I am certainly feeling better in many ways after shedding a good chunk of the unwanted weight.

The things that still aggravate me are my knees and back. The back is something that comes and goes....I simply am very careful with it and continue to do my stretches learned in physical therapy.

The knees....hmmmmn. Somedays I'll feel really good with them and am able to do some 90 minute sessions on treadmill (uphill walking) or elliptical. Other days....like this past week...I struggle. It was so bad when driving home from work last night that I had to reach down under my knee to lift and guide my leg as I transitioned between accelerator & brake pedals. Crazy, right ?

It can be either knee on any given day. Both have been operated on when I was in my late teens. Football injuries. I've not been kind to them ever since. Tendon & ligament repairs, cartilage deterioration, severe advanced arthritis...fun combo. Normal stuff that I accept from living large for so long. Play stupid games and win stupid prizes.

5 years ago I was told by two specialists that I'd need replacements in five years, lol. Was hoping that the lost weight would be more relief. Maybe another 60 lbs will get me to a better state.

Overall, I'm pretty much off all the meds I was on prior to sleeve. I am very happy with this development, however, I'm contemplating adding stuff for joint pain.

My sleeve surgeon told me that I could use Advil with food...as needed.

It was working okay up until last week....then it reach the point where it was not.

I've recently seen my pcp, who knows about my sleeve. He prescribed Tramadol. I tried it and found little benefit. Granted, I was spot using it only on days where I was unable to bend either knee more than a few degrees without serious pain.

Yesterday I had Advil at an alarming level that I will not repeat. I was simply hoping to make it through the day at work.

Today I'll actually give the Tramadol another try. I'll do it with the dosing schedule the doc suggested.

I've never tried Celebrex but am considering going back to see him and ask for some next level help.

I work 13+ hour shifts with lots of walking (an aspect that I truly love). One of my peers is going out next week for hip replacement surgery and I intend on covering his spot on my scheduled days off. I need to get on top of the pain so I can do so.

These next 4 months are going to be a grind and I need to be proactive (seems late in the pain game to use such a term):

* Making an appointment to see my PCP this Friday to see what short term relief he can advise

* Reverting back to the 2-week pre-op liquid diet, basically living off Protein shakes and Vitamins. Perhaps there is some easy Water weight that I can shed. Some foods seem to aggravate my arthritis, perhaps this will be a good workaround. It'll certainly speed up the rate of loss and get me to goal quicker.

* Halting all cardio and preserving the knees for the long hours and long runs of consecutive days at work.

* Using compression wraps on knees.

* Research otc / homeopathic remedies as well. I have a buddy who swears by drinking a shot of apple cider every day. Sounds silly...but he is adamant that it helps his pain level. He's urged me to the the Bragg brand and give it a go. Hell, nothing to lose at this point. Gonna stop at EarthFare or Fresh Market this afternoon if I can make it there before they close. What's the harm in a shot of cider each day ?

Sorry for the long moaning and groaning post. I'm hoping that there is a sleeve friendly medication that you've used to gain leverage of similar pains.

Very interested in hearing what's worked for you.

I'm not looking to medicate this way long term.....just get myself through the next 4 months and down below goal weight and then have those hard conversations about knee replacement or other preliminary treatments.

Thank you !!!

Dub, I don't have any magic solution. But I will share what I've said before -- my knee pain didn't go away completely until I lost the last 15 pounds.

And yes, inflammation and friction are at the heart of this problem. Things swell up inside the knee, creating more friction / irritation / pain. So don't forget ice packs.

What about also adding some topical pain medications to the mix? There are multiple kinds that do different things.

Finally -- are you a fan of chiropractic or massage? Those practices have been a Godsend to me at times for various problems. As we know, problems can show up in Part X of the body that are really being caused by something going on at Part Y of the body.

That's all I got.

I'm in the UK but have you seen a physiotherapist who could advise you about the correct exercises you should be doing to help? I also agree with topical treatment. I've been using voltarol gel for my joint pain. Maybe swimming might be a better exercise atm? Good luck.

Sent from my SM-G935F using the BariatricPal App

Edited July 26, 201610 yr by madadams

I started routinely adding turmeric to my diet last fall. I was a total skeptic but it definitely helps. I was at the point of taking 2 naproxen every day for my knee pain and knew I had to stop that because I wouldn't be able to after surgery. The turmeric will be a very gradual improvement. In fact I wasn't even sure it was working that much until i stopped for a few days and realized what a difference I had.

Can't guarantee it will work for you - but work a shot. I just took about 1/2 teaspoon every day - sprinkled on my dinner or mixed into a smoothie (note it does have a bitter taste and will turn a smoothie a funky color).

@@Dub I second the Tumeric advise. Also - Tart Black Cherry Juice (come in pills too) has been known to work on inflammation. Do you wear a knee support band? That may help.

Things that have helped my joint pain - I found Naproxen (Aleve) to be better than Advil, but am allergic to Naproxen. As such, I haven't investigated whether Naproxen is better for sleevers than Advil, I don't know how the ulcer risk compares. There was an even better NSAID on the market OTC for years called ketoprofen (brand name was Orudis). I have heard that it can be gotten with a prescription, but I don't know if the risk for ulcers is the same as, or higher than, Advil. Maybe talk to your doc about it as a possibility. They also tried me on Celebrex, which didn't help me but many people get a LOT of relief from that.

Tramadol is just a mild narcotic, so whether it helps or not depends a lot on what kind of joint pain, and how your system processes it. For me, it's more effective than Vicodin or other similar "harder" narcotics. I take it a couple of times a month when my pain is too bad to sleep. My rheumatologist is thrilled that it works so well for me, because everyone's so nervous about Vicodin and such now.

Ice is my friend for my knees. I found the best ice packs that are big, and hold the cold for long periods of time. Don't know if they're there anymore, but I found them on the bottom shelf in the first aid section of Walmart. I ace-wrap them to my knees in the evenings when I need to. I also bought an ice massage mold which is awesome for when I have twisted a knee and have an acute injury to deal with. Interestingly, my joints that hurt from the auto-immune arthritis like heat more - my feet and hands, so I sometimes even have heating pads on my feet at the same time I have ice on my knees... I'm a mess. I also use a BioFreeze gel that helps when I can't use my ice packs.

The other thing that helped, and I still don't believe it, is the Tommy Copper sleeve. It has a slight compression, but not enough (I would think) to be significant. My medical/scientific brain refuses to believe that it's actually because of the copper in the weave. But it really did help when I was working ER and on my feet 12 hours straight. Generally, a higher compression wrap gives me a lot of relief, but I have a hellish time getting them to stay put, and when they migrate on my leg I end up having circulation cut off.

Some people get a lot of relief from tumeric, I didn't. However, I've been told I should take it raw instead of capsules, and was told to find a recipe for "golden milk" and start drinking that at least daily, and multiple times a day if it helps. I haven't tried it yet. Some people also get relief from glucosamine/chondroitin ... I didn't notice any change at all. Generally, anything you can do to reduce inflammation in your overall body should help at least a little with joint pain.

Also, depending on what is wrong with your knees (osteoarthritis vs. inflammatory arthritis), I know MANY people who have had SIGNIFICANT improvements with Synvisc or similar injections. I have a friend who has successfully delayed a replacement for over 6 years with injections about every year. The longer you can put off knee replacement, the fewer revisions you'll need in your lifetime.

Hope at least some of this helps. As I haven't had my surgery yet, I can't report back on where in the weight loss I got the most joint relief, but medically speaking more weight off is better for the joints even if you don't notice much relief.

I can tell you that, once your knees are gone, they're gone. I put off having replacements for years and finally it became so debilitating I had to just do it. took a while to get back to normal, but it was worth it. The only thing that I regret is waiting 2 years in between. I should have done them either at the same time or closer together. NSAIDS will tear up your stomach, I know because I tried them all. Please see a good orthopedic surgeon and take his advice. You won't regret it.

@@Dub I'm a newbie and can't comment on the weight loss aspect of reducing the pain, but I do have just a couple of things:

1. Bragg's is apple cider VINEGAR, and I have used it with some success in the past for knee/hip pain (I have weight related pain and early osteoarthritis both). I'm not sure how compatible it is with the sleeve, though.

2. I was on Celebrex prior to surgery and my doc plans to put me back on it when I'm about 16 weeks out from my sleeve surgery. Celebrex helped quite a bit and I never had any stomach upset with it. Motrin tears me up, so there's that comparison.

3. My doc prescribed Tramadol a week ago because I've got a possible tear in my right shoulder (labrum and/or rotator cuff). No concern about it damaging my stomach but there is a risk of increased seizure activity when combined with SSRIs or if you have metabolic syndrome. It's helping, but it's an opioid, so I'm only taking it at night for the shoulder. I don't think I could take it and drive/work/etc.

Good luck, and I hear you about stupid games/stupid prizes, but it was a hell of a lot of fun while I was playing in my 20s and 30s :-)

Thank each of you for your suggestions.

Just getting home from work and settled down. A hot shower and some sleep with pre-dawn coffee will have me looking further into each reply.

Thanks again.

Dub,Dub, Dub, ---my dear friend. Finally I can hopefully give YOU some sage advice.

REPLACE THE SUCKERS!!!!!

I did the Celebrex thing. I did the Aleve thing, the Naproxen thing, the Tramadol thing. I also had the Cortisone injections as well as the injections made out of cocks' combs--Synvisc. I went to PT for months and months and months. I even ate oxies four times a day for almost a year. Chiropractors? Nope---not my thing.

I was told that I was too young to have a knee replacement---I would have to have another one after ten years or so.

I will tell you, now, my friend---I would have ten knee replacements if I have to rather than live with that kind of unacceptable pain.

Why should a person have to wait until they are in the seventies to have a knee replacement? --when our bodies do not heal as quickly or as well as when we are younger?

I would (and did) rather have my knee replaced when I'm younger and enjoy my middle years pain free. AND I have been free of any knee pain---completely and totally.

.

Is knee replacement a tough surgery? You bet.

Is it historically the most painful surgery to recover from? Yep

Is it sooooo worth it? You bet your sweet bum it is!!!

So, Grasshopper, that is my sage advice. I hope you will accept it knowing that it was given with compassion, empathy and endearing friendship.

Now, Go forth and prosper!

I was also told I was too young for total knee at 50, so i had arthroscopies x 2 on both knees, ibuprofin, aleve, celebrex, mobic, tramadol, etc, cortisone shots, synvisc injections and ambien to knock myself out so I could sleep through the pain. Changed jobs, so that I had to change doctors. When I saw him he asked how long I had been in this much pain? 12 years at least. He asked why I had gone that long in pain and I told him that I was told I was too young for replacement. He shook his head and said that knees are much improved now and last much longer. Best decision of my life.

Well.....last 24 hours was improved.

I took the 3 doses of Tramadol, spaced throughout the day. Made it through and covered all aspects of my job. The ride home was not fun, though. I'm grateful my commute isn't another 5 mins. If it were, then I'd be stopping along the way home to get out and walk around.

Stairwells are brutal right now. I even dodged two meetings simply to avoid the stairs that lead to them.

I've been wearing a compression wrap but will get my hands on a pair of Tommy Copper "sleeves". This is not the first time I've had folks recommend them to me.

I"m also going to begin a more aggressive approach to the diet and push harder to get that last chunk of weight off. It most assuredly won't hurt the cause. For now, my formal cardio is gonna be limited....therefore I'll work on the calorie intake side of the equation. So damn grateful for the sleeve and lack of hunger. Confidence inspiring.

Gonna grab some Tumeric and get it in my system daily. Already started with flax seed oil and joint flex pills (chondroitin, glucosamine & other touted joint jazz).

I no longer have the apprehensions over replacement surgery that I once had. I'm very grateful for the advice you each gave on your experiences. I agree.....relief now trumps waiting for retirement age for that relief. My biggest hangup over that is the time missed from work to recover from such. I missed a total of 9 weeks from work last year (6 weeks for back injury & 3 weeks for sleeve/hernia recovery) and am hesitant to miss another large chunk again. I'm hoping I can get some relief and grind it out another year or so and I'll be using FMLA to cover the knee replacement surgery. I was an idiot to not seek FMLA for my misses in 2015. In 21 years with my current employer the only times I've ever missed have been for surgery recoveries. The climate has changed there and everything is under scrutiny.....even an old dude who's served them faithfully in every way he could. Different environment for sure. Nobody gives a rip for your historical performance....it's all about what you've done this week that counts.....in my job, at least. I'm sure it's the same for most folks. At least the vacation time is good......just can't seem to use it. I've got 120 hours left to take this year, but no way to schedule it until at least November....which most likely won't be possible. Use it or lose it scenario. Argghhhh.

Enough whining. Time to go pour another cup of java and then mix a Protein shake and get my arse on the move.

I really appreciate the insight. Thank you !!!!!!

#gonnarockthis

#newkneedreams

For exercise, nothing beats getting in the swimming pool. There are people who say a Water aerobics class is a joke, and they're wrong. Don't know if you have that option, but I had to rehab after my cartilage replacement surgery for 18 months, and I'd have died if I hadn't found a 24-hr Fitness where I could water walk, swim, and go to water aerobics. It's my plan for after surgery (as soon as I'm cleared) as well, at least until I get my cardio up to a reasonable level and get some of the weight off my knees.

before and after

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Have you tried acupuncture. I have to tell you it worked for me

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am also pre-op, so take from this what you will, but I have dealt with joint pain for many years. I am another one who has had some success from tumeric, but I have also had a lot of relief from taking Gelatin as a supplement. I use Great Lakes brand beef gelatin, and it shortens my recovery time and just generally makes my joints happier. I sprinkle a spoonful in a cup of juice, let it absorb the liquid, stir it up, and drink it. There is a flavor to it, and a texture that some people find unpleasant, but I don't mind it too much because it really helps. Don't know how your sleeve would like it, but it's worth a try. A one-pound can of it is about $18 on Amazon. It does take a little while of taking it regularly to really see the benefits, but I don't go without it now. I am hard on my joints and I need all the help I can get.

I hope you find some relief soon, and that your added shifts go well.