Some Damage Can't Be Undone

I wish I could have had WLS years ago, instead of when I was 63.  I did so much damage to my body.  Yes, my blood pressure is down, and my Neuropathy has improved slightly, my mobility has improved somewhat.  But my back and joint pain lives on.  I cannot stand, sit or lie in bed for any period of time.  I cannot walk without a cane.  My knee gives way regularly.  My hip has tendon damage and may require surgery, and my shoulder is acting up and if it gets any worse I'll have to have an MRI to see if my rotator cuff is torn.

I know as we get older arthritis can develop, etc. .... but if I had lost weight sooner, my problems would not be as bad as they are.

Wish I could spread the word to younger people --- get WLS as soon as possible!!

Mary, I'm so sorry. 

I wish I had words of comfort better than those. Hugs.

Well, at least some things are better.  I just wish the friggin doctors would give me effective pain medications.  Before I had the surgery, I had a PCP who understood the pain and prescribed narcotic medications.  Unfortunately, she left the practice and the three PCPs and Ortho I've seen since then won't prescribe anything that helps.  I get pissed...I'm 65, with objective findings on x-rays and MRIs.  I'm not some 20 year old complaining of pain and nothing showing on tests.

   

Prescribing narcotics is not against the law.

Oh Mary, I'm so sorry, it sucks when you can't get the relief you need. You're so right about getting wls earlier rather than later, some damage really can't be undone.

For me I'm glad I did wait only because back when I was looking at wls I was thinking of the lap band, which was pretty popular at the time. I'm convinced now that I would've exchanged 1 set of problems for some new ones.

It seems like a damned if you do or damned if you don't kind of situation, unfortunately.

It's not against the law, but most doctors have moved away from Narcotics because the government sends in "patients" to see if they are over prescribing. You'll have a really hard time finding a doctor that will prescribe you narcotics. They are not really the recommended treatment for chronic pain (only acute pain) any more.

I would recommend finding a good PM&R doctor in your area. There are other ways to treat pain- nerve blocks, radio frequency, PT, botox (off label use), etc

Scott

I've had injections, p/t, tens units, etc.  Yes, it's chronic pain, but it's severe pain.  It brings me to tears sometimes. 

Have you gotten a referral to a pain management doctor? 

Have you tried gabapentin? It's used to turn off the "pain" receptors in your brain.

Scott

I love the cool things you know Scott! I'm running to go look gabapentin up ! 

What passes for pain management in this country is a disgrace.  I've been very fortunate in this area but things got a little hairy for a few months back in 2015 when my PCP of fifteen years retired due to cancer.

He took the time to get me into a pain clinic.   I don't care for the clinic or the PA really who manages my stuff but I am fortunate in that I have had sufficient relief.  I take less than half of what my retired PCP used to prescribe but the last two reductions have been at my own request and I cannot complain.

It makes my heart hurt to hear you are going without sufficient treatment.  It's easy for those who do not have chronic pain to say that narcotics are not the preferred treatment.    I hope those folks never have to try and find long-term pain relief without using narcotics.  Or NSAIDS. 99% of us have tried patches, physical therapy, injections and even surgery. We are now in a situation where there really is not a better treatment and suffering should not be considered a viable alternative.

I'm so sorry you're dealing with this Mary.