Arthritis Meds and Vitamin Questions

Most surgeons dont' allow liquids or gelcaps.  An NSAIDS is an NSAID - doesn't matter how it is given.  We have had several post ops get severe marginal bleeding ulcers from IV toradol and the NSAID gel that you rub on your skin.  Either way, it gets into your blood stream and thins the lining of your stomach.  Doesn't matter if it is a pill, liquid, gelcap or IV.  It still causes ulcers.

I have chronic pain with severe arthritis and would never touch an NSIAD. I take narcotics to control my pain.

You may want to look into the sleeve or DS instead of RNY.  NSAIDS are not forbidden for them.

Vitamins,  I started after 1 week post op.

Thank you ALL for your comments and advice.  I will definitely get with my surgeon and discuss this.  You have all been most helpful.  Thanks again and God bless!

You need a new PCP - how could you not know you have diabetes and heart failure?  Get out of there ASAP.  Does he have you on any diabetes medications?  water pills or anything for our heart?  you need to see a cardiologist.  your diabetes should go away after your surgery. 

You will need to get narcotic pain meds post op - liquid vicoden or percocet for after surgery and then after that, you can take either ultracet, vicoden or percocet depending on how bad your pain is but no NSAIDS ever.

You can get steroid injections and synvisc - they help with arthritis in the knee joint.  check with an orthopedist or rheumotologist.

My bariatric doctor said I can take Tramadol. I have not yet because I have just been just dealing with the pain. My arthritis is mainly in my hands now. Tramadol is not a narcotic, but it does make me feel funny if I skip a dose (before surgury I took it with advil daily). So for me, my body develops a dependancy on it...I heard everyone does not react the same way though.

Can we use an nsaid pain patch??? The medication won't go through the stomach!

NSAIDS can cause ulcers because they cause the lining of the stomach (the old stomach and the pouch) to thin out.  This does NOT happen when the medication enters the pouch or touches the pouch.  It happens when the medicine enters your blood stream.  That’s why you can get ulcers in your old stomach.  NSAIDS taken by mouth don’t touch the old stomach but can still cause ulcers there.

Any way you take an NSAID – pill, liquid, shot, IV, patch, gel – it gets into your blood stream. 

My orthopeadic doc suggested the injections, but at the time, I had not made the connection with no NSAIDs after surgery, so I opted to postpone the injections as long as my pain was controlled with the meds.  I guess that's what I will have to do now.  I did take a percocet yesterday and it helped tremendously.  As far as my PCP not telling me about the diabetes and CHF - this is how it played out.  I had pneumonia for months and I was feeling terrible. (I was on medication for it).   I had been taking care of my mom for about 7 months and she had just recently passed away.  I had not had time to take care of myself properly because I had been busy taking care of her.  So, I went to him and told him I was still feeling bad after the pneumonia and I HAD to get some weight off.  I told him I wanted to start my 6 month weight loss program to plan for WLS.  I asked him to also check my sugar because I had checked it at  home and it had been running a little high.  (Family history of diabetes - my grandfather, my dad, and both my sons - so I knew it was only a matter of time for me, especially since at that time, I weight 319 pounds).  He did an A1C test and a few days later, I called for the results.  The nurse told me it was 6.8...I think...I cant remember for sure...and I had no idea what that meant, but she said it was a little high, but was ok.  So, I assumed everything was fine.  The dr also prescribed lasix because I had swelling in my legs.  He said it was weight related.  A week or two later, I got a call out of the blue from his nurse telling me that my A1C was normal, which I thought was strange since it had been that long AND I had already called and gotten the results.  SO, when I got my medical records to take to my surgeon, I saw the diabetes and CHF on the chart and was dumbfounded.  I still had to make another visit to him for a weigh in, so I asked him about it.  He looked thru my records and said, "oh, the CHF is weight related, it will go away after you lose weight" (which I had never heard of) "and if you have WLS, the diabetes will be cured.  BUT, if you dont get the surgery in the next month, we will need to start you on medication".  So...thats how all of that played out.  In all fairness, he knew I had been on a low-carb diet for 6 months and thankfully that helped with the sugar levels.  HOWEVER, had I not been, who knows???  I really like him, but was very disappointed at the things I found in my records that he had not informed me about. 

Anyway, thank you all again for your advice and concern.  Y'all are awesome!!