Joint surgery/replacements

Funny you should ask! I am 6 weeks out from having bilateral total knee replacements! I waited 5 years after my surgery - lost 130 pounds - bike a lot and made sure I was in good shape before I approached a surgeon because I wanted to have both knees done at the same time. He agreed I was a good candidate and I have had an excellent result so far. My surgery went really well and my recovery has been smooth. I will be returning to work part time after 8 weeks.

I would say it is well worth doing your bariatric surgery first and starting form a position of strength. I know that my recovery, the ability to get around and participate in physical therapy, has benefited from my weight loss and by making the effort to work on both upper body strength and leg strength. I am not a gym rat - my husband and I ride bikes a lot on weekends and days off and I use hand weights at home.

BTW I am 64 years old and have had serious osteoarthritis for over 10 years.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you have! Good luck!

I am bone on bone in both knees. I am 56. My orthopedic surgeon has been treating me since 1993 - he has seen me gain and lose hundreds of pounds. I am now lighter than I was when I first saw him. We discussed this A LOT!!! In fact, he was part of the process of my deciding to have VSG.

I was so bad that walking around an amusement park for a day with my family would be a 3 Vicodin day.

So, now I've lost about 110 pounds from my highest recorded weight, but looking at some pictures, I'm pretty sure I've lost about 150 pounds. I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without pain before surgery.

I don't use narcotics any more. I fence (as in en garde) 5 hours a week and compete in tournaments on a national level. I'm in the gym 3 other days a week and now can deadlift more than I weigh. (Personal record is 185 - I'm about 165 right now). I use meloxicam (a Cox II inhibitor like Celebrex) for my pain control on a daily basis. Every 3-4 months, I get a cortisone shot in my knees. Once a year I do viscous supplementation (Synvisc).

He didn't want to do the surgery until I got my BMI down below 35. (It was 48 at my high point.) Now, he is of the opinion that I can have the surgery whenever I feel ready - and I don't feel I need it right now.

Every pound you lose feels like 5-7 pounds on your knees.

I don't know how much you weigh or how old you are, but replacements last 15-20 years. Recovery is doable, but difficult if you are obese. The better shape you are in, the easier the surgery and the recovery.

Having WLS before the knees was the best decision I have ever made. (Except for marrying my husband)

Wow, it's incredible that you fence! My daughter fenced in HS and tore her meniscus. You're pretty much describing me: 50something and about 100 lbs overweight. I the had VSG 7.5 years ago and I failed/it failed me after about 4 years in. Short version of long story: many significant losses and depression -> eating and gaining so slowly, then all at once. I've been in therapy for several years and have cleaned up my mind re: food. My surgeon is incredibly supportive and thinks the loop/ds is the next best more. I trust her completely.

Good to hear your story!

Find an ortho who will wait until the WLS. Talk to your bariatric surgeon - she knows someone. In the meantime, move as you are able - get in a pool where your joints won't hurt.

You got this. We've got your back.

I had a BMI of 78 when I had the sleeve, but my highest BMI was well over 100. Basically, my knees are bone-on-bone. I opted for WLS first because obesity drastically reduces the joint life, but it also causes it to have more issues. It's much easier for the adhesive they use to not work and struggle from it.

WLS surprised me because even though I still have a long way to go weight-wise, my mobilty increased basically 100%. Even though my knee is end-stage and utterly destroyed, I still walk and stand so much better, and never take OTC or other pain killers generally. I think you have the right idea, absolutely, and you may find your osteoarthritis is far more manageable too.

I think every extra pound of weight puts something like 5 (? someone correct this if it's wrong) pounds of pressure on our knees...so 100 pounds overweight is 400 extra pounds of pressure.