winitown

I am new to this site, but love it already. Everyone is so supportive and friendly. I must be struggling worst than i realize as I was at work reading this topic and found myself crying...thinking about alllll the things I cannot do now.
My list is sad and extensive!
I will not miss having to sit in the car (in all types of weather) while my fiancee does all the shopping, because my knees and back hurt to much to walk around the store... Not to mention the excessive sweating
Wont miss the medication I can barely remember to take anyway
Having to use a cane and/or wheelchair
Being afraid to go to friends/family homes because I may not fit in their chairs and/or there may be lots of steps to climb. For that matter being afraid to go anywhere, theatres, restaurants, parks, clubs, church, etc.
Ordering 90% of my clothing from catalogs... Then having to return some because they dont fit or are just plain ugly
Not being able to walk with my co-workers at lunch and having to pretend that I'd rather surf the internet....but since I found this site, I would rather....
Not being able to babysit my granddaughter (by myself) because i cant run back and fourth with her
Not being able to visit my parents, grandmother and brothers graves because of th
e walk
Being winded just from the short walk from my truck to my office or bathroom
Having assistance bathing and applying lotion to my feet
Being to tired and lazy to cook or get a cup of Water....so doing without or resorting to that ever present bag of potato chips or candy, thats on the table next to the bed Im no doubt laying in. Whewwww Im making myself sad again.. But looking forward to brighter days full of me being able to do all of the above and feeling wonderful.

I am new to this site, but love it already. Everyone is so supportive and friendly. I must be struggling worst than i realize as I was at work reading this topic and found myself crying...thinking about alllll the things I cannot do now.
My list is sad and extensive!
I will not miss having to sit in the car (in all types of weather) while my fiancee does all the shopping, because my knees and back hurt to much to walk around the store... Not to mention the excessive sweating
Wont miss the medication I can barely remember to take anyway
Having to use a cane and/or wheelchair
Being afraid to go to friends/family homes because I may not fit in their chairs and/or there may be lots of steps to climb. For that matter being afraid to go anywhere, theatres, restaurants, parks, clubs, church, etc.
Ordering 90% of my clothing from catalogs... Then having to return some because they dont fit or are just plain ugly
Not being able to walk with my co-workers at lunch and having to pretend that I'd rather surf the internet....but since I found this site, I would rather....
Not being able to babysit my granddaughter (by myself) because i cant run back and fourth with her
Not being able to visit my parents, grandmother and brothers graves because of th
e walk
Being winded just from the short walk from my truck to my office or bathroom
Having assistance bathing and applying lotion to my feet
Being to tired and lazy to cook or get a cup of Water....so doing without or resorting to that ever present bag of potato chips or candy, thats on the table next to the bed Im no doubt laying in. Whewwww Im making myself sad again.. But looking forward to brighter days full of me being able to do all of the above and feeling wonderful.

My starting weight was 345 I'm now three months out and just hit 250! It's crazy how different I feel and how my confidence has just risen! It also makes me so sad to see how different ppl treat me. But overall so happy I'm getting healthy and making this life long change at 18.

Congrats

I am just coming up on a 1 year anniversary of surgery, I had left knee replacement on may, 28 2013, I had the right one done, in 2011, prior to bypass, this recovery has been much easier! I'm 53, had the 1st one at 51. Either osteo or psoriatic arthritis, Dr can't say definitively which. Pain relief since having to give up Celebrex & NSAIDs has been, h!!!. Almost stopped me from going forward with surgery, they really don't address this issue well. Tylenol is barely useful, but when I don't take it, I notice pain even more so I guess it does a little something. I use the extended release arthritis formula, the only strength that touches pain. Be careful not to take too much tylenol if you are still using narcotics as they also contain tylenol. narcotics do work for arthritis pain, but make me feel weird & you can't drive when you take them. tramadol, also known as Ultram also works but make me feel weird too & it gives me insomnia, apparently there is about 15% of the population that Ultram can do this too. So, my advice for knees, is go for replacement, don't wait, it's the only cure.

After 2 hours my psych test and interview are done. Was not bad at all. Well good news, I can tell my husband he was wrong---I am not crazy. lol

I had initial psych eval with doctor, then 2 tests consisting of about 700 questions. All behavioral, but it took 3 hours to complete... Ugh...

They funny thing about the written test, there were a ton of questions. Allot of them the same question just worded differently. I was so worried that maybe my answers were different!!!

I had some invasive questions asked in mine. Like drug alcohol problems, if I ever was abused, if I see a counselor, those were the ones that stand out to me

Great to know! I had wondered about the same thing. Great question!!

I just had my psychological evaluation today. He asked me only like 6 or so questions that consisted of who my support system is, why I want the surgery, why I thought a psychological evaluation was necessary before this surgery (seems to be a great question to ask in my opinion), current health problems and any mental illness history or genetics. I then took the 567 question MMPI test (would love to know the legit reason for some of the odd questions) and the two behavioral tests dealing with anxiety and depression. It was a two hour visit but assuming he clears me, I won't need to go back. I don't have any history of depression not am I on any medications for my mental health so if that's the case for you it should be fairly pain free.

They are pretty basic and just want to make sure you know exactly what is going to happen and that you are mentally all set for it, doing it for the right reasons, ect.

I had 4 of them... I believe in all of them they wanted to know what I eat, what i do for exercise, what research I've done, how I got fat (I.e have you always been or did it happen after pregnancy.. Etc) have you ever purged, do you binge or hoard food. If I cook for myself or if some one else does. If I cook for a family. If my family (parents siblings) is also over weight. If I think obesity is learned or genetic. Who your support people are. If you know any one who's had the surgery. That's all I can think of off hand.

YES, I have chronic RA in almost every bone in my body, but my knees are the worst. I had my surgery on 1/29/13 & have lost 102lbs it hasn't helped my knees in the slightest,I'm sorry to say. One of the reasons for having the surgery was that I needed to loose 75lbs before they could do the knee replacement surgery, but now that I've lost enough weight, I'm so scared to have it done. I can't stand the thought of being in all that pain, they want to do both knees at the same time. I'm passes taking Tylnol or any OTC meds. I go to a pain management Dr. & take Morphine & Methadone on a daily basis & also inject Mexotrexate once a week . Hope you feel better & keep moving!
Peace,
Mary

I have had RA for ten years. I am a little over a year post op and have lost about 117. I have noticed a significant decrease in my pain and joint swelling. I was on 20mg of prednisone pre op and I am now down to 2.5mg. Trying to get off of it completely, but each time I begin to wean myself off my hip flares up.
My surgeon said that if you are used to taking certain meds before the surgery after surgery you should be ok. However everyone is different. Make sure you discuss the surgery with your arthritis doc and that your surgeon is on the same page with your arthritis doc.

I have osteo in both shoulders, lower back, right knee. left knee was replaced in 2009. right knee is bone on bone, needs replacement, dont wanna do that again - too painful. Hoping losing the weight and cortisone will buy me some time - like, years from now before knee surgery happens.

Did anyone have severe knee or lower back arthritis before the surgery and it was resolved after surgery? If not, are u still able to take NSAIDS (Tylenol, tramadol, percocet, etc) for relief?

I am new to this site, but love it already. Everyone is so supportive and friendly. I must be struggling worst than i realize as I was at work reading this topic and found myself crying...thinking about alllll the things I cannot do now.
My list is sad and extensive!
I will not miss having to sit in the car (in all types of weather) while my fiancee does all the shopping, because my knees and back hurt to much to walk around the store... Not to mention the excessive sweating
Wont miss the medication I can barely remember to take anyway
Having to use a cane and/or wheelchair
Being afraid to go to friends/family homes because I may not fit in their chairs and/or there may be lots of steps to climb. For that matter being afraid to go anywhere, theatres, restaurants, parks, clubs, church, etc.
Ordering 90% of my clothing from catalogs... Then having to return some because they dont fit or are just plain ugly
Not being able to walk with my co-workers at lunch and having to pretend that I'd rather surf the internet....but since I found this site, I would rather....
Not being able to babysit my granddaughter (by myself) because i cant run back and fourth with her
Not being able to visit my parents, grandmother and brothers graves because of th
e walk
Being winded just from the short walk from my truck to my office or bathroom
Having assistance bathing and applying lotion to my feet
Being to tired and lazy to cook or get a cup of Water....so doing without or resorting to that ever present bag of potato chips or candy, thats on the table next to the bed Im no doubt laying in. Whewwww Im making myself sad again.. But looking forward to brighter days full of me being able to do all of the above and feeling wonderful.

For reasons that I'm not sure anyone can fully explain, the way you're feeling pre-op and the way you'll feel post-op are dramatically different. For several weeks and up to a couple of months post-op, you are likely to have little or no appetite at all. I found it to be quite amazing and bizarre at the same time. Lol. Everything changes post-op. The first few weeks are challenging but it gets better, MUCH better, before you know it.
food is an addiction not unlike drugs or alcohol in many ways. Your body and your mind are missing that "fix" and in response your emotions take you on a roller coaster ride. When you're feeling sad, discouraged, frustrated, angry or any other negative emotion - reach for a better feeling thought. Focus your thoughts on feeling a little better. It may not be a lot, but it will be enough. Because when you feel just a little better, other better feeling thoughts will come - seemingly from nowhere. With a little practice and before you know it, reaching for that better feeling thought becomes second nature and the results are quite amazing.
So "I'm really hungry" becomes "I know I'm doing the right thing for myself, my family, and my health". Better. "I'm nervous about my upcoming surgery" becomes "I am so thankful that I have been given this opportunity to overcome this disease once and for all". Better. "Why is this so hard" becomes "I have read so many success stories - if they can do it, so can I". Better.
You're gonna love the new you!!

I am new to this site, but love it already. Everyone is so supportive and friendly. I must be struggling worst than i realize as I was at work reading this topic and found myself crying...thinking about alllll the things I cannot do now.
My list is sad and extensive!
I will not miss having to sit in the car (in all types of weather) while my fiancee does all the shopping, because my knees and back hurt to much to walk around the store... Not to mention the excessive sweating
Wont miss the medication I can barely remember to take anyway
Having to use a cane and/or wheelchair
Being afraid to go to friends/family homes because I may not fit in their chairs and/or there may be lots of steps to climb. For that matter being afraid to go anywhere, theatres, restaurants, parks, clubs, church, etc.
Ordering 90% of my clothing from catalogs... Then having to return some because they dont fit or are just plain ugly
Not being able to walk with my co-workers at lunch and having to pretend that I'd rather surf the internet....but since I found this site, I would rather....
Not being able to babysit my granddaughter (by myself) because i cant run back and fourth with her
Not being able to visit my parents, grandmother and brothers graves because of th
e walk
Being winded just from the short walk from my truck to my office or bathroom
Having assistance bathing and applying lotion to my feet
Being to tired and lazy to cook or get a cup of Water....so doing without or resorting to that ever present bag of potato chips or candy, thats on the table next to the bed Im no doubt laying in. Whewwww Im making myself sad again.. But looking forward to brighter days full of me being able to do all of the above and feeling wonderful.

Thanks ajustice and terry1113. Having this forum to vent and read that others are dealing with same issues is wonderful. I appreciate being able to get tips and advice on how to handle things, etc. I am experiencing so many new feelings. Coming to the relaxation that i did this to myself is hard. But as u said, im trying hard to look.toward the future. Imaging me doing things i used to do...cleaning my house to my satisfaction, not paying sooo much for my clothing, being able to participate in the fire drills at work and walk down 10 flights of steps instead of bein on the list of indvs that cant and having to wait in the hall (while the sirens are blasting) until the drill is over. Anyway, God willing by the next fire drill i will b zipping or maybe slowly walking down those steps with everyone else. Woo hoo

I am post op also april 10 and that is funny because I noticed the same thing. I told someone how you first notice the big things like in my case diabetes didn't have to take 4 meds for it anymore down to one shot at night. then you sit back and oh yea haven't felt that pain in my knees anymore or no frequent urination during the day or night.

I will notnmiss being called a" big girl" not only am I fat but I'm 5'10" so this just makes me feel huge all over.