Let's see - is it better to live in constant pain, or be pain free with a slightly increased risk of heart attack and stroke ?
For my wife it's a no-brainer - she wants the Vioxx.
Sorry to hear that your wife has pain, jimt. May I suggest reading "The Arthritis Cure," a book by Dr. Theodosakis, who suggests that the right combination of glucosamine and chondroitin --and the right brand, as confirmed by Consumers Union tests-- will relieve pain and may even reverse Osteoartritis. The brand they suggest is Osteo Bi-flex, available at drug stores. I cannot say it will work for her, but it did totally relieve my hip pain, once so bad I could not even climb up into an SUV unassisted. I got the book from my library. There are no known side effects from this treatment.