Another reason to be cautious about NSAID use

Yes, I was going to have a discussion with my PCP when I go in for my pre-op history and physical. I have taken Tramadol before and it did help, but I thought Celebrex was an NSAID. Joint replacement has been brought up but my ortho doc wants to loose weight first as to not stress the replacements. 

Thank you to everyone for all your input, it has helped a lot!

Yes, Celebrex is an NSAID, but it is less likely to cause stomach problems than many others so many physicians prescribe it instead of having people take OTC NSAIDs.

I had arthroscopic knee surgery (three tiny incisions) when I was somewhere between 250 and 275 pounds (many years before my RNY) and then has total knee replacements at 145-150 pounds in the last 2.5 years.  The arthroscopic surgery took just as long to recover from as the TKRs because I was carrying so much extra weight!  Knee replacements hurt like hell for several weeks even without carrying any extra weight.  Based on the pain I had with the arthroscopic knee surgery, I cannot imagine how intense the pain would be (and how incredibly difficult the rehab would be) for a TKR when someone is carrying a lot of extra weight!  It almost makes my knees hurt just thinking about it...

Lora

I had one total knee replacement 3 years ago when I weighed 320 lbs. My ortho surgeon said folks did not need to wait to lose weight any longer before having joint replacement because with newer procedures, they just put in some kind of super-duper stents to help hold the extra weight. The surgeon I had is one of the best in the northeast - people come from out of state to see him, so I figure he knows what he's talking about. So - it may be OK to do the surgery no matter the weight of the patient, but oh you are right! The pain was off the charts, PT a nightmare, and recuperation time was months and months and months. Not a pleasant experience for sure. So I now need a hip done - and this is one of the biggest factors that have convinced me to have this surgery... I need to lose a significant amount of weight before the surgery this time, to make it easier and less painful - no matter what my surgeon says!

Maybe that -- or something like it -- was what my surgeon meant when he said that he sometimes does replacements on people who are obese when there is no other option, but that it requires some extra work during surgery. (He also insists that they go for inpatient PT for the first couple of weeks.) 

I cannot imagine the pain you must have had with your knee replacement!  I have heard from two people who have had both a hip and a knee (or two, LOL) done that the hip is a much easier recovery... faster and much less painful. I guess the hardest part is making sure you don't raise your knee and thigh beyond the 90-degree angle to your hip.

Yes, I've heard that recovery and PT after hip replacement is much easier than knee replacement. I hope so! Even in the best of cir****tances, knee replacement is no joke! The first night I was home, when I went to the bathroom, it took me over an hour to hoist myself up and off the toilet! The pain each time I put weight on the knee to get up was through the roof! Once I was up, I made my sweetheart go out at 11pm to Walmart (open 24 hours) to buy a toilet seat riser! I wasn't gonna go though that again, LOL!! In any case, even tho I am not required to, I will not have the hip replacement until I've lost a significant amount of weight from the surgery. No matter what my doc says, I know it has to be easier all the way around when one is not carrying so much extra weight around. And safer too!

{laughing at comments about toilet seat riser...}

When I had my first knee done, they said I would need to purchase a walker, and they strongly recommended an adjustable toilet chair (where it has a removable plastic chamber pot so can just be placed over the toilet). I was hesitant about the toilet chair.... until I used the bathroom the first time in the hospital and I realized how much it hurt even with the raised seat!  I used it for about a month!  Since I dumped the walker for crutches after about 2 weeks, I used that more than anything post-op!