Did your arthritus improve after being sleeved/ losing weight?

[gamergirl 4,609]

Yes' date=' I am still having achy fingers and hand all the time now. The strange part is when top of hand aches. Taking minimum 5g fish oil daily. It is not debilitating, just annoying. Hope it goes away eventually.[/quote']

I had the top of hand pain too. One of the weird things about RA is that it's your inner joints that hurt. So not tip of the finger, first phlange, but the second one. Wrists, hands, top of feet. The fish oil should help some. What also helped me a LOT was turmeric tea. Curcurmin pills might help if you don't like the taste (turmeric and green tea mix on amazon).

[Fiddleman 4,376]

I had the top of hand pain too. One of the weird things about RA is that it's your inner joints that hurt. So not tip of the finger' date=' first phlange, but the second one. Wrists, hands, top of feet. The fish oil should help some. What also helped me a LOT was turmeric tea. Curcurmin pills might help if you don't like the taste (turmeric and green tea mix on amazon).[/quote']

Yes, that exactly describes what is going on. I am going to try some turmeric because ibuprofen does not seem to help.

[gamergirl 4,609]

Yes' date=' that exactly describes what is going on. I am going to try some turmeric because ibuprofen does not seem to help.[/quote']

Oddly, ibuprofen does nothing for me, not does naproxen, but 2 extra strength Tylenol do the trick.

[LDallas 108]

I have OA in knees and lower back. Before VSG I could hardly get out of bed, and then have to sit on edge of a different, lower bed to get dressed. That has ended, but, knees still hurt sometimes and I have to be careful with them. Back still has a lot of problems and i'm currently getting shots in joints for it, but they don't help. I'd hoped it would disappear but that's not the case. Hate to think how bad off i'd be had I not lost 80+ lbs!! Celebrex is not helping.

51/F

5'10"

SW 300

CW 220 ish

[Beachbum2017 108]

Mine has been so much better since the surgery - I'm almost 2 months out. Have lost 72 lbs (including pre-op) and I can tell a huge difference in my RA and the osteoarthritis in my knees. The real test will be in the next month or so when the weather changes - that's usually when mine kicks up big time.

[PGee 318]

I was taking Alleve or Advil......a few weeks before surgery I had to stop, and since surgery I my knees have been much better.......besides arthritis (not RA), I am missing cartiledge.....

[homersmomma 77]

I will say that parts of me where I have arthritis settled into old injuries, like where I broke my collar bone, will still ache when damp weather is coming in. I don't think that will ever change.

[gamergirl 4,609]

Oops wrong thread

[scootergirl 118]

I have plain old, old frat lady osteoarthritis. My post sleeve diet is significantly reduced sugar/carbohydrate I consume each day. I find that my joints feel much better when I am on a low/no sugar diet

[scootergirl 118]

Make that "fat" lady. I never joined a fraternity!

[Fiddleman 4,376]

OK - had my first rheumatology appointment this week.

I did a DEXA scan to check bone density and also an xray of SI joints. DEXA scan came back fine indicating I have normal bone density for a guy my age and height. However, the SI joint xrays indicated wear and tear along with arthritis and inflammation. What does this mean?

I am going to do blood work at the end of this week and they are going to give me an update after reviewing the labs. They still do not know why I have bone spurs and deteriorization in the spine. Some things that help my is wearing a special shirt that corrects my posture. I wear it all-the-time and the back and neck pain I have been experiencing in the last year disappears.

Still need to figure out what an inflamed SI joint is and how that relates to the spine issues. Anyone know? I am 37 male so a little strange to have these issues.

[Indigo1991 1,612]

Sorry to hear about this. From the little I know, SI joints take the weight of our upper body when we are upright. So your spine is supported by this area, which is where the connection may come in. Even though I have never had a problem there, my rheumy always checks it when I see him.

Weight, wear and tear and ageing are all factors in inflaming the SI joints as is arthritis. So your bloods may give more of a clue as to what's going on in your body to cause this situation.

Hope they get to the bottom of this. You are just a youngster to be having this pain and hassle... and especially after all the hard work you've put in post sleeve....

[Tarheel79 107]

Investigating hip replacement surgery brought me to the Sleeve surgery experience. The Orthopedist would not perform the replacement until I lost at least 80 pounds and suggested the surgery. I was sleeved on 12/23 and am down 20+ pounds so far. I have my total hip replacement surgery scheduled for 2/5 and can hardly wait to get this done.

I have had very good results following sleeve surgery-- very little pain and nausea, able to get to Protein and Fluid goals quickly--it's thankfully been an easy time of it.

But-- I had to go off Meloxicam and that was really keeping the hip pain under control. I'm in pretty severe pain all the time now and can only take pain killers to get me through to the 2/5 surgery date.

Has anyone else experienced hip surgery in tandem with bariatric surgery? What has recovery been like? Would love to hear how it's gone for anyone out there! Thanks~

[JeanZ_RN 378]

Pre-sleeve I took a prescription NSAID (piroxicam, aka Feldene - once a day dosing) for years for OA pain in knees, hips and shoulders. I had to quit taking it a week before surgery because it can prolong bleeding / act as an anticoagulant, and you don't want that in a fresh post op patient!

After surgery my doc said not to resume taking it, because he was concerned about erosion of the stomach lining. At my 6 week check-up he said in one more month I can take NSAIDs occasionally, but not every day.

The good GREAT news is, I haven't needed it! I am amazed at how little OA pain I've had since surgery. Damp weather used to make me ache nearly all over, even with the daily NSAID, but now I'm fine in any weather. And it's not due to weight loss - or at least not totally, because the change occurred immediately after I was sleeved. Weird, but I'll TAKE it!

[disterdis 22]

I am 36 and have had RA since I was 24. I need knee replacements but my dr doesn't want to do them til I can't walk. Since surgery 11 weeks ago today, after 5 weeks(2 before surgery and 3 after) of being off my meds, I went back on meds and it's like I'm not taking them the pain is horrible. I swear it's the high Protein intake. I have list 61lbs and no My RA don't feel any better in fact I think it may be worse.