Originally Posted by Phoenixfire

Hey Big Dog (soon to be little pooch like an ankle biting little doggie!)

Yes, narcotics reduce appetite. I've learned from experience and research. So aside from your smaller pouch, you've got that to consider.

Stool softeners help, but Metamucil fiber is better. It's good for the bod, cheap and it gets the fiber you need after WLS. There are other options too, so do a little research. I've tried a few and found a couple suck and others are great. The narcotics will also interfere and cause constipation, so definitely get yourself a big old bottle of the fiber you mix in water. But don't mix it in your shake. Been there done that and it don't work.

On the low iron count, find the thread here about Flintstones vs. vitamins and you'll see you can get (as I've done) GREAT prices on vitamins at Costco. Since you're probably not able to swallow big pills, you can grind them up with a grinder at GNC for 6 bucks. Or you can try some of the other vitamins that Corrine and Beth have worked hard to put together for comparison and use. It's a big thread but you can wade through it and learn a lot.

My God you’ve had a terrible injury! Great to hear the docs saved your leg. That must have been a very stressful and terrifying experience eh? I hope that the surgeries work and no further ones are needed, and that your leg is treated with the best surgeries and you get top-notch ongoing care for the post-op issues that arise.

Personally, I’m terrified of surgery on my spine because once they go in and operate, um…well let’s just say that many surgeries fail, and with my doc only giving me about 25% chance that surgery will completely fix my problem, I ain’t doing it. Not at this point.

I’m struck in my empathetic gut with your own story of your leg injury, and I’m sympathetic and very sorry that you’ve got to live with the consequences of what sounds like a HORRIBLE injury. Dang you're a typical man: using Motrin? Kudos to you, and don't even go there and beat yourself up that you need something stronger. Just BE CAREFUL with those narcotic oral meds. (See below about a different option).

Who am say if the pain will go away with weight loss, BUT I firmly believe it will decrease. Mine did for awhile, until my spine rotated even more. You can BET that whatever fixes were done to the leg will hold up longer than if you stayed obese. Definitely. I had a hip implant at age 30 and the docs said if I didn’t get to a LOW weight that the implant wouldn’t last long at all. As it is, it will need to be replaced eventually. They don’t last forever.

You will unfortunately (as you know) have to live with the pain to some degree the rest of your life. It’s one of the realities of having our human bodies that ain’t perfect right? My advice as a fellow sufferer of disabling conditions (I was officially “disabled” by the government for years but am now trying to work) is to be vigilant with your doctor’s orders of physical therapy, stretching and light strengthening exercises for your muscles, x-rays to monitor the condition and being proactive with all treatment options, if you have any at this point. Sometimes we slack off on those thing, myself included, so don’t pooh-pooh the stuff you gotta do postop to get the best recovery and healing, m’kay? 

Again, as far as the question of “will it go away or get better” I would bet my first-born that once you’ve taken off the excess 200 lbs. you are working to take off (and you hit your goal) that you WILL have less pain. No guarantee you’ll have none. There are people at a healthy weight who still suffer pain from injuries or other issues like birth defects (like me). BUT it’s a no brainer that a body carrying around 400 lbs. will have joint issues, right? Matter of fact, I had WLS surgery for the main reason of alleviating the strain and continuing decompensation of my body in the areas that are f’ed up. I’ve had improvement, but it hasn't taken it away completely and it never will. Even if I was anorexic and weighed 80 lbs. But I am certain that you will have less pain. I REALLY want to hear about it as your weight comes off, so keep coming to TT or send me private messages. I’d love to hear your success in losing the weight AND your level of pain decreasing.

I started a thread here awhile back and others who have had chronic pain related to different conditions have posted off and on. So we have a little group of us that are happy to report relief of pain or resolution of pain-causing conditions we had when we were obese. Go read the thread and it will give you more hope I think. And post there!

Another thing. Talk to your doc about a long-acting pain reliever. The oral meds like Vicodin or Oxycodone can lead to dependency and increased use when your body reaches a level of tolerance and you need more to get the same relieve. Ask your doctor about the fentanyl pain patch or the 2 or 3 other long-acting pain relievers. I won't mention them here because they are heavy-duty meds that most think are "horrible" to take.

But there are meds that give you a continuous release of pain relief. The oral meds may be needed for breakthrough pain (like after you’ve been more active or had a harder week at work, or “strained” yourself from some fun with your partner, or any other thing that makes the time-release med just not cut the mustard. This plan of pain management is a good one, and many of us need continuous time release medication. My goal is to get off the breakthrough oral meds and just use fentanyl to control pain.

Well this is a long reply (typical for me a lot) and I am glad that I responded to your thread. As I said, not many understand the realities of disabling conditions that cause pain. And a big thing is to stick with ONE doc that prescribes your pain meds. Issues arise when you see more than one and it’s called “doc shopping.” So don’t do that. It will bite you in the ass. I’ve seen just one doc for 8 years and it’s what helps me get the treatment I need without the stress of lack of pain management medication or worrying that I’ll be labeled a doc shopper.

One doc monitoring you also means that they can tell you what all your options are without re-explaining the whole thing to a bunch of docs. I'd suggest not seeing your primary care doc for this and don’t have him manage your pain. They aren’t specialists. Look for a PHYSIATRIST (physical rehabilitation and pain management docs-not psychiatrists, lol). They SPECIALIZE in pain management and rehabilitation of injury or treatment of chronic pain and they know their stuff better than a primary care doc. I only see my physiatrist for my issues.

Keep in touch, and I’ll be watching your numbers drop. Enjoy the honeymoon period where the weight comes off fast. Men lose faster than women, so you’ve got that in your favor!!!!