The Pred is finally working
Posted , 6 users are following.
Today I woke up and almost jumped out of bed..My knees hardly ached at all. it's incredible I've been on the pred for 7 days and was getting desperate. Nothing was happening. 15 mgs didn't seem to be doing it but....................................................miracle of miracles today I'm getting better. The shoulders are still stiff but maybe it's working from the bottom up. The end is nigh even my G:P noticed when I arrived at the surgery today I think I'll be able to go back to work soon.
One question my head is really itchy. Could that be a side effect of the pred???
Or have I picked up headlice somewhere???? But it's a small price to pay. One other thing when it's freeezing are the symptoms worse???
1 like, 2 replies
Porgi jennifer99312
Posted
My skin has been made really dry by the steroid even though I use a special moisturiser so maybe its affecting your scalp. Also the steroid has turned my hair from big thick and curly and soft to thin, straight, very dry and coming out. Don't know if that helps but it seems to affect people in many different ways.
EileenH jennifer99312
Posted
It could be the pred - but who knows!!!
Yes, when it is cold it does affect most rheumatic-type disorders! I'm fine with dry cold, wet and windy is awful!
Don't get too excited though: the pred is MANAGING the symptoms, it has not cured anything. The underlying autoimmune disorder is still chugging away in the background and leaving your muscles intolerant of acute exercise and causing the fatigue. That must be managed by PACING - breaking things up into bite sized chunks and resting or doing something different inbetween. I don't know what "work" is - but it isn't always as simple as "I don't hurt any more - I can go back to work". You may need a staged return, you may need some adaptations. Otherwise you run the risk of thinking "the pred isn't working any more" - you have to do your bit too.
The next stage, once your symptoms have improved as much as they are going to and are stable, will be to reduce the dose SLOWLY to find the lowest dose that gives the same result. Not zero - not in 2 years (although you may be one of the 25% who do get off pred in that time) but it is more likely you will be one of the 50% who need 4 to 6 years - which we patients have been saying for some years and finally the Mayo Clinic PMR expert Eric Matteson has published work that agrees with what we have been saying. Which has been published at the ACR meeting in San Diego which means US rheumies may join the rest of us in the real world!!!
Google "fatigue, pacing, spoons and a gorilla" and you will get a link to a post I wrote on another forum where we can give links - read all the links in it. It will help you understand what I'm saying.