Gastric Bypass and Rheumatoid Arthritis anyone?

[ChristyAZ 87]

I was just curious if there were others here that have RA and have had or will have a gastric bypass. I was diagnosed with RA in 2010 and so far, the only med that works for me is prednisone which I am currently weening from for my surgery. Just thinking ahead and wondering if the surgery/weight loss made a difference in regards to your RA ..... if the meds worked differently after ...... what you use in place of NSAIDS .....how your rheumatologist felt about the surgery (mine was so against it it was almost comical .... she even refused to write a letter of reccomendation for me lol) ...

Any information or thoughts are always appriciated!!!

[Iambeautiful 100]

@ChristyAZ I have RA and had gotten so much better after getting the Orencia infusions.... I refuse to EVER take prednisone again EVER...... That is one big reason that i gained so much weight to start with not mentioning all the side effects that prednisone can cause including high blood pressure and diabetes and Water retention etc. etc.

I had to go off the Orencia three months before surgery so that i would heal properly after surgery as the Orencia lowers the immune system response which helps control RA.

My doctor was all for the operation as he knows that the extra weight has been hard on my joints. He has seen me struggle with weight loss and gains over the years and knows that I have tried very hard on my own and I did lose 60lbs on my own with dieting alone.

Since surgery the pain has come back but i plan to soon get back on my Treatment for RA. There are so many great meds now to help with RA I'm surprised your doctor has not reccomended them.. Prednisone just masks the symptoms and is NOT a cure.

I move so much better since I've lost 33 lbs.... it's amazing really. The more I lose will only make me be able to move around even better. I still am facing knee surgery as well. My knees are shot but I'm on the road to recovery now to get my health back and I couldn't be happier..... Good Luck Ps... maybe you need to get another Rheumatologist??

[Iambeautiful 100]

@ChristyAZP ps..... I can never take NSAIDS EVER again after the steeve. I'm looking into natural anti inflamatory herbs to help...... there are a lot of them plus i take routing pain meds that are not in the category of NSAIDS.......

Edited April 2, 2014 by Iambeautiful

[ChristyAZ 87]

_{IamBeautiful ..... A new rheumatologist has been recommended more then once and its something I have been thinking about. Maybe after my WLS. Right now, thats where my focus lies. Thanks to my PCP, I received the needed letter and surgery is a go! As for other meds .... I have tried Embril, Plaquinal and Orencia. All with a combo of methotrexate and w/o ..... even tried the methotrexate solo ..... 6 months for each med and nothing. No improvment. The pred keeps me moving and as much as I hate it, I continue to use it. i was never told by my surgeon that NSAIDS were a negative following my procedure but I read that it is so I am trying to plan ahead. So looking forward to getting some of this weight off my joints .......}