arthritis pain

Hi everyone, I havnt' been here in awhile, very busy at work & tired!. Im' about 6 weeks out & doing well,weight wise.. I was taking Vioxx for years & now I cant . I hurt so bad, with a bad back & hip, I didnt realize how the Vioxx helped me!Anyway, Tylenol doesnt' cut it & my primary Dr. gave me Vicoden- that seems to upset my stomach, like burning sensation. Does anyone know if thats a anti-inflamitory too? like Vioxx? Im going to the chiropractor & putting liniment on but I need some suggestions, my Surgeon just says take Tylenol!! Thanks, Linda N.

Can you do MSM and Glucosomine (Flexamin)? It seems to help and does not have any stomach side effects, as far as I know. I have been very blessed. I stopped my Celebrex before surgery and have not had to restart it. The weight loss is making enough difference to get by. Hopefully, as you lose more, it will improve your situation too. Joy -34 lbs

Vicodin is a painkiller and it can be bad news. It is addictive and only a good thing to take in emergency, for example post surgery. It is NOT an anti-inflammatory, I was taking Celebrex pre-surgery and was in terrible pain for a while. It has slacked off but I will be glad to go back on it when I am healed enough (I'm seven weeks out). There is an old-fashioned remedy that can help you. I respond to it, but, of course it's all individual. I ice, no more than 10 minutes out of every hour, ice cubes in a large ziplock baggie are best with a paper towel to protect your skin. Stay OUT of hot tubs (you feel better for a bit but it sets your inflammation off). Can you find a way to keep moving -- I swam in ice cold water during vacation and I could NOT believe the improvement. I started the vacation hurting so bad I didn't think I would have any fun. I have a bad back, hip, knees, foot, and neck (compounded by an old spinal chord injury), so I know how this can be to move. But the more you don't move, the more you hurt, the more you don't move. I am now going to swim laps at my health club, using fins and my snorkel gear, so I do not have to turn my neck. I think the Australian crawl would be the Australian death march for me, so this idea has me happy. This was suggested to me by a woman who has MS. Pool arthritis classes or therapy can help you amazingly if you can find one near where you live. Often they are connected to hospitals. Plain pool aerobics are fine if you take it easy and use one of those foam worms so you don't get stressed. I'm starting those, too, to see how much I can reduce this pain before going back to medicine. Tylenol does nothing for inflammation and painkillers can actually give rebound reactions, where you are in WORSE pain. (Not to mention how evil they can be.) As posted below, ask him about Glucosamine and get a pill cutter to get it down. Gano

I had another thought. Do you see an orthopedic guy? (actually your chiropractor may be able to prescribe what I am suggesting). I forget the exact name of it, but I use a small battery-driven device in physical therapy. It is a square battery pack that shoots exectricity into some electrodes that are placed on your body with just sort of stick'em plastic pads. You can dial the current up and down so that it's only a light buzz (it shouldn't be more). This is used in pain relief and also to help someone with atrophied muscles "find" them. A friend of mine got one prescribed for her bad back and just wore it around, looked like a pager. When used in combo with ice, it can reduce pain very dramatically. If my pain gets much worse, I may go to this myself and I forgot about it till just now. But my neck is killing me after writing all day, and, well, now it all comes back to me! Physical therapists refer to it is "stim," i.e., electrical stimulation. It is rather pleasant and really works. Gano

Hi, thanks to everyone for their replys. I get that shock treatment at the chiropractor. I havnt looked to see where I could buy one..Medical supply store? Also I had sme MSM & Glucosomene but it is in capsule form. I havnt tried to swallow it, but I did take it apart & put it in water...Yuk!!!I can swallow tylenol gel caps but they are a little smaller.. Linda N.

I was told I had to order one through PT, as it requires a prescription. But I did not research it to see if I could just pick up one in a medical supply store. Please do try the silly ice remedy (but don't get an ice burn, which is why I say 10 min., ice cubes instead of gel packs, and use a paper towel on your skin). It is amazingly simple and sometimes really works.

My Doctor told me I could take Bextra for my arthritis. I took it before my surgery for Arthiritis and menstrual cramps and it really helped.