Long term ( 20 years ) and developing autoimmune symptoms?

[Eveband 1]

I have had my band for almost 20 years. Aside from a port replacement 6 years ago, I have been very happy.

i reached my goal weight , all good.

about a year ago I developed odd neurological/ autoimmune symptoms. Vision, dizzy , tired, confusion, rash etc

then two weeks ago, my band slipped, I had gained about 15 pounds in the last 6 months. After 7 days of total restriction ( no food or Water getting through) my port was removed in by emergency surgery, the band will be removed in a week or two.

My question is , are the two issues related ?

I have been to many docs about my neuro / immune symptoms and they are baffled . It seems so odd my band would do this at the same time ?

[Healthy_life2 8,322]

1 hour ago, Eveband said:

I have had my band for almost 20 years. Aside from a port replacement 6 years ago, I have been very happy.

i reached my goal weight , all good.

about a year ago I developed odd neurological/ autoimmune symptoms. Vision, dizzy , tired, confusion, rash etc

then two weeks ago, my band slipped, I had gained about 15 pounds in the last 6 months. After 7 days of total restriction ( no food or Water getting through) my port was removed in by emergency surgery, the band will be removed in a week or two.

My question is , are the two issues related ?

I have been to many docs about my neuro / immune symptoms and they are baffled . It seems so odd my band would do this at the same time ?

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26906303

I’m sorry you are going through these health issues.

I may be wrong. I’m not a trusting person. Can you find a surgeon that is not part of your bariatric program to diagnose if the two are related? I am concerned that your surgeon’s office may be worried about liability issues.

Side note: Breast implants have the same connection to autoimmune issues.

This was posted by the US national Library of medicine

J Clin Rheumatol. 2016 Mar;22(2):89-91. doi: 10.1097/RHU.0000000000000363.

Is Bariatric Surgery a Trigger Factor for Systemic Autoimmune Diseases?

Cañas CA¹, Echeverri AF, Ospina FE, Suso JP, Agualimpia A, Echeverri A, Bonilla-Abadía F, Tobón GJ.

Author information

Abstract

Bariatric procedures are an effective option for weight loss and control of comorbidities in obese patients. Obesity is a proinflammatory condition in which some cytokines such as leptin, a proinflammatory Protein, is elevated and adiponectin, an anti-inflammatory protein, is decreased. In patients undergoing weight reduction surgeries, these hormone levels behave paradoxically. It is not known whether bariatric surgery protects against development of autoinflammatory or autoimmune conditions; nevertheless, changes occurring in the immune system are incompletely understood. In this case series, we describe 4 patients undergoing bariatric surgery, who subsequently developed systemic autoimmune diseases. Patients in our case series were asymptomatic before surgery and developed an autoimmune disease within 11.2 months. Two women fulfilled criteria for systemic lupus erythematosus (one associated with antiphospholipid syndrome), and 2 men developed rheumatoid arthritis. A causal relationship is difficult to establish because factors that could trigger these diseases are multiple, including genetic susceptibility, time elapsed until achievement of ideal weight, and Vitamin deficiencies, among others. However, clinicians must be attentive to this possible association.

[Julie norton 2,850]

I’m so happy to see a longer bander... we are in the minority.
So happy I changed my WHOLE life
Over 12+ years ago. Retrained me!
Hope for the best with your latest development.

[summerset 5,265]

On 4/27/2019 at 2:42 PM, Eveband said:

about a year ago I developed odd neurological/ autoimmune symptoms. Vision, dizzy , tired, confusion, rash etc

[...]

I have been to many docs about my neuro / immune symptoms and they are baffled .

What tests did they perform?

[jlinville69 14]

On 04/27/2019 at 08:42, Eveband said:

I have had my band for almost 20 years. Aside from a port replacement 6 years ago, I have been very happy.

i reached my goal weight , all good.

about a year ago I developed odd neurological/ autoimmune symptoms. Vision, dizzy , tired, confusion, rash etc

then two weeks ago, my band slipped, I had gained about 15 pounds in the last 6 months. After 7 days of total restriction ( no food or Water getting through) my port was removed in by emergency surgery, the band will be removed in a week or two.

My question is , are the two issues related ?

I have been to many docs about my neuro / immune symptoms and they are baffled . It seems so odd my band would do this at the same time ?

Hello and I’m sorry you are going thru this. I had RNY GBS 16 years ago and did fine until, I would say, 3-4 years ago when I started showing subtle symptoms that I attributed to stress and my quitting smoking and drinking alcohol. However, my symptoms got worse and I’ve been on a mission to find out what is wrong with me. May I suggest that you have a hair, Tissue, Mineral Analysis (HTMA) done? It’s one of the most accurate ways of measuring our biochemistry to determine if we have acceptable levels or deficiencies with those Vitamins and minerals that are so critical to us WLS patients. Your symptoms sound like some of mine, and I have yet to convince a doctor to order the HTMA for myself. From the blood tests I’ve had done, I’ve been determined to be Vit D and Zinc deficient. The top 3 minerals our bodies require to survive are Calcium, Magnesium and Zinc. Please get checked. Also, check out Robert Selig on YouTube and www.backtonaturalhealth.com. The information was eye opening and led my Quest to other sources, which I would love to share if you find you are interested in learning more. I don’t work for this doctor or anything but I am a bit of a nerd and I needed so badly to know what the heck is happening to me. Also, something to consider is the menopausal period if you haven’t already gone thru or you’re in the midst of it. I found out (after advocating for myself and INSISTING on testing) that I am in menopause, which causes an imbalance in our hormones, which in turn presents the types of symptoms you are describing and which I am going thru. I’m not a doctor, just a person who has been suffering with chronic symptoms that would be debilitating if it were not for my absolute desire to not only live, but have quality of life. In order to do that, I had to advocate for myself, research everything I could that’s related to our WLS and the symptoms we are experiencing. I also stopped running to the doctor every time I had a new symptom. Nope, I put the brakes on and reassessed what I want to accomplish as far as my care and treatment are concerned. I want to be treated as a WHOLE person rather than symptomatically and not take a pill for each of those symptoms. I’m in search of a functional medicine practitioner to supplement the treatment plan of what my PCP would offer by being transparent with both of them and expressing that desire. Good luck and I hope you get better very soon!

[supernurse3469 0]

I had my band placed in 2005. In 2009 i was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis which is an autoimmune disease. I have never been able to get my thyroid regulated completely. Finally a month ago I saw an endocrinologist who told me that the band was probably causing absorption issues. I am having my band removed next month.