When Did You See Impovement On Co-morbid Conditons?

[Pookeyism 1,143]

I know many people list this information in sucess stories and such, but I was hoping to post a few specific quesions

How overweight were you/how old when you developed yor co-morbid conditions? I am thinking most specifically diabetes, but mention anything you encountered. Asthma, inflamation, hypertension, hormone or lympic conditions, skin conditions, infertility, back pain, pain in legs, sleep apnea, etc.

When were you able to notice improvement that went from emergent to noticeable, daily consistent improvement?

Are you doing better, or did the condition reverse?

Feel free to include anything I forgot...

[BenisaMartim4 369]

I sure hope we see relief. That is the major reason I am looking to have this done. I started a 335 and a BMI of 49.6. I have degenerative disk and joint, arthritis, fibromyalgia, Migraines, TMJ, damaged rotator cuff, torn meniscus cartilage, carpel tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, bursitis, neuropathy,Reynauds disease, dumping syndrome, colitis, heavy periods, heart arrthymea, high blood pressure and stress incontinence. I am 34 and have been suffering as long as 13 years with some disorders. I'm just taking a wild chop at this, but I would say if losing a 100 pounds doesn't help me, then nothing will. But even with all these problems, my insurance still has not approved my procedure. It was submitted Oct. 26 and is still "pending". They want more paperwork on my "condition". Blah blah! They just don't want to pay up.

[LUCYCAT 6]

I had high blood pressure for years. I was on 3 different types of medication that occasionally actually worked. I had my surgery on August the 1st. My surgeon said he wanted me to stay off the medication during the first month after surgery and just monitor my blood pressure.

I am thrilled to say I am 4 months out and I have never had to take another blood pressure pill since my surgery. My blood pressure is totally normal for the first time in years.

I was 3 points away from being diabetic. My blood sugar is now in the normal range.

My cholesterol was 199 before surgery. 4 months later it is 105.

I used to struggle walking up the steps at my place of business. Now I can run up them and not even be winded.

It is amazing the difference in just 4 months.

My one and only regret is that I didn't do this when I was younger.

[Sonja 16]

I had daily pain in my knee & foot for more than a year. Now, less than 2 weeks out, I have NONE! It is amazing how 31 lbs can change something so dramatically!

Also, BP has been around 130/90 for about a year & I had it checked on Friday & it was 102/75

[nousername 6]

I sure hope we see relief. That is the major reason I am looking to have this done. I started a 335 and a BMI of 49.6. I have degenerative disk and joint, arthritis, fibromyalgia, Migraines, TMJ, damaged rotator cuff, torn meniscus cartilage, carpel tunnel syndrome, tendinitis, bursitis, neuropathy,Reynauds disease, dumping syndrome, colitis, heavy periods, heart arrthymea, high blood pressure and stress incontinence. I am 34 and have been suffering as long as 13 years with some disorders. I'm just taking a wild chop at this, but I would say if losing a 100 pounds doesn't help me, then nothing will. But even with all these problems, my insurance still has not approved my procedure. It was submitted Oct. 26 and is still "pending". They want more paperwork on my "condition". Blah blah! They just don't want to pay up.

I can relate to much of this.........can't wait until my surgery on Jan 16!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So hope you hear something soon!!!!!!

[Lissa 2,631]

I was 44 when I developed the severe co-morbs. I've had problems with my knees for years, even when I was 11 and weighed nothing I dislocated a knee cap. I dislocated a knee at 23, when I was 9 months pregnant with my youngest, and I probably weighed about 230 then.

Last year I did hard core Atkins and lost 50 pounds, but I got pneumonia in March of this year and the steroids/antibiotics put that, plus some, back on me within a couple of weeks. I had previous dx of rheumatoid arthritis, borderline diabetes, probably sleep apnea, and borderline high blood pressure. I think the HBP dx was wrong, though, because the only time my BP was high was when I went to that particular doctor.

After the pneumonia, they dx me with asthma, severe sleep apnea, and added another borderline diabetes dx. I was 352 or so when I got those dx. I couldn't walk from my car to the door without being winded and I couldn't carry groceries because I couldn't breathe when I added that kind of load. I also had a huge blood clot in my left leg (DVT) and that spawned two small clots that sat in my lungs (pulmonary emoblisms), but thankfully, those two did not burst. Between March and June, I was hospitalized 3 times.

I had surgery Aug 30, 2011, and started walking as soon as I got home. At first it was a struggle to walk around the end of my building, but I persisted and did that several times a day, then I started walking around the farther end of my building. Once I could do that without feeling like I was going to die, I started adding more distance. I managed to walk around the lake in my apartment complex about 3 weeks out from surgery!

I'm now doing at least a mile every other day on the treadmill, at 3 months out. My goal there is to walk a 5k in January, 2012.

I'm still on the asthma meds, but they are being reduced each time I see the doc. I am still taking coumadin for blood clots, but only because I had some clot factor in my last blood test. The doctor is pretty sure that the coumadin will be gone by Jan 15, when I have my next blood test.

At 280 pounds, so hopefully within this month, my doctor plans to take me off the bi-pap completely. That will be 20% of my highest weight gone, which seems to be the magic number to drop the c-pap. I'm looking forward to that!

So, by about 4 months out, my two worst co-morbidities should be gone. I haven't had blood tests yet to check the blood sugar levels, but I think they will be phenomenal as well.

Good luck with your journey!

[SKCUNNINGHAM 298]

I had high blood pressure and high cholesterol for ~10 years pre-surgery, with the medication needs going up. My joints were really bothering me, with arthritis in my feet, left knee and both hands. I was diagnosed wtih sleep apnea the year before surgery, but had had it undiagnosed for a few years before the official diagnosis. And, I had been diagnosed with "metabolic syndrome" which is the precursor to diabetes. My PCP was talking to me about WHEN I had a hear attack, not IF.

The apnea was gone by 6 weeks after surgery. My blood pressure meds were reduced steadily at each doctor's appt, and I have been totally off of them since mid-October. My joints feel much better, except for the foot where the joint is bone on bone. And I am no longer fit the criteria for "metabolic syndrome" and have no problems with my blood sugar.

Cholesterol is slightly above 200 - but it is not what I am eating, it is hereditary. I am working through adding things into my diet to see if I can lower it without statins.

[swizzly 901]

I suddenly developed hypertension a couple of years prior to my surgery, but it was the main reason I decided to do WLS. I was off the medication for blood pressure about a month or so post-op and my BP has been well in normal range since then. Yay!!

[UXgrrl 29]

Sounds like people who have been suffering for years have a shot at real, sustained, non-medicated relief for the first time in their lives within months after this surgery!

Has anyone noticed a change in fibromyalgia symptoms (better or worse)? One of the docs I spoke with while I was qualifying for surgery told me 50% of FMS pts get worse and 50% get better. He wanted me to do an outpatient 3-week long pain management course to deal with an increase in case it happened. Those didn't sound like good odds to me (I refused to do the course, I didn't want to spend three weeks going "ohm.." in a group setting )

From what I've read, most if not all FMS pts have a bad flare immediately after surgery -- no surprise, since any kind of heightened stress can trigger a flare -- but I can't imagine not having at least SOME relief.

[Pookeyism 1,143]

If it is a good course you WANT that knowledge. I used to work with children who were undergoing chemotherapy (taugh art class at the hospital). A couple of the children showed me some techniques they were taught at another hospital, and they worked - and very simple things, you just have to focus.

[Chicadee 10]

Pre-surgery I was one of the heavier people here but was lucky enough not to have a ton of co-morbidities. I had severe sleep apnea and bad back, knee, ankle and foot pain(plantar fascitis and bone spurs). I was diagnosed with the sleep apnea back in 2007, just before i started looking into WLS.

I had surgery in May and I stopped wearing my mask completely 2 months ago or so. All of my foot pain is gone, I don't even use my orthotics any more. I went from only being able to wear new balance sneakers with my inserts in them to being able to wear any shoe in my closet in the last few months. I still get some occasional knee/ankle pain if I am standing for extended period of time but I still have a lot of weight to lose yet.