a friend

a friend of mine is thinking about WLS but is physically dependent on tramadol for severe ankle pain and knee pain. She has tried to kick these on her own but she gets so sick and has to return to them after a half a day, can she go ahead and get this surgery done even though she is so dependent on these pills? she hardly even gets pain relief from them, she takes 3 - 50mg. capsules of tramadol every 5 hours so she won't get sick, she takes care of an ailing family member that doesn't know of her problem, in fact her Husband and I are the only ones that do know, she cannot leave for treatment but is so tired of living life this way and weighing 280 lbs. any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks....

Once she loses the weight, perhaps her ankle and knee pain will subside. I have only lost 25 pounds since my surgery on June 17, and I can feel the difference in my joints already. I don't know anything bout Tramadol, but I would suspect from what you say that it is some sort of narcotic? She needs to see a doc ASAP! I don't know if they would allow her to have the surgery until she kicked the habit, but it sounds like she is on the right path by wanting to make a commitment to be healthy, and seeing a doc is the first step in the right direction. Good luck to her.