ibuprofen
So I am still waiting for a new surgery date but I have a question....what do people take for pain now that you can't take ibuprofen?
I have hip dysplasia and with that comes some mild but still painful arthritis. Amazingly this morning, I woke up and it is apparently cold enough for my leg to be bothering me. I would like to try something other than the ibuprofen before the surgery and hopefully get my body adjusted to it.
I know they say liquid tylenol and I should try it but I know most of my pain comes from inflammation and tylenol is not an anti-inflammatory.
Any advice??
I have hip dysplasia and with that comes some mild but still painful arthritis. Amazingly this morning, I woke up and it is apparently cold enough for my leg to be bothering me. I would like to try something other than the ibuprofen before the surgery and hopefully get my body adjusted to it.
I know they say liquid tylenol and I should try it but I know most of my pain comes from inflammation and tylenol is not an anti-inflammatory.
Any advice??
The FDA requires the Flector patch to have all the same NSAID-type warnings as oral pills. (That's very likely nonsense, but in the absence of evidence, they can't assume that the NSAID patch is harmless.)
The Flector patch is indicated for the topical treatment of strains and sprains. It would not work well to treat hip pain and stiffness, because the hip joint in buried deep beneath bone and tissue; the drug released locally by the patch and absorbed through the skin simply cannot reach the hip joint.
Plus, the studies submitted to the FDA for its approval demonstrate a marginal benefit over a placebo patch. It's very likely that 2 extra-strength Tylenol would be much more effective than the patch, even it it were applied to an area that could be reached by the patch, and that's faint praise indeed.
/Steve
The Flector patch is indicated for the topical treatment of strains and sprains. It would not work well to treat hip pain and stiffness, because the hip joint in buried deep beneath bone and tissue; the drug released locally by the patch and absorbed through the skin simply cannot reach the hip joint.
Plus, the studies submitted to the FDA for its approval demonstrate a marginal benefit over a placebo patch. It's very likely that 2 extra-strength Tylenol would be much more effective than the patch, even it it were applied to an area that could be reached by the patch, and that's faint praise indeed.
/Steve
I had lower back and hip pain from arthritis almost constantly before the surgery, along with headaches several times a week. I used to take Excedrin for the headaches and Ibuprofen for the arthritis. Since losing weight after the surgery, my arthritis seems to be completely gone. I had the RNY in March -- after the first two months, I've been pain free. I also have stopped getting headaches! I don't know if everyone has the same good results, but I do know that both my surgeon and my primary care physician told me that losing the weight would greatly reduce the pain from arthritis, and they were right. I never expected my headaches to stop -- thought I was just going to have to suffer because Tylenol never worked for my headaches. So, you might just find that you don't need the ibuprofen -- it really is amazing how much better you can feel just by losing that excess weight. I wish you the best!
I am hoping the same thing will happen when the weight comes off but I am somewhat leery. I was born with the dysplasia, so I have had the pain at even 1/3 of the size I am now....however the weight needs to come off to determine if more needs to be done with my hip.
Thank you for your insight and congrats for being pain free!!
Thank you for your insight and congrats for being pain free!!
Let me share something with you. I developed a limp in my right hip a year before my RNY surgery, which was diagnosed as osteoarthritis / degenerative joint disease. I had a month of physical therapy and was prescribed NSAIDs, and I responded really well: no more limp, no more hip pain, and I no longer had to use a cane. But after 6 months or so, the hip discomfort began to come back, and I had to resume my NSAIDs in order to get around. But even then I didn't realize to what extent the NSAIDs were responsible for my "recovery".
By that time, I'd made preparations to have RNY surgery in late Nov 2007, which was uneventful. Naturally, I wasn't taking NSAIDs anymore. But after surgery, although I was losing weight steadily, my hip pain steadily got worse. It was impossible to exercise (and THAT made me nervous), and Tylenol was no more effective than candy. Finally, in desperation, at 4 mos. post-op, I made an appointment to see an orthopedist, who took X-rays and said: "you need a hip replacement" (!!) Boy, I wasn't expecting that. I'm relatively young (at 52), and hadn't imagined that this was an option. Anyway, I had a referral to an orthopedic surgeon, who set up a surgery date, and I had a hip replacement 10 weeks ago at the end of July 2008. This time I'm really "cured": no pain whatsoever! I'm glad I didn't elect to wait longer. In fact, I wish I'd seen an orthopedist a year earlier!
Anyway, I raise this because if you're predisposed to hip problems, I think you should think long and hard about choosing RNY surgery as your preferred WLS. Tylenol was completely ineffective for me, and my surgeon did not want to risk using NSAIDs after my RNY. So, I was prescribed Percocet 4 times a day from mid-March up until the day of my hip surgery (and then for about 3 weeks more while I was recovering.) Since I had a surgery date for my hip already scheduled, my doctors and I were OK with using a powerful narcotic like Percocet for a short period of time (if 4 months can be called "short"!), but I don't think that's a solution for anyone who isn't planning to have a hip replacement relatively soon. With the LapBand, a VSG or the DS, it's claimed that you should be able take NSAIDs with only the usual precautions that everyone follows. Indeed, my quality of life immediate after my surgery was terrible, largely because I wasn't obtaining the pain relief that I'd come to take for granted from NSAIDs! I still look back at those first 4 post-op months and look at them as a wasted opportunity. Once I realized that my hip was totally shot and that I couldn't do any MORE damage to it, I gladly started an exercise regimen, helped along by the Percocet which allowed me to work out despite the pain.!
By the way, once my surgeon started the surgery, he discovered the reason why I'd developed arthritis at such an early age: developmental hip dysplasia, probably congenital. Essentially the socket in my right hip was markedly shallow, leading to premature wear and tear. It's strange that I'd never noticed anything at all until I was age 50!
Good luck,
/Steve
By that time, I'd made preparations to have RNY surgery in late Nov 2007, which was uneventful. Naturally, I wasn't taking NSAIDs anymore. But after surgery, although I was losing weight steadily, my hip pain steadily got worse. It was impossible to exercise (and THAT made me nervous), and Tylenol was no more effective than candy. Finally, in desperation, at 4 mos. post-op, I made an appointment to see an orthopedist, who took X-rays and said: "you need a hip replacement" (!!) Boy, I wasn't expecting that. I'm relatively young (at 52), and hadn't imagined that this was an option. Anyway, I had a referral to an orthopedic surgeon, who set up a surgery date, and I had a hip replacement 10 weeks ago at the end of July 2008. This time I'm really "cured": no pain whatsoever! I'm glad I didn't elect to wait longer. In fact, I wish I'd seen an orthopedist a year earlier!
Anyway, I raise this because if you're predisposed to hip problems, I think you should think long and hard about choosing RNY surgery as your preferred WLS. Tylenol was completely ineffective for me, and my surgeon did not want to risk using NSAIDs after my RNY. So, I was prescribed Percocet 4 times a day from mid-March up until the day of my hip surgery (and then for about 3 weeks more while I was recovering.) Since I had a surgery date for my hip already scheduled, my doctors and I were OK with using a powerful narcotic like Percocet for a short period of time (if 4 months can be called "short"!), but I don't think that's a solution for anyone who isn't planning to have a hip replacement relatively soon. With the LapBand, a VSG or the DS, it's claimed that you should be able take NSAIDs with only the usual precautions that everyone follows. Indeed, my quality of life immediate after my surgery was terrible, largely because I wasn't obtaining the pain relief that I'd come to take for granted from NSAIDs! I still look back at those first 4 post-op months and look at them as a wasted opportunity. Once I realized that my hip was totally shot and that I couldn't do any MORE damage to it, I gladly started an exercise regimen, helped along by the Percocet which allowed me to work out despite the pain.!
By the way, once my surgeon started the surgery, he discovered the reason why I'd developed arthritis at such an early age: developmental hip dysplasia, probably congenital. Essentially the socket in my right hip was markedly shallow, leading to premature wear and tear. It's strange that I'd never noticed anything at all until I was age 50!
Good luck,
/Steve
Celebrex. it's a prescription that my RnY surgeon gave me to replace Aleve and Ibuprofin for my arthritis. I have it in my foot. Both my primary and Orhopedist supported this medicine if you can tolerate it. But there is another WLS procedure that enables you to take ibuprofin because it doesnt bypass the area. It makes a banana shape stomach. It's a relatively new procedure - my RnY dr. had only done 2 of them. But I was seriuosly considering it if the celebrex hadn't worked. Less WL, I think. but no malabsorptive issues.
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