Arthritis Meds and Vitamin Questions

Omg! He didn't tell you that you were diabtic and had CHF??!?

Get yourself to a new doctor! Stat!

Never say never. I know many post ops who are on arthritis meds post surgery because they have to be. They tweek their diet or intake before taking their meds. Many have chronic pain that can't be dealt with any othe way. For many post ops the fear of liver damage from Tylenol keeps them from taking that. I'd rather have my Advil than Tylenol any day. After surgery your docs can work up a plan for you to give you relief from your painful arthritis and still keep your new pouch intact and healthy. It's been done with posties before. You're not the only one with joint pain and arthritis who had to have wls surgery, but for you it can be managed with the right meds and the right docs working for you. You'll be fine, I know many post op women who were able to go back to meds that help their pain and symptoms like yours. And  vitamins are forever and very important~~!!!!
Jen 10 yrs post op.

I don't know why they aren't giving you liquid Lortab for post-op pain?  That was what I was given
and it worked fine.  It's pretty strong, so I didn't use it more than once or twice, so I'm not sure it
would be a good thing for arthritis pain.

Good luck!

Thanks Lynn.  I have some Lortab left from my knee surgery and have been considering taking one to see if it will help.  I'm not sure what the long term answer is, but for today, it might be a lortab.  Thanks again.  Everyone is so helpful!  And by the way...you look AWESOME!!

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery says to start your muiltivitamin and iron as soon as you come home from the hospital.  They say you can wait up to one month to start your calcium citrate and up to three months to start your B12 (which sounds like a scary long time to me), if you want.  Not that you have to wait, but you can. 

I don't know what to tell you about the arthritis.  Did the nurse you talked to not understand the part about you can't take NSAIDS?  Honestly, you may have a hard time without being able to take them.

Hi,
I took Diclofenac for the last 12 years prior to surgery. I stopped taking mine 3 weeks prior to surgery. I am now 3 mo's out and know the pain you have. I have psoriatic arthritis in almost all my joints and back too. I had a couple of people warn me prior to surgery and almost changed my mind. My RA specialist said I would be able to take Celebrex occasionally when needed. As of now I have only taken tylenol. My back and a few of my fingers are where the pain is the worst. I have to say I don't regret the surgery but pain is not easy when all I had to do was take a pill 2x a day and I was feeling ok. Work with your doctor on pain management if they are willing to. Also, I started my vitamins 1 week after surgery. Good luck to you.

My surgeons stand point on NSAID's is take what is medically nessecary if you can tolerate them. Right away, it may not be wise to take them. I think I have an ulcer right now from taking NSAID's at times (or it could just be acid reflux issues), but I still NEED them or I will be in horrible pain. So I take them when I can tolerate them and always with food/milk. 

Ask you surgeon more about this. 

 Not sure if this is an option for anyone,  and I know nothing about it, but as I was reading this post I saw a commercial for a new (?) arthritis drug that is not an NSAID....I just glanced at the site and saw this:

ENBREL is a prescription medicine that can be self-injected. It is used to treat five long-term inflammatory diseases: moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA), moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, moderate to severe juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA), and ankylosing spondylitis (AS).
http://www.enbrel.com/what-is-ENBREL.jspx?WT.mc_id=paidsearc h_Google_enbrel&WT.srch=1

 

 

As already mentioned, you will not be able to take Advil after surgery because it is also an NSAID  (your PCP and his nurse need to be educated about NSAID use and RNY.) and the problem is not just stomach and pouch irritation (and therefore it doesn't make ANY difference if you take an NSAID with food or milk as opposed to jus****er), it is that NSAIDs in your bloodstream cause the lining of the stomach/pouch to thin whihc can result in ulcers.  This is partricularly a problem if you get an ulver in the remnant stomach because it is "blind" after RNY.

I am stalling on a knbee replacement surgery for one knee and have moderate arthritis in the other knee.  I take Tramadol four times a day every single day and take Vicodin when the Tramadol is not enough.  I get cortisone injections in both knees every 4 months and get Synvisc injections every 6 months.  I have a double whammy in terms of not taking NSAIDS because I also take blood thinner and anti-inflammatories seriously mess with the levels of that.

Lora

You may be suprised after losing some weight that the pain is not as bad as it was at your heaviest. Carrying excess weight is terrible on the joints - especially the knees. I know about that first hand. I have taken Advil or other Nsaids since my RNY surgery recommended by my surgeon. He does have a few rules however that I never break when I need pain and inflammation relief. Always on a full stomach - after a meal or with yogurt, crackers, something in our pouches when we take it, Only for short periods of time - after an athletic injury, dental work surgery, etc. If we had ulcers or were considered pre-ulcerative before surgery then advil or other meds like it are a no no. The liquid forms and the liquid gels capsules are pretty much allowed by most bariatric surgeons now. Many post ops have chronic pain or inflammation issues and they need the properties an Nsaid gives them. We can take them cautiously if we have a chronic condition that requires them. You may find something else after surgery that works for you. Less weight will mean less pain so you may be able to get away with over the counter meds for pain management/inflammation control. See how you  do later, according to my doc there are many post ops who HAVE to take something like you for arthritis and can't have a good quality of life without it. Work with your doc and your rhumatologist and see if you can't work out a medicine plan that helps your pain and doesn't do any damage to your new pouch. I know losing weight helped my joint pain considerably, but I still need the ther benefits an nsaid
gives and it works for me. I've been taking them for 10 yrs  now and I don't have a damaged pouch, acid reflux, ulcers or any other problems. Many of us don't. Go by your docs recommendations and you'll find something that works for you. To blindly say NO Nsaids after surgery doesn't always take into account those with chronic pain issues.
Jen 10 ys post op-RNY