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 !!!

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.

Thank you for your really informative replies here. I appreciate that.

A swimming pool has much, much too offer. There are two facilities in the area that have pools.....but are perhaps a 30 minute drive from home and the hours of use are restrictive and always changing. I am a member of a massive gym with top notch gear....1.9 miles from my driveway, lol, but they have yet to add a pool. I have my fingers crossed that the day will come when they do.

When I was much younger and recovering from the mcl/acl surgery on my left knee, I made use of the pool in the gym my family was a member of. Very helpful, indeed.

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.

I'm seeing now that much has changed....many advancements have occurred since my consultations with the knee docs five years back.

I need to go see the knee guy in the ortho practice I went to for my back last year. Their spine guy was amazing. Same practice had their ankle doc do a bang up repair of my right ankle tendons a few years back. The place will be doing a full body overhaul for me when it's all said and done, lol.

@@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 :-)

There is no doubt that the Tramadol does help ease me off and get to sleep. The first dose of the day doesn't seem to be too strong, but I'm offsetting it with morning coffee. The mid-afternoon dose is the one that is tough. Drowsiness is not needed then, but is a side effect.

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 *****' 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'm done with injections of any kind, I tell ya. Did enough of that with my back to want to be free of that stuff.

I agree on the chiropractor aspects, too. Not my thing. Perhaps I'm just chicken.....but all that popping and snapping is not something I'm willing to risk. I'd rather stick to the stretches that were learned in physical therapy. They seem to work for the back. I wouldn't mind trying out one of the gravity inversion boards at some point, too. Seems like it would feel good and provide a nice stretch. Not going to tempt fate with the back now, though. It's hanging in there so I'll keep on in this fashion until I need to adjust.

I am going to make the appointments with the knee doc and see what is suggested.

Thank you !

@@Dub, my good friend is in an identical situation, age 45, needs both knees replaced, walks 15,000 steps a day at work, now has a limp and chronic pain. She went to have her knees injected and the doctor said her hip is now blown, goofing up her gait, which is causing her (new) back pain. She was surprised they were willing to do hip and knee replacements given her age, but the doc said it's bone-on-bone.

I'm glad you are reconsidering having surgery sooner than later. You'll only hurt yourself more waiting. I know so many people in their 50s who had hip and knee replacements and feel AMAZING. My mother had hers done late 50s and said she felt like the Bionic Woman -- unbelievable improvement. My friend's husband had both hips and knees done and is now 55, retired, and hiking majorly every DAY and golfing his brains out, losing lbs like mad.

I hear you on the FMLA/vacation/changing career atmosphere. I agree, and it sucks. IDK if you want to add yet another thing into your smoothies, but my husband swears by fish oil and gets a prescription one that doesn't have the gross taste and hideous fishy burps afterwards.

While the pain/surgery/therapy sucks, this is quite the kick in the pants for you! You've totally knocked it out of the park with your sleeve success, and I have no doubt this is the last catalyst you'll need to hit your goal very soon. Super impressive!

I wish you great, quick success! It's coming!

It is true that the joint replacements have gotten tremendously better in the last decade. I would not recommend someone refuse replacement solely based on age. There is one aspect of knee replacements (not sure about hips, my problems have been knees so that's what I've researched) that must be kept in mind. The attachment of the artificial joint to the long bones in the leg requires that basically a hole be drilled in the center of the bone, with a post being "glued" in. Nowadays, this is actually the more common point of failure than the joint itself. If someone is very active, especially with high impact activities, this post gets "loose" and the movement causes it to eventually cause too much pain to continue, and a revision is needed, with a slightly larger post than the one before. Younger people are typically much more active than older people, so it increases the risk of needing a revision. Start too young, and you may need more revisions in your lifetime than you have bone for. However, it's just something to keep in mind, and discuss with a doc about the specifics. Improvements to the procedures are happening all the time, and the risk is much less than it was 10 years ago when I first had to start looking at the possibility in my mid-30's. I'm not trying to scare anyone out of replacements young ... if you need them, you need them. To me, it's an informed consent kind of thing. If I'd had to get a replacement in my 30's (thank goodness I had another option) I'd have wanted my doc to give me the straight story on what I could do to make the joint last as long as possible, even if that meant changing my activity choices.

The surgery I did have was extensive, with an 18 month rehab. At that point I was having serious issues with normal daily activities, and couldn't exercise much at all even walking because of the pain. If my surgery hadn't been an option, I'd have had a replacement. My other knee has the same damage (congenital condition) and my doc said I would know when things were bad enough to consider surgery on that one. Luckily it isn't there yet. I'll put off surgery as long as I can cope, but the minute the pain starts impacting my quality of life, we'll find a way to fix it.

I know you said you don't want injections, however, I would give serious consideration to Hyalgan (Synvisc). It's not a medication, per se; it's a lubricant. It is usually given in a series of three injections, about 10 days or two weeks apart.

Along the same lines as the gelatin recommendation, I've been hearing great things about Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides. I've heard it works wonders for joint pain.