EveryDayFriend

UPDATE: 2/12/17 I am healed. After X-rays, MRI -- it was a...TORN MENISCUS. I am bewildered by the "timing." To have gone thru gastric bypass and then have my mobility so grossly impaired by an injury that befalls high school soccer or football athletes? And I'm 57? My surgeon could only guess, but that it was "years of wear." I had no trauma nor impact on that knee. To endure this lack of ability to workout likely made my gastric bypass less of the very good success I've had. I'm now looking forward to working out and getting the last 30-40 pounds off this year. I am down 80. I still wonder if the reduction of weight on my frame somehow had the meniscus "show up" for me. I mean...I'm waddling around with an extra 80 pounds and my knee is fine. I lose it? And it hurt like...you-know-what. I am still interested in any one's experiences. Meanwhile, I continue NKT as it is really a terrific blessing as my physique changes and new muscle patterns are re-established, if not, rediscovered for walking up stairs...bending over to tie my shoes...a pain-free gait/walk. Thanks for your attention in the past and I look forward to anyone's observations or inputs. BTW: a torn meniscus can be an extremely smooth procedure. (Mine was.) I had the operation 12/4/16. Five days later the degree of pain really took a corner and I was amazed! My surgeon was very pleased with my limited swelling. And I was nearly totally healed at 6 weeks -- only very VERY SLIGHT swelling below the knee cap. 3 small endoscopic incisions. Oh! And I KNOW that my work with NKT sessions and developing ways to "strengthen" the muscle areas...made for a VERY TERRIFIC recovery. I credit NKT, my wonderful trainer here in Oceanside CA and the support of family and friends. I am blessed.

UPDATE: I saw my nutritionist today. I was up 3 pounds. We are putting me on a smoothie-heavy diet. 2x a day @ 1/2 C fruit, 1 C greens, 1 serving Protein powder, Water and "bonuses" (like an extract, cinnamon, cocoa, etc.). Also: 2 Snacks @ 150 calories or less. 1x meal at 350 or less. I'm not a foodie, don't like cooking and tend to "mono-meal." Lucky: it's only me; i.e., I have no one else for whom to cook. My heart goes out to all of you who must cook for others during this time. It must be difficult? I discussed with my dietician my dilemma of impaired mobility. She was genuinely sympathetic, but she says her experience is the OTHER way around: her patients experience the joy of heightened mobility -- not impaired mobility. I explained to her the Neurokinetic Therapy assisting in my recovery so I'm walking now without a limp. But while she was interested, there was little more she could do than just...listen. I'll report back on my ortho doc experience. Thanks for reading this today. I found a diagram online that displays culprit muscles that are contributing to this dysfunction in my left knee.

UPDATE: I saw my nutritionist today. I was up 3 pounds. We are putting me on a smoothie-heavy diet. 2x a day @ 1/2 C fruit, 1 C greens, 1 serving Protein powder, Water and "bonuses" (like an extract, cinnamon, cocoa, etc.). Also: 2 Snacks @ 150 calories or less. 1x meal at 350 or less. I'm not a foodie, don't like cooking and tend to "mono-meal." Lucky: it's only me; i.e., I have no one else for whom to cook. My heart goes out to all of you who must cook for others during this time. It must be difficult? I discussed with my dietician my dilemma of impaired mobility. She was genuinely sympathetic, but she says her experience is the OTHER way around: her patients experience the joy of heightened mobility -- not impaired mobility. I explained to her the Neurokinetic Therapy assisting in my recovery so I'm walking now without a limp. But while she was interested, there was little more she could do than just...listen. I'll report back on my ortho doc experience. Thanks for reading this today. I found online an illustration that displays what's the likely culprit muscle contributing to my left knee dysfunction. The sartorius.

Thank you for taking time!!! It's encouraging to hear I am not alone regarding KNEE PAIN hitting AFTER the surgery. I really appreciate hearing from you. I must say this has been a "Debbie Downer" experience for me. The discouragement has been a "trigger" for me -- and old habit are surfacing. Thank goodness I am physically incapable of indulging as I did before. But I must say...having my ability to WALK severely curtailed...has been a real depressing deal. I kinda wish my surgeon and medical support network (a very good program in Southern California) would have given me some sort of "headzzup" regarding this possibility. But I suppose they don't want to even HINT about the potential for it happening, as there will be those who glom onto the possibility and create a worse situation. I just feel like I could've had more of a warning of the potential for this happening. But ... it's also somewhat discouraging to have my PCP and endocrinologist say it's likely aging. I have not had any shots yet. I really, REALLY believe this is temporary. But DANG! It HURTS!! Thanks again! Anyone else out there with this STRANGE "problem" happening after a successful weight loss surgery? Let's have a great November.

Greetings! Has this happened to you? You're doing GREAT post-op and then KNEE PAIN invades your life? I had RNY and am down 70 lbs. I have another 50 to go. I was obese for 12 years and super-obese the past 2 years. I'm very happy with my progress except for on thing. And it's a biggie. Four months after surgery -- --my mobility actually WORSENED when one knee suddenly became painful. Pain. Gait change as my bod changed-things-up to accommodate the pain. Limping. Rely on anaerobic exercise as anything too active kills me. Can't take the dog for long walks anymore. Can't do my rowing machine, but swimming works pretty good (flutter kick from hip is AOK). Yes. Went to doc last week. X-rays. Doc says mild arthritis but I have "slippage" of the knee cap (?) and referred me to an orthopedic specialist in about a week. Will update, but -- -- maddening! You're supposed to have IMPROVED mobility...righ? It was my X-ray tech who was most reassuring. (My primary care doc chalked-it-up to aging.) My x-ray tech said she sees it all the time...people who are losing their weight have knee dysfunction occur. "It's like the body is readjusting everything" as the weight/girth reduces. Have you experienced this, too? This has been depressing for me. Grateful for the weight loss, but not HOLY COW is this leg messed-up. Let me share more. I then discovered something called -- Neurokinetic Therapy (developed by Weinstock) or "NKT." It's given relief, but it's been a steady progression toward wellness. Look up "NKT" -- Neurokinetic Therapy. It makes sense! It's a form of applied kinesiology but there's so much more to it. The principles make sense: your body has acquired a dysfunctional muscle pattern to accommodate an injury or change in physiology. You don't decide to do this consciously; your brain makes these accommodations for you. But when you lose weight, it's as if your brain is saying, "wait a minute! For years I've been doing a certain muscle pattern to help you move better. Now you've changed the game!" You could say NKT "teaches" your brain to re-learn the old muscle patterns and puts you back on track for greater mechanical efficiency. This is NOT chiropractic work. For me, it's been a "domino effect" as a series of muscles have been discovered and "turned-on" or "fired" again. it's always in tandem with another movement or muscle/ligament. It's been pretty amazing... If this is becoming "too heavy" for you... just search "neurokinetic therapy" and there could be a practitioner in your area. Try it. Once more: is NOT chiropractic work. It's very different. It's given me some hope... Have you tried "NKT" yet after your weight loss? I'd like to know. Any comments? I'm going forward with the orthopedic doc. Hopefully I'll get an MRI. (Fully insured.) And I'll update. Thanks for reading this. If you are someone who has had worsened mobility after surgery, I'd love to hear from you. I feel alone (and will likely go back into talk therapy for this, too...)

Hey! Greek Yogurt.... That reminds me... Say...you MAY have some "probiotics" issues following your surgery that could contribute to the gassiness? Me: I entered the hospital with "dry" urine. In getting my weight down pre-op, I chose a product that had a diuretic property to it. Bad idea. This likely could've been the reason a "cloudy" urine. I'd learn later I had so-called "dry" urine. But... cloudy looking urine could mean an infection in my urinary tract, so as a safeguard, my doc put me on an antibiotic the afternoon of my morning surgery. Hmm. I wonder how much of my G.I.'s "good" bacteria got wiped out by doing that. Weak G.I.'s bacteria COULD be the contributing reason for me being SUPER gassy. (No pain. Just flatulence.) ALSO -- Greek Yogurt + Vanilla Whey Powder + Jello sugar-free Cheesecake pudding mix? MAGNIFICENT!!! I can eat this sooooo slowly with a baby food spoon... and get my Protein AND hopefully encouraging good bacteria in my G.I. again!

Hey!!! Have you tried the "SAVORY" route? Specifically, add whey to a SOUP? First, my fave whey powder is the BIOCHEM brand. Not as "chalky." I recommend you TRY this brand -- "natural" flavor -- and mix half a scoop into a half-cup of some savory boxed ready-to-eat soup. If it works, do WHOLE scoop the next time! FYI: My fave flavor boxes ready-to-eat soup "Tomato with Roasted Red Pepper." Yum. Warm JUST soup in microwave (or on stovetop)... but then stir-in the whey with wire whisk (or blender). (((( Do NOT put the whey in soup and THEN microwave!!!! )))) If you heat soup in a microwave with whey already in it? The soup will "cook" into a kind of doughy consistency; overflow from mug or bowl. MIC JUST THE SOUP first... Experiment with fave Soups. There are squash soups, split pea soups, etc. Perhaps using a soup will satiate you and satisfy your savory craving -- rather than all the "kid" flavors of chocolate, vanilla, berry, etc! Just a nice little 1/2 cup or so of SOUP! Two more things... 1) Be sure to shake any whey container back-and-forth several times. This is the ideal way a scoop is meant to be taken out of the canister. ("Looser" consistency -- it's less dense; compacted.) 2) Also: you're using a blender, ninja, Nutri-Bullet or Vitamix, right? Or just a plastic shaker? Using a blender helps tremendously...but we all gotta use a hand shaker when you're on-the-go. Finally...I too, am a fan of the PREMIER ready-to-drink shakes. (costco has best price point.) I fortify these with the Quest brand Peanut-butter flavor, put in blender and it's like a super-creamy consistency! Holy cow! Tastes pretty YUMMY. The total grams rises from Premier's standard of 30g Protein... to 53g when you add a whey scoop. Voila! You're almost at the day's minimum requirement of 60g protein. GOOD LUCK!!

I wish you could have solid reassurances, but I agree with dhrguru -- it's different for each person. My procedure was 3/4/16. I'm supposed to be in "Stage 4" eating (venturing into "regular" food territory), but I can't swing it yet. I tried some tuna fish pureed and it turned me into an astonishing farting machine!!! I was instructed to stick on "Stage 3" menu a couple more weeks (baby foods, cottage cheese and believe-it-or-not, refried BEANS). I feel very fortunate in that while I've had gas -- no gas PAIN. I just felt like I was able to jet propel myself to MARS from that tuna fish venture. Quite tricky when you are out in public...! Upside: as you are learning to eat based on hunger rather than reacting to cravings...I gotta think that gas pain is going to help tremendously in putting the brakes on old eating habits/patterns! But yikes! It can really hurt, I'm sure!!! GOOD LUCK.