Full of energy

Good for you Lizzie Ellen! Long may it last and if you discover the secret I know you'll pass it on. But it's not like that , is it? One day or even week you can think \" Right, I've cracked it. If I just remember not to overdo it etc. etc.

Yesterday I re-potted two enormous pierises ( sp.? ) having first had to repair and paint the tubs. Hauled compost into barrow. Removed plants from old pots and replanted. Then carried cans of rainwater and watered them in. They look really good and I am delighted. No ill effects, ate supper, watched a mindless whodunnit, went to bed and slept solidly for 6 hours. Now why was that? I still have PMR, still on my 9mgs. What's different?

Are the fluctuations we all experience caused by the PMR, the Pred. or what? Has anyone ever posed these questions and got an answer from their doctors? I'll ask mine when I see him next Monday.

Enjoy Wimbledon. I'll join you in a minute and I know Mrs.O has set the fortnight aside. BettyE

I'm very happy for you Lizzie Ellen. I am full of energy too, which makes a great change from all the months I felt full of pain, stiffness and fatigue. I can get about and do my housework now. I hope that your improvement long continues.

Good for you Lizzie Ellen! Long may it last and if you discover the secret I know you'll pass it on. But it's not like that , is it? One day or even week you can think \" Right, I've cracked it. If I just remember not to overdo it etc. etc.

Yesterday I re-potted two enormous pierises ( sp.? ) having first had to repair and paint the tubs. Hauled compost into barrow. Removed plants from old pots and replanted. Then carried cans of rainwater and watered them in. They look really good and I am delighted. No ill effects, ate supper, watched a mindless whodunnit, went to bed and slept solidly for 6 hours. Now why was that? I still have PMR, still on my 9mgs. What's different?

Are the fluctuations we all experience caused by the PMR, the Pred. or what? Has anyone ever posed these questions and got an answer from their doctors? I'll ask mine when I see him next Monday.

Enjoy Wimbledon. I'll join you in a minute and I know Mrs.O has set the fortnight aside. BettyE

Very pleased to hear that Lizzie Ellen

I have for the last few weeks had much more energy also and have caught up on the housework and gardenning I can reach places I couldnt a few months ago which is great I definately feel I need permanant summer !!

Blood test today and Drs Wednesday ( at 3pm when the England match starts ) so should be quiet !! On 7.5 at present so it will be decision time on Wed as to what I do next

Hoping for good results as off to Majorca Sat and looking forward to swimming in the sea and some nice strolls along the beach

Best wishes to all

Mrs G

Mrs G

Don't take any notice of the blood tests - its too near your holiday.

Remember its only a guide and its how you feel. Take the drop when you come back - why, because you are going on your holidays and the first few days of any drop are problematic most times.

Enjoy Majorca.

Wow! It must be a virus of energy :lol: madgewildfire, Mrs G, BettyE and me all with a bit more energy than normal. One has to think the weather and the hours of daylight might be having an influence here. Have a great time in Majorca Mrs G. Swimming in the warm blue Med - bliss! I do agree with Mrs K regarding your dosage. I wouldn't change it if I were you, what's a week or two in the scheme of things - your body seems to like 7.5mgs and you want the best holiday you can have. I'm off to Spain for 6 weeks (I know, but someone has to do it!) and we drive down. Its 1500 miles and three days pretty hard driving, I'm quite nervous about it as its the first time since having PMR. I'm going to suspend my reduction programme from the two weeks before I go until I get back, the Doctor agrees with me on this. So it means I'm going to take longer to get off (or at least try to get off!) the steroids, but I've driven down to Spain every year for over 10 years now and I don't want to give it up. I hope that this 'energy virus' continues to infect us all :run: Once again, have a brilliant holiday Mrs G 8) and continue the good work in the garden Betty :rose: . Take care everyone.

Lizzie Ellen :D

Hi all!

I've got sun today too!!! At last, after a week of rain - and on Sunday I couldn't see the new snow for the clouds :roll: !!

Anyway - after reading all your posts yesterday I went off on an information trawl and found an American support site for \"autoimmune disease sufferers\" - very general! It was interesting, though that there were a lot of posts on a \"Vit D\" thread, where several patients reported that their rheumatologists had tested them for their Vitamin D levels and had put them onto high doses of it as a result. All of them said they felt much better within a short time with muscle aches and soreness improving markedly and higher energy levels. Some said that they had had a return of the symptoms within a short time of stopping the dose and that they also felt better as soon as the sun appeared in the spring. The doses prescribed by the rheumatologists were much higher than what we get in our Calcichew tablets though with 2000 I.U. being the maximum amount recommended (we get 800 I.U./day).

An add-on to the post I put up about Vitamin D a bit back: you produce the maximum amount of Vit D from sunlight after about 15-20 mins and after that the body breaks down the excess to prevent you getting too much. So you need that amount of time with bare skin (and more than just your face) in the sun EVERY DAY summer and winter. There are also quite a few people who don't manage to make any vit D however long they spend in the sun for some reason. It also occurs to me that most make-up nowadays has factor 15 sun-protection in it too so even having your face in the sun doesn't help much (I don't have that problem - never wear it!).

So it looks likely that the effect of the sun is more than merely psychological (or is the improvement in mood because of the higher vit D levels in the body, not just the light?) and a good dose of vit D may well help all us people with autoimmune diseases as the two are associated, that's well known.

And me? Well, the return of the sun yesterday encouraged me to go out and try our new bike (a cheaty one, electric booster! :roll: ) and caught the edge of the pavement in the tunnel just along from our house on the way back :oops: ! How embarrassing - especially as one of the neighbours saw me come off! So now I have the arnica out to deal with the technicolour thumb that was the result - the pharmacist says I should go and get it X-rayed. We were reflecting on what A&E in GB would say if I turned up with my pretty thumb and asked for that! But I've found 2 ways of watching reasonable amounts of Wimbledon free (mostly on pay TV here) - 1x German and 1x on-line in American. Well, you can't have it all Federer had me shouting at him yesterday!

However - must go and look at the new house being built next door which was delivered last night. It's sort of Betta-builda construction techniques - how many of you remember that? :lol:

Happy hols MrsG and Lizzie Ellen - definitely back the idea of leaving reductions until afterwards 8) , not too much Sangria though :wink:

EileenH

Hello all and yes I agree that summertime and longer, lighter days definitely improve PMR symptoms and, as Eilleen has said, 15-20 minutes daily spent in the sun without any covering on arms and face (no sunscreen either) allows our bodies to absorb the essential Vit D. And it's so good to hear that like me, everyone is feeling more energised - I could go and dig the garden ?

Mrs G - have a great holiday with plenty of sun, sand and.......sangria :wink: ! You should then be in top-top condition on your return to go for the next reduction.

Lizzie-Ellen - wow, 6 weeks in Spain that's gotta mean a sangria hangover :hangover:! Good luck with that long drive though - many years ago in our twenties we drove to Torremolinos in a little Morris 1000, sleeping in the car overnight (couldn't afford too many hotels and the mortgage!). When we returned I vowed that we would never do it again but it sure beats flying when you're driving across those deserted mountains and suddenly come across the little hillside villages of white houses in the middle of nowhere.....real Spain! Have a great holiday 8).

MrsO

A bit got missing from my post:

I could go and dig the garden :wink: but I think I'll go and watch Murray instead :lol: Hope he starts off better than Federer did yesterday - whatever happened there - he needed some of our energy, girls!

lots of love, MrsO

Yes I had decided that I would stay on 7.5 for a few more weeks as I have only been on it for 2 weeks

I am just trying to plan what to do next I think I might go for .5mg every 2-4 weeks depending on how I feel After the blip I had in Jan I feel anything going down is better than nothing !!

Hope you have a good holiday Lizzie Ellen Frequent stops will be the answer to the journey I remember I trip I took across Ireland before my first bout of PMR was confirmed I had to roll out of the car when we stopped !! We had already cancelled the trip driving to Italy we had planned as it was too far Good old much maligned steroids I for one dont want to be without them !! Well eventually of course !!

Best wishes to all

Mrs G

EileenH -

I wish I could go out in the sun without factor 60 (on prescription). Side effect of long-term use and as usual, marked in the infrequent panel, skin thinning and boy do I burn after just 10 minutes. So slap on.

Going to chat to my lovely, exasperated GP sometime this month, will get told off as usual. But Vit D might just be an answer for me.

Ta a bunch.

Lizzie Ellen - if you pass Barca, Valancia, Javea, Alicante, Mojacar or Granada, give them a hug from me. Don't bother about Madrid too much diesel fumes. Nice paintings mind.

Hi all!

MrsK - sounds like 5 mins at a time then for the sunbathing! But the Vit D thing sounds seriously interesting - and no side effects if you don't go above 2000 I.U. as far as one can tell. Worth trying at least.

MrsO - my very first trip abroad included my 21st birthday and we spent 2 weeks driving from London down nearly to northern Tuscany and back in a Renault 4 (remember them, the ones that looked like a couple of boxes and an umbrella handle on the dashboard to change gear! :lol: ), 4 adults and a large frame tent, one of the early ones. The other couple kept buying presents for their friends - there wasn't room for us never mind the basket they found that was \"perfect for that new baby\". Trouble was they had it gift wrapped in Italy, so we couldn't even fill it with the washing! They complained about my sunhat :roll: - the end of a beautiful friendship!!! The next time we went was a tour all the way round France when it was either raining, had just rained or was about to rain every single time we pitched the tent! We bought a VW camper van!

happy holidays,

EileenH

Yes Mrs G - frequent stops (every two hours, the bladder dictates!). Lots of good, wholesome food in the electric freezer box (hate motorway food). Stopping off to enjoy the beautiful villages en route. Hotels pre-booked (removes the anxiety of a night in the car). Tons of Factor 50. I think that's all. Is it worth it I ask myself? Yep! My best friend of almost 50 years is about to go into a Hospice, so I really want to carry on with my life as before albeit with a few tweaks to allow for the PMR. I will indeed be passing Barca, Valencia, Javea and Alicante on my way back Mrs K (going via Bordeaux, Bilbao and Teruel on the way down) and will give them a hug for you :hug: The first indication that something was amiss was on my way back last year - I got out of the car to use one of those 'delightful' French toilets and couldn't straighten up. I'd aged 30 years in two hours!! Seems mad really as I'm going to spend 6 weeks trying to avoid the sun in Spain 8) but just the air, the blue skies and the wonderful light make me feel better. I do hope everyone manages a change of scenery this year, its so uplifting.

Lizzie Ellen

Lizzie Ellen

A bug hug to the Pansy bear outside the Guggenheim, and if needing a loo stop, the toilets inside are out of this world. Ah Terual, stayed there in a Parador. Best place in Spain for me is Cuenca.

I live in the hope that eventually I will be able to make my annual three month winter trip to Javea many many friends there. Missed the past four years, foot operation one year. Then GCA, which has proved more problematic than I thought it would. Never mind, once the 'ten ton trucks' stop coming round the corner. I will do it.

Meantime, get up and go has arrived and spent the last two days supervising and managing to do things in the garden. Walking stick, zimmer frames and wheelchair have all been put away. Everything is crossed.

Hi Mrs K

Great to hear that you are able to do more things now and hope you will be able to get back to Spain shortly They didnt have a good winter last year so this year has to be good

Lizzie Ellen We used to do so many holidays drifting through France and driving down to Spain until the Horses took over our lives and now we only do a week or 10 days ( often !!) so our holidas have changed

#We drove down through Andorra and the Spanish Pyrenees ( Absolutely beautiful ) to the Costa Brava about 30 years ago and we go back now to little places on the Costa Brava and still they havent changed a lot

Saw the Dr yesterday and my bloods were up a bit so will be on 7.5 for a few weeks to stabiise Normally my bloods go with how I am feeling Have been doing lots of physical work so looking forward to a rest on my sunbed next week my Dr is happy to take control of my reductions She said now I am down to 7.5 its the point where they stop worrying about the damage to your body

Have a great time and hope everyone is enjoying this hot weather I am going to bath my horses today to try and keep the flies away !!

Best wishes Mrs G