Life after RNY - Pain Meds

That's what I've always heard. My mom, though, had both knees replaced at the same time, and she said it hurt less after surgery than it did prior to surgery, and she wouldn't take anything stronger than a Tylenol.  Granted, she did wait too long to get hers replaced, I think.  She wound up causing a lot of permanent muscle atrophy that even now (10+ years later) limits her physical ability because she was so stubborn about getting them replaced.

No way would I want to do both at once. I will need my right knee replaced eventually. As my surgeon said, it feels and sounds crunchy. LOL

I had my left knee replaced a few months ago. I'm glad I did it but it has been a lot more challenging than I thought it would. My surgeon said exactly what yours did about it being "crunchy." :)

Most of the "Pain" is usually associated with the inflammation of tissue.  After RNY my biggest problem was not being able to use NSAID's for the pain as they were the best alternative for my back and knee problems.  After surgery I stopped using NSAID and have had to use all types of narcotics on and off.  The problem comes that they don't fix the problem, they only mask the pain.  A couple of weeks ago I was able to get a doctor that had probably saved me from "popping" narcotics for the rest of my life.  I went in with a very bad back pain (My usual swollen disk after sports injury) and he gave me an Rx for injectable NSAID and injectable muscle relaxant. (Toradol & Norflex)  Two doses ( 1 per day) and it was magic!!!

Spoke with my RNY surgeon before administering the injections and he agrees that the "cost vs benefit" of using the Toradol & Norflex injections for a couple of days is a lot better than having to use the narcotics.  It also goes to the root of the problem (inflammation) rather than the symptom and lowers the risk of stomach ulcers compared to the NSAID pills.

Best of luck,