Pain and Stiffness

When I saw the surgeon one of the things that she wanted me to do before I have surgery was to stop taking the nsaids that I take for arthritis pain and stiffness. I knew that she was going to ask me to do this. It was part of the education materials.

So, in anticipation of this request, I had brought this up with my PCP a few months ago and she told me to discuss it with the surgeon instead of her. When the surgeon brought it up, I asked her what I should take in place of the nsaids and she told me to discuss it with my PCP.

Where does this leave me? Very frustrated. I am not going to let this keep me from having surgery, so this weekend I took it upon myself to start the process of weaning myself off the Etodolac. I normally take 2 doses per day. As of Friday, I have only been taking the morning dose and I have added in 2 doses of acetaminophen. One is at dinner time and the other is at bed time.

So far, this has left me aching all over and very stiff. I had expected that my hips, knees and back would give my grief. However, I was very surprised by how badly my hands have begun to ache and throb. I have noticed that the higher my pain level gets, the more depressed I am getting. I think I will have to request a higher dose of Lexapro from my PCP.

I am hoping that by next Friday, I will be able to stop the remaining dose of Etodolac and substitute 2 more doses of acetaminophen in its place. Please keep your fingers crossed for me.