Not sure how much you have to lose, but there is a blog 300poundsdown.com where the writer talks about how much pain she was in prior to surgery. It is a good read and will help you realize, you're not alone in having physial pain.

Maybe her story will give you some encouragement on this hard day.

Thanks! I will check it out. I have 176lbs to lose to reach my "goal". But any loss is a win in my mind!

My knees started bothering me in the mid 2009 time period. I had cortisone shots in both knees every 3 months as well as Euflexa series twice. I tore the meniscus in my left knee and had arthroscopic surgery January 2011.The Dr. said he repaired the meniscus and cleaned out some of the arthritic damage and felt it would buy me a couple of years. Then I did the same to the right knee and once again arthroscopic surgery July 2011.this time the Doctor said he saw major cartilage damage. Then MRI of right knee cause it just was not getting better so knee cap ( patella femoral replacement which is not a full or a partial but a knee cap only ) replacement November 2011. Oh and we can't forget the physical therapy for all 3. then low and behold my feet started hurting. I had bone spurs in both heels. Cortisone shots, orthotics for my shoes and exercises did zip. Here I went again to surgery. In February 2013 I had my Achilles tendon released and lived in a boot for 6 weeks. 2 weeks of sleeping in it then 4 more all waking hours. Physical therapy once again. Did I mention that my weight had gotten to an all time high of 240??? As I was contemplating more surgery to stop the bone spur pain in the right foot I happened upon a lecture locally on the topic of weight loss surgery for seniors ( 57 is senior ). My consult was May 6th and surgery was 6 weeks ago June 19th. I am so glad I had it done. I can already see and FEEL the difference. True I had a set back but diverticulitis was not surgery related. I am down to 205 from 232 on June 19th and already down 2 sizes. You will do great. Just getting the excess pressure off the knees and feet has helped already. Chin up and you will be kicking you heels up before you know it. !!

Roo, I was in the same place just weeks ago. I had not been able to got to the grocery store for more than a few items in over a year. The pain had been bad enough, but then the swelling started earlier this year. I was already going through my preop steps by then, so I just hoped it would reverse quickly once I started to lose. I am now 6 weeks post-op & I'm happy to say the swelling has gone & my knees feel so much better. My ortho doc told me that every 10lbs I can lose, I'll take 40lbs of pressure off my knees. With 42 lbs gone, I've taken over 160 lbs of pressure off. I'm walking a little every day. I can only go for about 15-20 min at a time, but I do what I can. My high weight was 320 & I am now 278. You can read more about my story in my profile & in my blog posts on here. My surgery date was June 19th. I'll never run a race or anything, and my knees are by no means strong, but I'm not in constant pain anymore. I still have a long way to go, but I'm on my way & that feels great. Good luck to you & please reach out if you need motivation or just to vent.

Thanks for writing me cherip and southernsoul. In reading your comments I see you BOTH had surgery 6/19! Obviously a very good day for both of you.. I know I am far from the only person who has weight issues and must deal with aches and pains. It gives me so much hope for my future when I read of others success. In fact, it makes the pain now more manageable in a way, knowing that it won't last. While the damage is done, I know I can vastly improve my symptoms and prevent further damage by getting the weight off.