So, back story. An embarrassing bit of trivia about me: I'm a hypochondriac. I mean, a major hypochondriac. Any little ache or twinge, and my mind immediately jumps to "it's the cancer!" I've learned how to combat this, in two primary ways. The first was just knowledge -- part of the reason that I'm a walking encyclopedia of medical knowledge is that I've learned that by training my brain about the things that REALLY go wrong with the body, and how likely they are, I can talk back to myself (often with a touch of humor) and tell myself "yes, it's possible that that twinge in your gut is cancer. But given that you literally have no other symptoms whatsoever, it's far more likely to be be gas." And lo and behold, it's gas! The second way that I fight my hypochondria is just by being as healthy as I can be; I don't smoke, I don't drink to excess (well, not very frequently anyway) and aside from an occasional (and I DO mean occasional, like a couple times a year tops) hint of the chronic (mostly to help me sleep -- I don't much care for the effects, but I'm a chronic insomniac), I have essentially no vices except coffee. According to my doctor, since the sleeve I'm in stupendous health, so I have absolutely no rational reason to be afraid for my health. But unfortunately, that doesn't stop my monkey mind from seizing on every little ache and pain and worrying about it incessantly.

Lately, I've been noticing a couple of things. My hands ache -- especially my knuckles, especially in my right hand. Now, before I lost the weight, before I got my sleep apnea treated, I used to have horrible problems with stiff, swollen joints in the morning. It used to be that my hands would be so stiff in the morning that I couldn't bend my fingers; I discovered that by running them under hot Water for a few minutes, I could at least bend them, but they still hurt -- all day long. After I got on the CPAP for my apnea, that went away pretty much overnight. My sleep doctor explained that the strain of trying to breathe through a collapsed airway caused the body to retain Fluid, leading to joint swelling, so I guess that makes sense. Lately, I've been sleeping without the CPAP because after my last sleep study, where I was 100 lbs down from the previous one, my sleep doctor basically said "you're cured; it almost never happens, but as far as we can tell, you don't need the CPAP to get into REM sleep anymore." SO, I've been wondering if my stiff fingers have been a symptom of apnea creeping back in, and I've been experimenting with using my CPAP but it doesn't seem to make much of a difference. Also, my hips and lower back have been sort of sore (and of course, my hypochondria tells me that it's the colon cancer, which is pretty damn unlikely given I have zero other symptoms).

It occurred to me on the way in to work today that I may be simply over-training. I lift weights every single week day -- in the mornings I have a dumbbell routine, and in the evenings I go to the gym where at a minimum I do crunches and lat pulldowns (I've been really trying to bulk up my back). Plus I've been doing a LOT of leg work lately to try to bulk up my legs... I may be overdoing it! My sore fingers MIGHT actually be the result of doing weights almost every single day. And my sore back and hips might be the result of bad form doing squats at the gym; I recently switched to squats from the leg press machine to try to get more intensity, but I don't think it's helping and it might have been the trigger for the pain.

It's a little surprising to me because I've been so excited about actually seeing progress in my weight loss and body toning (for the first time ever) that I just want more, more, more... but there may be a point where it's too much! I'm thinking that a condensed routine three days a week might be a good start. The trainer at the gym seemed to think that maybe even two days a week, but intense, might be best.

Has anyone else had this experience, where in order to keep making progress you have to work out less frequently?

Interesting: http://www.beatinggout.com/2009/04/gout-and-the-sleep-apnea-connection/

Apparently sleep apnea (which I know I have, and which I'm not sure is under control) is strongly correlated with gout (of which I have a family history). I don't have any of the other risk factors -- diabetes, metabolic syndrome, etc. -- but the only-barely-treated sleep apnea plus the family history might just make this worth looking into.

Thanks for the tip; I'll be sure to follow up with my doc after he gets back from vacation.

Do they test blood for ureic acid?

yes they test your blood...one of the most common things they test for pre op for the vsg. i didnt have a clue that i had it until my pre op testing.

at least being a hypochondriac helps you to be on top of your health. that is one good thing from it. far to many people dont pay close enough attention to their bodies warning signs and it ends up to be to late. there are good things in everything

Well, the thing is that I've wondered about this achy fingers thing for a while. From what I read about gout, it's pretty common, and it's the most preventable and treatable of all forms of arthritis. If I *do* have it (I have to avoid leaping to conclusions and diagnosing myself until my doctor can give the final answer, of course), it would explain a long-standing mystery in a relatively benign way. It would fit a lot of the evidence (which always makes my scientist/computer programmer's brain happy), and it's something that I could treat by doing all the stuff I'm trying to do ANYWAY (maintain a healthy weight, keep my sleep healthy and sound, avoid too much red/rich meat and alcohol, and so on).

So, while my initial reaction to the thought was denial because I thought it would mean lifelong, crippling, untreatable pain, it sounds like the opposite, if I have it. It's very treatable -- often without even needing medication -- and once treated, a long-term source of pain and discomfort might just magically go away. Where's the downside in THAT?

Well i couldnt agree with you more. I was all upset when I found out I had it thinking that I was set for a ton of misery. However when I realized how easy the tx was for it I was like....well at least I know why my hands have been hurting (occationally the feet) and now I can do something about it. I havent required any medication, and when I want a steak I will have one....i just rarely do and if I do I drink some cherry juice with it (it helps get rid of the extra puriens--or so I have been told). I havent had any problems with it at all since I have been dx.

best of luck to you (and wishes too)

So at this point I'm 90% plus sure it's not gout. I asked my Mom when I saw her this weekend, and she said that I'd been mistaken; she does NOT have gout. My Dad has it, but it tends to follow maternal genetics more, and his kidneys are failing due to advanced congestive heart failure, so gout isn't too surprising, sadly.

Add to that the fact that simply not working out for a few days caused the pain and stiffness in my hands to completely vanish, and I think that the pain in my hips may be due to incorrect form when doing my crunches in the morning, and I really think that my wounds are self-inflicted. Regardless, since my insurance rocks and my doctor ordered the blood test, I got a draw this morning to test ureic acid levels, so I'll know for sure in a few days.

Bottom line, I think I've been overdoing it (and using bad form). Now, I need to figure out how to do crunches so they don't hurt my hips and low back!

Yeah, I just got the uric acid numbers back from the doc; they're perfect. So I don't have gout or arthritis (thank god, I'm only 41!) -- my sore muscles and joints are pretty much 100% due to overdoing it with weights (for the sore hands) and probably bad form with my crunches (for the sore hips). Good news, of course, is that both are easily correctable.