NSAIDS/Anti-Inflammatory Meds

I am pre-op and have wanted the bypass and not the sleeve since I started the process.  Now I have done more research and have read that after Gastric Bypass you can't take NSAIDS/Anit-Inflammatory meds.  No Advil or Aleve or even aspirin.  I have pretty bad arthritis and don't know what I would do without those meds for pain relief.  Tylenol doesn't come even close to touching the pain.  What would be your advice...should I switch to the sleeve or has someone found a substitute to control pain and swelling better than Advil or Aleve?  Thanks!!

I would do some more research into the sleeve and DS.  I have both RA and OA and my arthritis has only gotten worse. I take prescription Tramadol to relieve pain but I am still looking at total knee replacements. There are some days my pain is so bad that I do take an NSAID knowing that I am taking chances with my stomach, however, my surgeon knows this and is ok with it. 

If your arthritis is bad, I would encourage you to reconsider the RNY.  Your pain med choices are limited to Tylenol or prescription pain meds like Tramadol or Vicodin (and in many states doctors are under pressure to prescribe those less frequently.).  Even if your doctor prescribes them, you will eventually build a tolerance (even to the Tramadol) and, eventually, develop physical dependence/addiction. 

Additionally, nothing but steroids will address the inflammation (which is the cause of the pain). None of the pain relievers will do anything except minimize the pain signals in your brain.  If you cannot control the inflammation (e.g., by using ice and other non-medication approaches), you can potentially do further damage to the joint (this depends a LOT on what joint, the severity of the arthritis, etc., though).

Some doctors allow RNY patients to take NSAIDs periodically (but by doing so you are risking an ulcer), and depending in which joints are affected, you might get some relief after losing the weight.  There is no guarantee, though. If your knees or ankles are affected, I would recommend getting X-rays and consulting an orthopedic surgeon before you make your surgery decision so you will have an idea of whether or not losing weight is likely to help enough that you no longer need NSAIDs.

I had heard/read so many stories of people whose knees no longer hurt after losing weight that I expected that would be the case for me, too.  Unfortunately, I greatly underestimated the amount of arthritis I had (which is permanent) and greatly overestimated the amount of relief I would get from losing almost 200 pounds.  I also underestimated how difficult life would be without NSAIDs (even, for example, when the arthritis in my fingers acts up).

My knees hurt almost as much after I lost the weight as they did before.  After 5+ years of cortisone and Synvisc injections, 3+ years of Tramadol, and over 2 years of Vicodin for the pain, I finally had both knees replaced.  The sleeve was not available as an option when I had surgery 7 years ago, but if I were making the decision today (with arthritis in my knees and several fingers) I would opt for the sleeve.  (That is also partly because I never liked the permanent malabsorption of vitamins with the RNY, but it was either that or the DS which has even greater vitamin malabsorption).  

Keep in mind that arthritis never gets better (losing weight only reduces the amount of pressure on weight bearing joints); it only gets worse.

Lora