topic Re: I have a question in Wellness

I have a question

Luvsmyfam — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 21:49:29 GMT

I went to the walkin ortho clinic today for horrible knee and leg pain.xray showed severe arthritis. Instead of a cortisone shot,she gave me a 6pk of oral steriods.after reading reviews of this medicine,I am terrified to take this.i am at my wits end.i asked for some tramadol for pain as well,but Dr said no.and no,I am not a drug seeker,just want relief.have any of you taken this before?I am really desperate for some answers.

Thank you

Re: I have a question

DrakesMomma — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 21:54:36 GMT

@Luvsmyfam - I've taken several courses of steriods this year for issues with my back. The idea with steriods for pain is it will reduce the swelling and that in turn will reduce the pain. Steriods turn me bright red, like the color of Santa's suit. Other than that I have no problem taking them. Hope you feel better soon.

Re: I have a question

Love my grandkids — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 21:57:34 GMT

Steroids are nothing to fear. They are extremely helpful in reducing swelling which eases pain. I've taken steroids a few times in my life with no ill effects, but might have a slight increase in appetite.

Re: I have a question

Laura14 — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 01:43:57 GMT

@Luvsmyfam Best person is the pharmacist who can recommend a substitution or clear up your concerns. Just give he or she a quick call and you'll get your best answers.

Tramadol is a controlled substance which is probably why your doctor is hesitant and lots of people don't tolerate it well. If you do, a pharmacist may be able to give your doctor's office a quick call and, if appropriate, try and get you a substitution to it.

Re: I have a question

Luvsmyfam — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 21:59:33 GMT

@DrakesMomma thank-you so much for responding.can I ask you this?did you have a hard time sleeping with this medicine?I want relief so bad,IL do just about anything

Re: I have a question

Growing — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 22:02:09 GMT

The cortizone shots in the knee are not always the answer and if you research this, you'll see that the research shows failure of cure and maybe even further reduction of cartilage. Now I have had a shot in various joints, one shot and then I stop. If you need oral steriods, then you need oral steriods. My guess is they didn't have anyone who could do a knee injection or the doctor felt you needed all throughout the body reduction of inflamation.

The newer HA injections, hyalauronic acid, are also not researched to actually work but I had three in my terrible knee over a course of two years and now I rarely have pain unless I walk alot.

Now as to the tramadol, good luck on getting that in the USA and it would only be a short term solution anyway. It won't fix your knee. If you are older, it could make you get dizzy and fall. I have a lot of arthritis and a lot of pain. I take a lot of supplements to help with my arthritis, some told to me by my doctors. I really like a good turmeric or curcumin supplement 500 mg 2X a day. It helps me tremendously but you have to buy and take a high quality brand, not the drugstore brand. I also take SAMe for joint pain and mood. I am now taking Glucosomine and Chondroitin on doctor's orders. I am no longer allowed to take NSAIDS as they gave me severe gastritis. So I make due with Salonpas patches and lidocaine patches. Tylenol doesn't do much for me. Ice your knee. Get soothing knee covers that are for arthritis, I find mine on Amazon. I have ones that are knitted like a sock and warm up the joint and ones that are almost like a brace but not a brace, I get them larger than needed for comfort. I also like anything with the copper in it, like Tommy Copper brand best but it runs small so order larger. Get the knee sleeve, I find it soothing but too small and its too tight on me. Make sure your shoes are very cushioned and not old and worn out. I even sleep in cotton leggings to keep my knees and ankles and feet warm to reduce pain.

Lastly there are FARinfared socks, gloves, knee sleeves if you google this term. They warm the joint. They are wonderful. Well worth the price.

I wish you the best.

Re: I have a question

Love my grandkids — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 22:00:47 GMT

@Laura14 I was only ever given tramadol in the hospital. No surprise the doc wouldn't give it to her.

Re: I have a question

Luvsmyfam — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 22:03:05 GMT

@Love my grandkids yes,I was warned about increased appetite. That part I can handle..?.. I think.its the other side effects that word me.it was almost impossible to work today with this extreme pain.always something going on with me

Re: I have a question

Kachina624 — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 22:15:39 GMT

Ive had many cortisone injections in knees, back and ankle but never heard of pills. Cortisone is a steroid and should be prescribed with care but, if taken as directed, you should be fine. It's dangerous if over-prescribed and doctors are careful about that.

You sound like you might be a candidate for knee replacement surgery. Don't you work as a waitress? That must be rough with knee pain. So sorry you're in pain.

I've heard of Prednisone, which is also a steroid, causing an appetite increase, but never cortisone. I certainly never experienced that.

Re: I have a question

DrakesMomma — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 22:04:50 GMT

@Luvsmyfam - After a couples days when the medicine started working and calmed down the pain, no.

Did your doc suggest heat or ice for you? With arthritis in my back my ortho suggested ice. I thought he was nuts but I did as told and it helped. No one was more surprised at that than me.

Re: I have a question

Luvsmyfam — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 22:06:59 GMT

@Growing thank-you for responding.yes,PA wanted to give me a shot in my knee.i dint want that because I've had those shots in my wrist.it hurt terribly.thats why she prescribed oral steriods.

Re: I have a question

Growing — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 22:09:34 GMT

Okay, that makes total sense. I will say that the HA shots in my knee were more painful for me than for most people. The one shot versions made me moan and cry. The three shot versions not so bad. But it worked for me. I had a primary care doctor who really blessed me out for doing these as he said it was quackery so I researched it myself by reading medical journal articles. He was right, they don't give a cure for most people but my knee joint must have more "grease" in it now as it no longer grinds bone to bone.

Re: I have a question

Kachina624 — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 22:11:24 GMT

@Growing This is exactly what happed to me the first (and last) time I took Tramadol. Threw out a whole bottle of it.

"Now as to the tramadol, good luck on getting that in the USA and it would only be a short term solution anyway. It won't fix your knee. If you are older, it could make you get dizzy and fall."

Re: I have a question

Luvsmyfam — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 22:11:25 GMT

@Kachina624 yes I am a lunch waitress and circ desk librarian. It was God awful working 2 hrs serving food.every step hurt so bad.customers were asking me if I had a bad leg.being in pain,changes your attitude towards mankind.i don't want to feel this way.hopefully medicine will work.thanks for responding.i hope you recovered from the flu bug.take care!

Re: I have a question

Luvsmyfam — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 22:15:56 GMT

@Kachina624 I have taken tramadol before,and have had better results with it than vicodon. Not that many monthes agao,against, broke my thumb.tramadol really eased the pain

Re: I have a question

SXMGirl — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 22:16:12 GMT

@Luvsmyfam Do not worry about taking oral steroids. These are not like the ones that guys in the gyms use to bulk up. More than likely, you were given Meloxicam, and it will reduce the swelling and you will feel much better. Tramadol, if it actually works on you, will probably make you drowsy and prevent you from driving and doing things that you like. You will be surprised at how much the oral steroids will help. Also, you might ask your ortho for a muscle relaxer. I was prescribed one for something else, but it really helped with my knees. I cannot remember which one it was, but my otho says they do help.

Re: I have a question

Luvsmyfam — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 22:18:00 GMT

@SXMGirl thank-you for your response

Re: I have a question

Vivian — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 22:18:19 GMT

I had my right knee replaced several years ago. The left is bone-on-bone and hurts like crazy but my husband has Alzheimer's so I cannot take care of him and recover from that serious surgery.

I have taken preds, as I call them, on and off for years because of asthma. It's an amazing anti-Inflammatory but the side effects of taking them for a long time are serious. Two weeks ago I took a short-term dose, just 5 days, for asthma. It really helped resolve the breathing problem. And my knee felt fantastic! However, after just a couple of days, the knee is back to being miserable.

I've had cortisone knee injections. The best are those that are ultrasound-guided. The doctor can find the worst spot that way. Most orthopedic surgeons just guess and jab. Sometimes the shot helps but not all that long in my experience. Still, if you're miserable, do what you can to at least alleviate the discomfort for awhile. Good luck!

Re: I have a question

Luvsmyfam — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 22:19:54 GMT

@Vivian thank-you for responding and your kindness

Re: I have a question

Kachina624 — Fri, 12 Nov 2021 22:24:34 GMT

@Luvsmyfam Put an ice pack on your knee for about 30 minutes before your shift, leaving it on long enough for the knee to get numb. The effect should last you a good while.

All the cortisone shots I ever had were preceeded by the use of a deadening agent and did not really hurt at all. Don't avoid them for that reason as they're really not bad.