actually i know exactly whats wrong with my knee. ive had MRIs and even surgery on both(one knee done by a quack, the other by a hell of a surgeon) my problem is basically i have patches spurs made of cartilage over the surface of the knee joint. they are catching and rubbing together and thats what is causing the pain and inflimation. surgically removing the spurs works, for a lil while. i spend several grand to have the doc go in and scrape/burn with a lazer the spurs off and smooth up my knee. with the good Doc, im healed up from the surgery and walking normally in about 10 days. i get about 3 weeks of bliss and than the spurs have grown back to the point ive got pain and inflamation again. with the quack, 3 weeks on crutches, addicted to pain killers and still walking with a bit of a limp 10 weeks down the road.
another option would be to remove the cartilage all together but than i will have arthritis to contend with.
Laura my problem with Celebrex is about what you describe about Cortizone working to good. Celebrex does wonders for the pain but nothing for the spurs so i loose my warning sign of pushing my knees(pain) to far. the doc perscibed the Celebrex to me for last hunting season. it was great i was hiking 15 miles a day in rough country and having no pain. well about 2 weeks after hunting season i was leaving my parents house, stepped up into the truck and my left knee popped out of joint and i invented a whole new family of curse words much to the surprise of my now wife and step kids who had no clue what had happened. after i got my self home and drugged up good all i could think about was what if that had happened while i was hanging off the sandstone cliff chasing mule deer 3 weeks earlier, very scary thought. i flushed the Celebrex the next day. they werent worth it.
basically im looking for something to split the difference. the pain i can deal with for the most part, but i need something to help out. narcoics arent an option cause my body has a low tollerance and i cant work on them. Celebrex works to good. Tylenol, Asprin, Ibuprofin, and Naproxin arent quite good enough and tear up my stomache after a few days.
i know what will work but its a whole nother risk that im not quite ready to take. my state legalized its medical use but since Celebrex works and im assuming Cortizone will to there is no way a doctor will go out on a limb and perscribe it.