i am just a week away from surgery.... deliberating about weather to take my Voltaren (an anti-inflammatory drug i take for knee that is a mess) Surgeon recommends going off all NSAIDS 10 days prior to surgery, but says we can deal with it if i cannot manage to be off. the reason is the medication depleats your platelets. i work 12 hr shifts on my feet and cant imagine getting through without it. i usually take it twice a day and i have cut it down to once.

any thoughts, questions, or concerns?

Well, while the Voltaren is absorbed some into your system, it is still less than oral NSAIDS. Best bet is just to run it by your doctor to be sure. If he would like you to stop it, I use Arnica gel. I don't believe it has that same effect, of course it doesn't work quite as well either haha! Then there's also stuff like icy hot in a pinch. Or ask your doc about trying Lidoderm Patches if you haven't already tried those. Seems they work better on knees than other areas, so it may be helpful for you.

Good luck!

run it by your surgeon/doctors to make sure its okay to take.

only they would know and be able to offer advice. good luck to you

happy to report my platelets look great.. ready for my surgery tomorrow. thanks for all your answers.

Glad to hear you are doing well, jude.

I had to go off nsaids 8 days before my knee surgery and it was tough.(I had been living on them for nearly 6 months before a change of doctors that determined my problem was more than tendonitis and a lack of exercise). It was like going off caffeine...the swelling and pain returned. After so many months of dealing with it, I became tired and more sensitive to the pain as well. I switched to ice packs, capsaicin ointment and salon pas Patches.To my own amazement, I got through it without any pain meds.

Unfortunately, on the day of surgery, chaos erupted in our small hospital. A stabbing victim took over one of the two operating rooms and backed up the full day of surgeries. I was not first in line and I'm diabetic: by 1pm my surgery had to be cancelled due to blood sugar problems.

The most interesting part? My surgery was rescheduled for the end of this month and I have not resumed my nsaids. I am being extremely careful how I go from laying down or sitting to standing or walking. I have even managed to walk up and down a flight of stairs, but I do it slowwwly and mindfully, not to twist or turn my knee.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, it is possible to control the pain without the drugs, but I wouldn't have known until I was forced to do it.