Inflammation in the joints 9 mos post op

[cutiepie34 3]

Hi everyone. I am 9 months post sleeve and down 120lbs. As of 3 months ago I started having inflammation, redness, bruising, and swelling in my hands and feet. The symptoms are similar to rheumatoid arthritis but I have been tested for it and it's come back negative. They also tested for lupus, gout, and more. So far everything negative. I was wondering if anyone else has been experiencing this or if they experienced this at any time post op. So far the doctors havent been able to give me any answers. Anybody else out there going through this?

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[catwoman7 10,883]

no - but I'd be a little surprised if it's related to your sleeve. Keep us posted! I'm curious..

[AZhiker 2,251]

No, all my inflammation is gone since surgery. Sounds like you have some sort of autoimmune issue. Did they test your CRP?

[cutiepie34 3]

No, all my inflammation is gone since surgery. Sounds like you have some sort of autoimmune issue. Did they test your CRP?

Yes they did it's super high, do you know what that means other than inflammation in the body?

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[LaLaDee 519]

About 2 months after my surgery, I went through hell with some autoimmune diseases (sarcoid, psoriasis, arthritis, eye issues). The surgery triggered massive flare ups for me even after I had been fine for years. I think my whole body was in shock and it reacted. I'm not aware of anyone else dealing with this, so I thought I would share my story.

[AZhiker 2,251]

10 hours ago, cutiepie34 said:

Yes they did it's super high, do you know what that means other than inflammation in the body?

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There is a lot of info online about CRP - look at the medical sites like mayo Clinic and webmd. High CRP can have cardiac implications. I'm glad they are testing you for different autoimmune disorders. I was tested for everything under the sun and nothing came back positive, so the rheumatologist just wrote me off. When I stopped gluten, I was a different person in just 3 days. It was amazing, I went from needing a walker just to get around, to walking 2 miles - within 2 weeks! That was about 5 years ago. When I stopped all sugar a year ago (pre surgery), the inflammation dropped even more. Absolutely no NSAIDS needed and I was using Aleve twice a day, every day. Now that I am doing a whole foods plant based (WFPB) diet, I feel even better. I will have more inflammatory markers drawn in February and I expect them to be normal now.

This is just my own story - not saying it has to be the same for anyone else, But dietary changes transformed my life as far as inflammation goes.

[JessLess 1,163]

This is definitely NOT a medical recommendation. I take Cyclobenzaprine for my degenerative disk disease and a friend just recommended Tart Cherry supplements for inflammation. I've heard Cyclobenzaprine is not great for bariatric patients so I'm checking with my surgeon about that. I'll let you know how the Tart Cherry works and if I notice any improvement.

Cherry juice is supposed to work as well, but has a lot of empty calories.

Edited January 12, 2020 by JessLess

[Sosewsue61 3,185]

Eliminate all dairy and see if you have improvement. Also all sugar and artificial sweeteners. No grain, including oats, corn, wheat, rice, barley, rye, etc. Good luck.

[S@ssen@ch 745]

I second @Sosewsue61's suggestion. Try an elimination diet. Eliminate foods that have a high inflammatory response and slowly re-introduce them to your diet to see if this increased inflammation is maybe related to your diet.

For general inflammation, I take a Tumeric supplement. I don't take it ALL the time. I go through periods where feel like I need it.

Best of luck solving this mystery.

[AZhiker 2,251]

1 hour ago, Sosewsue61 said:

Eliminate all dairy and see if you have improvement. Also all sugar and artificial sweeteners. No grain, including oats, corn, wheat, rice, barley, rye, etc. Good luck.

Wheat, barley, and rye are the gluten grains. I totally agree with eliminating them, along with sugar and dairy to see how you feel. Made a whole of difference for me. My inflammatory markers went way down.