Questions

I just got off the phone with a dear friend who had heard about my recent WLS.  He is also morbidly obese and said he checked into WLS surgery.  He told he was told because of his lupus, he was told he was not a candidate.  But I remembered seeing this forum as I was browsing through all the options OH has to help us no matter our age, surgery type , or medical challenges.  I definitely intend to lurk here and send him the information on OH so he can do some research of his own.  He lives in Ohio, and I'm not sure how willing he is to travel or how far.  I appreciate all of you for sharing your stories, your challenges and victories.  I would hate for him to give up just because one doctor told him he wasn't a good candidate.

Someone with lupus (or any autoimmune disease) should NOT have the lapband.  It is contraindicated according to the manufacturer of the Lapband.  There are many people on these boards who have had RNY and VSG with success.  My nephrologist would have PREFERRED a purely stomach surgery due to risk of kidney issues with some of the others.  Unfortunately, my insurance won't pay for the VSG.  The risk of kidney issues is lower with RNY than with the DS.  So, probably better off for him to look at RNY and VSG than any other surgeries. 

Now, your friend is a male, and we know that it's mostly women who get lupus.  While I'm not sure of the statistics, I believe when men get lupus it has a higher chance of being more involved.  So, is his lupus stable?  If yes, has it been stable for a while?  Is he on steroids?  With RNY, steroids and NSAIDS are no-no's post-surgery.  Those are the two most commonly used types of drugs for lupus patients.  I have a feeling, after my surgery, the manufacturers of ibuprofen products will cry.

All that said, it would be most important for his rheumatologist to be on board with the surgery.  I saw a rheumie for 8 or so years.  He ended up being a friend.  So, when I asked a few years ago about weight loss surgery...he said "NO".  I know he had my best interests at heart.  But WLS has come a long way in a short period of time.  If I had the opportunity to ask him now, I think he'd consider it.  Maybe WLS isn't going to be appropriate for your friend's situation...but having lupus should not immediately contraindicate the procedure.

I hope I've been some help.
-TS

Thanks for your reply.  I just found out in our conversation that he has lupus, so I'm not sure how long he's had it or what drugs he's taking.  It may turn out eventually that he isn't a good candidate.  I just hate to see him give up without getting a second or third opinion.

Best wishes to you on your weight loss journey.

I had VSG because of my lupus.  My dr said no to the RYN and Stanford said NO to lapband.  With my rhuemy and surgeon on my side, they convinced my insurance that it would be in my best intrest to have VSG.
But make sure he trusts his surgeon!!!!!
Any questions have him contact me or your self  at hadakempe AT hughes DOT net
(spam bots pick up email address wrote in usuall form.)
Nicki

I have just been diagnosed with Lupus and I had the Lap band done about 1 1/2 years ago.  My Rhuematologist is aware of it and has no problem with it.  I told my lapband doctor at my last visit in November and he said it should not be a problem.  I was more worried about the steroids they have me on for 2 months and he said it's ok.  I told him I will be going on chemo at the end of February for the lupus and he said its fine.  So i'm not sure the differences of opinions with the doctors.  I wonder why?

I am not sure why,  I just know my surgeon said that she checked with some specialist in New York or Stanford.  I love my sleeve and glad that it was offered to me.  I am on 20 something meds with my Lupus and steroids forever now, so that could be the difference or just that she did so much digging to find out info before my surgery.  i am not sure. 
Hope all is well for you and your Lupus, 
Good Luck
Nicki

The LapBand is contraindicated according to the MANUFACTURER.  The literature I originally read said that it was contraindicated if you have autoimmune disease or any close relative has autoimmune disease (genetic factors).  Think about it...you have autoimmune disease...your immune system attacks anything and everything in it's way, including things that are supposed to be in there.  And then, you put a Lap Band in there?  It's a recipe for disaster.  Though there are many people with autoimmune disease who have successfully gone thru the Lap Band surgery.  When I consulted with my initial surgeon, he said he had no problem doing the Lap Band on me and using it "off label".

I was never interested in the Lap Band though.  It's not for me.  It's a little creepy to me that there is a port that they use to fill and unfill the band.  When the surgeon mentioned using it "off label", my first thought was "what if I end up being the 1 in 1,000,000 that has issues because of the lupus.  If it was an off label usage, I couldn't go to the manufacturer with issues.

Every doc has his/her own opinion and comfort level.

-TS

I certainly understand what you are saying about lapband and autoimmune disease.  But,  any weight loss surgery you have comes with risks.  What I love about the lapband is that you can just remove it if it doesn't work for you.  With some of the others it is permanent and there is no turning back.  Luckily for me right now this has been fine.  I am 68 pounds down and 25 to go.  And it has been a blessing so far.  I pray that it continues to work for me.  Thanks for your input.

68 pounds is awesome.  I'm glad it's working for you and you haven't had any problems.  I hope you continue to have a problem-free co-existance with your lap band.  I'm sure the manufacturer has put the contraindication in their literature because of FDA standards. 

For me, with over 200 pounds still to lose (I've lost nearly 60 pounds pre-op), I've just never felt the band was for me.

-TS

aloha!

I've been diagnosed with early stages of DLE.  I'm going for my initial referral request for WLS. Because i'm not sure if I actually have lupus i'm not sure what I should expect from my Dr.  My ANA test have come back neg, but I was told that was normal.

I know this won't better my chances of getting WLS, but I was hoping it would help.

Does anyone have any words of advice?