etodolac/lodine

[PrincessHeart]

Does anyone have expereince with etodolac/lodine? My Orthopedic surgeon gave it to me to help me get through Disney world with a meniscus tear. I took one dose and ended up with severe stomach upset and diarrhea. I am not sure the meds gave it to me as I had eaten a chicken salad sandwich the day prior and was feeling a little stomach upset before I took it. I did eat with it and drink a glass of water just as directed. I could have mild food posioning from the sandwhich . I'm just wondering if others have had bad reactions to this medication? Or if it something you have found helpful. My Doctor told me there was no way he would give me cortisone for the inflammation b/c I'm too young - How do argue with that?

 

[KPeveler]

first of all, as a 22 yr old with chronic genetic joint problems, there is no such thing as "too young" for injections. however there may be other mitigating factors...

i was on lodine for two weeks, and it was awful. my dr kept trying to put me on high-dose anti-inflammatories (lodine is in the same category as advil, btw), and all of them made me sick, so no more for me.

yes, the lodine could have made you that sick. i would ask your dr about it.

also, i would consider renting an ECV for disney - walking on a mensicus tear can make it worse (i know - i did it!). i dunno if you've done disney before, but if you havent, plan for more walking than you have ever done in your life, then plan more... even if you have done disney, WDW when hurt is a whole different ball game.

 

[PrincessHeart]

Thanks for your reply. I'm leaning toward a virus at this point b/c I continued to get sick even after the med had been out of my system for over 24 hours. I took naprosyn for two weeks without any problems. I may call and ask them to switch me to that. Unfortunately I have walked, golfed and even partcipated in martial arts with my meniscus tear before I realized that I had seroiusly hurt myself. I just thought I had a muscle pull. It's now at 11 weeks since I tore the meniscus. I can't have surgery before the trip b/c I'm leaving Saturday. I think my Doctor was against cortisone b/c I'm otherwise healthy and there can be complications. Maybe he's very conservative. I am really considering the ECV, but my DH doesn't think I need one. He's says we'll take it slow. We've been before and it is a lot of walking.

 

[TwoGriswolds]

I'm just an old nurse (33+ years in ER now) so what do I know? but... first of all- there ARE inappropriate cases for injections (including age factors) .. secondly, lodine is an NSAID and all NSAIDs are subject to GI issues.. very common side effect... and finally, please don't trust your health to the internet - call the prescribing physician's office and discuss your concerns with the nurse who then will make a recommendation, change or appointment.

Now for my "unofficial" statement--- you already know, I'm sure, you have to take NSAIDS always with food.. and often NSAIDS do upset the GI system more at first and calm down after a few doses... but not always.

And as a patient, injections are not always a miracle -trust me. Cortisone often crystalizes causing intense pain the first 24-36 hours or so after the injection to the point that you think "why did I do this???" and then you may only get relief for a few days .. often it takes the second or third as buildup to feel substantial relief.. but if you're prone to crystalization , that doesn't change and it's misery. This is not to say that cortisone injections are not helpful ever or a bad thing, certainly not what I mean at all- but I'm pointout out that too often people read something and think "oh that's what I need" no matter what the physician advises.

Hate to sound like a lecture here, but please... if you're having problems with your medication or your health, do trust your health care provider before you trust the internet

 

[KPeveler]

of course you need to take NSAIDs with food, but even then they can do damage and cause upset stomach. i was on so many over my lifetime (i am 22) that i actually have kidney problems now, we think, so i am very wary of strong NSAIDs.

i hate cortizone injections, and cannot have them, so i was not offering them as an alternative but just saying that i have never heard of age as a reason to not give an injection...

 

[Cheshire Figment]

Basically a person has a certain amount of energy available to them daily. If they relax during the day the amount of energy available wil increase; when they sleep at night they recharge their system,

However, when in pain energy is used up much faster than in normal conditions. If you become exhausted, with by what you have done or, more importantly, what you have done while in pain your system will not recharge to the original energy level overnight and you are starting the next day with a lower amount of energy available.

Don't forget, you are the one to make the decisions about your health, not your husband. No matter how well you can describe your pain or feelings to him, they are just words and not real (to him).

Please ask the following questions. Here are the suggested answers to go with them.

1. Are you disabled (even temporarily)? Yes.

2. Do the people you are traveling with, such as your family, know you are disabled? Yes.

3. Do you expect to meet anyone you know during this trip who may not know you are disabled. Probably No!

4. Do you expect to meet a bunch of people who you will probably never meet again in your life? Probably yes!

5. Is there any reason at all that you should care what these people think about you? Absolutely No!!

6. Will using a wheelchair or ECV make for a better vacation for you and your family? Absolutely YES!