Scared about stopping my NSAID!
I am scheduled for RNY surgery September 9, and know that I will have to stop taking Meloxicam, an NSAID I was prescribed couple of years ago for osteoarthritis pain. When I had to stop it for a week prior to endoscopy, I could barely walk by the time th endoscopy happened. Now, I am realizing that I will not ever be able to take it again! The nurse at my pre-op seminar suggested purple pectin (tablespoon of liquid pectin in Grape juice) and turmeric. I am weaning myself off the Meloxicam now, only taking a pill every other day and planning to go to one every three days next week. But my knees and hip are really starting to ache now. Afraid of what will happen when I can't take anything! Any advice out there?
Hi, so sorry your in pain! I'm in the same boat. I have rheumatoid arthritis, and was taking Naproxen (NSAID) for pain. I also had to stop taking it too, and was told I could no longer take it after surgery. When I had my EDG done back in April 2016. They found a ulcer in my stomach and said it was caused by Naproxen and that I had to stop taking it right away. I went to my rheumatologist and she put me on Gabapentin 300mg 2x daily which I only take once at night. It has been a miracle, but doesn't work for everyone. It is not a NSAID, BUT IN ALL HONESTY IT HAS HELP ME BETTER THAN THE NAPROXEN I WAS TAKING. I hope this helps, and best of luck on your journey!
Thank you for that post! So glad there might be another option for arthritis pain control. I am on one pill every three days now, weaning myself off. i am taking pectin and grape juice which may be helping, and turmeric which also may be helping. I am stiff all the time but losing weight should help. Good luck to you, too!
I hope your surgery went well! I was on Meloxicam, and it never worked for me! Gabapentin (Neurontin) makes me sleepy, and I take it as needed for pain in my neck. I was diagnosed with RA last summer, and it's pretty aggressive. I take five pills once a week, and it seems to work wonders for me. I was told that before I had WLS, I would have to adjust some of my meds, which is fine with me. I'm hoping that after WLS (my journey has just begun), I won't have as much RA pain that is associated to being so much overweight. I wouldn't be too overly worried about the NSAID restriction with the RNY. There are many wonderful medicines that your Rheumatologist, or even your PCP can prescribe that will help with the pain.
Good luck to you!
My surgery went well... I am a month post-op and still am having a hard time with pain. I have to use a walking stick now when I walk any distance (even a block is too much...) and have already had x-rays. PCP has referred me to a pain management clinic. Phys therapy did not work. Although I am 40 pounds lighter my arthritis in hip and knees is pretty bad. I am hoping to get some good news when I go to the pain clinic. Either gabapentin, or something else. Good luck to you in your journey!
Just KNOW they are very serious when they say you can not have any more NSAID pains meds. I thought I would be ok and after a couple of years i started taking them again. I ended up with an awful bleeding ulcer that went into a blood vessel and had to be taken in to have it repaired. I will have to look into the Gabapentin because something has to help...
I got that... at my one-week post-op with PCP, she suggested that I ask my surgeon if I could use an NSAID patch. I asked at my two-week post-op with surgeon. He said: "no NSAIDs. Period. Ever. No oral, no injectable, no patch, nothing that is labeled NSAID!" My PCP said she had never heard that before. Duh.
Hopefully they can find something that will help. Turmeric is really helping with the arthritis in general, but the hip and leg pain is pretty bad still.
I am four months out from surgery. Down almost 70 pounds. Still pretty bad pain in my knee, and it seems to get worse the more weight I lose. BUT I take nothing except Tylenol, so basically on no meds. I was scheduled to have a knee replacement, but I had a minor stroke so that was put off until after March. I take turmeric 2000 mg a day, which seems to help with arthritis in general but not the knee, which is already bone-on-bone.
Even though the knee (and legs, really) are worse, I am SO GLAD I had the surgery. I definitely recommending having it.
