Tammi, thanks for your post.  I am going to check into the tramadol you mentioned and clonapin.  I have not heard of them.  KIM M>

Thanks for the reply. I had total knee replacement february 6th. This is the hardest surgery that I have ever had in my life. The RA does not make it better either. I was told I would not be able to bend it but 85 degrees. I can bend it on my own at 101 degrees. I have constant pain and it stays hot all the time. I cannot stand to have anything over it or it throbs and stays swollen. I have therapy 3 times a week and is very grilling, but worth it I know. I have been on a flare up since surgery and moving around is unbearable always. In the last week I have had to have fluid drawn off the left knee and injected with cortisone. I have tiorn the ligaments and messed the muscle up putting so much pressure on it taking off pressure on the right one before and after surgery. I am having a rough time of it. They say it will get better after about 8 months and I am just out of surgery 6 weeks. The pain meds stopped working after about the second week of surgery and nothing works except sleep when I can get it and get comfortable. Which is hard to do with my knee being numb 12 inches down the side and 4 inches across. I may be glad that I did this later, but right now I just want some pain relief and sleep and comfort. Thanks for the reply and I hope your surgery goes well when you have it. LOL.

I'm almost 57 and haven't had knee surgery.  But, I suffer from arthritic knee pain and had asked my doc for pain pills.  I didn't get them.  Rather, I was sent for aquatherapy.  I couldn't use the facilities that are covered by my HMO.  However, I joined a gym that has a therapy pool.  I now use it 6 days a week.  They have many therapy patients there and I can see that aquatherapy does help them following various surgeries.  Their surgeries include disc problems, knee problems, and congenical problems.  I may need surgery in the future, but I plan to continue with the aquasize.

Hi Patty, Thanks for your reply.  I had the shots, got a bad case of cellutlitus, had to have the shots put off for a month and then completed the therapy.  There was a markable differenence in my one knee but not the other.  I guess the replacement is next.  I would like to hold off as they are making more and more progress on the science of knee replacement especially in woman. Thanks again. Jeanne

Take a look at the DS----it's been shown to be the very BEST form of WLs for those with a starting BMI over 50! ANd it will allow you to take pretty much any meds post-op that you've been taking pre-op.