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Fibromyalgia and Gastric Bypass Surgery

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Posted 6/25/2010 12:48 PM (GMT 0)
Hello everyone. I am scheduled to have gastric bypass surgery on Tuesday 06/29 and was wondering if anyone else here has had it done. My bariatric surgeon told me that he has performed this surgery on other fibro patients and that there was actually improvement for some patients. He did not know of anyone who has become worse.

I'm really looking forward to the surgery as I am very overweight and have diabetes and high cholesterol as a result. I'm looking forward to being off of the medications for these two conditions. I'm also hoping that carrying less weight will make the pain easier to manage.

Any and all input and experience is appreciated. :-)
Posted 6/25/2010 1:14 PM (GMT 0)
Dear Susan,

I haven't had the bypass surgery, so I can't give you any info on that. I just wanted to wish you well for your surgery and hope that this helps you w/ your other med conditions. It would be great if this gets you off the medicines. If the weight loss helped to reduce the pain that would be tremendous.

I will say a prayer for you for your surgery and recovery. Let us know how you are making out, pls.

God bless.  Alice.

Posted 6/25/2010 1:32 PM (GMT 0)
Will be praying for your surgery and recovery.  I would think the fibro would be better with the weight loss, but  I don't personally know anyone who has had fibro and gastric bypass.  Keep us posted on everything.  Soft hugs.
Posted 6/25/2010 3:08 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Susan,

Back in 2004, I had a Nissen Fundoplication done for GERD. Not quite a gastric bypass, but similar in some ways. I also have Fibro and at the time of the surgery, I wasn't using any pain medications beyond extra strength Tylenol.

After the first week of the surgery, my body started returning to 'normal". I had a lot of pain from the surgery but I didn't hurt more over all of my body - I actually felt lighter. This went on for a couple of weeks and for about 2 months, I had almost no pain at all when I bent down or stretched, and going up and down stairs was easier for me. The weight started to come off (I was 180lbs and I'm 5'2") and I remained relatively pain free.

I started doing AquaFit with a girlfriend, switched some meds around and started tracking notes in my food journal. After about 2 1/2 months, my Fibro pain became more pronounced and I started feeling pain more and more. After a fitful sleep, I woke up in my bed, stiff and sore, and it's been like that since.

You may very well get no relief at all...you may be lucky and get complete relief. I don't think there's any one thing that is the secret to not having surgery pain interfere with regular pain. Just remember to take things slowly, DON'T rush when eating (chew very carefully and swallow and you won't get a sensation of food being stuck), drink lots of water and when allowed, start doing some exercise. I have a Nintendo Wii at home which is great for exercise...plus I walk every evening for about 30 minutes.

I hope this info helps even a tiny bit. Good luck with whatever you decide...we're all here for you!

hugs,
Pam
Posted 6/25/2010 4:07 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Susan, I had gastric bypass 6 years ago. It helped my blood pressure to come down and it definitely helped the arthritis in my knees.

however, it didnt help the fibro at all. I can no longer take anti-inflamatories because of the surgery. I can no longer tolerate the pain pills that I used to use because I get really bad pains from them. I was vomiting every day for the first year after the surgery and there are still times when I eat that I get sick to my stomache.

Im sorry if this scares you, but it might be totally different for you. I hope so. Just wanted to let you know how it was for me.

Good Luck on your surgery
Shirley
Posted 6/25/2010 9:19 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, Susan, I had a gastric lap band surgery almost two months ago. Not quite the same as a by-pass, but I have recovered really well. I don't think it has had any effect on my fibro. I've lost 30 pounds so far and my blood pressure has come down. Good luck. Diane
Posted 6/26/2010 7:25 AM (GMT 0)
I hope that the surgery goes well. Keep us posted.
Posted 6/26/2010 4:07 PM (GMT 0)
There are some websites that have suggestions for fibro people and surgery. I had a lumpectomy a year ago January and had such a fibro flare afterwards that I looked up how to prevent it. For the surgeries I have had since then I have taken a vicodin and a valium an hour and a half beforehand, and this has prevented the flares.

The vicodin was to prevent pain before anything even happened. The 2mg valium was my muscle relaxant.

The same suggestion works for polio patients who have the same pain flares after surgery. I had polio as a kid, so premedicating works for me double.

I do tell my anesthesiologists what I am doing and why. They've never complained. They say people take all sorts of things before surgery.
Posted 6/26/2010 11:08 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all for your good wishes, prayers, and information. I'm in the middle of a pretty bad flare due to the number of doctors' appointments and tests over the past couple of weeks. This is the first that I've even been on the computer since yesterday morning. I'm just trying to take it as easy as possible and rest in bed until the surgery. I know that nervousness can affect the fibro also, so I'm doing all I can to stay relaxed. I'm taking the time to enjoy my kitties since I will be spending at least the first week of my recovery at my mother's in New Jersey, so I won't see my furry babies for about 10-14 days once I leave for NJ on Monday.

I will be sure to keep you all posted. I am not afraid of having this surgery. I weigh over 300 pounds and am only 5'5". I want to lose enough weight that I can get back on my treadmill and use my Wii again. I have a lot that I want to get done in my house, too. I might be hoping for too much, but I will gratefully accept any relief that I can get. I know that this will at least help the arthritis in my knees.

Thank you all again, so much! :-)
Posted 6/28/2010 12:35 AM (GMT 0)
Good Luck with the surgery. My best friend had it done and lost 250 lbs. He got over 500 and was raising 2 kids by himself and was
getting scared about not being around for them. My man's daughter had lap bands and has lost over 70. She was closing the gap on
350. The told her that if she didn't lose she wouldn't be able to walk when she got older as she already had knee and ankle issues.

Myself, I've had a tummy tuck taking 15 lbs off the front and it relieved the back pain issues and I haven't had my c-section
scar get infected since. Take care.
Nana Monster
Posted 8/20/2010 8:53 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you all for your well wishes, advice, and warm thoughts. I had the surgery on June 29 and have lost 54 pounds. I have been able to get on the treadmill for 20 minutes in the morning, five days a week. Overall, I feel so much better.

As far as the fibromyalgia goes, it was very bad right after the surgery and the next day. This was even though I had taken pain medication prior to surgery. They gave me dilaudid (hydromorphone) in the hospital which made sleep very difficult. By the afternoon, I told them to stop giving it to me because it made me so jumpy. I went home to my mother's that day and by the next day, the fibromyalgia pain was almost non-existent. Since then, I have not had a major flair, just a few twinges here and there and fatigue (which could also be due to recovering from the surgery.) The only real problem I'm having is that my rib cage hurts. Aleve takes care of this pain and I just had a chest x-ray to try to find the cause.

I have to say that I recommend this to anyone who is carrying 100 pounds or more in excess weight. I feel so much better with the weight loss and am taking a lot less pain medication than before. I'm only taking 600 mg of Neurontin (Gabapentin) once per day and 10 mg Percocet twice per day. I never did go back on the Lyrica because it made me so hungry all of the time. It has been a long time since I felt this good. I'm even into clothes that I haven't been able to fit in for four years!!! smilewinkgrin

I'm off of all of my diabetic and cholesterol medications, too! It's so nice not to take 100 pills a day! turn
Posted 8/21/2010 2:15 AM (GMT 0)
Congratulations on all the good things happening in your life Susan. The weight loss is fantastic, and makes a huge difference in the overall recovery. Oh, and that chest pain could be trapped gas from the anesthetic or possibly your gallbladder. Keep an eye on it!!

Hope you're back to 100% soon - it sounds like you've made excellent progress so far!!

hugs,
Pam
Posted 8/21/2010 4:23 AM (GMT 0)
Congrats to you ! My sister had this done and I can honestly tell you she shocked me when she came home from SC where she was stationed at the time. It worked out very well for her and it's been almost 6 years and she has put some weight back on but still looks good. She still grazes during meals and eats really slow. did I spell that right? lol. Over all she is still off her BP meds.

Congrats and happy to see you are doing well.
Posted 8/21/2010 3:51 PM (GMT 0)
Congratulations Susan, I am glad that the surgery went well for you and that you are feeling so much better. Other than the fibro how are you feeling since the operation. I know when I had mine done I was sick after every meal. I know other people who have had it and didnt get sick at all. Just wondering how it is affecting you. Please keep us updated on how it is going for you.
Gentle Hugs
Shirley
Posted 8/21/2010 4:30 PM (GMT 0)
sorry to hijack the thread, but Nana Monster, I would like to make sure and keep in touch with you, if I find out I have Fibro... I was planning on getting a tummy tuck done before all this pain started. So, did you have Fibro when you had the surgery? I keep going back and forth... in one sense, I don't care about the pain, i just want it done, and in another sense, I am wondering if having this pain is telling me that I should not be getting it.

Susan, congrats on your surgery!
Posted 8/21/2010 10:26 PM (GMT 0)
That is simply fantastic, Susan! Just being able to drop all those meds - without all the other benefits - would have been great - but you've gone way beyond that. You're doing just SUPER! Congrats!!
Posted 8/22/2010 1:14 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks so much, everyone!

Shirley, I have had a couple of incidents of vomiting, once was while I was still on pureed foods and ate 1/2 a jar of Gerber bananas. That made me sick for about 4 hours. I guess there was too much sugar in it. Other than that, there hasn't been anything major. The other couple of times was due to eating too fast or a little too much. Since I'm taking all of my protein supplements, vitamins, and calcium/vitamin D, anything I eat is just to keep my digestive system working. As a result, I don't eat very much at all. With the protein supplement, my caloric intake is between 650-800 calories per day. Most of this is in the form of low fat cheese. The hardest part is not being able to drink while I'm eating. I'm still working on waiting for a full hour consistently. Sometimes, I can only wait for 30 minutes. I drink a lot of water and always have. The only other thing I drink is skim milk. Fortunately, I've never really cared about soda.

How long ago did you have your surgery? How are you doing now? Have you reached your goal weight yet? Any hints or advice you have will be greatly appreciated. :-)

Well, it's time to go do my morning treadmill exercise! smilewinkgrin
Posted 8/22/2010 1:35 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Susan, its been 7 years since I had my surgery I lost around 140 1bs and I have pretty much maintained that weight loss. It can go up a few pounds or down but generally it is pretty much the same. I think the third year out was hard for me as for some reason I felt hungry all the time. I did gain some weight back that year but I did manage to lose it again. Holiday times at first were very depressing because here is all that good food and I would take 4 bites and be full. This has gotten to be alot easier to handle in the years since the surgery. Im glad that you are not sick all the time. One thing that the surgery did to me is made me lactose intolerant so no milk for me. lol
They say if after a year if there is still something that makes you ill you will never be able to eat or drink that product again. For me it was milk.
Hang in there, it sounds like you are doing everything right.
Gentle Hugs
Shirley
Posted 8/22/2010 1:50 PM (GMT 0)
I actually like that I am full after a few bites of food. For most of my life, food was a major consideration. I love it that I don't even enjoy eating anymore. I hope it stays like that forever. We had dinner at my sister's last week. There were fillet Mignon steaks, corn on the cob, crab legs, and French onion soup. This was my first try at steak and corn. I had about 1 oz of steak, an ear of corn, and three spoonfulls of soup with provolone cheese and was done. It was great and I showed a 1 pound loss the next day. I just love this!!! smilewinkgrin
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