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Pain

3momchaos

3momchaos

Member
I don’t want anyone presurgical to get discouraged by what I’ve got to say here because this is a personal experience.
I’ve been pretty much weight stable for 2 months, lost almost 130lbs from my first appointment at my surgical center, almost 110 since surgery 10/26/2020. These are amazing numbers, it wasn’t easy, and I’m proud of that. But, I am in more pain now than I was preop. I started seeing a chiropractor a few months ago to see if that would help. It has not, and the temperatures in St.Louis fluctuating so much isn’t helping.
My hips, knees, back, even my elbows right now are hurting. Tylenol only does so much. I was sleeping really well for the first 8 months post op, but now I wake up with pain frequently. I can’t sleep on my stomach because any pressure on my knees is excruciating. I can’t sleep on my left side because my hip starts screaming.
Im not sure if I should talk to my surgeons office or general practitioner about all this. My thyroid levels are finally in a good place, so I know it’s not that. Im getting my protein and water, so I know it’s not that either. It’s really starting to bring me down. I definitely didn’t anticipate my pain levels getting worse after surgery. Maybe my joints were more foregone than I knew, but at 39 years old, I’m not getting any joint replacements because I’ll end up needing revision surgery in another 20 or so years. It’s just really frustrating.
4889
 
Sorry you are in so much pain. You are so cheerful and supportive! If you are having pain in so many places it sounds a lot like my fibromyalgia. Tylenol won't help if that's the case. I finally am pain free with my fibromyalgia. It has taken a long time to get to this point, and a lot of work, but it has been worth it.

If you are interested in more information about this let me know. I'd be happy to share.
 
3momchaos said:
I was wondering about fibromyalgia, but I’m confused as to why it developed after the surgery and weight loss. I guess I don’t know enough about it to know how/why it happens.
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So fibro is often linked to trauma and can be activated by high stress...not sure if any of that fits.

I wouldn't say I am in more pain but definitely notice that being more boney it hurts to sleep on my side, have to put my knees just right ect because the pressure points are far more touchy since.
 
Fibromyalgia can happen for many reasons, most commonly as a result of trauma or stress. It is most common in women. For a long time it was considered psychological, but now it is a known that it is not the case. It has something to do with the central nervous system. There are drugs that can help with fibromyalgia, Lyrica and Cymbalta, are two. Lyrica worked well for me, but I gained 50 lbs in two months on it. Cymbalta did nothing for me.

You should talk to your doctor. There are ways to rule out fibromyalgia.

You can train your brain to ignore fibromyalgia pain. If you know your pain is caused by pain that is from fibromyalgia, and is not from an injury, you can train your brain to ignore the pain. It takes a long time, it takes focus and patience, and effort, and most importantly, it takes the belief that you can do it, to really do it. Eventually, if you stick to it, you can free yourself of fibromyalgia pain. I know this, because I did it. It took a long time. It doesn't happen overnight. It takes conviction. You really have to believe in the power of your mind though. My previous internist stopped practicing regular medicine after he cured me and opened up a drug free pain clinic. It really works.
 
3mom I am so sorry you are in so much pain. Fibromyalgia is usually all over the body with maybe certain areas that can be more painful. Is the pain worse when you lie down? Are you okay when you are walking or moving around? You don't need to answer me, but it may be helpful when they evaluate you to know that.

It wouldn't hurt to mention this to your surgeons office but I think you should also check with your primary and get the ball rolling on test to check to see if those joints are okay. You might also want to rule out things like rheumatoid arthritis.

You might want to try those microwavable heating pads as a moist heat should help with the pain. I hope you feel better, please keep us posted.
 
Yup. Fibromyalgia. It's a mysterious, almost untreatable disease. My oldest sister has it bad. I've had it but it went away, no clue why. It helps me to imagine a hunched over old man complaining about misery in his bones.

It's fallen into that sexist category of women who complain about everything, so broadly ignored.

I do believe exercise and good muscle tone can override the pain. I think massage also helps, but who can afford that?

Whoever develops a nonprescription medication to treat it will be canonized and filthy rich.
 
I have noticed that while I had little to no pain almost immediately after WLS, and for many months after, the pain in my joints has slowly come back. I was amazed how well I could sleep after surgery because previously I woke up to turn every hour due to pain in my joints. My theory is that I had relief due to the amount of pressure relieved from the weight loss. But the actual damage to my joints did not improve and so the pain is back.

I think of it like an open wound and salt. Put salt (extra weight) on an open wound (bad joints) and it hurts terribly. Clean the salt off, and it feels immediately better. Until the nerves once again realize there is still an open wound. I know mine is arthritis and feel the same way you do. It's too soon for any joint replacements.

What type of shoes are you wearing? This sounds dumb, but once I lost weight, I did not have to wear 'good' shoes for my plantar fasciitis any longer. I could buy CUTE shoes. Well, it turns out, cute shoes also aren't ideal for joint damage. So, if you've decided flimsy flats are fun again, try going back to a good pair of shoes and see if that helps.
 
I saw the PA today because my doctor was out sick. She’s concerned with the widespread joint pain, agreeing that after so much weight loss I should be feeling a lot better. She thinks I could have bursitis in my left hip, but was bothered that pain wakes me up almost every night. She ordered 5 blood tests, a CBC w/diff, and the others are testing for inflammatory diseases and other autoimmune diseases. Hope to have answers by Friday or Monday. She said if they’re all normal then I’ll be referred to a pain specialist. At least it’s a starting point!
 
3momchaos said:
I saw the PA today because my doctor was out sick. She’s concerned with the widespread joint pain, agreeing that after so much weight loss I should be feeling a lot better. She thinks I could have bursitis in my left hip, but was bothered that pain wakes me up almost every night. She ordered 5 blood tests, a CBC w/diff, and the others are testing for inflammatory diseases and other autoimmune diseases. Hope to have answers by Friday or Monday. She said if they’re all normal then I’ll be referred to a pain specialist. At least it’s a starting point!
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I hope they are also checking for Lyme Disease.
 
I think what’s really frustrating, and most if not all of us have experienced this, is that we hear from our doctors (any type of doctor) before weight loss surgery that it will help relieve joint pain. That’s one of the biggest reasons I had WLS. Now don’t get me wrong, I’m happy I had it because I’ve got far less medical problems now. But I’ve been in pain for probably close to 20 years…I’m only 39! And all they would say was that my weight was causing the pain. And here I am at the lowest I’ve been since high school and still in so much pain. The medical community refused to look past the number on the scale to even theorize that my pain could have been from something else. Just frustrating.
 
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