Hi Lori.. absolutely a pleasure from you too.. am glad that your RA pain levels are gone.. my RA is pretty bad too and i have a tough time travelling on work. Apart from the regular RA medications am also taking anti inflammatory tablets as the disease has been very active over the past one year. the main reason for me to proceed with the surgery is to get rid of the heavy medicene dosage, injections etc. i get into depression often because of this medicenes and wondering what future has in store for me.. been really painful over the past few years.
Am sure this surgery will only make life better .. thank you for your inputs and am completely focussed on my health now and will continue the pre-op diet (as suggested by our friends here) though my doctor has not recommended any..
Where you off Methotrexate before the surgery ? Please let me know how many weeks before .. also hope you have not had the "humira" injections.. do let me know..
Looking forward to hear from you.
Thank you sooooo very much
A year ago this week I was in Jordan, helping with a medical mission to refugees, when one of the doctors took me aside and said he was worried about me. He was an orthopedist, said he'd noticed me favoring my one knee (I'd had meniscus surgery), and he very honestly told me that my extra weight would likely cause me continued joint problems. It was bad enough that my volunteer vest was the largest they had and still didn't close...now one of the doctors who had volunteered his time to help refugees was focusing on me! He was very kind and described all the ways obesity contributes to joint inflammation and stress. He even laid out my likely future issues. It was quite a wake up call.
A year later I'm 30+lbs lighter and even though I've just begun this journey I can tell that it's making a huge difference already. I don't have RA but I did have joint pain that is already much better. I couldn't have lost the weight without this surgery. I'd tried everything and just couldn't do it. I have so much hope that I will be able to lead a much more active life and have the ability to travel much more easily now.
Best of luck to you! You will be so happy to have more energy and less pain.
Congrats on getting through all the pre-surgery hoops and on getting a surgery date, and welcome to the forum!
You are going to be amazed (AMAZED) at how much this changes your life! Find a program that works for you and stick to it when it comes to being successful!
I'm sure you are going to be a great loser!!!!
Welcome aboard!
I am on Leflunomide (arava) and Plaquenil (Hydro chlor 'something or other). I was on Methotrexate two separate times and it nearly killed me both times. I will NOT take methotrexate EVER again. It took me close to 6 months once I started the Leflunomide to kick in and I was beginning to think inflammation and pain would never leave... but it did. My rheumy then added Plaquenil and the combination worked wonders. I have to see an opthamologist yearly because the Plaquenil will cause eye damage , so I have been taking only half a dose now. I am hopeful I may get to stop this completely eventually. I saw the opthamologist last month and he asked when I started taking the Plaquenil (2015) and he told me that it takes 5 years for the damage to hit. (Nice outlook). Hoping I am off of it...
Height: 5'8"
Highest Weight: 270 BMI 40.3
Day of Surgery Weight: 223 / Pre-Op nutrition diet: LOST 47 pounds
1 Month Weight: 202 (-21 lbs.) TOTAL LOST: 64 pounds
2 Month: Weight: 188 (-14 lbs.) TOTAL LOST: 78 pounds
6 Month Weight: 169 (-2) BMI: 25.7 TOTAL LOST: 97 pounds
"If you can't laugh at yourself, life's going to seem a whole lot longer."
Hello Dale,
Am glad to hear that you are well and progressing .. Hope you achieve your target goal asap..
I hope to be able to say the same story after my surgery.. am extremely focussed on this surgery and really want to get rid of the extreme knee and other joint pains which is making my day to day life a lot more difficult. I feel like a real loser when i have to keep telling my boys - hubby and my two lovely sons that i would rather stay at home than walk around a mall its depressing.. i have also realized i have been more aloof than ever before. this is NOT the real me and this is not the way i would like to end my story.
Thank you for all the support and good luck to you..
Loads of love coming your way
Thank you Glenn.. amazing to see your journey too.. and i hope you achieve your goal and live it !! all the best wishes from my end.
Yeah am looking forward to a new lease of life and fed up of struggling to walk and not having my plane seat belts not fitting. my work involves extensive travel around the globe and i would like to get health to be able to grow in my career and have a much more robust life with my boys..
Good night.. we are at different timezones for me the day has just started..
Hello Lori..
Oh okay.. My Doctor put me on Plaquenil initially but then i started losing hair like crazy and she then added methotrexate to my medications.. but the issue is now after 5 years of suffering from RA, I notice for the next two days after having Methotrexate (weekly once) i am extremely uncomfortable with gastric issues.. its a killer i must say.. but then no choice for now.. i am also having HUMIRA which is the worst of my RA medications. its supposed to be adimulab which is apparently antibodies from another person injected into me every two weeks.. this is NOT the most safest of medicenes is what i understand .. i wanna put a stop to this medication asap and thats why rushing for the surgery. My insurance does not cover the surgery so its an out of the pocket expense which is tolerable looking at all the benefits i hope to get from the surgery.
Hoping all goes well.
Good luck on your journey.. i hope you can get off your RA medications asap..
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