I'm about to commit a crime against my prescription plan ppl!!!!

This is a little long, but worth posting

Most docs tell patients not to take NSAIDS (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) after RNY but they don’t always explain why.

NSAIDS put you at risk for ulcers. They do that to everyone, not just RNY folks.  But ulcers are particularly dangerous to us.  If you get an ulcer in your pouch, even a small one, since your pouch is a lot smaller than a normal stomach, it will cover a much greater percentage of your pouch.  If you get an ulcer in your old stomach, docs can’t even do an endoscopy to see it.  They’d have to do surgery.  Also taking a medication designed to coat the stomach wouldn’t help an ulcer in the old stomach because nothing you take by mouth goes in there.

We really, really don’t want an ulcer.

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.  If it does not get into your blood stream, it will not give you any pain relief or relieve inflammation.  Many docs don’t seem to understand this, though I don’t know why since they have to take pharmacology in medical school.

Many docs that are not bariatric surgeons also don’t know RNY patients should have not NSAIDS so be very vigilant about what other docs try to give you.  I finally started saying I am allergic to NSAIDS.  They seem to listen to that more.

Some surgeons say it’s OK to take NSAIDS on a very limited basis if you really need them as long as you also take Nexium or something like that to help protect your stomach.  Others say it’s never worth the risk.  A few say it’s OK to take them whenever you want, but I think they are nuts.  But what I really think is that we need to weigh the benefits of taking them against the risks.  Is the pain of your bad back or menstrual cramps or whatever worse than the pain of an ulcer would be?  If so, take the NSAID.  But take it with something to protect your tummy.

Now, how likely it is that taking NSAIDS, especially rarely, will cause an ulcer, no one can say.  I know people that took just one dose and got an ulcer.  I know people that took them many times and had no problem.  So it’s just a matter of whether or not you wanna chance it.

http://www.gastricbypasscoaching.com/why-we-cant-take-nsaids/

Perhaps something in the perk family?  Those can be taken orally... just a thought...

Thought I'd add my own two-cents too. I've had a few NSAIDS from time to time. Twice they caused me significant issues (serious GI distress, emergency CT scan, six months of meds). Both times I had the biggest issue was following IV NSAIDS the first time (I was too sick to question what they were pumping into my veins) and the second time was with the Patch. While it is of course something you have to decide for yourself, it would simply be a mistake to believe that the patch was SAFE.

I suffered with sciatica with my last 4 pregnancies.  I couldn't really take pain pills because it wasn't really a constant pain but would happen when I moved or walked.  I had physically therapy, chiropractor, a special belt to hold my stomach and nothing helped so I decided to try acupuncture.  In every case it totally cured it, the last time I had it as the needle was put in I could feel a shock like sensation and walked out of there and have had it since.  You may want to give acupuncture a try and see if it helps.

I have severe sciatic pain along with osteoarthritis, and constant pain from a 12 year old auto accident that crushed my right leg and all my ribs on one side.  It has been a long rode to find a pain medicine. I am 7 years out from RNY.  I am currently seeing a pain doc who has me on tramadol.  I don't like taking them but I hate the pain worse.  It works.  Maybe that would be an option?

Just to add my two cents.  I have sever spine problems from the very top to the very bottom.  I used to have bouts of sciatica  and feel our pain!  I even take some heavy duty narcotics due to some other health issues, but about the sciatica....

Get an inversion table!!!!!  It will stretch out your spine and no more sciatica.  Of course, it will come and go, and that is when you will use your table.  No money right now?  Go where they sell them and try one out.  One good session will get you out of pain until you can get one for yourself.  Has you are hanging, be sure to wiggle around a little to make sure that you get rid of all of the nerve impingement.

This literally saved my life!

I had a severe case of sciatica for over a year, ten years ago.  I gained 70 lbs due to spending all my time in bed or in a recliner.  Vicodin didn't touch it, nor did a chiropractor, he just scared me to death but he did say something abou****er aerobics.  Then I met someone who went through water therapy and it healed in a matter of weeks or a few months.  My insurance didn't cover it so I joined an water aerobics class and slowly but surely it got better.  Extra strength Tylenol worked better than anything but I don't know if it is a NSAID or not.  

Thank you for all the advice.  I contacted my surgeon's office and they gave me a few options of meds I can take.  Mobic, Celebrex and Ultram. I will be in contact with my pcp next week with these.  I think I may go to a chiro too and maybe if that doesn't work, try the acupuncture. 

I believe that Celebrex is an NSAID.  You really should try the inversion table and I should proofread my posts!  My chiro has an inversion table and that is how I got interested in them a long time ago.  It will help you a lot more than more pain pills.  I have other issues so have a variety of pain pills (I can have whatever I want, including a pump) and occasionally have to use dilaudid to stop the pain but for sciatica, disc issues and spinal bone spurs that cause nerve impingement, the table is the way to go.  I did have some spinal surgery many years ago and my surgeon told me not to have any more surgeries or I would end up in a wheelchair.  I have a SIL who has basically the same thing and she went the surgery route, one after another and she is still in pain.  She now has celiac disease and I personally think that it was brought on by too many surgeries.

Acupuncture and reflexology also help, but unless you are able to do your own reflexology, you still have to go somewhere to be seen, where the table is always there.  I will now step down off my soapbox.

Good luck to you.

celebrex is a NSAID just googled celebrex and the home pages said NSAID.  ultram can help but you have to take on schedule

T