Question:
Need some advice please.......
50 year old female, two months post-op, down 40 lbs. so far. I WAS on Celebrex for arthritis, but stopped taking it pre-op for surgery and don't want to start back, as one of my goals is to get off all my meds, which includes blood pressure and cholerterol meds (still taking them.) Well, my hips are hurting me. Do you think carrying the extra 100+ pounds has done permanent damage or do you think as the pounds come off, the pain will ease up? I guess my main question is: Is arthritis arthritis? Once you have it, does it ever go away? I only will start on the Celebrex again if the pain is unbearable. Am I making any sense here? — Annie H. (posted on January 6, 2002)
January 6, 2002
Great job on the lost..I also suffer from arthritis in my back and knee's,
but since I have dropped 140 pounds its not as bad and I don't take
anything for the pain. Well maybe one or two tylenol's but other then that
nothing.
Once you have arthritis you have it forever, it will never go away. But
having the extra weight gone does help with the pain.
— Terri Z.
January 6, 2002
I completely empathize with you wanting to get off your medications. I
applaud you for that. But, personally, if your Dr. says you can take
Celebrex; perhaps you should take it to help with the pain. One things for
sure: if you're not in any pain, you'll be able to excercise more and more
effectively. I don't know much about arthritis, but wether or not it's
permanent, one things for sure. You're going to feel alot better with that
lost weight! I wish you a pain free journey!
— Kristin R.
January 6, 2002
Hi -
Arthiritis is always going to be there; doctors those od us who suffer to
exercise and they are right - it does make you feel better. Swimming and
walking feel great and are low impact. Stretching and yoga are wonderful.
I also have professional messages and those benefits last for weeks. I am
only 35 and have suffered for years (thank you, Celebrex). Perhaps you can
try some of the natural products, like shark cartlidge and glucosamine
condroitin. Also, Tylenol makes a great arthritis OTC med.
— [Anonymous]
January 6, 2002
Hi... I also suffer from arthritis, and stopped taking my meds after my
surgery.. That was a mistake.. after a week or so my knees and ancles
started hurting again.. I personally take Vioxx which helps me a lot. My
Dr. told me that just because I had the surgery my pains would not go away
like magic.. I'm still 100 lbs over weight! So I'll contuine to take them
for a while and hope that in another 50 or so pounds I won't need them any
more.. Good luck!
Smiles... Kathy
— Kathryn C.
January 6, 2002
Annie ,your not in this alone for I too am suffering with arthritis.My back
and hips hurt so bad I can hardly walk.I've lost 55 pounds and i'm 2mo.post
op.I'M 55 AND HAVE A LONG WAYS TO GO. COULDN'T take celebrex or viox.I'VE
BEEN ON ORMORPH (MORPHINE) FOR 5 YRS. THE DR WANTS ME OFF IT BUT HASN'T
COME UP WITH SOMETHING that works as good.Even with the morphine it still
hurts alot.I go to water arobics 2 times a wk. that really helps alot.i'm
hoping that as the weight goes so will SOME of the pain but I KNOW I'll
just have to live with it.good luck [email protected] NANCY M.
— NANCY M.
January 6, 2002
I, too, suffer from arthritis in my knees and hips. After my surgery, I
could hardly move. In fact, for two days they gave me Toradol shots for
the inflammation and had to move one of my legs for me to help me out of
bed. The Toradol helped immensely but unfortunately, it is a very strong,
dangerous drug that can be given only for a very short amount of time.
After leaving the hosiptal I reinjured the leg I had hurt in the hospital
and my surgeon gave me a 10 day supply of Celebrex - it helped but he told
me I could not take it longer than 10 days. Too much danger of bleeding in
the stomach.
The only thing I can take for pain is Tylenol and it doesn't help joint
pain. I sleep with the heating pad many nights and sometimes I'm
relatively pain free. I do know that I am doing the same things now -
almost 6 weeks post-op - that I was doing before surgery but without the
anti-inflammatory drugs that I was taking daily. So it has to be getting
better. I haven't lost enough yet to make a real difference and exercising
is very difficult for me.
My surgeon told me that the weight loss would help, but he thinks that I
will have to have knee replacement surgery after the weight loss - too much
damage has been done and bone is rubbing on bone. But the good news is
that with the weight loss I will be a candidate for the surgery and it will
be successful. For now, I do the best I can.
Best of luck to you - I know there are a lot of us out there whose joints
hurt badly.
Patty Butler
— Patty_Butler
January 6, 2002
I have osteo-arthritis, which the rheumatologist insists would be the same
if I had never weighed 1# too many. BUT because I was full sized, it was
never properly diagnosed. Once properly diagnosed and some clues given, I
take Plaquenil. It does NOT bother the stomach/pouch at all, and really
produced measurable improvement in movement. Osteo-arthritis is a real
disease, and a fairly predictable progression BUT, we simply do not feel it
as badly once the weight is not crushing those joints.
— vitalady
March 6, 2002
I was told by my doctor that I cannot take anything containing aspiran and
Celebrex has aspiran products. It will cause ulcers. Don't take it!
— dolphins94
March 13, 2003
I am 3 months post-op from 'Micropouch' Surgery and take Celebrex. The
doctor said to empty the capsule and mix with apple sauce.
— Jazzy
September 19, 2003
Funny this came up, because I just missed 2 days of work and went to the
dr. because of pain in my knee, hip, and back. I didn't think the pain
would get WORSE after surgery! But it has, and my surgeon will not allow
anything other than Tylenol because of the risk of a bleeding ulcer. My
regular dr. is requesting an MRI, so I assume that based on what they find
(already know I have arthritis in my knee and I'm 34 years old), my knee
will probably get replaced. Otherwise, I will live with this pain for the
rest of my life, which I cannot do. I've come this far and I just started
to enjoy tennis, swimming, running, etc. again. So if they take my knee,
that will be fine with me! Anyway, please check with your surgeon on the
Celebrex, but try and swim at least every other day. It does help somewhat
with the pain and it is low impact. Plus it gets your heartbeat going. I
did a Yoga class and I think that made the pain worse in my back, so check
with the dr. on that too. Good luck and happy losing! Take care, Jen
— jkardad
May 10, 2004
I have arthritis and was on Celebrex for a while. There are too many side
effects with it. One of my friend's mother was taking it and the doctor
didnt' check her blood levels and she ending up in the hospital. She had to
have surgery for a bleeding ulcer. My doctor told me about MSM. It's an
herbal medicine. I get it at Walmart. He told me to take 1500mgs twice a
day. I do not have pain in my hand and knees anymore. The pills are big,
but there are capsules that can be opened. I hope this helps. It takes a
while to build up in your system. About two weeks. I hope this helps you.
Daphne
— Daphne F.
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