new to this group
VyannM
Posts: 8 Member
Hi my name is Vyann. I am 45, currently weighing in at 330lbs and I am only 5 feet. I suffer from crippling arthritis in my knees. Cronic pain sucks. I have been given the ok for knee replacement on both knees but of course, they want me to lose weight first. Not so easy. I am also at least 1/2way through the pre- program for gastric bypass surgery. Hoping it will be the help I need to lose, then get my knees fixed and then be able to keep it off. I'm struggling to get to that point though.
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Of course, follow the advice of your physician but you may find that your knee pain is considerably diminished as you lose weight.
I was taking anti-inflammatories daily for years. Now that I've lost 125 pounds, I've only taken OTC painkillers a handful of times...and that was for headaches not joint pain!
Work the bypass program and increase your activity as tolerated.0 -
Welcome - this is a good group. Losing weight will undoubtably help with your knees. Mine weren't as bad as yours, but I had chronic knee and back pain. After losing 159 pounds, (RNYGB Niv 2014) I am essentially pain free. I'l need knee replacement some days, but that day is way out in the future now.0
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Look into water exercises, or work with your pre-op team to discuss other low or no impact exercises you can do for the time being. Just focus on moving more - every little bit helps. "Sit and be Fit"
There's a good chance that weight loss will ease up some of your knee pain, but it might not remove the need for knee surgery. Look at it this way - you're facing one (GB), maybe 2 (knees) surgeries, taking off a little weight prior to those is going to reduce your risk of complications. Stick with it, you can probably drop a few pounds (or more) during the prep phase for GB surgery, without hard core exercising and just by following the recommended eating plan. 0 -
I feel for you. Worsening arthritis in my hips was the final push to convince me that WLS was my only path forward. Losing the ability to be as active as I wanted to be was a harsh dose of reality. As an "athletic fat guy" I became very adept at convincing myself that my weight wasn't a huge problem. When I lost the ability to walk the golf course, play basketball, etc. it made me look a few years into my future and really not like what I saw there.
Hip replacement may still be in my future, but it is hopefully many years out, as I can now walk pain free, and while there is still pain when I run or play sports, it is so much better than it was 175 pounds ago!
Good luck and let us know how we can support you. Hit the pre-surgery plan hard and do whatever it takes to incorporate post-surgery habits and behaviors into your pre-surgery life and things will go well. Whatever you can lose prior to surgery will make the surgery go better, and reduce the amount you need to lose post surgery.
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Whatever you do, don't go all Avengers with the exercise. My best friend tore an MCL after losing weight surgically. He was hitting the gym 2 times per day, and pushing too hard. Those muscles need time to adapt to the change in demand. Listen to your body, for sure. If it is a true pain, don't over work it, and get it checked out.0
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Whatever you do, don't go all Avengers with the exercise. My best friend tore an MCL after losing weight surgically. He was hitting the gym 2 times per day, and pushing too hard. Those muscles need time to adapt to the change in demand. Listen to your body, for sure. If it is a true pain, don't over work it, and get it checked out.
That's no joke. While I didn't go quite Ironman...I did go from absolutely no exercise to walking about a mile a day and quickly upped it from there. By December I ended up with insertional Achilles tendonitis. I'm still dealing with it, and needing to limit what I want to be doing in the gym, now, three months later. Always take it slowly, no matter how good you feel!
Best of luck!
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Thanks for all your advice and for the warm welcome
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Welcome to the group! There's lots of great advice and even better support to be found here. Good luck with your journey!0
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Welcome!!! I never would have believed others when they told me how much pain would go away with weight loss. I'm down 150lbs now and I feel GREAT!0
