It's been a wild ride coming off of prednisone. Now that I've weaned off of the medicine -- it's been two weeks -- the new effects include:
Tiredness: Walking for any length of time results in a general feeling of tiredness. My breathing is fine, it's my body that can suddenly seem tired and worn out, like an old sock.
Sleeping: Today for example, I got out of bed at 11 a.m., after nearly 11 hours of sleep. For the past week or so I've logged in about 9 hours of sleep nightly. Need I say more? If I was normal and well, I'd be up at 6:30 or 7 and ready to go...
Lethargy: And now, once I do get up, I ain't exactly a ball of fire...
I read the newspaper, I eat breakfast and before you know it, half the day's gone. What a difference from when I was on prednisone and I never stopped doing things, always had something "important" to do.
On prednisone, I had lists of things to do...and I did them. I was unstoppable. I wrote on this blog at two or three times a week. Now I can barely do it twice a month!
Muscle aches and pains: Knitting, one of my favorite activities, hurts my arms. Walking can cause pain in my legs. I've had sudden muscle spasms in the muscles behind my knee. My muscles seem to stiffen up in the evening, but is that the prednisone or my age? And finally, yoga, which gave me so much joy, has become really difficult. But, I will get back to it very soon!
Visit to the Pulmonologist
Finally, I was back at the pulmonologist yesterday, Dr. A. I'm still fine and all the problems I've outlined above he ascribed to this post-prednisone period. He estimates this will continue for several more weeks.
In the words of Dr. Seuss, "We shall see, we shall see."
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Back at the Blog
Update
Last week was my last week on prednisone; I was taking 5 mgs every other day. This week is the first since April 2009 that I'm not taking any prednisone.
Naturally, last week I began to get the sniffles. Then, that turned into sneezing and finally I was coughing up phlegm. I thought I was having a relapse, so I called the doctor. It felt like that last week in April all over again, when I was diagnosed with a cold then an allergy, bronchitis and then finally ended up in the hospital.
As with that last week in April, I was scheduled for a CT scan. Happily, the CT scan showed my lungs were clear and clean. This time Dr. A,the pulmonologist pronounced that I was experiencing allergy symptoms and not BOOP again. Hurray!
Eye Doctor with an Eye for Young Ladies
Earlier in the week I went to see an optomotrist at the suggestion of my GP, Dr. B. My eyesight needed to be checked, because it too is affected by long-time prednisone use. This turned into one of the most unpleasant experiences I've had with a doctor in a long time. This guy was a first rate putz, in my opinion of course.
Condescending, pompous and rude, he insisted that the fat pads under my eyes would need to be removed. He went on and on describing and naming them. The conversation went like this:
"I thought those fat pads were part of the puffiness from the prednisone. I thought when all of my puffiness disappears, those fat pads will go too."
His response: "I don't care what medicine you're on, they will need to be removed."
I decided not to argue about that.
A few minutes later I said that "I had a couple of questions."
His response: "The way this usually goes is I finish the check up and then I ask you if you have any questions. But, since you've already interrupted me, you can go ahead."
Was this guy kidding or what?
Honestly, I don't remember what I needed to ask him, but I do remember quite clearly that he was being awfully charming and nice to the very young, blond young woman who he saw just before me.
It ain't easy being an old, ugly lady, even if the ugly is temporary and I'm are charming and witty most of the rest of the time. :-)
Other Issues
These last few weeks have also been filled with family issues, religious holidays, a writing class, house cleaning, discussions about the swine-flu vaccination, prednisone-induced lethargy, sudden naps and sleeping in, sadness and I don't know what else....that there's been no time for this blog.
But I'm back now.
Last week was my last week on prednisone; I was taking 5 mgs every other day. This week is the first since April 2009 that I'm not taking any prednisone.
Naturally, last week I began to get the sniffles. Then, that turned into sneezing and finally I was coughing up phlegm. I thought I was having a relapse, so I called the doctor. It felt like that last week in April all over again, when I was diagnosed with a cold then an allergy, bronchitis and then finally ended up in the hospital.
As with that last week in April, I was scheduled for a CT scan. Happily, the CT scan showed my lungs were clear and clean. This time Dr. A,the pulmonologist pronounced that I was experiencing allergy symptoms and not BOOP again. Hurray!
Eye Doctor with an Eye for Young Ladies
Earlier in the week I went to see an optomotrist at the suggestion of my GP, Dr. B. My eyesight needed to be checked, because it too is affected by long-time prednisone use. This turned into one of the most unpleasant experiences I've had with a doctor in a long time. This guy was a first rate putz, in my opinion of course.
Condescending, pompous and rude, he insisted that the fat pads under my eyes would need to be removed. He went on and on describing and naming them. The conversation went like this:
"I thought those fat pads were part of the puffiness from the prednisone. I thought when all of my puffiness disappears, those fat pads will go too."
His response: "I don't care what medicine you're on, they will need to be removed."
I decided not to argue about that.
A few minutes later I said that "I had a couple of questions."
His response: "The way this usually goes is I finish the check up and then I ask you if you have any questions. But, since you've already interrupted me, you can go ahead."
Was this guy kidding or what?
Honestly, I don't remember what I needed to ask him, but I do remember quite clearly that he was being awfully charming and nice to the very young, blond young woman who he saw just before me.
It ain't easy being an old, ugly lady, even if the ugly is temporary and I'm are charming and witty most of the rest of the time. :-)
Other Issues
These last few weeks have also been filled with family issues, religious holidays, a writing class, house cleaning, discussions about the swine-flu vaccination, prednisone-induced lethargy, sudden naps and sleeping in, sadness and I don't know what else....that there's been no time for this blog.
But I'm back now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
