I have Degenerative joint disease in my lower back. Have had 3 surgeries to take disc out and situate 2 and have one at the L4 and L5 region that is wrecking havock on me cause of my 6 inches of hanging skin from my belly. I feel like I am 90 yrs old sometimes when the pain and bending over I have to endure daily. Right now I have Gout that has been plagueing me for the last 2 months and with already difficulty walking due to my bad knees this is the worse. I have had 17 nerve blocks (epidural blocks) done over a 15 yr period and they do work for a while like maybe 2 weeks for me and then the pain starts over. I have a lot of scar tissue also and it is the reason that the drs will not do anymore and also cause my Rheumatoid arthritis has damaged my bones and I have a problem with fragments of bone chipping off and lodging. I hope you have gotten some relief. I have a brace that I wear when I walk or exercise. Maybe your dr can give you one. I had to be fitted for mine and it was not cheap. Or try wearing a high waisted girdle to support your back. Irish

I have RA and osteo, with bone spurs on every vertebrae in the back, and joint problems everywhere else, with a lot of stiffness. I specifically asked my surgeon what he approved of and what needed to be changed, and had a long chat with the rheumatologist who set up my preop timetable for getting off meds. I used to take Mobic, but had to get off it one week preop and now after surgery can't take any NSAID's, so am trying Celebrex which is much more expensive. I also take Methotrexate injections, which I stopped 2 weeks preop and resumed at 3 weeks postop at 1/2 my usual dose. I also take Imuran, which was stopped one week preop and resumed at 3 weeks postop. I had some difficulty between weeks 2 and three, with little pain meds on board, and no arthritis meds on board. Couldn't take Ibuprofen postop, and tylenol did nothing. Went to see the rheumatologist and he gave me regular RX pain meds to help through the recovery period, but the stiff ness and joint pain were a bit tough. Now, I'm doing better 5 weeks post op. Be sure to consult both surgeon and rheumatologist well in advance, and if necessary, have them to talk to each other personally to be sure you are not going to have a flareup. They can adjust for the prednisone, and may want you to be off it for a while preop. Also, when you arrive at the hospital for surgery, YOU tell the anesthesiologist that you have RA and make sure they agree to keep you comfortable with extra pain meds, not from the surgery, but from the RA. I didn't have any RA pain in the hospital, and it was a total blessing to be comfortable for the first time in YEARS!!! I don't remember life without chronic pain. I'm returning to exercising slowly, and the meds seem to be keeping me stable. I have a 6-wk f/u with the rheumatologist, and we'll readjust then. Best wishes for you during this process. It can be done, and we can survive.

Kristia Hello I suffer from CTS very bad as well got it several yrs ago when I worked in a factory. I was over weight some then. I have lost all that weight now and I still suffer bad from CTS it has been bother me so bad for the past month I have lost lots of sleep from itcause wakeing up in middle of night hurting very bad and have not found nothing that helps.I am going to DR today but its for something else but gonna tell him about it to see what he can do I can not afford to take off for operation cause in DEC I got to have a hernia repair operation. I'm a singal mom with a HC child and I need the use of my hands with her.Hope things are better for yo with your CTS Take Care Huggs Beth

Thanks for all of you who prayed for me. My Total Knee Replacement went well. I'm really more sore than in pain. Just tired and healing now. I have one problem: numbness and tingling on the bottom of my foot. My net research tells me my peroneal nerve is being constricted by swelling in my leg. I'll talk to my surgeon more about it tomorrow. It seems most cases resolve by themselves and most of the rest need some therapy. A very few need surgery. I also made the mistake of weighing myself this morning, thinking about the fact that I'd eaten almost nothing for 5 days. Well, I'm 6 pounds heavier, undoubtedly all the water retention around my knee. I should have known better. All in all, I'm so glad I went in 77 pounds lighter and having exercised and lifted weights. I was pretty agile in that hospital bed. Donna

Ginakay: Also sounds like carpel tunnel. May want a doctor check it out. I had carpel tunnel in both hands, it affected my wrists and fingers. I would get such pain. I couldn't sleep at night because it would wake me up. I had the right hand done and the left hand cleared up by itself. Like I said I'm not a doctor, but there is a simple test they can give you to determine if you have carpel tunnel. Good Luck. Also, in case I haven't said Good Luck on your upcoming gastic bypass surgery. They have other medication you can take after your RNY. I take celabrex. It is back on the market. Just ask your doctor (surgeon) and he will help you decide what is best. Pam Hastings