MODERATE OSTEOARTHRITIS at 57 SURGERY HELP ME?

I am a female age 57, in pre op stage. Just wondering if surgery will help my moderate osteoarthritis in my ankles, knees and back? I weigh 235. No other health issues. Any one in this boat? Your story please. Any suggestions? Thanks!!! 

WLS will help you lose weight.  Losing weight might help your arthritis but it might not.  I have arthritis in my knees and degenerative disk disease in my back.  My knees improved a lot when I lost weight but my back did not.  In fact, it has gotten worse.  I imagine it would be even worse than this if I was still carrying around 150 extra pounds, but losing that weight didn't make my back feel better.

WLS is not going to take away the arthritis, unfortunately.  I have it throughout my body and have multiple spine issues.  Although it won't take away the arthritis, it should help your joints, (ankles and knees) as you won't be carrying all the weight on them.  It could possibly slow or stop further locations of arthritis, I don't know for sure.

I am hoping for:  less foot pain, my arches have fallen from the weight, I have arthritis on the top of my feet and in some toes.  Less pain all over from the arthritis related issues but it cannot help my spine or neck, those are bone issues.

Even at 235, (how tall are you?), it will most likely provide a lot of relief.

Which form of WLS are you planning to have? If you choose the RNY/gastric bypass, you'll have to give up NSAIDs, the most effective daily treatment for arthritis. If you go with the VSG/Sleeve or the DS/duodenal switch, you'll still be able to take them, once you're fully healed.

This is an important thing to think about, because losing weight may improve your arthritis, but it may not. I lost 170 pounds, and while it did help the pain in my feet and legs, I still require NSAIDs in order to function. (And it didn't do anything for the arthritis in my hands and shoulders.)

Thank you all for the comments. I know the WLS will not get rid of the osteoarthritis, but i am hoping it will relieve my ankle and knee pain. ?? I also have degenerative disk in my back. I am 5'3". If I have the RNY I am afraid I will not be able to take something that will relieve my pain. ??? I am on meloxicam now. It helps but doesn't get rid of all the pain. I am at the crossroads trying to decidee which WLS to have also. Will the surfery get rid of my joint pain? Which surgery? and does WLS get rid of arthritis pain in joints. I weigh 235 at age 57. Thanks again for all your inputs. :)

The weight loss from WLS (any surgery) could help with the pain, but it won't help with any damage done to your joints from osteoarthritis.  I have osteoarthritis of my hips and knees.  I also have degenerative disc disease in my back.  WLS helped with my knee pain, but I had a knee replacement on the left and will have a replacement on the right as they were/are bone on bone, and still hurt.  I was not completely pain free.  My back pain got worse, so weight loss didn't help there.  I had RNY, so NSAIDS for me are limited (my surgeon allows them occasionally with Carafate), to reduce the risk of ulcers.  Generally speaking, NSAIDS are a no no after RNY.

No one can tell you if losing weight will get rid of your pain or not.  It might.  It might not.  Unfortunately, it is impossible to predict.

After rereading the replies,,,,, I think you all have answered my questions. Thanks!!! You all have been SO HELPFUL!!! I am leaning toward the VSG now. :)

I can only tell you from MY experience. Yes, losing weight will help you GREATLY on a day-to-day basis, but won't improve the situation at all. What I mean is, without all the excess weight, the strain on your legs will be lessened, so you will most likely feel less pain, but the OA won't resolve. 

I've got "stage 4" OA in both my knees, meaning that the idea of replacement surgery is WHEN, not IF. But I can tell you that, day-to-day, my knees hurt far, far less than they did when I carried around 170 more pounds.

With arthritis in all three places, I personally think VSg would be MUCH more appropriate for you.  You might get relief from the pain, but you might not.  If your joints hurt when you move them even when there is no weight in them (e.g., does it hurt just to flex your knees back and forth whole you are sitting?  Does it hurt to flex or rotate your ankle when sitting?), THAT pain will not lessen with weight loss.

I wish someone had told me that before I had surgery.  It probably wouldn't have changed anything for me since sleeve wasn't an option 7 years ago, but I might have more seriously considered the DS so it could have continued taking NEAIDs.  At least I wouldn't have expected that my knees would no longer hurt and then been really frustrated by how much they DID still hurt after losing 190 pounds.  When the steroid injections and Synvisc injections weren't helping enough, and I was taking Vicodin almost every day for knee pain, I ended up having both knees replaced (2 separate surgeries) last year.

Lora