In my surgeon consult yesterday he told me that once I have surgery, I must avoid NSAIDS at any and all costs because the potential to cause ulcers. Pardon the pun, but this was a tough pill to swallow LOL What in the world do you do when you have a headache or period cramps? Tylenol has always been 100% ineffective for me especially with period cramps. Headaches are rare for me, but cramps...those are a definite once a month occurrence and they show no mercy except when I toss back about 4 Advil

On 12/06/2018 at 09:48, CurvyMom said:

If you are post-baby making days, you could consider ablation....I had it done three years ago along with a tubal. I was getting pretty heavy periods as I got older and went back on BC and 9 months later got a DVT, so i was never allowed to take any type of BC again..not even a copper IUD (which my GP said causes heavier bleeding in many people.). Long story short.....I no longer get a period and no longer have any cramps. I am past the point of wanting more children which is why i chose that. If you want children, you can't do that though.

Ablation saved me!! Wish I hadn’t waited so long to have it done. Now, just light flow for 2-3 days.

Mine regrew. Current Dr won't repeat it. Calling old Dr in Florida for 2nd opinion

Ablation saved me!! Wish I hadn’t waited so long to have it done. Now, just light flow for 2-3 days.

Ablation is A-Mazing! I had it done over 5 years ago and it was the best decision ever. I no longer have any monthly.

I cannot speak to period cramps due to never experiencing one. However, I can speak to general need for NSAIDs. Prior to surgery I used naproxen all of the time for hip and knee arthritis which was always inflamed and sore: a gift from a college football career that keeps giving and the fact I had ballooned up over 400lbs kept me in constant agony with those conditions.

My back always hurt. I though, how will I ever survive without naproxen? But quickly after surgery all of my inflammation went poof - bye bye. I still have arthritis, there is no putting that genie back in the bottle. However, now that my weight is back to a normal range for my size and build, it rarely acts up or hurts. It only gives me issues if I pack heavy items (which puts added weight on the joints) or if I move the joints into awkward positions. But just walking and getting up and down no longer causes me any discomfort.

So I think you will find you no longer need anti-inflammatories after surgery.

NO NO NO! Aspirin or NSAIDS!!! I thought I could getaway with them if I only took them occasionally, I developed an ulcer almost immediately resulting in a 72 hour hospital visit as well as a blood infusion. Remember you no longer have a normal stomach or intestinal tract. Your “pouch” is about the size of one of those little oranges you see in bags. If you damage it there are serious consequences and could result more serious surgeries. I have Hereditary heart issues and could really benefit from an Aspirin. I also have osteoporosis and arthritis both would respond well to NSAIDS but I cannot and will not take that chance again. Also, while Tylenol is acceptable for GBS patients it does little or nothing for pain It is best used to treat a fever. Have a serious discussion with your surgeon and ask for alternatives and referrals if necessary.
BTW, My pouch is now a teenager and I am now 68. Over the years I’ve had many health issues unrelated to my GBS and have found many of my physicians have to be regularly reminded that I have a RNY most did not know me prior to the weight loss. They often have to rethink their approach to my treatment vs the non RNY patient. You should also consult your gynecologist make her/him aware of your surgery and together seek alternatives for treating your minstrel cramps.
As for me Was it worth it? Absolutely!
Would I do it again? Unequivocally absolutely YES!
My cardiologist tells me had I not had the surgery or lost the150 pounds I would not be alive today. Prior to my surgery I had was diagnosed as having a silent heart attack a required a cardiac stint before surgery setting me back 6 months. Since my surgery I have acquired 8 more stints as well as a triple cardiac bypass and a carotid scraping. Non related to my GBS but all successful because of it .

Good luck

I donated my kidney 5 years ago to my brother so I haven’t been able to take NSAIDS since that time so hearing once I got sleeved I couldn’t taken them either believe it or not there are some alternatives. I suffer from chronic migraines as well so I have had to change my meds because of only having one kidney. I have been prescribed Fiorcet for headaches or any minor thing. You can also take Vicodin. Discuss with your Family Doctor mine is amazing at finding the right pill and making sure it’s safe for my one kidney.

Is your brother doing okay now? Its wonderful you could do THAT for him, and I wish there had been someone for the Late Lamented, but I never knew until after his death that he had not escaped the hereditary kidney problems of his family. And then it was a little "too late to do the right thing now". Once you are DEAD you're not granted a "do-over"

Yes he is doing great so far! He also has a hereditary kidney disease so we’re hoping he gets 15 to 20 years out of mine because he is only 38 and has 5 boys! It’s really crazy to see how many people will not become a living organ donor. The only thing it has changed for me is not being able to take certain medications. Sorry to hear about your loss it really does suck because your right when your dead your dead.

6 hours ago, Crosspatch said:

NO NO NO! Aspirin or NSAIDS!!! I thought I could getaway with them if I only took them occasionally, I developed an ulcer almost immediately resulting in a 72 hour hospital visit as well as a blood infusion. Remember you no longer have a normal stomach or intestinal tract. Your “pouch” is about the size of one of those little oranges you see in bags. If you damage it there are serious consequences and could result more serious surgeries. I have Hereditary heart issues and could really benefit from an Aspirin. I also have osteoporosis and arthritis both would respond well to NSAIDS but I cannot and will not take that chance again. Also, while Tylenol is acceptable for GBS patients it does little or nothing for pain It is best used to treat a fever. Have a serious discussion with your surgeon and ask for alternatives and referrals if necessary.
BTW, My pouch is now a teenager and I am now 68. Over the years I’ve had many health issues unrelated to my GBS and have found many of my physicians have to be regularly reminded that I have a RNY most did not know me prior to the weight loss. They often have to rethink their approach to my treatment vs the non RNY patient. You should also consult your gynecologist make her/him aware of your surgery and together seek alternatives for treating your minstrel cramps.
As for me Was it worth it? Absolutely!
Would I do it again? Unequivocally absolutely YES!
My cardiologist tells me had I not had the surgery or lost the150 pounds I would not be alive today. Prior to my surgery I had was diagnosed as having a silent heart attack a required a cardiac stint before surgery setting me back 6 months. Since my surgery I have acquired 8 more stints as well as a triple cardiac bypass and a carotid scraping. Non related to my GBS but all successful because of it .

Good luck

This is helpful information. I have a heel spur that hurts like hell but I have refrained from taking NSAIDS because my surgery is in a few weeks. I definitely need to find an alternative though. I was actually thinking if the pain got bad enough I might cheat a little but Im getting the picture that ulcers are no joke. I certainly dont want that.

I have them and , baby it isn't a giggle factory. I have right subcostal pain, same area you would feel gall bladder colic pain, but mine is pure ulcerations. Some times I hurt so bad I want to curl my fingers under my ribs and rip them out. I am hoping I hear good news on the 25th from Dr Noria, if not--' I'm in it to win it, we just do it a while longer with the PICC line and the TPN.

Sorry if this has been mentioned, but CBD oil is saving me from devastating arthritic hip pain. Still hurts, but more tolerable!

15 hours ago, PopsFury said:

Sorry if this has been mentioned, but CBD oil is saving me from devastating arthritic hip pain. Still hurts, but more tolerable!

CBD is legal where I live (I mean if you combine with TCH) but I have an impossible time trying to pick something out. How do you choose? strength? brand? Are you ingesting the oil or is it topical?

Edited January 5, 20197 yr by jasmineinmymind

2 hours ago, jasmineinmymind said:

CBD is legal where I live (I mean if you combine with TCH) but I have an impossible time trying to pick something out. How do you choose? strength? brand? Are you ingesting the oil or is it topical?

Topical did nothing for me. I've been ordering from https://www.thecbdistillery.com/?homepage=new which has a good range of products and lots of information on their site about dosing. It's been really helpful as an anti-inflamatory for me.

I've been experimenting with dosing, and put the drops right under my tongue in the morning. It gets me through the bulk of the day, sometimes I'll take some more in the evening. Worth a try!

I was always an Advil gal myself. Always had a bottle in my purse, in my car, and in my desk. To be honest, much of my “headaches” were usually sinus or blood pressure related. If I stay on top of my allergies, I really don’t need any headache medicine... and the surgery brought my blood pressure down to a healthy number- so that trigger is gone.

The few times I’ve had to take something, Tylenol seemed to do the trick for me. It never worked before, but works well enough now.

39 minutes ago, insta_adventurer said:

I was always an Advil gal myself. Always had a bottle in my purse, in my car, and in my desk. To be honest, much of my “headaches” were usually sinus or blood pressure related. If I stay on top of my allergies, I really don’t need any Headache medicine... and the surgery brought my blood pressure down to a healthy number- so that trigger is gone.

The few times I’ve had to take something, Tylenol seemed to do the trick for me. It never worked before, but works well enough now.

Same here! Quitting Advil will be hard, but it’s interesting how I hear so many people say that Tylenol never worked for them pre-op but works great post-op. I wonder why that is. ?