I have a surgery date at last and support for arthritis sufferers

After rejections and appeals to the insurance company that took close to a year, I got approval and a surgery date...May 9. Then the totally unexpected happened and I found out that the new arthritis medication I am starting, remicade by infusion, which my arthritis doctor had me take April 28, means no surgery for 4 weeks after. So surgeon cancelled my surgery in May and rescheduled to June 1st. Maddening delay but only 3+ weeks!!

I have some unknown form of arthritis but it is like rheumatoid and psoriatic arthritis. Now I am having trouble walking much and suffer knees bone on bone so I eventually need knee replacement, but no doctor would operate on my knees at my weight of 300 pounds.

Anyone else have similar problems and how are you feeling and resolving your situation??

Karenyt

Oh wow. It sounds like you have had quite the journey. Good for you for continuing to self-advocate. I know this last delay is frustrating. June 1 is right around the corner. Hang in there!

I think there is an arthritis group on OH. They may have some experience to share with you.

Wishing you well!!

Hi, Karen! Similar stories I think. Arthritis since I was about 10, knees intolerable yes, cant barely walk yes, great workout is on youtube, launchpad live exercise. I do that about 3 times a day, hopefully after WLS I will be able to progress more but one day at a time. Btw I've been on remicade almost 15 years and it's like liquid gold, when it starts to wear off tho, be ready to know you need your next treatment because you will experience some pain. But how much it has helped me, I recommend it to everyone. I'm not looking forward to the pain I know I'll face postponing my infusion for the surgery but gotta do it! Since you haven't been on it long, I'm sure you'll do great with minor differences in pain and inflammation. If you have other questions about the remicade, ask away.

Yes, I expect pain and swelling as the doctor is doing my sleeve in two surgeries, 2 months apart, June 1 and August 1 with no remecaid from last infusion end of May till beginning September. Luckily I have some pain pills as I've been in pain about last 5 plus years.

I'm just so glad to be able to have surgery and I want it soon!!

How are you doing with medication and wls??

Karen

I'm still new to the whole WLS thing so I don't understand why they're doing yours in 2 steps? Why? I think I would rather go get it done with all at one time lol. I've been getting remicade for so long that mine wears off after 4 weeks. Like right now, its due friday and I have some swelling in my ankles, knees, wrists, fingers and backpain. The pain is enough to make me say ouchie but sadly I've been living with arthritis pain since I was 10 so I'm a liittle more pain tolerant, though no one should ever have to be, it just sucks. I don't tolerate many pain medicines, well medicines period for that matter, I have a ton of not really allergies but sensitivities to different ones. It also doesn't take much to help me either, like a half of vicodin will have me floating on cloud 9 but I don't usually take anything, I've never wanted to find myself too impaired to care for my kids because I never had any help or support. Now my kids are older though and my baby is graduating and going to college and its about damn time I take care of myself lol. I am getting my last dosage of remicade this thursday, making me eligible for surgery june 9th and my surgeon thinks they're going to try to put me in sometime in that week following. That is one of the biggest reasons I'm so scared. First the risk of complications, then the fact that my remicade will have worn off and I'll be almost completely unable to walk because the swelling will be that bad. So many people say that they get you up walking within hours of surgery but what if my swelling is so bad that I can't get up? I do know that I'll be on pain meds so that should help control the pain aspect of it wearing off, but the standing and walking part hmmmm. And then they just told me yesterday that you cannot have another infusion until the sutures/incisions are completely healed. That sucks. How is the remicade working for you so far?

I'm two surgeries as the doctor needs to reverse my old and not working well gastric bypass and fix my hiatal hernia before he does surgery#2 which is the gastric sleeve. So if I am June 1st for surgery#1 and August 1st for surgery#2, and you are June or July too would you be a surgery buddy to me? We can see each other through this experience online and share how each day or two goes?

Karen

Did your surgeon say why your gastric bypass is not working? Most go from the sleeve to the bypass due to reflux and not losing much weight. I haven't seen many go from bypass to sleeve.

I will admit it got too easy and I got sloppy with my food. I never developed a good exercises program so between hernia, gerd, eating disorders and no exercise I regained the weight and got really mad at myself. This time I have a support group for my eating disorder, have joined a exercise club with classes and a pool and am in individual therapy weekly. Before I had no support.

Karen