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I saw Shannon Zinn three weeks ago.  She said that since the Synvisc shots hadn't worked on my right knee, we probably shouldn't use it on my left knee.  That was fine with me.  She suggested I start taking Celebrex, but warned me that it wouldn't take effect for two weeks.  And I couldn't take any ibuprofen with it.  That left me with Ultracet which Dr. Lewis didn't want me doubling up on.  Shannon also told me to make an appointment to see Dr. Austin to talk about TKA.  Does that mean arthroscopic surgery or knee replacement?  Guess I'll find out on November 13th when I see him.  And he's not taking a knife to me until he can prove to me the pain isn't coming from a nerve, but my knee.

Major problem with all this is that now I have no pain relief for the morning.  I can only take one Ultracet when I woke up and had to wait until breakfast to take the Celebrex.  I'm hurting badly almost all day.  And my theory is the pain is nerve pain, not from arthritis.  When I walk Jillette the pain shoots down the side and front of my calf and sometimes up through my thigh.

Yesterday, for the first time, I couldn't walk Jillette.  We got to the corner and had to turn around.  When I got home I broke out the TENS unit and the Biofreeze spray.  The pain down the front of my leg hurt so badly I could barely stand it.  I realized then that I had forgot to take the Celebrex.  So, I guess it's working a bit.

My big problem is should I cancel my trip to Arkansas.  I have enough time to change planes on the way down, but have requested wheelchair assistance on the way back.  That leaves the days when I'm visiting.  I won't be able to walk far; I won't be able to shop much.  Or play with the girls.  I have no breakthrough pain meds.  At least the two week Celebrex period will be over before I leave.  If it doesn't start working well, I'm going to stop taking it and start the ibuprofen again.