Chronic Pain Treatment after RNY

I am a very successful weight loss patient after my RNY in August 2013. Total weight loss to date is 176 pounds. I am told that I can not take Ibuprofen (anti-inflamatories) because of the surgery and due to my liver enzymes I can not take any forms of Tylenol either. I have several diseases requiring me to be on muscle relaxers, pain medications, and sleep aids. I am wondering if there are others out there who can successfully manage their pain without the use of patches or injections? Our bodies absorb medications, just like food, so differently now that it is making pain control almost impossible. Any input, advice, or referral is greatly apreciated. Jenn

This is something you need to discuss with your doctors.

I am seeing my doctor every two weeks trying to find a solution, that is why I was asking if others have had any success. 

There should not be a significant difference in how your body absorbs most medications.  Time release meds are a problem, of course, because they may not get absorbed completely, and there are some medications that are designed to be absorbed in the upper portion of the intestine (which we have bypassed), but most meds are absorbed in the lower intestine which remains unchanged.

Lora

Several diseases is pretty vague.  What diseases and what types of pain are you trying to treat.

The biggest problem is that once you eliminate NSAIDs and Tylenol (which is useless for most everything even for those who can take it), that mostly leaves short courses of oral steroids, steroid injections, or narcotic pain meds.  With the re-scheduling of several of the most common pain meds (e.g., Vicodin and Tramadol), the controls have increased on these medications and many doctors are reluctant to use them for long term chronic pain and may get questioned about using them long term.  

There are also the concerns of tolerance and then addiction to opiates. I took Vicodin almost daily for two years before I had my knees replaced and definitely built up a tolerance, and was becoming concerned about addiction.  Enough so that I finally gave in despite my considerable fear and had my first knee replaced so I could get off the pain meds.

If you have not already done so, getting a referral to a pain management specialist may be your best bet, especially if you are dealing with multiple issues.  There are some studies that have shown that in certain cir****tances opiates can actually increase pain sensitivity (which makes no sense to me, but the study was reported in a reputable, peer-reviewed medical journal!).  They really do have much more knowledge of alternatives to just opiates and addictive muscle relaxers that are at least worth considering for long term care.

Lora