in the medical community. BTW, biologics are now off the table for me for the forseeable future. My inflammatory factors are down, and we still have dosing room on sulfasalazine and we haven't tried plaquenil yet. Mtx failed and I developed an allergic reaction to it, so at least I don't have to give myself chemo anymore! LOL. So the sleeve has worked amazingly well for me. Not remission, but meds are working better and we're able to avoid the real heavy hitters indefinitely. It is interesting how doctors differ in their opinions. I have autoimmune diseases as well. Medications really truly were the reason i packed on so much weight so quickly. I have Psoriatic Arthritis and hypothyroidism. At the same time, I had a very severe case of GERD causing me to cough every day all day for over a year with no solution. We had to heavily weigh the right choice of surgery for me. GERD is 100% resolved, issues with pain control for my joints are an everyday battle and I can not and will not risk taking any nsaids even with treatment. Because I have Psoriatic arthritis oral steroids are out as well as it kicks up the psoriasis so bad that it has caused serious infections that have caused me to be hospitalized over the years. I also never over ate. However, I ate crap all the time so i was actually malnourished while being morbidly obese. In fact my family and friends could not understand how i was so heavy because they saw how much i ate, they just did not realize that all the carbs were killing me. Anyway, since bypass I am still on biologics (Stelara) and Cyclosporine to keep my Psoriatic arthritis under control. It has been well controlled for the last 2 years so we have slowly be reducing the quantity of those medications. We tried lowering the dose of Stelara over a year ago and I went into a full on several month episode so we increased it back to where it was. We are discussing trying a reduction again in the spring as everything looks like it is going into remission. That being said, anytime i have surgery it seems to kick back up again so we are going to wait until after my plastics in January to try again. The biggest thing about having WLS is the head game. You have to change the way you live and learn to make better choices. I think for the most part i have done this well. Of course there are times when i indulge but 90% of the time, I do have to fight with my head. In the beginning, it was easier for me because even if i did indulge, the weight still came off. Now that I am two years post op, those decisions matter. I will gain or lose based solely on my behaviors. I believe this MUST be true of anyone going through or that has gone through WLS. Yes, some people will lose slower than others - I was one of them. It took me 18 months to lose my excess weight and alot of hard painful work to actually get there. Others have lost their weight of similar proportions within the first 12. I am sort of glad it took me longer, and took me understanding that I am now in the drivers seat, not my pouch. What i choose to put in my body and how often will dictate whether i lose, gain or maintain. If i choose to get no exercise at this point, it will and does have an impact on whether i lose, gain or maintain. I am in the drivers seat......not my surgery. The sooner some people realize this there will be less need for revisions in my opinion. Of course, I am NOT referring to those that have a equipment failure. I personally feel that a surgeon that is considering a revision for those persons who failed to lose the weight (not by malfunctioning equipment/surgery) really do need to see someone to assist with why they have not lost the weight. There is a nurse in my doctors office who had bypass surgery at the same time i did. I know this because she told me and seemed almost upset that I lost all of my weight and she has lost very little. She immediately blamed the surgery for not working. Then proceeded to tell me that her schedule simply did not allow for her to focus on herself so she is unable to get the right Protein and even fluids in her body. She skips meals and then eats whatever is handy in a few minutes in between patients. Ok, that is not the surgery failing, clearly she is still following the same behaviors she was before surgery. Dont get me wrong, I get it....she is taking care of patients. But, there comes a time when we have to be selfish and focus on ourselves if we want to be successful in the end. I literally started taking care of everyone else but me from the time I was 16 years old. I was a working married mother of 2 by the time i was 19 going through a horrible marriage. By 22 I was divorced and a single mother working 3 jobs just to make ends meet. By 25 i was remarried to my wonderful hubby of 29 years and working a high paying very stressful job. I did so well in my career and became the primary breadwinner. Well, then there was the stress of that so again, not taking care of me just working like a crazy person. By the time i was 51 i was in big trouble health wise and was literally told, i would end up in kidney failure soon if i did not lose weight. So, it was time for me to be very selfish and start taking care of myself. For the last two years, I have been focused on my health and well being and when you are morbidly obese, that is a necessary part of getting your health back. So, i say again......your head really has to change in order to be successful. It is why they send you for physch evals before this surgery. I honestly think they could do a better job of assessing patients and setting them up with the right people to help them through the mental part of WLS. Most of us need some sort of help. @@Djmohr, thank you for your comments. I was on the October 2015 forum and your posts have been encouraging. I am finally going to have gastric bypass surgery on December 12th and I have learned a lot from you and others in that and other forums. I just wanted to let you know that you are appreciated. Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

This is very interesting to me, since I also have RA/PsA. When we started discussing biologics, I asked my rheumy's opinion of WLS. She was enthusiastically behind it, citing WLS as many times reducing the inflammatory factors. However, she and my surgeon (and my research) all said that the bypass was NOT a good option for someone with auto-immune because of the complete contraindication for NSAIDs and steroids, where the sleeve only has a relative contraindication for those meds. Not criticising you or your docs, just find it interesting how there are so many differing opinions in the medical community. BTW, biologics are now off the table for me for the forseeable future. My inflammatory factors are down, and we still have dosing room on sulfasalazine and we haven't tried plaquenil yet. Mtx failed and I developed an allergic reaction to it, so at least I don't have to give myself chemo anymore! LOL. So the sleeve has worked amazingly well for me. Not remission, but meds are working better and we're able to avoid the real heavy hitters indefinitely. It is interesting how doctors differ in their opinions. I have autoimmune diseases as well. Medications really truly were the reason i packed on so much weight so quickly. I have Psoriatic Arthritis and hypothyroidism. At the same time, I had a very severe case of GERD causing me to cough every day all day for over a year with no solution. We had to heavily weigh the right choice of surgery for me. GERD is 100% resolved, issues with pain control for my joints are an everyday battle and I can not and will not risk taking any nsaids even with treatment. Because I have Psoriatic arthritis oral steroids are out as well as it kicks up the psoriasis so bad that it has caused serious infections that have caused me to be hospitalized over the years. I also never over ate. However, I ate crap all the time so i was actually malnourished while being morbidly obese. In fact my family and friends could not understand how i was so heavy because they saw how much i ate, they just did not realize that all the carbs were killing me. Anyway, since bypass I am still on biologics (Stelara) and Cyclosporine to keep my Psoriatic arthritis under control. It has been well controlled for the last 2 years so we have slowly be reducing the quantity of those medications. We tried lowering the dose of Stelara over a year ago and I went into a full on several month episode so we increased it back to where it was. We are discussing trying a reduction again in the spring as everything looks like it is going into remission. That being said, anytime i have surgery it seems to kick back up again so we are going to wait until after my plastics in January to try again. The biggest thing about having WLS is the head game. You have to change the way you live and learn to make better choices. I think for the most part i have done this well. Of course there are times when i indulge but 90% of the time, I do have to fight with my head. In the beginning, it was easier for me because even if i did indulge, the weight still came off. Now that I am two years post op, those decisions matter. I will gain or lose based solely on my behaviors. I believe this MUST be true of anyone going through or that has gone through WLS. Yes, some people will lose slower than others - I was one of them. It took me 18 months to lose my excess weight and alot of hard painful work to actually get there. Others have lost their weight of similar proportions within the first 12. I am sort of glad it took me longer, and took me understanding that I am now in the drivers seat, not my pouch. What i choose to put in my body and how often will dictate whether i lose, gain or maintain. If i choose to get no exercise at this point, it will and does have an impact on whether i lose, gain or maintain. I am in the drivers seat......not my surgery. The sooner some people realize this there will be less need for revisions in my opinion. Of course, I am NOT referring to those that have a equipment failure. I personally feel that a surgeon that is considering a revision for those persons who failed to lose the weight (not by malfunctioning equipment/surgery) really do need to see someone to assist with why they have not lost the weight. There is a nurse in my doctors office who had bypass surgery at the same time i did. I know this because she told me and seemed almost upset that I lost all of my weight and she has lost very little. She immediately blamed the surgery for not working. Then proceeded to tell me that her schedule simply did not allow for her to focus on herself so she is unable to get the right Protein and even fluids in her body. She skips meals and then eats whatever is handy in a few minutes in between patients. Ok, that is not the surgery failing, clearly she is still following the same behaviors she was before surgery. Dont get me wrong, I get it....she is taking care of patients. But, there comes a time when we have to be selfish and focus on ourselves if we want to be successful in the end. I literally started taking care of everyone else but me from the time I was 16 years old. I was a working married mother of 2 by the time i was 19 going through a horrible marriage. By 22 I was divorced and a single mother working 3 jobs just to make ends meet. By 25 i was remarried to my wonderful hubby of 29 years and working a high paying very stressful job. I did so well in my career and became the primary breadwinner. Well, then there was the stress of that so again, not taking care of me just working like a crazy person. By the time i was 51 i was in big trouble health wise and was literally told, i would end up in kidney failure soon if i did not lose weight. So, it was time for me to be very selfish and start taking care of myself. For the last two years, I have been focused on my health and well being and when you are morbidly obese, that is a necessary part of getting your health back. So, i say again......your head really has to change in order to be successful. It is why they send you for physch evals before this surgery. I honestly think they could do a better job of assessing patients and setting them up with the right people to help them through the mental part of WLS. Most of us need some sort of help.

I'm starting to work out why I had trouble losing weight in the past. I'm wondering if - like me - others have been shocked at how low they need to keep their calorie intake over the long term. After being sleeved at the end of April I pretty quickly lost 20kg, being a tad less than 20% of my starting weight. I "only" had a BMI of 36 to start with, but loads of co-morbidities and ongoing sleep problems. It's now 29. I'm 52 and have been gaining weight steadily since I had major surgery for cancer at 46 that also put me into menopause - around 5kg per year. With nearly every older relative I ever had dying at 59 from cancer or heart disease, and my health deteriorating every year, my doctor and I agreed it was time for drastic action. Like most people I started out able to eat very little, worked up to 500 cal/day and then 800. All good for 2 months, with only dog walking as exercise, although as joint pain eased up that's been getting more and more vigorous. Around 6 weeks ago I stopped losing and after a couple of weeks of diligent food and exercise recording I realise I'm eating around 1000 calories per day - still less than half of the "average daily intake", so as an Amazonian-built lass I thought low enough to ensure a regular weight loss.... Yet it just wasn't happening. After discussions with dietician and doctor over the past couple of days it now seems likely that my maintenance intake is a mere 1000 cal per day, with weight loss intake needing to be in the 500-800 range. This is so far below what I'd considered a "normal" intake that I'd assumed I shouldn't stay on such a low calorie diet long term - but both the dr and dietician said "get used to it". This is apparently my reality. I've had thyroid and other autoimmune system problems my entire adult life, but these are monitored and medicated, so probably not having a huge impact. Thank heavens for the sleeve, because there's no way I could be satisfied eating so little without it - I was always ravenous before. The next time someone tells me fat people just need to "exercise a bit of self control" I'm going to do my nut. I'd like to see the majority of people survive on 800 calories - happily - long term. On the up side, come the next famine I will be laughing!!!!