Rhuemtoide Arthritis after VGS your experience

[y0lis 33]

I was sleeved on 12/19 and suffer from RA. What has your experience been with RA symptoms after going through a bariatric procedure?

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[theantichick 2,204]

I have RA/PsA. I am on Sulfasalazine. I had to stop the meds 3 weeks before surgery and was off for 2 months after surgery. I flared up pretty badly with joint/body aches following the surgery, by day 3 post-op my arthritis hurt worse than the surgical pain. But it had dulled down to just bad chronic ache by a few weeks post-op with pretty bad fatigue. Was hard to tell what was RA fatigue vs. post-op low calorie and low carb fatigue. I started feeling a little better when I went onto soft foods, but the real improvement came when I was able to go to full diet at about 6 weeks, which was also right about the same time I got back on my meds. My inflammatory factors were elevated in the blood draw before I started back on my meds, which was expected, but they weren't nearly as high as might be expected off meds. My rheumy says that the stomach tissue that is removed is responsible for a lot of inflammatory hormones, and of course the fat tissue that is lost also causes a lot of inflammatory process. Now that I'm back on meds the factors are coming back near normal, and we've tabled any discussion of biologics for the forseeable future. We may still have to increase the dose of the sulfasalazine and/or consider plaquenil, but prior to surgery we were planning to move to biologics. My overall joint pain has decreased and my fatigue has decreased. Not completely controlled, but certainly an improvement. And the 70# lost is very likely part of the decreased pain in my knees specifically.

[y0lis 33]

Thank you for sharing! I have been symptom free so far knock on wood I have not started back on my methotrexate and hope that with diet and weight loss I can manage my RA a whole lot better.

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[adriant 109]

I have osteoarthritis and had to stop taking nsaids due to a bleed. They have now put me on amitriptyline 20mg every night, it's working like a dream.

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[ppressey24 254]

I suffer from RA, it was so bad that i was doing fusions 1x month. But since my surgery in oct 4th, i havent had to take anything for it. After getting the weight off of the knees, i can do 2 miles walking which b4 surgery, i was on a walker and looking to a total knee replacement on the right knee. Now, i just take turmeric/curcumin. Its a Vitamin, and its for arthritis. Its a miracle worker. This 83yr old man was buying thr root in the store and i asked what it was. He said it was his RA medicine. It comes naturally like a ginger root. He said he takes a bite sometimes or make a tea, but i found the Vitamin and i swear to you, ive gotten so much relief from this verse the fusions that i was doing. Try it

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[doxaholic 252]

I was taking plaquenil and methotrexate and fixing to start humira when i found out i was approved for this surgery. Surgeon stopped me from taking humera took me off the methotrexate a few days before surgery. After surgery he took everything but the plaquenil which does not do much for my hip and knees after about a week i called and asked when i could start with the gloucosamine again for some reason this stuff helps my knees after my first dr visit after surgery i started back on the methotrexate. I think i am going totell my rheumy doc that i want to hold back on humira until i see if weight loss helps me out. Once i started my reg pills again i felt better hard to get in required exercise when your legs dont work. Was stuck doing chair exercises. Now i am moving slowly granted but feeling better.

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[#1parrothead 7]

7 weeks out and haven't been on Orencia since 12 weeks ago at least. I've been feeling great, a little pain in hands but nothing like I was previously experiencing.

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[mollymckim 27]

Great information. I'm 8 days post -op and cleared to start my sulfasalazine again but have been afraid sounds the pills are so big. I think I will just wait till I switch to soft foods to start up again

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[valerieluvs 20]

I have RA also I had to stop taking methotrexate 4 weeks before surgery and can't start taking it until 4 weeks after surgery. I had surgery 1/19/17

And I haven't had any bad pain since surgery thank goodness. I've started to work out a bit more and I do feel more soreness but that just might be from the work out or both. Hopefully I can make it another two weeks without pain because lord knows RN pain is the worse ever!

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