I am a newbie and I love reading our stories. Yes, and your pictures. I take insulin and two other shots. I take high blood pressure meds., and arthritis. I would live to hear from those who have been able to stop those meds. This is the reason I have scheduled surgery July 9. And I am very, very, nervous.

Thanks beautiful people.

They briefly took me off of my blood pressure meds for like two months. But my blood pressure shot right back up and I'm back on them again. They say a sleeved stomach CAN cause your blood pressure to lower, but it doesn't for everyone... my surgery involves a sleeved stomach btw. I never had arthritis issues so I can't help you with that, but I DO have back issues due to a permanent injury to my back and a suspected slipped disc (that I haven't been able to get an MRI of because my insurance requires physical therapy that I can't do because it inflames my permanent injury... -_-") and I've had less issues with the suspected slipped disc with my weight loss, but it hasn't helped with my permanent injury (no surprise though on that front). I never had diabetes, but I've had issues with hypoglycemic 'incidents' since I was a teen. I have to make sure I eat at LEAST six times a day and not skip meals and have a carb minimum of 15 carbs per meal or snack because of the hypoglycemic issues I've had in the past. But, I FEEL better.

And it's perfectly normal to be nervous about your upcoming surgery. I was somewhat nervous about it as well. Not the surgery itself, but how I'd feel when I woke up. Honestly though, compared to another surgery I had this was a walk in the park!

At my heaviest I was 389 pounds. I'm 248 now. At my heaviest I wore a 6xl top and 32 pants and now I wear an xl or a 1xl and a size 18-20 pants (depending on brand). I still have a ways to go, but I'm incredibly happy that I had my surgery and I'm sure you'll feel the same. I wish you the best of luck on your journey!

I too am hoping to get off cholesterol and high blood pressure meds. My yearly physical is in Oct and my surgery was June 11 so expect to discuss it with her then, thinking that will be enough time and weight loss to make that decision.

I have osteoarthritis in one hip and both knees. Of course, the damage that was done is done - but I used to live in excruciating pain, but no more. When I do get pain (and often I have none), it's mild enough that I usually just ignore it. Back before I lost the weight, I took Aleve almost every day and had cortisone shots every three or four months. No more!

I was on Metformin before my surgery. I stopped taking it the night before my surgery and on my three month labs my hemoglobin A1C had shot up, but my PA said wait until the 6 month labs before panicking, and the six month A1C came back normal.

They had me cut my BP medicine to half dose, and it shot back up again, but we are trying again on half dose. So far, so good...

My knees were so bad with osteoarthritis I actually had to get one replaced, and the other was only a few years out. Now neither of them are bothering me!

So good luck...keep us posted on your journey to better health!

Surgery 3/11/20, I went off BP med, Benicar 20mg and stayed off for 2 months did great without it. At 3 months post op, I now take same med except 5mg tab. No blood sugar issues. Osteoarthritis in my back was great for 2 months, but has returned with a vengeance this past month. I WAS taking Cymbalta 20mg for that but quit-may have to go back on it for quality of life. Also took Diclofenac for herniated disc which we’re prohibited from taking after surgery (NSAID).

May I ask what med you take for arthritis?

Thank you all for responding. It us encouraging hearing your stories. I also have fibro so WAS taking 60 mg for that, so added tylenol arthritis extra strength for that. I have weaned myself to 10 mg a day on that. It makes me sweat soooooooo bad. It also helped my nerves though.

I was pre-diabetic with PCOS, and was on metformin. I am off that completely now.

My cholesterol was high, but I had resisted taking medication for it because statins increase incidence of diabetes in women. In a few months I will check my cholesterol and see how it is going.

I had bad joint pain, especially in my hips. That has been improving as I've lost weight. It's not gone, and I doubt it ever will be. But it is very nice that it's better.

Wonderful news!!! Thank you so much!!

Nova Luna, yes. I figure I will have to take my blood pressure constantly to stay on top of it. I have been on blood pressure meds for 34 years,

It's time

Keep me updated please

rjan

I hated metformin. gave me kidney pain.

Hi! I was off my blood pressure meds the week after surgery. Then off my cholesterol pills 1 month later.

I used to be pre-diabetic and had fatty liver. Pre-diabetic no longer by my 1 month follow up, and my fatty liver diagnoses was gone by the 3 month followup (could have been earlier, but this was when they checked).

And as an added bonus, apparently I stopped snoring the first night home from the hospital (so says Mr., at least, lol). Go figure.

It's par for the course to be nervous, but this will likely be the best decision you ever made, if you let it ❤️

Good Luck!

8 hours ago, ms.sss said:

Hi! I was off my blood pressure meds the week after surgery. Then off my cholesterol pills 1 month later.

I used to be pre-diabetic and had fatty liver. Pre-diabetic no longer by my 1 month follow up, and my fatty liver diagnoses was gone by the 3 month followup (could have been earlier, but this was when they checked).

And as an added bonus, apparently I stopped snoring the first night home from the hospital (so says Mr., at least, lol). Go figure.

It's par for the course to be nervous, but this will likely be the best decision you ever made, if you let it ❤️

Good Luck!

Did they do any testing before taking you off the blood pressure meds or the cholesterol med?

9 hours ago, ms.sss said:

Hi! I was off my blood pressure meds the week after surgery. Then off my cholesterol pills 1 month later.

I used to be pre-diabetic and had fatty liver. Pre-diabetic no longer by my 1 month follow up, and my fatty liver diagnoses was gone by the 3 month followup (could have been earlier, but this was when they checked).

And as an added bonus, apparently I stopped snoring the first night home from the hospital (so says Mr., at least, lol). Go figure.

It's par for the course to be nervous, but this will likely be the best decision you ever made, if you let it ❤️

Good Luck!

Oh my goodness, this is good news!!! I took metformin for years, got to where it hurt my kidneys. Now on tresiba daily, trulicity once a week, novolog at every meal. I have a bmi of 31.4, and so long to come off some of these meds!

2 hours ago, It's time. said:

Did they do any testing before taking you off the blood pressure meds or the cholesterol med?

For the cholesterol, I was tested before my 2 week pre-surgery liquid diet, then the day after surgery, then at my 1 week post op, then again at my 1 month followup...thats when I was taken off it. (Was tested further at 3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 1 year. Its worth noting that at 6 months my cholesterol went up again...apparently, i was told, because of the release from all the fat that was coming off. It went back down by my 9 month checkup)

For the high blood pressure again I was tested before and after surgery (I also have a blood pressure machine at home, so I took daily readings). It was remarkably low the day after surgery, and because I was semi-blacking out that first week post op, doc took me off the pills at the 1 week checkup. Been off it ever since. Today (at 1.5+ years post op) my blood pressure regularly hovers in the very low end range of “normal”.

Edited June 25, 20206 yr by ms.sss