Vioxx..Prednizone...???

[Zipper]

Hi all...I'm in Ca...most of you are off to dreamland...BUT..LOL...maybe tomorrow you'll be able to address my dilemma...

It is not 'valve' related exactly...but 'sorta'..lol

I have this problem..that's so far Dx as cervical arthritis...gonna go to specialist..but I saw the X-RAY AND CAN see the 5th vertebrae is NOT right.....no cushion...lots of pain..probably due to 'wear and tear' and reaaly BAD ergonomics at work for many years now...complaints ignored..now made it a workmans comp...Oh they are not happy with me..TUFF..I say..I work in Health Care..lol..ER admitting...been there 15 yrs.

Question is: How far do I fight this...anyone with experience ? I have such pain in neck/shoulder area...down arm and hand now..I would have a hard time knowing if it was due to my heart problems or not...Yikes...Scary!

Should I just quit..and be pain free...or fight tooth and nail??? Can't get thru a shift without taking a painkiller!

Any thoughts appreciated!!!!

Zipper

 

[LUVMyBirman]

Hi Zipper

Hope you get to felling better. That's a tough question.

Especially for someone on Coumadin. You DO NOT want to go there with Prednisone. Nasty drug. I have seen it destroy a good friend of mine. Young woman. She can't get off of it now.

It is my understanding that it is not a long term drug. She also has concerns with bruising... which tells me this has an effect on the INR. The other person I know that is on Pred is an older man, he takes Coumadin, 1mg a day. The Prednioise must help his INR as that is a very low dose.

There are people out there at taking both Coumadin and Pred, personally I would not want to be one of them.

Vioxx, a lot of controversy surrounding that drug. Do a search on this site.

It unfortunate that we can't take anti-inflammatory medication. I have another condition that warrants anti-inflamatoreis. Can't take them. So, what do I take for severe pain? Gives me no other option than narcotic pain relief. Nothing wrong with that as long as you are taking as needed. I am not happy about it, but it's a matter of functioning or not.

Discuss your options with the doctor. Maybe a simple cortisone injection would work? Not sure about the Coumadin with that combo though?

Take care,

 

[Nancy]

Would the combo. of an upper back brace and better ergonomics at work be of any help, do you think?

Joe took Vioxx for a short time and it interfered with his Lasix and his Coumadin, big time.

He was also on Cortisone in a big way after serum sickness, but he's off it now. It helped with the joint pain problems from that disease, but they went away when the disease subsided.

Wishing you good luck.

 

[Zipper]

Thanx Gina & Nancy

Thanx Gina & Nancy

Gina...I agree about both of these Meds..I really don't want to take either one! I've done the same as you, mostly just take the painkiller...Tylenol #3 seems to help and does not upset my INR.

Nancy..Yes..the ergonomic corrections at work would be optimal..this is the 'battle' I'm having. We are a small hospital...While doing ER admitting, we are also handling other outpatient (xray/lab/Physical therapy) registrations. In additon to that we have 116 skilled nursing beds and 6 acute beds. We are also handling the switchboard. Being it's such a hectic, multi-task job and full of stress....the ergonomics..such as they are..cause problems. So..I'm STILL striving for improvements. I guess the cost of correcting it stops it being done, even tho they continue to say it's going to happen.

In the meantime..the problems worsen. Mine is chronic now and other co-workers have back problems. Mine is in the neck/shoulder area mainly. I just don't know how far I can push the workmans comp thing...Only other solution seems to quit the job, and I'm not quite ready to retire and have to pay BIG $$$ for insurance for myself and husband. He's a Contractor in his own business and we both have heart disease, so I do NOT want to lose coverage.

Well..it is a dilemma...and I don't want to take the Meds that affect my INR..Sorry for rattling on..just trying to find answers and hoping someone else may have had 'job related' problems that were resolved.

I appreciate your input..Take care,

Zipper

 

[Ross]

Zipper, it's kind of a Catch 22 situation. If you take it on, you know your going to incur financial burdens that are unwelcome, not to mention it will take a great deal of time to resolve, if it ever is resolved.

My wife went through something similiar with her last employer. 3 years and many appeals later, it ended up in court. Once in court, the company settled rather then fight but, as a part of the settlement, my wife had to agree to accept termination immediately. The Judge told her that if it had gone to a jury trial, she wouldn't have had a leg to stand on.

I guess your going to have to do what is right for you and your circumstance. I can't tell you what the right answer would be.

 

[Zipper]

Thanks!

Thanks!

Hi Ross,

I appreciate your telling me about your wifes struggle with this and the outcome!!!! It helps me to know that I must be careful as to how far to take this! I'll move slow and cautiously and just refuse medications that my Cardiologist nixes.

I'm close to retirement, so I don't have too much to lose..much less than my co-workers..so I'm fighting for them, too. I'm sure it's a long road ahead, but I can drop it, if need be, if becomes too threatening. I worked at the 'big hospital'..our parent.. for years before this little one so they'd have a hard time getting rid of me...lol!

Thank you vey much!

Zipper

 

[Mara]

Zipper-
Get yourself a good workers' comp attorney and then go see a doctor who specializes in chronic pain management. A lot of anesthesiologists do this work. My bro, used to do a lot of it. Now he does mostly surgery cases. A good pain management specialist will tell you what you need. Gina and Nancy are right, don't mess around with some of those drugs. Vioxx yuk!

Some workers' comp. attorneys will do a reduced- fee evaluation and let you know if you have a case. Anyway, it's worth it to see someone because you only have a limited amount of time to file the claims. Plus, if the injury is work-related your only avenue of recourse will be workers' comp. Workers' comp. is a very specialized area, even though it might not seem that way. Those guys who do it know all the ins and outs. Good Luck!

 

[Ross]

I should have said the first thing to do is get an Attorney!
Sorry, shoot me now.

 

[Zipper]

Hi Mara,

Thank you so much for your input! I'm planing to see a specialist as soon as the W/C approves it...if they don't, my next step will be to go thru my union to inquire about an attorney. If they do approve it, I will speak to the Doc about obtaining an attorney also and get my Cardio involved as well.

When I went to work on Monday, I had to be seen in the ER due to the swelling/pain after 2-3 hrs of work....I go back tomorrow..have to be seen in ER before starting...hmmm..they may have to send me home again...we'll see.

My file (I've got copies of all medical records/e-mails etc) is growing since this is ongoing. The time limitation does puzzle me..Since my claim is open at this point, I guess the limit won't apply yet..?? Yep..I need advice from a lawyer. My son-in-law is a defense attorney, but knows little about this special area.

Thank you for your help..all advice is welcome!!!! Ya think we should wait and shoot Ross later ? ROLOL!

Zip *~*

 

[Jennie]

article

article

Hi Zipper!

I am a total non-expert in all of this that you're talking about, but I did see this article yesterday:

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tm...e=6&u=/ap/20020527/ap_on_he_me/bone_healing_1

Talks about how some of these painkiller drugs (Vioxx, Celebrex) might be inhibiting the healing of bone - so if one has a broken sternum (as most of us here do!), these might be drugs to avoid....

Hang in there!!!!

-JEnnie

 

[Zipper]

Hi Jenny,

Thank you so much for that article!! It has amazed me that the ER Doc, and my PCP wanted me to take these drugs!!! And then of all things Prednizone! I'll be seeing the Orthopedic Doc soon and if he suggests any of these things, I'll have this printed article in hand to 'educate him' and then possibly see another Doc that does know the possible cautions for we 'coumadin' valvies.

We, the patients, that help each other like you are doing are sometimes better read than some Doc's.

I really appreciate your interest and time Jenny...very thoughtful!!!

Zipper