Heartburn

Hi Teri, I don't have heartburn as such, but about 2 weeks pre diagnosis when I was very poorly I developed a pain under my left breast, around my sternum, since diagnosis the pain has deminished somewhat but it is still there and can sometimes be quite fad although my Dr doesn't seem too bothered!

i have a very weak right shoulder following a sports injury when I was younger and now if I work too much then it is the first area I get pain. 

when did you start getting these pains and have you seen a Dr at all about these symptoms? Regards, christina 

Hi Teri, I assume you are either taking the coated pred or combining the pred with gastro resistant medication or are you using yoghurt?  The pred on its own can result in heartburn I think.  Sorry you have pain in the shoulder and muscle of your right arm.  It is very easy to push your body too far and one of the side effects of the pred is muscle weakness so something you have always done might be too much now.

Hi Teri,  i do not have heart burn per se, but ever since I started on prednisone, I have stomach issues - bloating, indigestion, upset stomach, heart burn off and on.  In other words my stomach is always churning, and I need to take Tums everyday to try to settle it down.  It never really settles down.  I can also only eat a small amount of food at a time.  I always take prednisone with food and have tried yogurt, but it doesn't help.  i also tried putting the bare prednisone into empty capsules, but that didn't help either.  Anyway, that is what I am experiencing. I force myself to eat some dinner, but I drink a lot of protein smoothies just to get nourishment.

yep, constant heartburn, even with maximum heartburn meds. 

Teri, if you don't already have it, start your day with a 'live' yoghurt.  Also before your meals, especially your main meal, drink a glass of warm water containing just a few squeezes of fresh lemon.  Being an acid fruit, that might sound countr-productive but, in fact, the lemon turns alkaline in the stomach.  A teaspoonful of Manuka honey can also work wonders for the esophagus.  I had dreadful side effects from the stomach protector pills, Omeprazole and Lansoprazol (diarrhoea and pain), and they were stopped by my rheumy almost as soon as they were started.  I found that the daily live yoghurt and my lemon juice and honey remedies worked a treat for me and I never had any further stomach problems in spite of a high 40mg steroid starting dose.   If all else fails, see your GP who can prescribe something to help.