Question:
Hey….I’ve asked this b4, but there’re many new faces – so to speak – hanging around lately. I have a true grocery list of ailments, all being relatively well treated. I’m at a semi-constant level of 5 or 6, now. So….question: I have OA in my neck, according to the Neurosurgeon and the zillion tests run on my. I also have it in my lower back and "perhaps" in my knees…also damaged over time. I’ve tried Mobic, Vioxx, and Celebrex at one time or another, and found that overall, Mobic works best for me. After about 4 months on it, I apparently developed a mild allergy against it and my feet swelled. I discontinued the Mobic; the swelling ended. She put me back on Celebrex, with which I’d had similar problems last summer after discovering that Vioxx was NOT an option as my feet, ankles, legs, face…all puffed up. So, here’s the rub. When I became allergic?? to Mobic last month, she gave me Celebrex and had me taking 1/day. Swelling went away, no problems. After about 3 wks, she told me to go ahead and up the dose to 2 /day. I did, and BAM….my ankles swelled…..and swelled, and swelled. I normally wear size 8 1/2 shoes. Right now size 10’s don’t fit. my ankle is about 15 inches round. MY legs STAY red and the edema is unreal…push in on my leg and your thumb depresses down at least 1/2 inch. They HURT HURT. I keep them up above my heart many many hrs/day. I took the Demedex I had from last summer. Nothing. I took the ??? , didn’t work. Something again from last summer. She saw me a week ago and put me on Mex…something something….didn’t work. Today, after I called in tears (my hands are swollen so that my wedding ring finger (sz 5 1/2 ) is currently a sz 7 1/2….I can wear no shoes… She called in Lasix. So far no good. Any one know if we are, in fact, NOT treating an allergy to meds but in fact some other thing/disease I may have and not know??? She’s done blood tests, took a couple of gallons last visit….no words on that… Could this be something else? My feet to my knees are swollen, my hands are, my face it a bit….I hurt. All the things wrong w/me are hurting now, like none of my meds are touching them… I’ve been SERIOUSLY considering that full bottle of Oxycontin as a cure for the swelling…..I cannot take much more of this. Husband’s trying to be nice….but he’s had enough. So’ve I. HELP!!!!! Rae in Louisiana
Response:
Dear Rae: I’m no physician, but I would strongly get a second opinion. If you can stand temporarily stopping all of the anti-inflammatories (Vioxx, Celebrex, etc), that would be the easiest way to tell if it’s an allergic reaction. Unfortunately, a lot of the meds that we get to control the pain also cause other problems. Then, we end up having to get meds to take care of the side effect of the other meds. It’s a vicious cycle. At any rate, you may want to consider a second opinion. The other thing to check is your blood pressure. I do know that swelling and severe retention of water can be the result of skyrocketing blood pressure. Please don’t give up….. sometimes getting an opinion from another doctor puts a fresh ’spin’ on what’s going on in your body. Hope you get relief soon, Jeff
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey….I’ve asked this b4, but there’re many new faces – so to speak – hanging around lately. I have a true grocery list of ailments, all being relatively well treated. I’m at a semi-constant level of 5 or 6, now. So….question: I have OA in my neck, according to the Neurosurgeon and the zillion tests run on my. I also have it in my lower back and "perhaps" in my knees…also damaged over time. I’ve tried Mobic, Vioxx, and Celebrex at one time or another, and found that overall, Mobic works best for me. After about 4 months on it, I apparently developed a mild allergy against it and my feet swelled. I discontinued the Mobic; the swelling ended. She put me back on Celebrex, with which I’d had similar problems last summer after discovering that Vioxx was NOT an option as my feet, ankles, legs, face…all puffed up. So, here’s the rub. When I became allergic?? to Mobic last month, she gave me Celebrex and had me taking 1/day. Swelling went away, no problems. After about 3 wks, she told me to go ahead and up the dose to 2 /day. I did, and BAM….my ankles swelled…..and swelled, and swelled. I normally wear size 8 1/2 shoes. Right now size 10’s don’t fit. my ankle is about 15 inches round. MY legs STAY red and the edema is unreal…push in on my leg and your thumb depresses down at least 1/2 inch. They HURT HURT. I keep them up above my heart many many hrs/day. I took the Demedex I had from last summer. Nothing. I took the ??? , didn’t work. Something again from last summer. She saw me a week ago and put me on Mex…something something….didn’t work. Today, after I called in tears (my hands are swollen so that my wedding ring finger (sz 5 1/2 ) is currently a sz 7 1/2….I can wear no shoes… She called in Lasix. So far no good. Any one know if we are, in fact, NOT treating an allergy to meds but in fact some other thing/disease I may have and not know??? She’s done blood tests, took a couple of gallons last visit….no words on that… Could this be something else? My feet to my knees are swollen, my hands are, my face it a bit….I hurt. All the things wrong w/me are hurting now, like none of my meds are touching them… I’ve been SERIOUSLY considering that full bottle of Oxycontin as a cure for the swelling…..I cannot take much more of this. Husband’s trying to be nice….but he’s had enough. So’ve I. HELP!!!!! Rae in Louisiana
Response:
Hey….try Mobic. I was on them Sept 00 to 01 with no problem. And thanks for the words of help. 
Love, Rae
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hiya Rae. I have that exact same problem with every anti-inflammatory I’ve ever taken except Vioxx… which caused other problems. I go off the anti-inflammatories and the swelling goes away within days. I have found that the Celebrex/Vioxx route causing less swelling than traditional anti-inflammatories like indomethacin, feldine (sp), and others… but still enough to be what I consider a major problem. I’ve been on different brands of lasix for a few years now because of this but it only helps to control it a little, not make it go away. Even adding the zaraxolyn that Alec suggests only works to a degree and if taken every day. If you do go that route, be sure to add in some potassium to your diet or you’ll get some really bad muscle cramps that are like level 9-10 pain that can make you scream out loud. Okay, so I’m a sissy… but it does hurt a lot. And when you wake up in the middle of the night with one of those upper thigh leg cramps and can’t move out of the water bed because it hurts so much, it sucks. My doctor is unwilling to script zaraxolyn on a regular basis. Not sure why, but we’re going to be talking about it next visit since I just ran out of all I had this month. I used them very sparingly and went through a bottle of 30 over the last ten months. Basically, they were for when it got so bad that I felt I had no choice. I hate wearing shoes around the house on these hot summer days, but I find it forces the swelling out of my feet by doing so. I worry because the swelling gets so bad that I can’t move my toes and I wonder about the circulation to them being cut off. Basically it just forces the swelling up to the ankles and out of the feet. You can also get compression stockings. Your doctor can script them in case you have insurance or something that pays for stuff like that… or Medicare will pay 80%. I’m not sure if they’re expensive or not because they can’t get them in my size so I’ve never gotten to try them. And lastly, if I can get my edema down, I find I can slightly control it by diet… no salt primarily. So, no salt in the house, no packaged foods where they add salt, use wheat instead of white bread, and stuff like that. Vioxx gave me no edema, but did give me insomnia and anxiety. Celebrex gives me a degree of edema, but not near as bad as traditional anti-inflammatories. I can’t use the traditional anti-inflammatories at all. I’ve never tried the mobic stuff you mentioned. I don’t know the answer for you, Rae… but just wanted to let you know you’re not alone with this problem. If you find the magic answer to using anti-inflammatories and not getting edema, let me know. Hey….I’ve asked this b4, but there’re many new faces – so to speak – hanging around lately. I have a true grocery list of ailments, all being relatively well treated. I’m at a semi-constant level of 5 or 6, now. So….question: I have OA in my neck, according to the Neurosurgeon and the zillion tests run on my. I also have it in my lower back and "perhaps" in my knees…also damaged over time. I’ve tried Mobic, Vioxx, and Celebrex at one time or another, and found that overall, Mobic works best for me. After about 4 months on it, I apparently developed a mild allergy against it and my feet swelled. I discontinued the Mobic; the swelling ended. She put me back on Celebrex, with which I’d had similar problems last summer after discovering that Vioxx was NOT an option as my feet, ankles, legs, face…all puffed up. So, here’s the rub. When I became allergic?? to Mobic last month, she gave me Celebrex and had me taking 1/day. Swelling went away, no problems. After about 3 wks, she told me to go ahead and up the dose to 2 /day. I did, and BAM….my ankles swelled…..and swelled, and swelled. I normally wear size 8 1/2 shoes. Right now size 10’s don’t fit. my ankle is about 15 inches round. MY legs STAY red and the edema is unreal…push in on my leg and your thumb depresses down at least 1/2 inch. They HURT HURT. I keep them up above my heart many many hrs/day. I took the Demedex I had from last summer. Nothing. I took the ??? , didn’t work. Something again from last summer. She saw me a week ago and put me on Mex…something something….didn’t work. Today, after I called in tears (my hands are swollen so that my wedding ring finger (sz 5 1/2 ) is currently a sz 7 1/2….I can wear no shoes… She called in Lasix. So far no good. Any one know if we are, in fact, NOT treating an allergy to meds but in fact some other thing/disease I may have and not know??? She’s done blood tests, took a couple of gallons last visit….no words on that… Could this be something else? My feet to my knees are swollen, my hands are, my face it a bit….I hurt. All the things wrong w/me are hurting now, like none of my meds are touching them… I’ve been SERIOUSLY considering that full bottle of Oxycontin as a cure for the swelling…..I cannot take much more of this. Husband’s trying to be nice….but he’s had enough. So’ve I. HELP!!!!! Rae in Louisiana — Ziggy
Response:
You need a second opinion and you need treatment. Go to the emergency room and declare an emergency and demant help. That’s my opinion of what needs to be done. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey….I’ve asked this b4, but there’re many new faces – so to speak – hanging around lately. I have a true grocery list of ailments, all being relatively well treated. I’m at a semi-constant level of 5 or 6, now. So….question: I have OA in my neck, according to the Neurosurgeon and the zillion tests run on my. I also have it in my lower back and "perhaps" in my knees…also damaged over time. I’ve tried Mobic, Vioxx, and Celebrex at one time or another, and found that overall, Mobic works best for me. After about 4 months on it, I apparently developed a mild allergy against it and my feet swelled. I discontinued the Mobic; the swelling ended. She put me back on Celebrex, with which I’d had similar problems last summer after discovering that Vioxx was NOT an option as my feet, ankles, legs, face…all puffed up. So, here’s the rub. When I became allergic?? to Mobic last month, she gave me Celebrex and had me taking 1/day. Swelling went away, no problems. After about 3 wks, she told me to go ahead and up the dose to 2 /day. I did, and BAM….my ankles swelled…..and swelled, and swelled. I normally wear size 8 1/2 shoes. Right now size 10’s don’t fit. my ankle is about 15 inches round. MY legs STAY red and the edema is unreal…push in on my leg and your thumb depresses down at least 1/2 inch. They HURT HURT. I keep them up above my heart many many hrs/day. I took the Demedex I had from last summer. Nothing. I took the ??? , didn’t work. Something again from last summer. She saw me a week ago and put me on Mex…something something….didn’t work. Today, after I called in tears (my hands are swollen so that my wedding ring finger (sz 5 1/2 ) is currently a sz 7 1/2….I can wear no shoes… She called in Lasix. So far no good. Any one know if we are, in fact, NOT treating an allergy to meds but in fact some other thing/disease I may have and not know??? She’s done blood tests, took a couple of gallons last visit….no words on that… Could this be something else? My feet to my knees are swollen, my hands are, my face it a bit….I hurt. All the things wrong w/me are hurting now, like none of my meds are touching them… I’ve been SERIOUSLY considering that full bottle of Oxycontin as a cure for the swelling…..I cannot take much more of this. Husband’s trying to be nice….but he’s had enough. So’ve I. HELP!!!!! Rae in Louisiana
Response:
thanks…today was tough. I live in Louisiana so its nothing but humid. I saved your fake addy and I can usually figure out the real one . Thanks. Rae
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have no answer for you re: the allergic or whatever is causing the reaction. I
Response:
No…She said "obviously 1’s ok but 2’s too much." I don’t do calebrex at all. (I do take an occasional Mobic.) I’m printing ya’lls letters and giving them to Dr. D. when I go on the 30th. Rae
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – From Lem Lyons: Hay Rae,I would ask your Dr. to find out just what is causing your swelling.It could be anything from to much salt, to your heart not pumping good enough.I think AO can cause it also.They also have some "P" pills much stronger than Lasix.I have one for the times when Lasix is not enough. Good Luck Lem Hey….I’ve asked this b4, but there’re many new faces – so to speak – hanging around lately. I have a true grocery list of ailments, all being relatively well treated. I’m at a semi-constant level of 5 or 6, now. So….question: I have OA in my neck, according to the Neurosurgeon and the zillion tests run on my. I also have it in my lower back and "perhaps" in my knees…also damaged over time. I’ve tried Mobic, Vioxx, and Celebrex at one time or another, and found that overall, Mobic works best for me. After about 4 months on it, I apparently developed a mild allergy against it and my feet swelled. I discontinued the Mobic; the swelling ended. She put me back on Celebrex, with which I’d had similar problems last summer after discovering that Vioxx was NOT an option as my feet, ankles, legs, face…all puffed up. So, here’s the rub. When I became allergic?? to Mobic last month, she gave me Celebrex and had me taking 1/day. Swelling went away, no problems. After about 3 wks, she told me to go ahead and up the dose to 2 /day. I did, and BAM….my ankles swelled…..and swelled, and swelled. I normally wear size 8 1/2 shoes. Right now size 10’s don’t fit. my ankle is about 15 inches round. MY legs STAY red and the edema is unreal…push in on my leg and your thumb depresses down at least 1/2 inch. They HURT HURT. I keep them up above my heart many many hrs/day. I took the Demedex I had from last summer. Nothing. I took the ??? , didn’t work. Something again from last summer. She saw me a week ago and put me on Mex…something something….didn’t work. Today, after I called in tears (my hands are swollen so that my wedding ring finger (sz 5 1/2 ) is currently a sz 7 1/2….I can wear no shoes… She called in Lasix. So far no good. Any one know if we are, in fact, NOT treating an allergy to meds but in fact some other thing/disease I may have and not know??? She’s done blood tests, took a couple of gallons last visit….no words on that… Could this be something else? My feet to my knees are swollen, my hands are, my face it a bit….I hurt. All the things wrong w/me are hurting now, like none of my meds are touching them… I’ve been SERIOUSLY considering that full bottle of Oxycontin as a cure for the swelling…..I cannot take much more of this. Husband’s trying to be nice….but he’s had enough. So’ve I. HELP!!!!! Rae in Louisiana Rae, it sounds like exactly what happened to me when I took Celebrex. I have OA in the same places as you: neck and knees (I also have RA). Anyway, I have asthma and allergies (went into anphylactic shock from a shot of Toradol) and can’t take the usual NSAIDs. I was given Celebrex last summer. Had to take the first dose in the ER just in case I had an allergic reaction. All was OK for a few weeks, and then I had the painful swelling in my feet and legs with pitting edema just like you have. My rheumie had me stop the Celebrex right away and put me on Lasix. The swelling went down after about three or four days. So they haven’t taken you off the Celebrex yet?? Or did I misunderstand that. I sure would never take it again. Good luck, -kk <<<<http://members.home.net/karensears<<<<
Response:
Wow…a new face…thanks for your input. I HAVE stopped all the anti-inflammatories: which makes me hurt more lately. My bp stays around 117/60 or thereabouts. I don’t eat salt, I sleep w/my feet propped on a zillion pillows. And boo, I’ve seen a Neurosurgeon, 3 Neurologists, a Chiropractor, an ENT, a Gynecologist…we’ve gone over everything. Thanks, tho…your ideas helped. Rae
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Dear Rae: I’m no physician, but I would strongly get a second opinion. If you can stand temporarily stopping all of the anti-inflammatories (Vioxx, Celebrex, etc), that would be the easiest way to tell if it’s an allergic reaction. Unfortunately, a lot of the meds that we get to control the pain also cause other problems. Then, we end up having to get meds to take care of the side effect of the other meds. It’s a vicious cycle. At any rate, you may want to consider a second opinion. The other thing to check is your blood pressure. I do know that swelling and severe retention of water can be the result of skyrocketing blood pressure. Please don’t give up….. sometimes getting an opinion from another doctor puts a fresh ’spin’ on what’s going on in your body. Hope you get relief soon, Jeff Hey….I’ve asked this b4, but there’re many new faces – so to speak – hanging around lately. I have a true grocery list of ailments, all being relatively well treated. I’m at a semi-constant level of 5 or 6, now. So….question: I have OA in my neck, according to the Neurosurgeon and the zillion tests run on my. I also have it in my lower back and "perhaps" in my knees…also damaged over time. I’ve tried Mobic, Vioxx, and Celebrex at one time or another, and found that overall, Mobic works best for me. After about 4 months on it, I apparently developed a mild allergy against it and my feet swelled. I discontinued the Mobic; the swelling ended. She put me back on Celebrex, with which I’d had similar problems last summer after discovering that Vioxx was NOT an option as my feet, ankles, legs, face…all puffed up. So, here’s the rub. When I became allergic?? to Mobic last month, she gave me Celebrex and had me taking 1/day. Swelling went away, no problems. After about 3 wks, she told me to go ahead and up the dose to 2 /day. I did, and BAM….my ankles swelled…..and swelled, and swelled. I normally wear size 8 1/2 shoes. Right now size 10’s don’t fit. my ankle is about 15 inches round. MY legs STAY red and the edema is unreal…push in on my leg and your thumb depresses down at least 1/2 inch. They HURT HURT. I keep them up above my heart many many hrs/day. I took the Demedex I had from last summer. Nothing. I took the ??? , didn’t work. Something again from last summer. She saw me a week ago and put me on Mex…something something….didn’t work. Today, after I called in tears (my hands are swollen so that my wedding ring finger (sz 5 1/2 ) is currently a sz 7 1/2….I can wear no shoes… She called in Lasix. So far no good. Any one know if we are, in fact, NOT treating an allergy to meds but in fact some other thing/disease I may have and not know??? She’s done blood tests, took a couple of gallons last visit….no words on that… Could this be something else? My feet to my knees are swollen, my hands are, my face it a bit….I hurt. All the things wrong w/me are hurting now, like none of my meds are touching them… I’ve been SERIOUSLY considering that full bottle of Oxycontin as a cure for the swelling…..I cannot take much more of this. Husband’s trying to be nice….but he’s had enough. So’ve I. HELP!!!!! Rae in Louisiana
Response:
Hay Rae,I would ask your Dr. to find out just what is causing your swelling.It could be anything from to much salt, to your heart not pumping good enough.I think AO can cause it also.They also have some "P" pills much stronger than Lasix.I have one for the times when Lasix is not enough. Good Luck Lem – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey….I’ve asked this b4, but there’re many new faces – so to speak – hanging around lately. I have a true grocery list of ailments, all being relatively well treated. I’m at a semi-constant level of 5 or 6, now. So….question: I have OA in my neck, according to the Neurosurgeon and the zillion tests run on my. I also have it in my lower back and "perhaps" in my knees…also damaged over time. I’ve tried Mobic, Vioxx, and Celebrex at one time or another, and found that overall, Mobic works best for me. After about 4 months on it, I apparently developed a mild allergy against it and my feet swelled. I discontinued the Mobic; the swelling ended. She put me back on Celebrex, with which I’d had similar problems last summer after discovering that Vioxx was NOT an option as my feet, ankles, legs, face…all puffed up. So, here’s the rub. When I became allergic?? to Mobic last month, she gave me Celebrex and had me taking 1/day. Swelling went away, no problems. After about 3 wks, she told me to go ahead and up the dose to 2 /day. I did, and BAM….my ankles swelled…..and swelled, and swelled. I normally wear size 8 1/2 shoes. Right now size 10’s don’t fit. my ankle is about 15 inches round. MY legs STAY red and the edema is unreal…push in on my leg and your thumb depresses down at least 1/2 inch. They HURT HURT. I keep them up above my heart many many hrs/day. I took the Demedex I had from last summer. Nothing. I took the ??? , didn’t work. Something again from last summer. She saw me a week ago and put me on Mex…something something….didn’t work. Today, after I called in tears (my hands are swollen so that my wedding ring finger (sz 5 1/2 ) is currently a sz 7 1/2….I can wear no shoes… She called in Lasix. So far no good. Any one know if we are, in fact, NOT treating an allergy to meds but in fact some other thing/disease I may have and not know??? She’s done blood tests, took a couple of gallons last visit….no words on that… Could this be something else? My feet to my knees are swollen, my hands are, my face it a bit….I hurt. All the things wrong w/me are hurting now, like none of my meds are touching them… I’ve been SERIOUSLY considering that full bottle of Oxycontin as a cure for the swelling…..I cannot take much more of this. Husband’s trying to be nice….but he’s had enough. So’ve I. HELP!!!!! Rae in Louisiana
Response:
Hay Rae,I would ask your Dr. to find out just what is causing your swelling.It could be anything from to much salt, to your heart not pumping good enough.I think AO can cause it also.They also have some "P" pills much stronger than Lasix.I have one for the times when Lasix is not enough. Good Luck
Add zaroxolyn to Lasix and you get niagara falls. It hits the edema better than Lasix alone. Demedex and Edecrin also reduce the edema and switch to "super" mode with zaroxolyn. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Lem Hey….I’ve asked this b4, but there’re many new faces – so to speak – hanging around lately. I have a true grocery list of ailments, all being relatively well treated. I’m at a semi-constant level of 5 or 6, now. So….question: I have OA in my neck, according to the Neurosurgeon and the zillion tests run on my. I also have it in my lower back and "perhaps" in my knees…also damaged over time. I’ve tried Mobic, Vioxx, and Celebrex at one time or another, and found that overall, Mobic works best for me. After about 4 months on it, I apparently developed a mild allergy against it and my feet swelled. I discontinued the Mobic; the swelling ended. She put me back on Celebrex, with which I’d had similar problems last summer after discovering that Vioxx was NOT an option as my feet, ankles, legs, face…all puffed up. So, here’s the rub. When I became allergic?? to Mobic last month, she gave me Celebrex and had me taking 1/day. Swelling went away, no problems. After about 3 wks, she told me to go ahead and up the dose to 2 /day. I did, and BAM….my ankles swelled…..and swelled, and swelled. I normally wear size 8 1/2 shoes. Right now size 10’s don’t fit. my ankle is about 15 inches round. MY legs STAY red and the edema is unreal…push in on my leg and your thumb depresses down at least 1/2 inch. They HURT HURT. I keep them up above my heart many many hrs/day. I took the Demedex I had from last summer. Nothing. I took the ??? , didn’t work. Something again from last summer. She saw me a week ago and put me on Mex…something something….didn’t work. Today, after I called in tears (my hands are swollen so that my wedding ring finger (sz 5 1/2 ) is currently a sz 7 1/2….I can wear no shoes… She called in Lasix. So far no good. Any one know if we are, in fact, NOT treating an allergy to meds but in fact some other thing/disease I may have and not know??? She’s done blood tests, took a couple of gallons last visit….no words on that… Could this be something else? My feet to my knees are swollen, my hands are, my face it a bit….I hurt. All the things wrong w/me are hurting now, like none of my meds are touching them… I’ve been SERIOUSLY considering that full bottle of Oxycontin as a cure for the swelling…..I cannot take much more of this. Husband’s trying to be nice….but he’s had enough. So’ve I. HELP!!!!! Rae in Louisiana
Response:
I have no answer for you re: the allergic or whatever is causing the reaction. I do, however, have some advice – the same advice given to me by Catherine and others on this group – hang in there. There are people that care – many of them on this group. I was at the same place you are now emotionally, and the folks here, and my wife and daughter helped me through a difficult time. I’m so glad I didn’t follow through on my attempts to end pain and suffering once and for all. I was also lucky enough to find a sympathetic, understanding and caring psychotherapist, who does nothing for my pain, but does wonders for my emotional outlook. I’m still in pain (6-8 everyday with 10 spikes), confined to a wheelchair and out of work, but I’m learning to reduce the negativity in my life. Please -you owe it to yourself and your husband to seek out someone to speak with and help you work through this issues. Find the positives – they may be few and hard to find, but they are there somewhere. Whatever it is that makes you feel good – even for a few seconds – music, a painting, a favorit food, anything! Focus on that. If you need to email me directly, please feel free. I’d ask you to call, but my coherent times are somewhat scattered, so I may not be able to answer. Also, I’ve recommended this to someone else on the group – "Coping With Chronic Pain" by Richard W. Hanson and Kenneth E. Gerber. It ’s worth reading. Much love and support, Rob PS: I have OA due to the multiple back surgeries and have found some relief with heavy doses of shark cartilage. Stay away from the commercial grade Glucosamine Chondriton, and go for the natural Shark Cartilage. It takes a fairly heavy dose (1500 mg /day) for at least a month to start seeing some results, but it did help me a little. I had a lot of issues with taking the cartilage, as I’m a vegetarian, but as my acupuncurist (a buddhist) tells me, just offer up a little prayer of thanks to the shark for sacrificing itself to help you. Also, if you’re living in high humidity area (like me, in upstate NY), spend as much time as possible in dry, air conditioned climates like malls. It will help a little.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey….I’ve asked this b4, but there’re many new faces – so to speak – hanging around lately. I have a true grocery list of ailments, all being relatively well treated. I’m at a semi-constant level of 5 or 6, now. So….question: I have OA in my neck, according to the Neurosurgeon and the zillion tests run on my. I also have it in my lower back and "perhaps" in my knees…also damaged over time. I’ve tried Mobic, Vioxx, and Celebrex at one time or another, and found that overall, Mobic works best for me. After about 4 months on it, I apparently developed a mild allergy against it and my feet swelled. I discontinued the Mobic; the swelling ended. She put me back on Celebrex, with which I’d had similar problems last summer after discovering that Vioxx was NOT an option as my feet, ankles, legs, face…all puffed up. So, here’s the rub. When I became allergic?? to Mobic last month, she gave me Celebrex and had me taking 1/day. Swelling went away, no problems. After about 3 wks, she told me to go ahead and up the dose to 2 /day. I did, and BAM….my ankles swelled…..and swelled, and swelled. I normally wear size 8 1/2 shoes. Right now size 10’s don’t fit. my ankle is about 15 inches round. MY legs STAY red and the edema is unreal…push in on my leg and your thumb depresses down at least 1/2 inch. They HURT HURT. I keep them up above my heart many many hrs/day. I took the Demedex I had from last summer. Nothing. I took the ??? , didn’t work. Something again from last summer. She saw me a week ago and put me on Mex…something something….didn’t work. Today, after I called in tears (my hands are swollen so that my wedding ring finger (sz 5 1/2 ) is currently a sz 7 1/2….I can wear no shoes… She called in Lasix. So far no good. Any one know if we are, in fact, NOT treating an allergy to meds but in fact some other thing/disease I may have and not know??? She’s done blood tests, took a couple of gallons last visit….no words on that… Could this be something else? My feet to my knees are swollen, my hands are, my face it a bit….I hurt. All the things wrong w/me are hurting now, like none of my meds are touching them… I’ve been SERIOUSLY considering that full bottle of Oxycontin as a cure for the swelling…..I cannot take much more of this. Husband’s trying to be nice….but he’s had enough. So’ve I. HELP!!!!! Rae in Louisiana
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Ziggy,I know you hate to take more medicine,but I take Zoloft 50mgs. for anxiety ,and it works great,without side effects.If the Vioxx works,you might want to give it a try.My Dr. gives me samples.It’s off label use and lower dose than normal. Just FYI. Good Luck Lem Hiya Lem. Thanks for the suggestion. I have tried Zoloft in the past (for depression) and it caused loss of libido. I had a similar reaction to a couple of the newer anti-depressants and decided that I’d rather be depressed than not like sex… so quit taking them all. Besides, I didn’t feel like they were helping with the depression at all. Mine isn’t chemical… life really does suck. Right now I’m halfway controlling the edema with the Celebrex and watching what I eat very closely (although, I’ve been eating too many starches lately and the effect shows in the edema) and taking a zaraxolyn every once in awhile. You are right though… I hate taking more medicines.
Ziggy,have you tried the lower dose,my dr. said it would not work for anxiety at the same dose for depression. i think 200mgs. is the standard dose for depression. I have stopped it several times and the anxiety always comes back. Good Luck Lem
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From Lem Lyons: – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hay Rae,I would ask your Dr. to find out just what is causing your swelling.It could be anything from to much salt, to your heart not pumping good enough.I think AO can cause it also.They also have some "P" pills much stronger than Lasix.I have one for the times when Lasix is not enough. Good Luck Lem Hey….I’ve asked this b4, but there’re many new faces – so to speak – hanging around lately. I have a true grocery list of ailments, all being relatively well treated. I’m at a semi-constant level of 5 or 6, now. So….question: I have OA in my neck, according to the Neurosurgeon and the zillion tests run on my. I also have it in my lower back and "perhaps" in my knees…also damaged over time. I’ve tried Mobic, Vioxx, and Celebrex at one time or another, and found that overall, Mobic works best for me. After about 4 months on it, I apparently developed a mild allergy against it and my feet swelled. I discontinued the Mobic; the swelling ended. She put me back on Celebrex, with which I’d had similar problems last summer after discovering that Vioxx was NOT an option as my feet, ankles, legs, face…all puffed up. So, here’s the rub. When I became allergic?? to Mobic last month, she gave me Celebrex and had me taking 1/day. Swelling went away, no problems. After about 3 wks, she told me to go ahead and up the dose to 2 /day. I did, and BAM….my ankles swelled…..and swelled, and swelled. I normally wear size 8 1/2 shoes. Right now size 10’s don’t fit. my ankle is about 15 inches round. MY legs STAY red and the edema is unreal…push in on my leg and your thumb depresses down at least 1/2 inch. They HURT HURT. I keep them up above my heart many many hrs/day. I took the Demedex I had from last summer. Nothing. I took the ??? , didn’t work. Something again from last summer. She saw me a week ago and put me on Mex…something something….didn’t work. Today, after I called in tears (my hands are swollen so that my wedding ring finger (sz 5 1/2 ) is currently a sz 7 1/2….I can wear no shoes… She called in Lasix. So far no good. Any one know if we are, in fact, NOT treating an allergy to meds but in fact some other thing/disease I may have and not know??? She’s done blood tests, took a couple of gallons last visit….no words on that… Could this be something else? My feet to my knees are swollen, my hands are, my face it a bit….I hurt. All the things wrong w/me are hurting now, like none of my meds are touching them… I’ve been SERIOUSLY considering that full bottle of Oxycontin as a cure for the swelling…..I cannot take much more of this. Husband’s trying to be nice….but he’s had enough. So’ve I. HELP!!!!! Rae in Louisiana
Rae, it sounds like exactly what happened to me when I took Celebrex. I have OA in the same places as you: neck and knees (I also have RA). Anyway, I have asthma and allergies (went into anphylactic shock from a shot of Toradol) and can’t take the usual NSAIDs. I was given Celebrex last summer. Had to take the first dose in the ER just in case I had an allergic reaction. All was OK for a few weeks, and then I had the painful swelling in my feet and legs with pitting edema just like you have. My rheumie had me stop the Celebrex right away and put me on Lasix. The swelling went down after about three or four days. So they haven’t taken you off the Celebrex yet?? Or did I misunderstand that. I sure would never take it again. Good luck, -kk <<<<http://members.home.net/karensears<<<< – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –
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Rae , The last time I had edema that would not react to any diuretic , I had to have it removed in the hospital. They took out 40lbs in 24 hours and it was a very serious situation. Please check to make sure it is not getting in your lungs. A lot of people thought it was a funny situation , calling me ‘tree trunk ‘ and other nicknames, including some snickers at my ortho’s office . What every one of them missed was congestive heart failure from all that fluid. Most likely that is not the reason , but make sure the term crosses their ears . I completely recovered from it , but it was a very scary and dangerous episode. Peace , Richard
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hey….I’ve asked this b4, but there’re many new faces – so to speak – hanging around lately. I have a true grocery list of ailments, all being relatively well treated. I’m at a semi-constant level of 5 or 6, now. So….question: I have OA in my neck, according to the Neurosurgeon and the zillion tests run on my. I also have it in my lower back and "perhaps" in my knees…also damaged over time. I’ve tried Mobic, Vioxx, and Celebrex at one time or another, and found that overall, Mobic works best for me. After about 4 months on it, I apparently developed a mild allergy against it and my feet swelled. I discontinued the Mobic; the swelling ended. She put me back on Celebrex, with which I’d had similar problems last summer after discovering that Vioxx was NOT an option as my feet, ankles, legs, face…all puffed up. So, here’s the rub. When I became allergic?? to Mobic last month, she gave me Celebrex and had me taking 1/day. Swelling went away, no problems. After about 3 wks, she told me to go ahead and up the dose to 2 /day. I did, and BAM….my ankles swelled…..and swelled, and swelled. I normally wear size 8 1/2 shoes. Right now size 10’s don’t fit. my ankle is about 15 inches round. MY legs STAY red and the edema is unreal…push in on my leg and your thumb depresses down at least 1/2 inch. They HURT HURT. I keep them up above my heart many many hrs/day. I took the Demedex I had from last summer. Nothing. I took the ??? , didn’t work. Something again from last summer. She saw me a week ago and put me on Mex…something something….didn’t work. Today, after I called in tears (my hands are swollen so that my wedding ring finger (sz 5 1/2 ) is currently a sz 7 1/2….I can wear no shoes… She called in Lasix. So far no good. Any one know if we are, in fact, NOT treating an allergy to meds but in fact some other thing/disease I may have and not know??? She’s done blood tests, took a couple of gallons last visit….no words on that… Could this be something else? My feet to my knees are swollen, my hands are, my face it a bit….I hurt. All the things wrong w/me are hurting now, like none of my meds are touching them… I’ve been SERIOUSLY considering that full bottle of Oxycontin as a cure for the swelling…..I cannot take much more of this. Husband’s trying to be nice….but he’s had enough. So’ve I. HELP!!!!! Rae in Louisiana
Response:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hay Rae,I would ask your Dr. to find out just what is causing your swelling.It could be anything from to much salt, to your heart not pumping good enough.I think AO can cause it also.They also have some "P" pills much stronger than Lasix.I have one for the times when Lasix is not enough. Good Luck Add zaroxolyn to Lasix and you get niagara falls. It hits the edema better than Lasix alone. Demedex and Edecrin also reduce the edema and switch to "super" mode with zaroxolyn. Lem
That’s the one Alex, I couldn’t remember the name,and since I don’t take it very often,it’s not on my regular medicine list,and besides it’s in my medicine lock box and I didn’t want to get up and look. Good Luck Lem – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text –
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hiya Rae. I have that exact same problem with every anti-inflammatory I’ve ever taken except Vioxx… which caused other problems. I go off the anti-inflammatories and the swelling goes away within days. I have found that the Celebrex/Vioxx route causing less swelling than traditional anti-inflammatories like indomethacin, feldine (sp), and others… but still enough to be what I consider a major problem. I’ve been on different brands of lasix for a few years now because of this but it only helps to control it a little, not make it go away. Even adding the zaraxolyn that Alec suggests only works to a degree and if taken every day. If you do go that route, be sure to add in some potassium to your diet or you’ll get some really bad muscle cramps that are like level 9-10 pain that can make you scream out loud. Okay, so I’m a sissy… but it does hurt a lot. And when you wake up in the middle of the night with one of those upper thigh leg cramps and can’t move out of the water bed because it hurts so much, it sucks. My doctor is unwilling to script zaraxolyn on a regular basis. Not sure why, but we’re going to be talking about it next visit since I just ran out of all I had this month. I used them very sparingly and went through a bottle of 30 over the last ten months. Basically, they were for when it got so bad that I felt I had no choice. I hate wearing shoes around the house on these hot summer days, but I find it forces the swelling out of my feet by doing so. I worry because the swelling gets so bad that I can’t move my toes and I wonder about the circulation to them being cut off. Basically it just forces the swelling up to the ankles and out of the feet. You can also get compression stockings. Your doctor can script them in case you have insurance or something that pays for stuff like that… or Medicare will pay 80%. I’m not sure if they’re expensive or not because they can’t get them in my size so I’ve never gotten to try them. And lastly, if I can get my edema down, I find I can slightly control it by diet… no salt primarily. So, no salt in the house, no packaged foods where they add salt, use wheat instead of white bread, and stuff like that. Vioxx gave me no edema, but did give me insomnia and anxiety.
Ziggy,I know you hate to take more medicine,but I take Zoloft 50mgs. for anxiety ,and it works great,without side effects.If the Vioxx works,you might want to give it a try.My Dr. gives me samples.It’s off label use and lower dose than normal. Just FYI. Good Luck Lem
Response:
Categories: Vioxx Vs Celebrex | 
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ath: 
.. but could someone tell me..(incidently, I’m a BOTTOM LINE person.. un sugarcoated..if you get my drift ,g. ) how on earth can all this stuff get ‘fixed’ ..if it can ? I don’t see how any Dr can operate on 5-6 vertibrates .. I think I ’see’ a lot of bone spurs .. can you tell me more about what you see on the report ..I know it’s bad..but ..HOW bad ?? After that one laminectomy in 1982 and the AWFUL myleogram on the tilt top table withdrawning spinal fluid and then injecting dye etc .. Don’t tell me they still do it that way 