I can't make up my mind!

[gotagoal 3]

I am struggling to make the final decision on surgery. So many things that worry me. I have bad arthritis, no pain meds? I have a lot of Migraines, no coffee? And of course, fear of something going wrong. I'm 6 pounds away from being eligible for surgery. I need the surgery to get my knee replaced but I wonder if I stay on the diet they put me on will I able to loss naturally? How did others conquer their fear?

[FINFAN3DP 79]

I just said "eff it, i'm doin it". So glad i did. The davinci was so easy! No pain at all. It has been a breeze. Now I find myself "wanting" to take walks to lose more. Averaging about 3.5 to 5 miles a day walking, and loving it. Just know the sleeve isn't as restrictive as the bypass. I eat everything I used to, just much smaller amounts. I can't tell you about coffee, because I never drank the stuff to begin with. I live on Gatorade Zero and Water now.

[gotagoal 3]

Glad you are doing so well, thanks for the encouragement!!

[Dave In Houston 199]

I used to drink at least 4 cups of coffee per day, and I stopped the day of surgery. I haven't had any problems, though I don't get Migraines. (BTW, I also used to have a double whiskey every night, and I stopped that, too.)

I'm planning a hip replacement later this year. I was hoping to get some relief from the weight loss. So far, with over 40 pounds lost, I still need the replacement hip.

[lizonaplane 1,612]

Most places don't make you stop coffee permanently - I have to stop caffeine 2 weeks before to a month after. But you can probably take imitrex for Migraines, since it's not an NSAID. I take it and they didn't tell me I'd have to stop it. Or topamax, I take that too, and it helps with weight loss (has some not wonderful side effects like forgetting words, but I'm used to that now). You can also work with your doctor to find something that works for your arthritis, and it may get better when you lose weight and can be more active (depending on where it is).

[catwoman7 11,212]

I didn't have Migraines at the time I had surgery (mine stopped when I went through menopause), so I can't answer that, but I still drink coffee. Some surgeons want you to stop drinking coffee permanently, but most are OK with it. Some do make you wait a few weeks or months before drinking the caffeinated kind, though (but not all - I also know a few people who were "allowed" to drink it as soon as they got home from the hospital). Mine let me drink Decaf right away, but I had to wait awhile to drink the caffeinated kind. Since surgeons don't seem to be in consensus on this, I figure the jury's out and it's probably not the most harmful thing you can do.

[Soon2bFit21 109]

It was completely worth it to me in all respects. I have bad arthritis too, there are alternative medications that are not NSAIDS, not to mention losing weight is much better for arthritis. They served me Decaf coffee in the hospital post surgery. Most surgeons will not say you need to stay away from coffee completely, it’s just in the post surgery diet for a few weeks. That said, I was a die hard coffee drinker that absolutely had to have my big mug in the morning. I’m 16wks out and have had no desire to drink it - I now do tea.

[Creekimp13 5,840]

I drank Decaf the first year after surgery, then was told it was ok to switch back to regular. I drink a lot of regular coffee now...no issues.

It's true you can't take a lot of NSAIDS, but my surgeon allows us to take a couple of doses a month for things like Migraines and bad periods (After we are a year out....the first year of healing is completely restrictive)

I take my ibuprophen with an antacid now, and never more than a few doses in a month.

[Arabesque 7,245]

There are several medications available which are more effective than nsaids to counteract Migraines. My mum used to take a cocktail of nsaids & codeine just to take the edge off her migraines which would last for days. Now she takes one of these Migraine meds & they don’t even manifest into a migraine. Speak to your doctor about which one would be best for you.

The no caffeine is usually only short term. They often ask you to stop a couple of weeks before to get over the withdrawal & then continue for a couple of months (though this differs surgeon to surgeon) to protect your tummy post surgery.

Like @Creekimp13, I’m allowed to have the odd nsaid now. It is a possibility for sleevers but it is only the odd one not regular doses. As you lose weight, some of the pressure will be taken off your knee & may alleviate some of the pain you experience before you can have your replacement surgery.

Whether you can lose all the weight you need without weight loss surgery & can you keep it off is something you need to decide. You know yourself best & you know what you’ve been able to do in the past.

[Wahinebythesea 49]

On 7/26/2021 at 2:23 PM, gotagoal said:

I have a lot of Migraines, no coffee?

For what it's worth (n=1), my Migraines disappeared once my weight started to drop.

And while I used to like coffee, it tastes so strange now . . . I just don't want it anymore.

Edited August 1, 2021 by Wahinebythesea

[Lefti 21]

I am also a lifetime Migraine sufferer, however I have not had one headache at all since I started my pre-op diet. I do have Zomig which is a nasal spray and works in about 20 minutes if I happen to get one. I do have my one cup of coffee in the morning, and now I use Premier Protein as my Creamer. I also had some last minute thoughts like you, but I told myself that if I could be successful another way, I would had already done it that way. Good luck in your decision.

[Tony B - NJ 642]

On 7/26/2021 at 1:23 PM, gotagoal said:

I am struggling to make the final decision on surgery. So many things that worry me. I have bad arthritis, no pain meds? I have a lot of Migraines, no coffee? And of course, fear of something going wrong. I'm 6 pounds away from being eligible for surgery. I need the surgery to get my knee replaced but I wonder if I stay on the diet they put me on will I able to loss naturally? How did others conquer their fear?

The question I would tend to ask would be if you are just losing the weight to get the knee surgery and then let it come back on or if you think you can keep it off to help your knee surgery work long term. Seems like a simple question, but that to me is the key. If you do not think you can continue losing the weight then you are wasting your time with the knee surgery. I have relatives and friends that have had knee surgery and end up in the same condition because their weight stayed high. Just a thought.

[ShoppGirl 4,790]

I was worried about medications after surgery too. I do not have Migraines, I have bipolar and the med I was on has a minimum calorie requirement so I knew I had to switch post surgery but had never tried anything else. For my peace of mind I asked my doctor and be switched me months BEFORE my surgery so that I knew there was something else that worked for me. Perhaps you can do the same with Migraine and arthritis meds. Try some non nsaids out now so you know that it’s controllable after?? Especially if you are waiting on insurance anyways like I was.

[Lorey_a 19]

I drink black coffee and was never told anything about quitting. After my surgery I did start to drink coffee but just one cup. I did notice that I was feeling a lot of anxiety but think it was my body dealing with so many changes. I switched promptly to Decaf and then Half Caf for about 3-4 weeks. After that I was full caffeine and I have two cups every morning without any issues. As far as getting over the fear of the surgery I really had to think through the realities of what I was dealing with because of being overweight (which was not a life long issue for me). Most of my adult life I maintained good weight with regular excercise and then BAM I stopped working out and used food as a way to deal with things in life and was terribly depressed. Thereafter I had diabetes, NASH and sleep apnea to name a few. Being overweight started for me in 2015 and it was the longest 5+ years of my life. Shows how truly damaging being over weight can be to the body in general.

I have no regrets and am grateful for all the support I received during my decision process on this site from all the amazing people. We all share so openly here. I am down 68.2lb since my surgery. I still have about 26lbs to go before I hit my goal weight but I know I can do it! I feel so much better about myself, about life in general and enjoy doing things again. Wishing you the best of luck!