Hi Michelle.. I have had lapband and i was having terrible pains in my joints in my arms, hands, feet, knees.. mind you i am 31 years old.. I went to my reg. dr and they took blood work and am awaiting the results.. my dr said that I either have rhu. arthritis or lupus.. just waiting on the blood work to be exact.... what are you taking for the pain? my dr. said to take 1 advil on a full stomach...which is weird because you hear everywhere that we are not supposed to take nsaids.. and advil is an advil..  one time that i was in sooo much pain and my reg dr could not see me,, i went to see my husbands doctor and he prescribed nabumetone which is also an nsaid... i havent taken my advil yet and today i cant lift my left arm to well and my left hand os killing me even writing this email it hurts, LOL!!!! if you have any questions or want to chat jsut email me...

Hi Leone and Rita!  Thank you both very much for your replies! It is nice to hear from people who I have things in common with. It is hard for me to find people who are experiencing things similiar to I am.  I have not had the chance to talk to my Rheumy yet. I made an appointment for the end of September to discuss it with him. Rita, you brought up an interesting point. I am on immunosuppressants too, I didn't even think about the risk of infection and rejection...great point!  Let me ask you...now that you have had your surgery, do you feel ask though your arthritis pain has lessened? Do you have less flares? Right after surgery, did you experience a flare? The thought of having the surgery brings many emotions...fear, excitement, impatience...but it's nice to know that there are so many people out there to talk to!!! Thanks guys for answering my post! I can't wait to hear from you!  Michelle

Hi Marie, I still take my darvocet for my back pain and for some left knee pain.  Since I had my knee replaced in April I haven't had to take much for my knees, just my back.  I can't take any anti inflammatories because of the risk of ulcer to my pouch.  Both surgeries have done wonders for me. Wishing you all the best.

Thank you all for the replies. We are having a heck of a thunder storm, so I shouldn't be online too long.  I can hardly bend my knees - the pain is something else. My next appt I will get injections. I am just beginning my research on WLS - don't know what kind is best for me, or anything. I've got a lot to learn. Gotta go - the storm is getting bad.  Thanks, Leone

Hi there, I am very limited so don't have much of a selection.  What I've tried:  ------------------  Swimming  - excellent choice, but I can no longer get in/out of the pool with the ladders or steps  Biking  - can't bend my knees enough while sitting on the bike  Walking - I use a walker and because of stability issues, I stoop over the frame of the walker. Walking for any period of time is impossible because of back pain (from the stooping), knee slippage (they give out on their own with no warning), shoulder pain (I have tendonitis in one shoulder from attempting to lift myself up).  Gazelle (Tony Little Glider) - this was great before I got really bad.  You can go as fast and as long as you want - and it strengthens your hips and thighs.  I'm hoping to be able to get back to doing this in the next couple of months. What I am doing now:  --------------------------  Isometric exercises  - while laying in bed, legs straight out, I try and push my knees down into the mattress.  - I try and do leg lifts from the hip, with the leg straight.  Standing exercises  - stand on one leg for a count of 10, then the other  - with my knee pointing to the floor, bend at the knee with your foot going back. Try and do 10 each leg  - stand with both knees locked, loosen one so that it is slightly bent, pause, then try and lock the knee again. 10 each leg  Pedal Machine  - a mechanism that has the foot harness, like on a bike, with a simple contraption that lets you pedal "maddly". I sit in a chair and started at 3 minutes and am trying to get up to and stay at 30 minutes. Ice packs after are heaven.  Arm Weights  - small 3-lb weights. I have to be careful of the tendonitis but can do the normal bicep and tricep workout.  Sit-ups/Crunches - I try and do 50, 2 times a day.  I'm not too good now because my knee joints slip out of position while getting up.  Cheers,  Marie