I have had 2 meniscus tears that needed to be repaired. Don't know if you want to ask your Dr but my Dr gave me a perscription for prednisone which will help or ask him for pain pills which they will give you after your surgery anyway. Don't take any over the counter pills untill you ask your Dr about what you are taking as a lot of them affect your blood when you go for surgery. Good luck

Satine, you really should ask your medical professional but as far as I know, tylenol is it as far as allowable over the counter meds in the days immediately before surgery. Nsaids like Advil, Aleve aren't allowed either like the aspirin products. If you are really miserable, they would likely give you a prescription product to get you by if you ask.

DH worked for the first time in three weeks today! He's never been sick, never been hurt, and his work has him hiking off trail through timber 4 days a week - at 66 yrs old:). Xray of his knee showed nothing but some arthritis. MRI - at his insistence - showed a slightly torn meniscus, arthritis, bone swelling, and an old ACL injury that he didn't know he had.

I looked at the torn meniscus images at the surgeons office, really interesting - of course, not my knee. I hope you do well with the repair, sounds like very often quite successful if it hasn't healed itself.

Thanks for the responses. I have tried tylenol and Im afraid it did nothing for the pain. I was getting relief with aspirin but of course thats out now. Im going to head out now and get a cane-hoping the support will help. These are the times when I really really miss my husband. Sorry, guess Im a little melancholy tonight. Satine

Have you tried any topical analgesic creams?
I have been having a lot of neck pain and today I found a topical cream on sale at our local pharmacy.
It is Arthritis Pain Relief with the main ingredient of capsaicin 0.1%. It is probably found at major pharmacies under a different name but the active ingredient will be capsaicin. (Capzasin-HP)
I was amazed how quickly it relieved my pain....much more effectively than oral medications.
It is worth a try.
Be sure to read the instructions before applying and wash your hands thoroughly afterwards.
Good luck with your surgery and keep us updated, please.

I'm sending you a cyberhug. I know what you are going through. I've had arthroscopic knee surgery twice--the first time, I had both knees done at the same time. What was I thinking???? I didn't have a leg to stand on!

After suffering through the pain you are having now, the surgery will be easy. The postoperative therapy is not fun, but it is necessary.

Good luck, and let us know how you are doing. I will remember you in my prayers. Hugs!!!!

When I had my arthroscopy, my dr. gave a Rx. pain medication, I think Celebrex which worked well. Your doctor will give you a rx. for what is appropriate for you to take post-op.

I have a sensitivity to anything aspirin-related.

When I injured my hip, the doctor recommended the arthritis formula Tylenol, 650mg., every eight hours. That's the strongest one they make.

It helps me and it might be worth a try.

Also, I injured my shoulder in the past and a cortisone injection helped a lot.

Aspirin is one of the most effective things for me too and I wasn't supposed to use it, ibuprofen or naproxen after the surgery last fall because of the blood thinning aspects. I used extra strength acetaminophen but recommendations advised taking no more than 4,000 milligrams of acetaminophen a day and now they're dropping that to 3,000 mg so you can take 6 pills a day, essentially 3 doses without risking liver issues.

Do other things relieve the pain? Ice works for some but it seldom helps for me. Heat works better than ice in most cases for me. Sometimes a hot shower helps massage the area and it can be helpful.

Hope you find relief.

Note: If you ever have to take prednisone, ask the MD for a sleeping aide like Ambien. Prednisone 'wires' me so I can't sleep. They have no problem prescribing Ambien, but you'll have to ASK; they just aren't thinking of the side effects of Pred.

I can't tolerate aspirin anymore. IME Tylenol is a *useless* placebo. Aspirin is proven to relieve inflamation.

Ugh, I feel your pain. I'm not supposed to take ibuprofen due to it causing me stomach lining issues after taking it for years for cramps. Tylenol/acetomin. doesn't do a thing for me! I might as well just take a skittles. Ibuprofen and NSAIDS are the only over the counter meds that work.

I refuse to take narcotics on a regular basis, so I'm playing around with other things. My friend spent a lot of time in Nepal and she just told me the women in her host family there drink the water from boiled cumin seeds for cramps, so guess what I'll be trying this month? lol.