Curious

[kitty1000]

I’m a 68 year old female with osteoarthritis in both knees. I’ve had gastric bypass so can’t take anti inflammatory drugs. Have had injections in both which helps, temporarily. Just on here to get informed about other people’s experiences with knee problems

[alnapier Partner]

Welcome! We are happy to have you here. We will be starting weekly check-in posts so it will be easier for the community to check in with each other. Let us know how we can best help you!

[Nanie67]

Yes I have terrible knees also and can't take ibrephreon because I only have 1 kidney. I need relief!

[Mykoes]

Yes, only on right tho, got a total knee replacement in October. My bones in my knee were actually separating when I would move around. Surgery has helped in some ways and made worse in other ways.

[cmk3bkl in reply to Mykoes]

Can you tell us what is worse and what is better? I'm considering getting both knees replaced , I am 47 and have had OA since 13 years old and been suffering way to long... No surgeons would touch me cuz i was always to m young.. Now I can get it.. Many people tell me they cant bend the new knees or Neel down on them ..What happened in your experience..

[kirstenra Administrator]

Hi kitty1000. Thanks for sharing your story and question. Gastric bypass and the subsequent journey to lose weight and maintain that weight loss are no joke. Hats off to you for taking major strides to change your life and health. I just had the pleasure of attending the 2018 patient advocacy conference hosted by the Obesity Action Coalition, one of our OAAA members, called Your Weight Matters. With a focus on obesity, they covered the gamut of health-related comorbidities to social stigma to long-term care to the latest research in diet, exercise, and metabolism, and everything in between. Very well done meeting. One take-away that I, er, took away, was that diet is the most important factor for losing weight, but that exercise is absolutely essential for maintenance of that weight loss over the long-term - this is true for everyone losing weight but is particularly vital for people who have lost a significant amount of weight following gastric bypass. We're talking 60 min/day for 7 days/wk forever. I won't lie, that is a lot of exercise. But keep in mind, your body fights to regain the weight it lost, physiologically speaking. In order to reset or recondition your metabolism, this much exercise is required.

Now throw in knee OA and things get interesting b/c how on earth will you exercise that much when your knees hurt?! The good news is that exercise is also going to help your knees to stay mobile and stable. And with the weight you've lost already following gastric bypass, this will also help reduce joint load and, therefore, joint pain and stiffness (exercise will do some of what anti-inflammatories would do to reduce pain - since anti-inflammatories are "out" for you, rest assured that exercise is giving you some of that relief). Reduce, but not eliminate. So, how to get it done?

You might need to try a few different strategies to find what works. Maybe you've tried a few things already but here are some ideas:

- Break it up - small bouts of exercise throughout the day. 10-20 min at a time. Or consider 70 min/day for 6 days/wk with a day of rest (for weight loss maintenance) and break up that 70 min into smaller chunks (to manage arthritis pain)

- Mix up your activities throughout the week to minimize boredom and alter the amount of joint load. Walking, water/pool activity, Tai Chi, stationary cycling, weights/resistance activity (aerobic activity is most important but resistance exercise to maintain lean muscle mass is also important for strength, joint stability, and metabolism).

- Insert music, friends, nature, fun activities, and incidental activity -park your car far away, take stairs, etc. These little things add up or make the experience more (toler-)enjoyable.

Anyway, I've written a small novel here so I'll wrap it up. None of this is easy but it is all possible and can be (should be!) enjoyable since you will be doing it for life. Keep us posted on how you're doing!