I am having my surgery on 5/1. Last week I had a procedure done to my back to burn the nerves in 3 of my disks to relieve my pain. I also had a steroid injection in my knee yesterday because it buckled while I was at the hospital doing my pre- op testing & I had a hard time walking to get all of my tests done. I am praying that once I start to lose weight it will alleviate my joint pain. Has anyone had success with this & how long did it take (or how many pounds) until you started to feel relief? I am 60 years old so I don't know if it will be harder for me to go through this process because of my age. I would love to hear feedback.

Hi, I am 9 months post op. I am 49 years old. Prior to surgery I weighed 330 pounds and had horrible low back and knee pain. I saw a chiropractor every week and had injections in my knees. I lost 40 pounds prior to surgery, and with every pound I lost, my pain was less. I have lost a total of 185 pounds and I am still shocked to wake every morning without any pain. I still come to the top of the stairs and grab the railing waiting for that sharp stabbing pain with the first step down, only the pain doesn't come!!

I would advise you to find some form of exercise that works for you. I found a recumbent elliptical. The more weight I lost, the less pain I had. Today I took a 90 minute Zumba class, and even with all that jumping around I sit here pain free. I don't have words for how liberating it is!

I know you asked how much you would need to soar, and I don't have a number for you. I will tell you that every pound makes a difference. Congratulations on taking this step! You are going to love your pain free life!

Thank you so much, you are truly an inspiration to me. I had a steroid injection in my knee yesterday so I will be able to walk through the hospital for my pre-op class and doctor appointment next week. I hope I will never need to take another steroid injection again. I feel like a pin cushion! Congratulations on your weight loss, you should be so proud of all of your hard work! I hope someday I will be able to take a Zumba class!

hi Janice,

I am having surgery May 30..I also have lower back pain..I have had radio freq ablation. have also had both knees replaced.

I am hoping losing weight will help my back because the ablation does not last forever.

good luck to you.. I am thinking our age is not a factor in this surgery..

Bev

Hi Bev, it is nice to hear from others with similar problems. My back has felt good since I had the RFA but today it has been bothering me again. Maybe I over did it getting ready for Easter. I am just looking forward to losing weight & losing pain as well! Good luck on your journey. Janice

I was just in the emergency room last night because my back went out and I couldnt walk . I am hoping surgery will help me for a bit better ,I had to have surgery 5 years ago for back issues and I'm only 28.

Edited April 21, 201412 yr by cutiepieinchi

Ouch Cutie! I can relate (a little)... I had severe low back pain 3 years ago and had a lot of different procedures trying to figure out exactly what was causing the pain. I had osteo-arthritis stuff chipped away, RFA, steroid injections... at least 4-5 outpatient procedures. The pain doctor finally found 2 different things causing the pain, shot me up in the right spots and I haven't had a repeat now in 3 years. I had inflammation in the SI joint (where tailbone meets the pelvic bone) and also had an episacral lipoma (fat tissue bulging through muscle) right in the same area. It took at least 4 months of different treatments before we found the right thing to correct the problems.

I hope the doctors can figure out quickly exactly what the problem is and help you get out of pain now. Then, you can lose the weight and you KNOW that will also help it out.

Best wishes!

My Dr has taken me OFF both my chronic knee/back/joint pain meds pre-RNY surgery 6/25. In just 2 weeks I am off Meloxicam and Cymbalta...I can barely walk I hurt so bad...my right shoulder hurts so must sleep in a recliner with a pillow under my right arm and pillows under my knees to keep from crying from the pain. I need both knees replaced yet both my ortho surgeon and my RNY surgeon and I agree that RNY first...lose mass weight, then see how my knees, back, etc., are...

but right now I HURT LIKE HELL

I was just in the emergency room last night because my back went out and I couldnt walk . I am hoping surgery will help me for a bit better ,I had to have surgery 5 years ago for back issues and I'm only 28.

Cutiepieinchi, I suffered from debilitating low back pain that was so severe I couldn't walk but a few steps without stopping. I had my surgery on April 21st and I began walking 2 days after surgery and I have not had any back pain since. Losing 25lbs prior to surgery helped a lot. I'm also off of my blood pressure meds as of today. In total since surgery I've lost 54lbs. I feel great and I'm so pleased with my life now. I pray that you will have similar results after your surgery too. God bless.

My Dr has taken me OFF both my chronic knee/back/joint pain meds pre-RNY surgery 6/25. In just 2 weeks I am off Meloxicam and Cymbalta...I can barely walk I hurt so bad...my right shoulder hurts so must sleep in a recliner with a pillow under my right arm and pillows under my knees to keep from crying from the pain. I need both knees replaced yet both my ortho surgeon and my RNY surgeon and I agree that RNY first...lose mass weight, then see how my knees, back, etc., are...

but right now I HURT LIKE HELL

Hang in there! I also had my RNY on June 25th - LAST YEAR. I too was in SO much pain it was absolutely awful. As a matter of fact, immediately after surgery, my back and knee pain were much worse than my incision pain and the pain meds they gave me didn't touch it! One year later, I did a Zumba class last night. I have NO knee pain and NO back pain. I have lost 194 pounds. I have more energy than I know what to do with and a big part of that comes from being pain free. I will always think of June 25th as my lucky day - the day my life started over. I hope in a year you will be posting that it is your lucky day too! Good Luck!

Carol