Moon face question

Tammy, I am hoping that 10 may be the "magic" number! I believe Prednisone also causes fluid retention, so maybe the puffy eyes can also be blamed on the Prednisone.  I try to not use additional salt because if I do I feel extra bloated the next day, if not immediately.  Since being on the Prednisone, even when I eat very little I feel all bloated.  It's just not a very "user friendly" drug. ;(

Pam thank you soooo much, I will eliminate my salt !!! Hope it works .. I really do not like my face right now 😞

Were you on Methotrexate from the beginning?  I started on Methotrexate at the same time that I was diagnosed and began the prednison.  The prednisone was 20 mg to begin with.  I have tapered cown to 6 mg now.  I havae never had the moon face and have had no weight gain other than three pounds when I was a piggy over Christmas.  I am wondering the the Methotrexate is what helped me to dodge a bullet.  I would be very curious to know about this.  Did anyone who began MTX at the begining still get the moon face? Thanks, Donna

Some people don't ever gain weight - and others lose weight, sometimes a lot and struggle to put weight on. Everyone is different.

Thank you! Yes! Oh to have a chin again! Ha ha.  In my case, it's all a matter of self image and having lost control.  My son is getting married in June and I dread being in the photos. Guess I'll have to suck it up and smile!

My daughter got married when I was at my worst - had been ill with something else for the previous 6 months and was at my fattest for looking for an outfit. I put it off and put it off and finally, with a month to go, dragged myself to a "fat clothes" shop in Innsbruck (no way I would find anything here in Italy, lord knows where they get nice clothes from). Austria has what can only be called "different" tastes - dirndls or ultra modern!

But by the wedding I'd lost nearly 3 inches around my waist - and the spare black trousers I'd taken with me fell down! So the orange ones it was... 

Hi Donna, No, my rheumy put me on methotrexate about15months after the onset.  I had developed GCA, also, so my pred was increased from10 (started on 20) to 60.  UGH.  I do believe the metho helped, but, who knows what would have happened without it??? I go Tues to see rheumy,(every 3 mos) I am down to 5 mg pred daily and 5 metho once a week. I do hope to be able to stop the metho.  She indicated I may have to stay on 5 pred indefinitely.  I haven't had a flare.  But...I have had just about every side effect of pred there is.  Also, severe lumbar degeneration which caused extreme pain.  YIKES...and like most of us, I was so healthy for my first 73 years, then PMR took that away.  No more dancing, or walking my 3-5 miles a day...on and on...but on good side, NO MORE MOON FACE, MY CHIN IS REALLY THERE, AND MY HAIR IS GROWING IN NICELY.  I am very thankful for this forum...it helped educate my Dr., too! 

I am thinking that the Methotrexate may have been what helped with the moon face and maybe why I did not get it.  I am glad that you are doing so very well.  I have had some hair loss due to the MTX, but finally found a shampoo online that seems to have halted that.  The doctor had given me a prescription of something else that sounded worse than prednisone.  Can't remembe the name right now.  Anyway, once this shampoo stopped the hair loss, I decided to stay with the MTX since I felt it was actually helping me to get to a lower dose of prednisone.  I have been able to walk pretty much throughtout, but have totally stopped the exercise that I was doing.  I have a friend who was on prednisone for something else and she did gain weight, but she said that it was because it made her so hungry that she was eating more.  I am wondering if that is one reason that some gain weight and some don't.  It has not made me want to eat more.  I know that we are all different, so who knows really.  Glad you are better.  :-)

Yes donna,my gp did mention the the steroids do make you more hungry than usual ,I try not to eat after 6pm though,what exercises did you do ???

I used to do about thirty squats a day, and thrity counter-top pushups, along with some balance exercises.  The balance exercises are not strenuous, so I need to get back into those.  I also like to get down on floor and do leg exercises, one leg at a time as I also have back problems not relagted to PMR.  It is hard to describe these exercises.  I think I can start doing those again.  I am a bit afraid of the squats and pushups due to the fact that it was my thighs and shoulders that were most affected by the PMR.  I really do make sure that I walk everday, but then having a dog is my motivation there. I just turned 80 and really think I am doing pretty well.  If I feel hungry, I try to have a cup of herb tea or eat an  apple or something similar.  The clothes in my closet are all the same size, nothing too big, nothing too small, so I really cannot afford to gain weight.  LOL  I would have nothing to wear.  Motivagtion is what I have to work the hardest on.   I really think that the hunger is the reason for weight gain, and not just the prednisone.  I do not have anything in my pantry that I should not eat, that helps.  If I had dangerous snacks, it might be harder for me to say "NO" to them.  I would recommend walking whenever possible, take some extra steps around the house, don't turn the TV on in the daytime.  Keep busy!!!  I try to accomplish at least one thing a day aroudn the house.  I am retired, so think it is important not to beocme a couch potato.  Good luck, Maureen!!  This PMR is not  fun thing, but I will say that other than my back (scoliosis) i have not had other health problems, so that helps a lot.  So many people on here have had multiple problems.  I have severe sight issue, but that is not going to keep me from moving about.  

Do be careful with squats/press-ups and similar exercises. One of the things about PMR is that, even with pred, our muscles remain intolerant of acute exercise, especially ones which are repeated using the same muscles. This is because the actual disease process, an autoimmune vasculitis, continues in the background, attacking the body tissues and causing damage and inflammation. The attack still happens - the pred wipes the inflammation up very quickly though. Repeated use of the muscles results very quickly in oxygen depletion which can lead to claudication in some muscles but your muscles are unable to signal you should stop and you often don't find out until you hit the brick wall of fatigue. Then DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness) often appears next day, as if you had done a massive amount of exercise, and it takes longer than usual to go. 

I'm not saying don't, I'm saying be careful. I used to be able to do loads of squats - now if I do more than 10 at a time I will be barely able to walk next day! I CAN do stairs now, though not too many (now, I couldn't before pred). It is a question of starting with just a few, say 5, and if that is OK next day, add another 1 or 2. It's really also better to allow a day between exercise days to allow recovery. Everything now takes longer to get to the same level of training but usually you can get there eventually.

"Use to do" are the key words in my post.  I do NOT do the squats and pushups anymore.  I do not want to damage my muscles.  That was why I emphasized that I walk eveyrday.  I also said that I need to get back to my balance exercises, those are not strenuous and very important as we get older.  I have been lazy about doing those lately.  

Sorry - I misunderstood the "I need to get back to those". But you probably can still do them in small doses.

Thanks donna I find that as the day wears on I feel less stiff which is good for me,but there is no way I could get up from the floor that's to say if I could get down there in the first place I keep busy with four  cats and one who visits for a sleep/food,I lost my beloved dog Rosie  last June so no motivation there now sadly ,I wont be getting another ,here she is ...

Oh, what an adorable picture.  I have my little Fiona on my lap as I sit here.  She is thirteen, so I know the day will come, just hope it's not too anytime soon.  Yes, as the day wears on, I think we all feel better.  

Yes she too  is 13 and she went back to the charity she came from and has a smashing life now ...when I lost my husband last April I found I coudnt cope with her as she kept crawling under the fences and barking for England ,she was also climbing on my desk if I left her..... her present owners keep me posted on a regular basis which is nice for me as I felt rotten in letting her go,it's the charity rules that the dog has to go back to the charity ,here she is with her new doggy mates.x

Oh, I am so sorry, but so nice that you can still keep in touch and know how she is doing.  I am sorry to hear of your husband's passing.  I lost my beloved husband a little over four years ago.  I still miss him terribly, but am managing to get along.  It is not an easy road.  Good luck to you in recovering from PMR. 

Thanks so much donna much appreciated we had been married almost 63 years  ...

You have had a major blow to your life.  Sixty-three years is something to be very proud of.  That is a very long time to be with someone and then to be alone.  Going to a grief groiup at my church really helped me.  

I have been offered all sorts of help but have been so busy with jobs that Mike was unable to do sadly,thanks for your support donna  

Keeping busy is a good thing!!!  I am glad that you have had many offers for help.  Each day is putting one foot in front of the other.  :-)  I try to have a plan for each day, sometimes not much on the plan, but it does help.  I find that evenigns are the lonliest for me.