Diagnosed with Osteoarthritis....Now What????

The hip pain has steadily gotten worse and occurring daily, so I made an appt with my primary doctor, had the xrays done and it is official, osteoarthritis in both hips.  I am 2 years post op RNY...doctor wanted to prescribe Celebrex.  I thought this was a drug we could not take, so I questioned him and he said since I did not have the sleeve procedure, I should be ok.  Another RX option was Voltaren......I have to get back with MD with my decision on treatment.  I know Tylenol does nothing for the pain, NSAIDS are our enemy.....so what are feasible options for some pain relief???

Missy-h

I have rheumatiod arthritis and scheduled to have RNY on Oct 28th and my surgeon said celebrex was ok to take after my surgery. If I remember correctly it took a couple of weeks to get the full effect so Tylenol may have to be used until. Good luck.

Celebrex and voltaren and both NSAIDs. I would recommend checking with your bariatric surgeon before taking either of these drugs. It is my understanding that all NSAIDs are contraindicated after gastric bypass due to increased risk of ulcers at the anastamosis (connection) between the pouch and the small intestine, an area made more fragile due to some loss of blood supply from being cut, and also due to contact of the stomach lining with the small bowel contents. Also, there is the risk of ulcers or gastritis in the blind stomach, which is not readily accessible to viewing either with endoscopy or x-rays.
     Your pcp has it backwards. If you had the sleeve, these drugs would be ok for you, but not with gastric bypass.

     This is a major problem with gastric bypass for many people, as many go into the procedure with arthritis, or develop it later even after losing weight due to the damage that has already occurred. The only drugs considered safe are tylenol (which as you mentioned is often not helpful) and narcotics.

Larra 

I had cortisone shots in my hip for that, and occassionally use an nsaid patch called flexor.

You do realize that NSAIDs are still potentially harmful to you, even as a patch, don't you???

I use Lidoderm patches that are really good.

Celebrex and Voltaren are both NSAIDS with side effects that include bleeding ulcers.  I would be very careful.

Michele

Before I had RNY I talked to the surgeon about taking Celebrex for arthritis and he had no problem with it, said it would be okay to take as well as the daily aspirin for prevention of further heart problems.