another flare?
Posted , 6 users are following.
I was tapering quite nicely and got to 18mg when it went haywire. Went back up to 20, but slowly over a week, my symptoms of temple pain, lethargy and generally feeling unwell, increased.
My rheumatologist is away and I'm due to see a stand in rheumy on Tuesday. However, today, having slept all afternoon and feeling absolutely wretched with fatigue and temple pain, I called my GP to ask for an urgent blood test. As luck would have it, she is away, but the young duty doctor wanted to see me as his last appointment.
I went through the potted history and he has told me to increase to 40mg and has requested an urgent blood test for tomorrow morning.
I'm so fed up being back at 40mg! There is no end in sight at this rate.
Will wait to hear of the blood results tomorrow eve. If they turn out to be ok, the 40mg will have been a terrible increase. If the markers are up, well, who knows I did ask him whether I should wait for the bloods before increasing to 40, but I suppose him being young, he wasn't going to take any chances. On the other hand, I'd rather have a GP who takes the condition seriously unlike my last surgery.
2 likes, 48 replies
tina-uk_cwall Susanne_M_UK
Posted
it's good you have a blood test tomorrow, depending on the results, I assume your Dr will take things from there, but I personally think it was good to increase your preds and I hope you are by now feeling much better for it.
regards, tina
Susanne_M_UK tina-uk_cwall
Posted
I really hope that whatever the outcome, I'll be able to reduce quickly. It seems like I'm forever going back up on the dose.
kathy67492 tina-uk_cwall
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tina-uk_cwall kathy67492
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when I visited my rheumatologist and I told him I'd had a flare and told him how I'd approached my recovery from it he told me that if I suffer a flare again I don't need to work my way back down through the doses again I could simply up my dose to 15mgs for 10 days then go straight back onto the dose prior to the flare.
So yes, that's exactly what he recommends. I must admit that process does terrify me to and I'll let you all know if it works if I experience a flare with my reduction which begins tomorrow.
regards, tina
MrsO-UK_Surrey kathy67492
Posted
10mgs for 2 weeks
7.5mgs for 2 weeks
Alternate days of 7.5 and 5mgs for 2 weeks
5 mgs for 5 1/2 months
Hope that might help.
tina-uk_cwall MrsO-UK_Surrey
Posted
however, seeing your reduction following a flare, it makes much more sense. It's about raising the dose sufficiently in order to really give the flare what for then reducing in sufficient stages that you're not on the high dose forever, but reducing enough that your body can cope with until you get yo the dose where you were good at prior to the reduction and flare.
tomorrow I start my dead slow and almost stop reduction from 8mgs to 7.5mgs. I'm obviously hoping all goes ok but if not then it's your response I will follow.
i hope all is well with you. Regards, tina
kathy67492 MrsO-UK_Surrey
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MrsO-UK_Surrey tina-uk_cwall
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Lots of good luck wishes for the next stage starting tomorrow - hopefully you can't go far wrong when following the slowly slowly approach. Take care, especially with those bed changes!
tina-uk_cwall MrsO-UK_Surrey
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Susanne_M_UK
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Susanne_M_UK
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tina-uk_cwall Susanne_M_UK
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Susanne_M_UK tina-uk_cwall
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MrsO-UK_Surrey Susanne_M_UK
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lodgerUK_NE Susanne_M_UK
Posted
I had two flares, first one back to 60mg, second one back to 40mg. Five years down the line - remission and still in remission 4 years later.
There is light at the end of the tunnel, just no-one knows how long the damn tunnel is.