Question:
2 years postop and just recently got arthritis

ive had arhritis for about 6 months and i dont understand why? ive lost 130 lbs and i shouldnt be going through all of this joint pain what do i do?    — danielle R. (posted on June 24, 2004)

June 25, 2004
I had OA going into WLS but after losing about 180 lbs it actually got much worse. The knees had been quite good for about 3 years before WLS and I was even able to not go back on my anti-inflammatories after WLS, which was good. But all of the sudden the pain became horrible and kept getting worse. I tried Synvisc treatments with minimal to no benefit so now I am back to cortisone to keep them tolerable. I've lost a total of 250 lbs so one would think my knees etc would be so happy. The bottom line is the damage was done before WLS. I'm hopeful I will reach a point where it will settle down again and be tolerable. I'm sure one of the issues is that I am way more active now and using the joints tons more. You may well have had the beginnings of OA before WLS and now that you are more active it's rearing it's ugly head. I hope you find a way to control it soon. Don't wish for pain free as it's not likely to come but pain tolerable is a pretty good place to get to with OA.
   — zoedogcbr

June 25, 2004
Sometimes arthritis has nothing to do with weight. I had a couple of back surgeries ( in my 20's and 30's), and at the site of the scar tissue, arthritis set in. Nothing to do with weight. My mother who has never had a weight problem is having her shoulder replaced due to severe arthritis. Both young and old can be affected. I took vioxx to help with the arthritis pain but developed a pouch ulcer. I am now on bextra (same class of meds) and have to take cytotec to coat the pouch too. So far, it has helped to manage the pain without any further pouch issues.
   — Cindy R.

June 25, 2004
I agree with the other posters, but I wanted to LYK there's something known as 'blind loop arthritis dermatitis syndrome' that can affect post-op WLS patients. It's pretty rare, but it can be diagnosed by a fairly simple test, and it's NOT something you want to mess around with. If you'll e-mail me, I'll gladly forward you what info I have about it.
   — MsBatt

June 25, 2004
If you never had arthritis before. Have been outdoors much? Lyme disease causes arthritis symptoms. There are other disease that also cause arthritis symptoms. Have you seen a rheumatologist? Good luck.
   — catleth