Life sucks.... How are you?

I wish after the last couple months I could come on here and say I am thrilled to tell you I have lost weight again......  sadly I can not.  I was taking cymbalta and gained 25 pounds.  So my weight is back up to 245 sniff sniff,  I was only down to 230 after having my surgery (started 277) do you know how sick I am about it all?  Then last month I was doing some stuff and my bad knee gave out,  I fell hard on the ground.  Tearing my PCL and such.  They do not do surgery to repair it.  Darn it.  I am being referred to a surgeon to talk to him about a total knee replacement.  After 11 years of pain I think it deserves to be talked about!  The 31st I go and pick up a new knee brace.  Hopefully I can get to a functioning ability and exercise once again.  I just want to be healthy and look nice.  Not skinny but healthy!!!!   I have all the luck huh??  Casey

Casey.  Have you asked the doctor to possibly change your meds? I know there are drugs out there like Cymbalta that have little to no weight gain.  I hope that you get things right with your knee . Exercise is so important as we all know .  I am sure things will work out and you wil be back on your way to loosing again .  Best wishes to you ,  Nat

Hey Casey.  It sounds like you are really having a tough time.  Have you spoken with your surgeon or nutritionist to see if there is anything else that you can do.  I understand that the medication is part of the factor however I would be very concerned that after having RNY, you only got down 47 lbs.  That just doesn't seem right.  Have you been checked to make sure there wasn't an error in your revision. Keep fighting for your health Casey.  You can get there.  Your pouch is your tool.  Go back to the basics & do what you can to exercise, you can still lose the weight.  We are here for you.

Good pm Casey, Healthy is certainly the best choice! I would consider talking with your doc about the side effect of weight gain with the Cymbalta. Meds effect everyone differently. Your doctor is the best person to give you advice on that. Sorry to hear about the knee. Hopefully you can get a plan in place for replacement and get back on your feet so to speak. Keep in mind that you can continue to exercise the rest of you! Prayers coming your way for sure! All best!

Hi, Casey:  You certainly have had a lot to deal with!  I hope you are able to speak with your docs/surgeons and get everything taken care of to your satisfaction.  I agree with your comment about being healthy -- ultimately, that is the best outcome from this surgery and a great goal!  Hang in there!  :)

Hi Casey - sounds like if it wasn't for bad luck you would not be having any luck at all!!!  lol1 All joking aside I hope you can get back on track soon and exercise is a key part of that but if you can't exercise you need to pay attention to your food intake more........ I know this firsthand as I have not been able to do much exercising recently because of my plastic surgeries and I have found I need to watch what I am eating much more closely and cut down on any snacks etc..... I am so dying to exercise it is not funny - I miss my snacks lolol!! I hope things turn around for you....... Jackie

You mentioned you were taking Cymbalta...have you stopped taking that medication or changed to another one?  The reason for my concern is that Cymbalta is not an antidepressant that significantly increases weight gain.  I was pretty sure of that, but before I came out and said that I verified from the prescribing information that during the trials only a 1.1kg increase was found (under 2.5lbs) SO that makes me think there is another reason for your weight gain during that time? BUT with that said, PLEASE make sure that you are seeking your medication management from a psychiatrist.  No family doctors, no obgyn's and no urgent care places.  You owe it to yourself to get the best treatment and only a psychiatrist will know best about psychiatric drugs.  AND take it from me, some psychiatrists are better than others - so if you are not happy or question your care under your current doctor seek another opinion!! A large part of the reason why I'm here is that I experienced a 120lb weight gain in less than a year under the care of a psychiatrist who prescribed a drug that had a KNOWN 18% of BODY WEIGHT (!!!!!!) gain in trials.  (of course I did not know it then...)  It was an unfortunate mistake of mine in trusting a licensed provider.  I trusted this person who told me that my disorder was best medicated with only this drug and that the gain outweighed the side-effect of gaining weight.  Ironically this ******* unethically discussed my treatment with a family member by being the one to acutally suggest WLS in the first place.  YES, that's right, the f'er helped get me fatter and then told me to get surgery!!!!!  SO PLEASE PLEASE get another opinion.  Also, not to be age descriminatory, but a younger physician will probably know more about the latest medications available and not be stuck on prescribing the "tried and true" ones they've been prescribing for 20+ years.  There are some very effective drugs out there and even with a new prescription in hand, double check one more time before you fill it by talking to your pharmacist!  I ALWAYS go over my medical history and current medications prior to filling a prescription.  And I ALWAYS arm myself with the knowledge gained from reading the US required prescribing information.  It is listed on every drug's website.  Although some people think my checking things to this level of detail is anal, I just don't take chances ANYMORE!!  Neither should you! Can you tell I feel strongly on this subject??!?!?  :) Also, I agree with Courtney, your weightloss prior to any medication related issues (or otherwise) is on the low end.  You should schedule a followup visit with your WLS surgeons office and their nutritionist to scrutinize your eating habits, frequency of meals, exercise habits and any issues that are getting in the way of you getting to your ultimate goal of being a healthier weight. I wish you the best with your pending knee replacement.  I know how hard it must be to not feel as mobile as you want to be. Good luck reaching your goals.

I completely agree with Lauren about who should be medicating.  I am a FIRM believer that a family doctor should not treat everything.  A cold or the flu, sinuses or other things, maybe but there are a reason why there are specialists.  I just finished recently fussing at my mom about letting an ER doctor treat her for a heart problem after 8 yrs ago having a double bypasss.  If you are needing a psychiatric drug change please treat yourself to see a specialist.  You owe it to yourself. Good luck hun! Hugs, Theresa

Lots of good advice here.... I just wanted to chime in to be sure you know that I am pulling for you to figure it all out!  Having been through the anti-depressant medication wars myself, I know how tough switching medications can be on you physically and mentally :)  And yes, I can only imagine how sick you are about it all.  I have faith that you are going to be healthy - you already look nice!  Don't give up - you will find the right medications for you, figure out why you didn't lose as much weight as you hoped and a plan to get it off, and be able to exercise again!  (I know this because you obviously are very patient, determined, and organized to be managing 4 kids with a husband overseas and to still want another one.....) Best of luck -you're in my prayers Sarah

Thanks everyone!  I did switch off cymbalta and have not gained anymore weight.  Just the inital 25 in the 4 to 6 months I was on it.  I was taking it for fibromyalgia pain.  I also think I did not lose enough weight after my revision.  Since we just moved here to Langley I have to have them resubmit my referral as I never heard from the office after my 1st one!  I even called and left messages.