lickylips

You know I can't help crowing here - I've had practically no pain since my op on Monday 24th, just feel like I've been kicked by a small donkey - but no sharp pain. And because the incisions are across the top of my spare tyre, no lower, I'm not having the pulling sensations when I get up from a chair or bed, etc. I am getting just a little discomfort in my left shoulder, but the night before surgery my anaesthetist told me to breathe deeply a few times if there was any pain, and it really does help to get rid of the gas pain - try it for yourself. Hope it helps you like it does me... Liza in wet, windy, cold Western France... ...working my weigh down...

Hi CherieLynne ~ no surgery yet, booked for 24th of this month ~ whoopee!! I see my rheumatologist next Thursday so will ask him (or rather will try - he's French and my command of French is not marvelous!) I'm hoping he will be able to put me straight on at least reducing meds . At the moment I have what I thought was a gout flare-up, but having changed the meds from colchicine (which didn't work) to Indometacine (Chrono-Indocid ~ a NSAID) which IS working, so maybe it is another RA flare. Hopefully all will be revealed Thursday. 1000Words ~ your results are so encouraging, congrats on a wonderful weight loss, interesting about the methotrexate slowing healing - will check that out as well. Liza in wild, windy, wet western France...

I’m interested to hear, from those of you who have RA, (a) did you have to stop taking the medication before, during and/or after the surgery, and on whose advice - rheumatologist or surgeon; and (:thumbup: has the RA improved or worsened since surgery? I am on methotrexate and prednisone (steroids), plus sleeping tablets to help me sleep through the pain at night, and find if I don’t take my medication at about the same time every day, within a couple of hours I am in considerable pain - so I am not looking forward to a few days (?) without the medication, if that is what it takes. I realise these are questions I should really be asking my rheumatologist and the WLS surgeon, but I now live in France and, although my understanding of French is reasonable, putting these questions is a bit beyond me! I see the surgeon on Thursday morning, and knowing what the French health system is like, I’ll probably be banded within a matter of days, or a couple of weeks - they don’t hang about here!

1000Words, thanks for your reply - I guess I'll have to try my elementary French out on Thursday when I see the surgeon, obviously each surgeon is slightly different in their approach. Liza